PRESENTER:
Alan Foote | Foundation for Tacoma Students
Christy Bowman-White | Maple Elementary, Seattle
Melissa Munson-Merritt | Camas Prairie Elementary, Spanaway
Gary Pringle | Hamilton Elementary, Port Angeles

DESCRIPTION: Washington’s ESEA Distinguished Schools lead the charge in fostering statewide student achievement. Hear directly from principals of these outstanding schools as they share the innovative strategies they’ve implemented to address achievement gaps and support diverse student populations. Learn how these success stories can be adapted to drive impact in schools throughout Washington. Attendees will gain practical insights and strategies to advance equity and student success in their own schools.

PRESENTER:
Chanel R. Hall | Foundation for Tacoma Students
Tana Peterman | Washington STEM
Dr. Kareen Borders | West Sound STEM
Tim Bremner | Franklin Pierce School District

DESCRIPTION: Explore the findings of The High School to Postsecondary Collaborative’s research to uncover the challenges students face in accessing and completing higher education. Delve into local and statewide trends to pinpoint areas needing improvement, identify opportunities for tailored support, and develop strategies for establishing a robust postsecondary preparation system.

PRESENTER:
Liliana Medina | Sistema Escolar USA
Cara Ianni | King County Housing Authority

DESCRIPTION: Discover the power of transcreation through Noticias en español para familias de BSD y LWSD, a program providing weekly informational videos for Spanish-speaking families. Learn how transcreation goes beyond translation to deliver culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate content that empowers communities. Explore the development process, community engagement model, challenges, and solutions behind Noticias. Gain insights into creating accessible, understandable, and respectful communication that builds on the community’s commitment to their students. Leave with a roadmap for starting your own transcreation effort and fostering collaboration to equitably serve diverse populations.

PRESENTER:
Asha Richardson | Foundation for Tacoma Students
Shalema Henderson | College Access: Research and Action 
Timothy Humbert | Tacoma Community College
Amna Sabir | Tacoma Community College
Bella Bartose | Tacoma Community College

DESCRIPTION: Discover the impactful potential of proactive peer mentoring in enhancing the success of first-year college students. This session introduces a scalable model wherein mentors play a proactive role in supporting students, resulting in heightened persistence, satisfaction, and a deeper sense of belonging within the campus community. Gain insights into how this model can be tailored and integrated, and explore its capacity for generating positive effects on individual students, entire campuses, and the broader educational landscape.

PRESENTER:
Oliver Miska | Washington Ethnic Studies Now
Chris Mena | Washington Ethnic Studies Now

DESCRIPTION: Washington Ethnic Studies Now is leading a pan-ethnic coalition to advocate for multi-strategic Ethnic Studies legislation in the 2025 legislative session that would include a K—12 Ethnic Studies endorsement and certification pathway and an expansion of existing legislative action. Participants will hear about existing plans and how they can influence them and engage in direct action.

PRESENTER:
Gina Cabiddu | MultiCare
Vanessa Adams | MultiCare

DESCRIPTION: Discover a groundbreaking approach to addressing youth mental health in Washington state, with the Kids Mental Health WA program. Learn how this collaborative model reshapes interactions across sectors, improving outcomes for youth and families. Presenters will delve into the program’s three components and its statewide expansion, highlighting successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Explore strategies for community engagement, data collection, and policy impact, with insights from local and statewide perspectives.

PRESENTER:
Peter Briggs | SoundEd

DESCRIPTION: Explore innovative strategies for fostering inclusive classrooms focused on equity and student growth. Learn about trust psychology and growth pedagogy to empower educators in dismantling systemic barriers and addressing implicit biases. Discover practical approaches to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, creating learning environments where all students can thrive.

PRESENTER:
Fahren Johnson | Seeds of Peace
Andy Nguyen | Seeds of Peace
Suorsdey Sou | Seeds of Peace

DESCRIPTION: The Seeds of Peace team of youth and young adults will share their experiences as co-designers and leaders in partnerships with local, county, state, and national organizations. This session will highlight their collaborations with housing authorities, community-based organizations, city agencies, and intermediaries, emphasizing the importance of building by design to center Pro-Black and Anti-Racist work. Discover strategies for engaging youth in decision-making processes and fostering spaces that provide voice, data, and agency to disrupt these systems.

PRESENTER:
Susan Hou | Washington STEM
Dr. Kenneth Olden | Wapato School District

DESCRIPTION: Maximum Representation addresses the long-standing issues of misidentification and under-identification of Native American, multiracial, and multiethnic students in Washington State’s public K-12 schools. When a student identifies as both tribally affiliated and of an additional race, their tribal affiliation data is often omitted from federal reports, hindering tribal nations’ ability to track and understand Native American students’ educational achievement and participation. This session will explore the historical context of Maximum Representation and provide guidance on how school districts can implement it to ensure that every dimension of a student’s identity is honored and identified throughout demographic data processes.

PRESENTER:
Peter Briggs | SoundEd

DESCRIPTION: Empower your student leaders to become catalysts for positive change in your school’s culture and climate. This session will provide practical strategies for developing essential leadership skills that enable students to influence their peers and advocate for systemic change effectively. By equipping student leaders with the tools they need to cultivate relational trust and foster a sense of belonging, you can create an environment where every student feels empowered to make a difference. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for activating student leaders who can drive meaningful change within their schools and communities.

PRESENTER:
Grace Washington | Arts Impact
Beverly Harding Buehler | Arts Impact
Rebecca Saravia | Tacoma Public Schools

DESCRIPTION: Discover the transformative power of STEAM Project Based Learning (PBL) in this hands-on, interactive session led by TPS teachers, community-based teaching artists, and Arts Impact staff. Panelists will share lessons learned from co-creating STEM PBL experiences in seven TPS elementary schools in 2023-24. Participants will explore how culturally grounded, standards-based, and revolutionary learning can center young learners as directors of their own learning and agents of change. Through arts-integrated learning, participants will collaboratively design a mini PBL experience and grapple with the driving question, “How can we scale up arts-integrated PBL in Tacoma Public Schools?”

PRESENTER:
Tramelle D. Howard, J.D. | The Education Trust
Ciara Hart | The Education Trust

DESCRIPTION: Amplify LA, a student voice program from Louisiana, empowers students to actively engage in decision-making processes related to their education. This session shares the program’s success story, highlighting its origin, challenges faced, and lessons learned. Engage in interactive budgeting activities, simulating real-world decision-making scenarios to understand the importance of student-centered priorities.

PRESENTER:
Melissa Bowen | Equity in Education Coalition
Mary Fertakis | M Fertakis Consulting
Sharonne Navas | Equity in Education Coalition

DESCRIPTION: Delve into Washington state’s education funding system, juxtaposing constitutional values with current realities. Explore funding streams, disparities among districts, and root causes of inequities. Through interactive exercises, uncover the complexities of funding allocation and identify policy levers for change. Gain insights into the systemic issues impacting students, families, and educators, leaving with a deeper understanding of funding mechanisms and avenues for policy and community engagement.

PRESENTER:
Alex Tadio | Washington State University
Anna McLeod | Washington State University

DESCRIPTION: In Washington, the transfer student pipeline faces hurdles, with many students delaying enrollment or not completing their educational journey. Explore WSU Everett’s SAFTE initiative, aimed at tackling these challenges head-on. Discover innovative strategies for enhancing transfer processes, fostering regional partnerships, and bolstering student success. Delve into the insights gained and actionable tools identified through SAFTE, all aimed at streamlining academics, admissions, and advising. Learn about cutting-edge credit mobility tools being piloted in collaboration with community colleges, paving the way for smoother credit transfers.

PRESENTER:
Gabby Fitz | Just Strategy

DESCRIPTION: Join Communities for Our Colleges (C4C), a student-driven coalition in Washington, for an engaging session on advocating for cost-free colleges and racial equity policies. Hear from a panel of student leaders as they share their experiences organizing and building power. Participate in small group discussions to explore barriers to higher education and potential policy solutions. Learn about C4C’s strategies, successes, and challenges in enhancing funding, access, and racial equity in community colleges. Leave inspired and empowered to join the movement and take action towards creating a more equitable higher education system.

PRESENTER:
Kia C. Franklin | Stand for Children

DESCRIPTION: Discover the Education Trust’s groundbreaking work on access to advanced coursework in Washington, as they unveil fresh insights from their recent brief, “Increasing Access to Advanced Coursework in Washington.” Engage with a diverse panel of community experts, including students and leaders in CTE dual credit, as they delve into the challenges and opportunities surrounding advanced coursework access. Be a part of shaping the future of education policy in Washington by participating in interactive small group discussions and activities, where your ideas and experiences will contribute to the development of state-wide solutions for the 2025 legislative session.

PRESENTER:
Dr. Kristin McCowan | Community Center for Education Results

DESCRIPTION: Explore Street Data frameworks and their impact on organizational practices at the Community Center for Education Results (CCER). Learn about Street Data’s values, principles, and practices, including Holism and Equity Transformation Cycles. Discover how CCER has intentionally shifted to ‘Center the Margins’, consolidating departments and fostering Street Data Learning Cohorts. Witness the transformation of data and research practices, prioritizing qualitative methods and student-centered approaches. Engage in interactive discussions to envision equitable data practices and strategies for centering marginalized populations in organizational initiatives.

PRESENTER:
Dr. Ivan Harrell | Tacoma Community College
Jane Taylor | Tacoma Radiology Association

DESCRIPTION: Tacoma Community College (TCC) is proactively addressing the national shortage and lack of diversity in healthcare workers. This session showcases the innovative collaboration between TCC and the Tacoma Radiology Association, highlighting their strategies to tackle these critical issues. Attendees will learn how community colleges can effectively partner with healthcare organizations to develop solutions that benefit students, the healthcare industry, and ultimately, local communities. By fostering such partnerships, TCC aims to create a more diverse and skilled healthcare workforce, bridging the gap and strengthening the region’s healthcare sector.

Presenters:
Ava Sims | Chair of Education, Arts, & Culture committee
Begina Kisembo | Vice Chair of Education, Arts, & Culture committee

Join us for an insightful panel session where we delve deep into the intricate dynamics between school boards and community youth groups like the Mayor’s Youth Commission of Tacoma. Our esteemed panelists will address pressing questions and share their experiences, offering valuable insights into fostering meaningful relationships and driving collaborative efforts for the betterment of our communities.

Presenters:
Anastasia Markham | Chair of the Environmental Health Committee)
Isaiah Reinter | Chair of Justice and Safety Committee
Kaitlyn Zeigler | Vice Chair of Safety and Justice Committee

Presenters from Home in Tacoma and Tacoma Tree Foundation will discuss the mission and goals of their projects as they relate to housing justice and environmentalism. You will learn about the Home in Tacoma project and how they are seeking to diversify housing types and inclusionary zoning options. You will also hear from the Tacoma Tree Foundation and the work they have led in supporting green neighborhoods. 

Presenters:
Beyla Kisembo | Chair of Social Health Committee
Riya Richardson | Mayor’s Youth Commission member

Join us for an inspiring session led by youth voices, where we delve into the pivotal topic of youth voting engagement and local initiatives. Through dynamic discussions and interactive activities, we aim to spark ideas, foster collaboration, and ignite a passion for civic engagement among attendees.