2021 aec recap
AEC general session speakers advocate for uplifting student voices
California native Dr. Victor Rios wows attendees; student leaders share their real-world experiences with CSBA CEO; TV host Elaine Welteroth inspires audience; and three state constitutional officers talk policy
Nearly 3,000 attendees gathered in San Diego Dec. 2-4 for CSBA’s 2021 in-person Annual Education Conference and Trade Show. In its 90th year, the event featured more than 100 sessions, including three inspiring general sessions and a variety of vendors on the trade show floor. More than 500 participants attended virtual AEC, which took place Dec. 9-10 and featured 50 recorded breakout sessions, as well as the three general sessions.
First General Session
AEC opened with the First General Session featuring Dr. Victor Rios, an associate dean of social sciences and professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Using his personal life experiences growing up poor and often disengaged with education — along with his research findings — Rios has developed interventions for marginalized students aimed at promoting personal transformation and civic engagement. He is also the author of six books and the subject of the documentary film, “The Pushouts,” which is an alternative term for dropouts. See the November 2021 issue of this newsletter for an in-depth look at how his life was transformed by a caring teacher and how Rios now trains teachers to transform the lives of their students.

Much of Rios’ address focused on teachers. “Your teachers during the pandemic became telehealers,” he said. “We have to help heal the healer. They’re teaching children like me to shape shift. And so, we must support teachers to continue that work of teaching children how to be proud of where they come from, use the assets of their communities in school, and how to make it in school and the workforce.”

Rios spoke about how his research has shown that emotional support is key in student motivation — but also teacher self-efficacy. “If we want to prop up our teachers and help them with the burnout they are experiencing right now, we need to prop up their self-efficacy,” he said. “Self-efficacy is so important because it is my ability to understand that I have the skills and the capacity to transform a child’s life, to educate a child no matter where they come from.”

Rios explained how a teacher saved his life after a long period in a gang and poor academic performance. “Because of a teacher that cared, I found a key to success,” he said. “Teachers help us understand that we can live a second lifetime.”

Rios also shared his philosophy regarding the Maslow and Bloom frameworks. Maslow focuses on social-emotional learning while Bloom emphasizes academic rigor. “It’s time for MasBloom,” he declared. “We need to emphasize social-emotional support alongside academic rigor and, very importantly, high expectations. It’s a prosperity framework and what some folks call the ‘warm demanders.’”

Dr. Victor Rios, associate dean of social sciences and professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Dr. Victor Rios, associate dean of social sciences and professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Second General Session
The Second General Session featured a panel discussion among six current and former student school board members and other student leaders and was moderated by CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy. It was apparent that students are wanting, willing and prepared to navigate nuanced discussions about racism, bias, representation, mental health, resilience, technology, agency and more. Now, they are asking that school board members and school leaders embrace discomfort and meet them halfway as tomorrow’s leaders seek solutions to address longstanding inequities.

“I want to encourage everyone to listen to these young leaders and try to understand their experiences and their thoughts as incoming leaders of this great state,” Billy told the audience. “Now, you may not agree with their comments — and in fact, some of their opinions may make you feel a little uncomfortable — but I hope that you will listen along as we have an unvarnished conversation and try to gain a greater understanding and insight into how students view our education system and the world that we all live in.”

Mental health
The isolation and increased reliance on social media for connection undoubtedly impacted students’ mental health for the worse, said Precious King, a 2020–21 student board member from San Jacinto Unified School District. While King said she came out of the experience a stronger, better person, that doesn’t mean students and teachers alike aren’t in need of a serious boost to mental health supports. Establishing trusting relationships with teachers, checking in on them and providing services or resources if needed will be crucial moving forward.

In addition to straightforward mental health services, 2020–21 Oakland USD student board member Jessica Ramos said in the last year her district removed the permanent presence of police from school grounds and boosted resources for Spanish-speaking students and their families — strategies that have been shown to increase the sense of belonging among youth of color in particular.

Anti-racism and equity
Equity was a recurring topic throughout the discussion. Asked when he learned about education funding and how resources are allocated according to student needs, Sacramento City USD 2021–22 student board member Isa Sheikh responded with his own question: “Are they allocated based on student needs? In so many ways we’ve allowed the squabbles and politics between adults to allocate those dollars for us before we can actually think about student needs,” Sheikh said. Currently, 91 to 93 cents on the dollar is going toward salaries and benefits, which, while important, leaves board members basically looking for pennies when aiming to fund the sort of things that students need, he explained. One of those needs expressed by students is for more diverse curriculum. That’s where the work of Orange USD graduate Jasmine Nguyen and Conejo Valley USD graduate Katelin Zhou comes in. In 2020, the Stanford University students founded Diversify Our Narrative, a student-led nonprofit organization that advocates for productive dialogue on race and identity through the inclusion of racially diverse, anti-racist texts in schools. Zhou said that boards must make concerted efforts to increase students’ ability to engage with district governance — especially those whose voices have long been marginalized.

“Being a board member comes with great power but also a great responsibility to elevate the voices of those who may not have traditionally have a seat at the table. I think that’s something really important to take away with everything you guys do,” Zhou told attendees. “You see a lot of important policymaking, and making sure it’s not always about who might be the loudest in the room [is important] … but who is truly being impacted by these choices and who deserves to have their voice amplified and may need your help in doing so?”

Elaine Welteroth, television host, journalist and author

Elaine Welteroth, television host, journalist and author

Student autonomy and engagement
Another topic that drew passionate conversation from student leaders was the need for boards to more seriously embrace their student board members and student voices. To Zachary Patterson, 2021–22 San Diego USD student board member, the issue largely boils down to student experiences and their understanding of topics not being valued by the board as they should.

“So many times throughout our lives as students, we’re told we’re not enough, not prepared enough, not smart enough, not ready to be full trustees on a board of education,” Patterson said, noting that even now, student board members do not have a full vote. “We are students that are looking to be the changemakers in the education system. And yet every time we look to speak up, we are not heard. We can change this, but it’s up to each and every one of us to look inside and ask, ‘Do I listen? Am I respectful? And am I willing to actually put them into a decision-making role?’”

Read an extended recap of the discussion on the CSBA blog: blog.csba.org/student-leaders-aec/
Current and former student school board members with CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy

Current and former student school board members with CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy

Third General Session
Though she was a high-achieving student, class president and an athlete, no one at Elaine Welteroth’s high school took the time to talk to her about college, she said during a conversation with CSBA President Dr. Susan Heredia during the Third General Session.

The California native — now an acclaimed television host, journalist and author — reminded school board members and other education leaders that the K-12 years are a formative time in young people’s lives. While Welteroth had feelings of “otherness” during school, students today are dealing with similar turmoil as well as issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence on campuses and battles over topics such as ethnic studies and critical race theory.

“We have a short window to help a student realize if college is right for them and we have a very small window to help students not going to college understand what their other options might look like,” Welteroth said. “As much as we can, remember that those things above all else have to be prioritized.”

Lacking guidance at school for life after high school, Welteroth recalled feeling lost and said that many students find themselves in the same position. “There’s only so far that your ambition and motivation and drive can take you. You need the support of your school to help guide you in those pivotal moments,” she added.

Support at school becomes even more important when parents aren’t able to assist their children because they’ve never been through the process themselves, Welteroth noted.

Welteroth, who has co-hosted “The Talk” on CBS and sits on the judge’s panel of Bravo’s “Project Runway,” attended college — studying communications at California State University, Sacramento, while CSBA President Heredia was a professor in the education department. Heredia realized the connection while reading Welteroth’s New York Times bestselling book, More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are No Matter What They Say.

Schools preparing students for unconventional and nonlinear career paths is also important, Welteroth said, as “gone are the days where you’re chasing a singular American dream.” The job market is different than it was for previous generations and young people will “most likely will do many different things in [their] careers.”

Celebrated as a changemaker herself, Welteroth is a podcast host and the former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. She was the youngest person to ever serve as an editor-in-chief at a Condé Nast publication and the second person of African American descent to hold the title in the company’s history. She used her position to prioritize diversity and social justice coverage during her tenure from 2016 to 2018.

She compared her time at the publication to the job of a school board member, saying: “As an editor you’re a cultural agenda setter in media, but you [school board members] are all cultural agenda setters within your districts and within the system that you operate. If you feel that the agenda does not address and does not serve the people that you’re all there for, then it’s up to you to change that agenda. It’s up to you to change that conversation, and so that’s really where the change begins. It’s not easy and it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Continuing to use her platform to uplift youth voice, Welteroth defines a changemaker as “someone whose presence challenges the status quo and whose intention is to hopefully push things forward for the betterment of everyone. I think it’s someone who understands that change requires collaboration, communication and empathy for all sides.”

Welteroth advised trustees to listen to students and give them a platform. “Identify young voices with a perspective and give them the platform to take the mic and lead the conversation. That is so important,” she said.

Dr. Victor Rios signs copies of his books after the First General Session.
1. Dr. Victor Rios signs copies of his books after the First General Session.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta presents in the session “How Do We Respond to Hate Crimes in California?”
2. California Attorney General Rob Bonta presents in the session “How Do We Respond to Hate Crimes in California?”
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond addresses the crowd during the Second General Session.
3. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond addresses the crowd during the Second General Session.
Golden Bell Awards prior to their presentation.
4. Golden Bell Awards prior to their presentation.
State Treasurer Fiona Ma addresses the crowd. Ma serves on the CA School Finance Authority, which has developed financing programs primarily focused on assisting school districts and community colleges with meeting their facility needs.
5. State Treasurer Fiona Ma addresses the crowd. Ma serves on the CA School Finance Authority, which has developed financing programs primarily focused on assisting school districts and community colleges with meeting their facility needs.
Alhambra Unified School District’s Mark Keppel All-Male hip hop dance crew opens the Second General Session.
6. Alhambra Unified School District’s Mark Keppel All-Male hip hop dance crew opens the Second General Session.
The CSBA Pavilion on the trade show floor.
7. The CSBA Pavilion on the trade show floor.
Sweetwater Union High School District’s Grupo Folklorico San Ysidro performs at the First General Session.
8. Sweetwater Union High School District’s Grupo Folklorico San Ysidro performs at the First General Session.