ACSA Region 6 Annual Conference 2026

What would it take for more high school seniors to successfully complete four years of math? In this interactive session, we’ll dig into statewide data on math course-taking patterns and examine student voices from two Bay Area districts, reflecting on the barriers and supports that shaped their math journeys. Together, we’ll analyze trends, uncover equity implications, and collaborate on actionable strategies to increase A–G completion and ensure access for students of all backgrounds.

School leaders are facing unprecedented staffing challenges while simultaneously being asked to improve instruction and student outcomes. This session reframes substitutes, student teachers, and interns not as temporary solutions—but as an untapped leadership opportunity to grow our own educators.

Participants will explore practical, systems-based strategies to support and develop emerging teachers at every entry point—from substitute teachers to credential candidates—while strengthening instructional capacity across school sites and districts. Drawing from real-world leadership experiences and the Fruit Leadership Framework, this session highlights how intentional culture, coaching, and collaboration can transform short-term staffing into long-term talent pipelines.

This session is ideal for site and district administrators seeking to strengthen educator pipelines while fostering inclusive, growth-centered learning communities.

Mentorship is more than a support structure—it is a critical equity strategy that shapes educator success, belonging, and long-term retention. As districts work to recruit and sustain a diverse workforce, intentional mentorship systems play a pivotal role in supporting early-career educators, aspiring leaders, and staff from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

This session explores how mentorship, when designed with equity at the center, can disrupt isolation, build professional confidence, and create clear pathways for growth and leadership. Participants will examine the difference between informal mentoring and structured, system-wide mentorship models that prioritize lifting the leader through relationships, culturally responsive leadership, and shared accountability.

Using real-world examples and reflective tools, attendees will learn how mentorship supports not only individual educators, but also organizational health, staff retention, and student outcomes.

Project Para is an Alameda County Office of Education initiative addressing educator shortages and instructional gaps by investing directly in entry-level paraprofessionals. The program seeks to relieve paraprofessional shortages across the county by investing in local community members, providing pedagogical training, and embedding career advancement support. Through cross-divisional collaboration—uniting the Superintendent’s Office, Whole Child Programs, Intensive District Support, and the Professional Advancement & Training Hub—Project Para demonstrates how investing in paraprofessionals may improve student outcomes, advance equity, and drive systems change by redesigning educator pipelines from the community to the classroom.

When racial slurs—including the N-word—are spoken in schools, dignity is wounded and learning is disrupted. Inspired by heart and grounded in leadership responsibility, this session equips administrators to confront anti-Blackness with courage, clarity, and accountability. Participants will examine how racially hostile environments develop, apply civil rights standards to evaluate current site practices, and practice real-time intervention and restorative repair strategies. Through guided case analysis and collaborative planning, leaders will design a measurable 90-day action plan that strengthens prevention systems, elevates student voice, and restores dignity as a non-negotiable condition for academic excellence.