Leadership Programs 2022 in Review

The mission of Berkeley School of Education’s Leadership Programs is to develop and sustain a diverse community of equity and justice–focused teacher, school, and system leaders who transform public education, especially for marginalized and historically underserved students. We engage in applied synergistic investigations and the development of innovative practices around this common purpose. Our collective work is framed by three overarching questions:

• What does equity and justice–focused leadership look like in practice?

• How are equity and justice leaders effectively developed and sustained?

• How must educational systems be transformed to be more equitable and just?

COVER Principal Leadership Institute graduate Nick Easter and Leadership Programs Faculty Director Jabari Mahiri at in-person commencement ceremonies for 2019–2022 graduates. Easter’s inspirational speech brought laughter and tears.

Dear Friends,

This has been a landmark year for our Leadership Programs as we’ve emerged from the pandemic to support leaders on the front lines.

Our Principal Leadership Institute has engaged another dynamic cohort of students while continuing to cultivate a vast and successful network of leaders. Our first Leaders for Equity and Democracy EdD cohort, now in year two, is thriving even while leaders respond to crises at schools, on campuses, and in district offices. Our 21st Century California School Leadership Academy—now in year three—has produced research, held statewide convenings, offered professional learning and coaching, and coalesced with Regional Academies as a statewide force for equity. Internally, our team has grown significantly so that we can take up even more ambitious projects, such as supporting leadership for the equitable implementation of Governor

Gavin Newsom’s Universal Transitional Kindergarten

policy.

With all of our endeavors, we aspire to be an approachable, sturdy, two-way bridge between rigorous data-based research and educational leadership. We bring practitioners and researchers together to improve both public schools and academic institutions. What matters most is that our Leadership Programs alumni are actively advancing equity as never before by transforming education for those who have traditionally been underserved.

The road to justice is not easy, rather it’s filled with bumps, and turns, and corners. Together, with the partnership of students, alumni, staff, districts, and the university, we can press on. Thank you for your support and interest in our work.

In community,

Rebecca Cheung

ASSISTANT DEAN, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, BERKELEY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Jabari Mahiri FACULTY DIRECTOR, LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS, BERKELEY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Rebecca Cheung

Jabari Mahiri

“ My experience at PLI transformed and refined my pedagogy. Twenty years in the profession still feels exciting and rewarding. Every day is a new experience, not by sheer will, but by the implementation and constant practice of the ideas and experiences forged during my PLI experience.” —A

PLI ALUM

LEFT TOP PLI students catching up in the Berkeley Way West lobby. BOTTOM PLI Cohort 22 connecting at the UC Botanical Garden.

Principal Leadership Institute

Building Resilience and Longevity

The Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) continues to recruit, train, and support diverse educators who focus on justice-oriented leadership and continuous improvement in schools. This year we welcomed our 22nd cohort of pre-service leaders, which represents eight different Bay Area districts and charter management organizations. This dynamic group of leaders has first-hand experience working in schools that are struggling with teacher shortages while still attempting to redesign their learning spaces amid the ongoing pandemic. Undaunted by the everyday challenges of their current contexts, Cohort 22 has stepped up to join the ranks of a robust cadre of social justice leaders.

In fall 2022, we documented that 97.5 percent of our alumni are still working in education. More than 53 percent of PLI alumni are leaders of color, with 68 percent working in the Bay Area. This significant impact on school leader diversity is critical at the local and state level. By contrast, in California as a whole, just 34 percent of principals are people of color.

PLI alumni continually express how their education at Berkeley proved transformational, strengthening their self-reflection and scholarly foundation and facilitating a network of educators who remain connected throughout their careers.

For more information about the Principal Leadership Institute and its 14-month MA/Preliminary ASC program, contact Program Director Soraya Sablo Sutton at sorayasutton@berkeley.edu.

ABOVE PLI graduates enjoying an in-person commencement ceremony delayed by the pandemic.

For over two decades, PLI has supported leaders to engage in the difficult work of educational change, and its 658 alumni exhibit the resilience and longevity necessary to truly transform their schools.

Leadership Support Program

A Deepening Commitment to Emotional Support

In these challenging times, we recognize that leaders need our help more than ever to stay resilient while maintaining a focus on social justice and equity. The Leadership Support Program (LSP) continues to deepen our commitment to flexibility and emotional support. As a result, participants from our recently completed 2020–2022 cohort affirmed that they found this support throughout the LSP community—from their coaches, seminar facilitators, and each other. Indeed, many emphasized that the program helped them stay in education.

In fall 2022, we welcomed our new 2022–2024 cohort of 81 social justice leaders. We commit to support them as they take on new challenges and opportunities.

For more information about the Leadership Support Program, contact Coordinator Viet Nguyen at vietnguyen@berkeley.edu.

“My time in Berkeley’s LSP program has been the most significant and impactful learning I have ever experienced. It pushed me into uncomfortable spaces, invited me to investigate my vulnerabilities, and supported where and how I landed in my decision-making from day to day.”

—SHEA GREGORY, LSP PARTICIPANT

LSP, a Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential program, is the longest-running university-based induction program in California, supporting leaders since 2002.

“ We have been immersed in the depths of the hidden history of this land, the influence of people who came before us, and the hopes and action of those who are present today. . . . As leaders for equity and democracy, this experience opened our eyes, minds, and hearts to the untold stories of the voiceless and reminds us of the importance to seek diverse perspectives, empower our communities to nurture inclusion and sense of belonging, and disrupt systems of oppression and hate.” —FRANCIS ROJAS, LEAD STUDENT, ON THE PROGRAM’S LEARNING TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS

LEFT TOP LEAD Cohort 1 taking on year two. BOTTOM LEAD student nives wetzel de cediel with her team during spring Assessment Center.

Leaders for Equity and Democracy

A Year of Firsts

Our first cohort of the Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) EdD program in system leadership entered their second year of doctoral studies in 2022, amassing multiple program “firsts” along the way. Students experienced their first Assessment Center, a signature pedagogy of our Leadership Programs, in which students simulate cabinet-level school district leaders who are attending to a pressing equity issue. They are given a real-world scenario with significant time constraints and asked to address the problem while balancing tensions in values and priorities among multiple constituent groups. In their first poster presentations at an academic conference, the LEADers shared their emerging research and its connection to system transformation. And, in perhaps one of the most exciting “firsts,” students began system leadership field visits, including a group learning trip to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Together, these experiences and others throughout students’ threeyear doctoral journey aim to prepare practicing PK–20 educational leaders for senior roles within public education.

LEAD blends cohort-based learning with personalized pathways, allowing students to take foundational courses that dig deeply into issues of system leadership and transformative change while retaining access to world-class faculty who specialize in specific areas of practice.

For more information about Leaders for Equity and Democracy, visit bse.berkeley.edu/lead or contact Director Lihi Rosenthal at lihi@berkeley.edu.

ABOVE LEAD students participating in Research Day and Assessment Center.

Social Justice Teacher Leadership

Leading School Reform

Teacher leaders are consistently named as key players in school transformation efforts and yet often are not provided with targeted support in their development.

To that end, UC Berkeley’s Leadership Programs has spent the past few years increasing the variety of early-career courses and services offered to support teacher leaders, including the Social Justice Teacher Leadership program, which launched this past year.

We offer two distinct pathways for engagement: Teacher leaders can opt to take individual modules for their own professional learning, or they can opt to complete the entire certificate program. Teacher leaders can complete the certificate in one year or across multiple years, allowing flexibility for working adults to manage the program to best fit their needs. The module variety allows teachers to customize the program. Modules include social justice teacher leadership, data-informed decision-making, equity-centered instructional coaching, designing professional learning, exploring identity in teacher leadership, facilitation of adult learners, and equity-centered scheduling. In this first year, we had 74 teacher-leader participants representing 57 schools across the Bay Area. All of the participants were supported by the 21CSLA State Center or 21CSLA Alameda and Sonoma Regional Academies.

For more information about the Social Justice Teacher Leadership program, visit bse.berkeley.edu/leadership/teacher-leadership or contact bse-teacherleaders@berkeley.edu.

“ UC Berkeley’s teacher leadership courses have helped me develop a reserve of practices grounded in equity and research. Not only have these experiences directly impacted my performance in leadership roles, but they have also introduced me to a supportive network of colleagues who stimulate deeper reflection.”

PARTICIPANT

—SOCIAL

JUSTICE TEACHER LEADER PROGRAM

RIGHT TOP Kids in action in the classroom. BOTTOM Leaders in community.

LEFT TOP 21CSLA Sonoma Regional Academy’s Anthony King at the 21CSLA Fall Collective. BOTTOM Members of 21CSLA’s Universal Transitional Kindergarten team at the San Diego Equity Conference.

21CSLA State Center

Supporting California’s Equity Leaders

The 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) is dedicated to the professional learning and support of California’s teacher, site, and school district leaders. Headquartered at UC Berkeley School of Education, 21CSLA is led in partnership with UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, California Subject Matter Project, and seven Regional Academies throughout the state. 21CSLA is one of many branches of the California Department of Education State System of Support.

Now in the final year of Cohort 1 funding, the State Center has set a course for future sustainability and expansion. To date, we’ve produced 14 research-practice webinars, featuring California scholars and leaders from across the state. They have discussed pressing issues for the field, including college access for incarcerated youth, Universal Transitional Kindergarten leadership, pandemic innovations, digital learning, and improvement science. We’ve collaborated with scholars on multi-year research projects related to transformational leadership, resiliency, actions for equity, and more. And we’ve held statewide gatherings to develop cohesive, high-impact, and transformational strategies.

For more information about 21CSLA, visit 21cslacenter.berkeley.edu or contact Associate Director Kim Wallace at kimwallace@berkeley.edu.

Through 21CSLA, California has made a bold investment in transforming our school leadership across the state and ensuring a deep dedication to students who have traditionally been marginalized by the system.

ABOVE Scenes from 21CSLA’s annual Fall Collective.

Leaders for equity in early learning work in partnership with communities and families to ensure rich, inclusive, and joyous early learning environments where all students—especially those who are systemically marginalized and historically underserved—can thrive.

21CSLA Universal Transitional Kindergarten Leadership Initiative

This year, the 21CSLA State Center was expanded to incorporate an additional charge from California’s leadership: Design and implement professional learning to support Governor Gavin Newsom’s Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) expansion.

The expansion has two main components:

1. Develop a UTK train-the-trainer model to provide equity-centered professional learning throughout the state at no cost to participants and

2. Create a UTK Leadership Certificate program. In partnership with Berkeley Extension, the UTK Leadership Certificate program is an opportunity for candidates in Preliminary Administrative Services Credential programs to undertake specialized coursework that focuses on instructional leadership issues for preschool–third grade.

By enabling leaders to lead for equity, we can ensure that highquality pre-kindergarten opportunities are accessible to all.

For more information about the UTK Leadership Initiative, visit 21cslacenter.berkeley.edu/universal-transitional-kindergartenleadership-initiative or contact Coordinator Aija Simmons at aija.simmons@berkeley.edu.

21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy

Transforming School Systems and Structures

The 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy, led by Leadership Programs at Berkeley School of Education, continued for the second year to provide professional development and learning opportunities for school system, site, and teacher leaders. The first three years of this state-funded program have led us from the onset of the pandemic through the return to in-person instruction and heightened challenges and needs within our school communities.

The 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy provided this support through individualized coaching and professional learning opportunities focused on the social emotional needs of students and staff and the transformation of school systems and structures toward justice for all students.

The year was marked by the first Leading for Justice Summit, held in Berkeley and attended by 70 leaders as part of site and district teams from throughout the region. Leaders had time to reflect on the past year, participate in sessions relevant to their site/district initiatives, and plan for the following academic year.

Across the region’s six counties, we served 440 leaders to support work that transforms our schools so that historically underserved students thrive.

For more information about the 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy, contact Director Cheryl Domenichelli at c.domenichelli@berkeley.edu.

OPPOSITE TOP

21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy’s African American Male Leaders Network at the Berkeley School of Education. BOTTOM

21CSLA’s Kim Wallace and Cheryl Domenichelli at the Leading for Justice Summit.

Leaders in the field requested support particularly in the area of social-emotional learning, especially for underserved and marginalized students.

Roundup California Computer Science Project

In 2022, the California Computer Science Project (CCSP), an innovative partnership between Leadership Programs, the Kapor Center, and UCLA’s STEM+C3 teacher education program, provided engaging virtual learning opportunities to school administrators, district leaders, and teachers across the state of California. Our work focused on three areas:

• Designing systems to implement equitable computer science (CS) education for all K–12 students.

• Broadening participation in CS for underrepresented students.

• Integrating Computational Thinking (CT) in math and science instruction.

Building off our learning from the previous year, we led a cohort of educators to examine the current inequities in high school computer science and explore the systems, beliefs, and mindsets that prioritize computer science learning for some students while other students are left feeling excluded.

We added a second professional learning series to design the systems necessary to engage and recruit underrepresented students, including female-identifying, Black, Latinx, and Native American students.

Collaborating with UCLA’s STEM+C3 teacher education program, we designed a community of practice for more than 60 pre-service and in-service teachers statewide to incorporate Computational Thinking into K–12 math and science instruction.

For more information about the California Computer Science Project, contact Coordinator Richard Zapien at rbzapien@berkeley.edu.

“Thank you! You not only gave me knowledge but skills I needed to establish structures and systems that may change the landscape of CS in our district.” —CCSP PROJECT PARTICIPANT

Coaching Initiative

Coaching is core to the Leadership Programs approach and has proven to be no less critical a support for practicing leaders than for newer ones. The Coaching Initiative allows for continued support, confidential thought partnership, and professional growth opportunities designed in direct response to the goals, strengths, and unique needs of individual leaders. Using the Leadership Programs’ Coaching for Social Justice and Equity model, coaches align with leaders to understand and develop their full leadership potential. Among those receiving coaching are site leaders, superintendents, directors of special education, and HR leaders— including many alums—both in the Bay Area and throughout California. For more information about our Coaching Initiative, contact LEAD Director Lihi Rosenthal at lihi@berkeley.edu.

Visiting Professor Özge Hacıfazlıoğlu

Embraces Role at Berkeley

Özge Hacıfazlıoğlu traveled to UC Berkeley during the surging Omicron variant one year ago to take a position as a Visiting Professor in the Berkeley School of Education’s Leadership Programs. Hacıfazlıoğlu is a teacher, leader, and globetrotter with a doctorate in Educational Administration. She previously served as the vice president at Hasan Kalyoncu University in Türkiye, where she formerly chaired the Department of Educational Administration and still serves as a faculty member. During her 20+ year career, Hacıfazlıoğlu has been a high school English teacher, professor, researcher, and lecturer at international conferences. She’s engaged in collaborative research with Syrian refugees in Türkiye and in researching the resilience of women leaders. CONTINUED ›

ABOVE Professor Özge Hacıfazlıoğlu

Support Our Students

Our Leadership Programs alumni and friends have made generous contributions in support of PLI and LEAD.

The PLI Annual Fund supports aspiring school leaders working toward bringing educational equity and positive change to students and schools in the Bay Area’s underserved communities. To make a secure gift to the PLI Annual Fund, visit give.berkeley.edu/fund/FN1558000.

The LEAD Annual Fund supports systems leaders committed to and capable of creating school systems that realize our society’s potential. To make a secure gift to the LEAD Annual Fund, visit give.berkeley.edu/fund/FN1556000.

For more information about these or other giving opportunities at the Berkeley School of Education, contact Guadalupe Nickell, Assistant Dean of Development and External Relations, at gnickell@berkeley.edu.

‹ FROM PREVIOUS Hacıfazlıoğlu said Berkeley was a perfect match for her skills and interests.

“We have the tendency to be in our ‘rooms,’” said Hacıfazlıoğlu about the silos and parochialism of academia. “So we have to open our doors to the international arena, whether it’s in the United States or Europe or in Türkiye or the Middle East. It doesn’t matter. But we have to open the doors so that people collaborate with each other. . . . This is a practice in which we embrace cultures, we embrace differences, but at the same time find common spots to work on.”

Hacıfazlıoğlu is married and has two sons, a fourth grader and high school senior (who is applying to colleges in the United States).

Academic and Professional Conferences

Our Leadership Programs scholars attended and presented at the University Council for Educational Administration, American Educational Research Association, and multiple other conferences and annual gatherings this year, sharing research and connecting with other educators. Last year, UCEA awarded institutional membership to the Berkeley School of Education, opening the door to greater collaboration on the promotion and dissemination of research, professional learning, and educational policy.

21CSLA Research Highlights

Our 21st Century California School Leadership Academy produced user-friendly publications—webinars and research briefs for educators. Webinars brought researchers and practitioners together to tackle topics such as Does Locked Up Mean Locked Out of Higher Education? and School Leaders

Learning to Lead for Equity. Multiple research briefs summarized current literature on pressing topics, providing provocative discussion questions. Our Preparing California School Leaders for Young Learners in the UTK Initiative was distributed by the California Teacher Credentialing program statewide. Three briefs—including Finding Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic Perspectives from School Leaders—summarized interim or final results of research projects.

BELOW 21CSLA State Center and Alameda Regional Academy members at the University Council for Educational Administration Annual Convention.

LEFT A few of our Leadership Programs team members. We grew like never before in 2022, breathing new energy, expertise, and life into the critical work of improving education. Read bios at bse.berkeley.edu/ leadership/directory.

PHOTO CREDITS Cover Dara A. Tom. 3 courtesy BSE. 4 Soraya Sablo Sutton. 5 Andrea Lampros. 6 courtesy LSP. 7 Rawpixel. 8–9 Lihi Rosenthal (group, collage); Andrea Lampros. 11 Allison Shelley / All4Ed; courtesy PLI (leaders). 12 Daphne Hougard; courtesy Tawny Laskar (group). 13 Andrea Lampros (conferees); Marcus Edwards. 14 Dobra Kobra / Shutterstock. 16 Andrea Lampros; courtesy spoonflower.com (kente cloth). 18 courtesy CCSP. 19–20 Andrea Lampros. 21 Özge Hacıfazlıoğlu. 22 (L–R, top–bottom): Marcus Edwards (1), Andrea Lampros (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11), Soraya Sablo Sutton (3), Nancy Parachini (10), courtesy BSE (6, 9, 12).

Leadership Programs Team

Leadership

Rebecca Cheung

ASSISTANT DEAN, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

PROGRAMS; DIRECTOR, 21CSLA

Jabari Mahiri

FACULTY DIRECTOR, LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS; CHAIR, 21CSLA LEADERSHIP BOARD

Staff

Jen Burke

VISUAL DESIGNER

Noelle Apostol Colin

COACHING COORDINATOR, 21CSLA

Diona Cox*

LEAD ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

Dee Dee Desmond

ASSISTANT COORDINATOR, LSP

Cheryl Domenichelli DIRECTOR, 21CSLA ALAMEDA REGIONAL ACADEMY

Jennifer Elemen

DIGITALLY MEDIATED LEARNING COORDINATOR, 21CSLA

Jessica Evans

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND COACHING COORDINATOR

Viviana Garcia

LEAD TRAINER, UTK INITIATIVE, 21CSLA

Ricardo González

APPLICATIONS PROGRAMMER

Thomas Green

HEAD INSTRUCTOR, PLI

Tanya Harris*

LEAD TRAINER, UTK INITIATIVE, 21CSLA

Nik Howell

LEAD ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

Todd Irving

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FACILITATOR

Kamyar Kaviani

APPLICATIONS PROGRAMMER

Andrea Lampros

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Brian Luna

PROGRAM ASSISTANT, PLI

Brianna Luna

PROJECT SPECIALIST, 21CSLA

Nikki Marucut

PROJECT SPECIALIST, 21CSLA ALAMEDA REGIONAL ACADEMY

Aki Murata

RESEARCH COORDINATOR, 21CSLA

Viet Nguyen COORDINATOR, LSP; COACHING COORDINATOR, 21CSLA ALAMEDA REGIONAL ACADEMY

Audra Puchalski

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA MANAGER

Mayra Reyes

PROJECT SPECIALIST

Raphael Romea

PROGRAM ASSISTANT, LEAD AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Lihi Rosenthal PROGRAM DIRECTOR, LEAD

Erin Schweng

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COORDINATOR, 21CSLA ALAMEDA REGIONAL ACADEMY

Karin Seid

LEAD ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

Aija Simmons COORDINATOR, UTK INITIATIVE, 21CSLA

Soraya Sablo Sutton

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, PLI

Pierre Tchetgen*

HUB AND PLATFORM MANAGER, 21CSLA

Chris Thomas COORDINATOR, UTK LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE, 21CSLA

Kim Wallace

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, 21CSLA

Briana Woodson

PROJECT SPECIALIST, UTK INITIATIVE, 21CSLA

Yelena Zakharyevich

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Richard Zapien COORDINATOR, CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECT

Graduate Student Researchers

Aukeem Ballard

Morgan Bessette

Quennie Dong

Joy Esboldt

Prince Estanislao

Danièle Fogel

Sophie Johnson

Mai Xi Lee

Xueqin Lin

Elaine Luo

Sarah Manchanda

Meg Stomski

Melissa Virrueta-Ayala

Cassandra Yee

Julia Zhu

Graduate Student Instructor

Gesean Lewis Woods

Student Assistants

Mohammed Ali Abed

Jennifer Chacon-Duran

Tompson Hsu*

Leslie Luis

Zak Puno

Lydia Vasquez-Trucios*

* Left in 2022. Thank you for being part of our team.

Thank you for making our work possible:

Kenneth E. Behring Foundation

Caerus Foundation

California Collaborative for Educational Excellence

California Department of Education

Google Foundation

Walter & Elise Haas Fund

Heising-Simons Foundation

Clarence E. Heller Foundation

James Irvine Foundation

Kapor Center

Rogers Family Foundation

Silver Giving Foundation

Stuart Foundation

University of California Office of the President

Leadership Programs

Berkeley School of Education

University of California, Berkeley

2121 Berkeley Way

Berkeley, CA 94720-1670

bse.berkeley.edu/leadership