Rios is associate dean of social sciences and professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Combining his personal life experiences growing up poor and often disengaged with education 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. CSBA interviewed Rios ahead of the conference.

I grew up in a really poor family with a single mother. We were on welfare and my mom struggled to make ends meet. We lived in Oakland and we didn’t have a lot of opportunities. That world made me turn into a survivor and so when I would go to school, I couldn’t really focus on academics. I was focused on where the next meal was coming from; are we going to have a home to live in? When you are in a survival mode, it is hard to focus on academics and so my view of education for the first 15 years of my life was that it served very little function for me in terms of being able to make ends meet. Because of that, I shut down from education and it wasn’t until the later part of my educational career that I realized education actually is an avenue to help me make it — to not just survive but to thrive. That was a very difficult transition to make, and I think that is a key element today in working with lower-income kids is that, a lot of times, especially coming out of the pandemic, a lot of our kids are still in survival mode and we have to help them survive — but we also need to give them a framework they can use to thrive.

Mindset is so important and all of us are a product of our society. So, if we were raised in a society that teaches us certain things about immigrants, a society that teaches us certain things about poor people, a society that teaches us certain things about different races, then we’re going to show up to work and to make policy based on our worldview without even knowing it. When we show up to school as educators and as policymakers, we have to acknowledge the mindset that we bring to the institution. And sometimes that mindset might be based on a deficit perspective. For example, a child that gets in trouble is often labeled an “at-risk” child. That’s a deficit perspective. You want to re-label the students that we serve. Instead of at risk, I’ve always been a proponent of “at promise.” Children have this full potential and promise. And so we have to shift our language about the people we serve, especially if they come from a marginalized background.

We could be of different political perspectives. We can be of different backgrounds. But what’s important is that when we enter the school house, we reflect on how our background influences our treatment of others. And then once we reflect on that, we use practices that are strength-based or asset-based, which are all about making sure we see our children, regardless of where they come from, as being contributors to the education process. One activity, for example, that’s very important is to have children share their stories with us, and that we celebrate those stories of survival. But also letting children know that my job as an educator is also to teach you to thrive. That plus high rigor academics with high expectations is the magic formula.

Sometimes we give teachers mandates as policymakers and administrators say, “Hey, teachers, implement equity.” And suddenly, teachers are supposed to know what equity is and how to implement it. Sometimes teachers are not able to grasp what an equity approach is on a day-to-day basis without specific training. So our job is to give them the tools for them to be able to say, “This is equity, and this is how I’m going to practice it today.”

One example of that equity work in day-to-day interactions is positive emotional support. As an educator, I use a term called “educator projected self-actualization,” which is when a teacher, on a day-to-day basis, is projecting a future for their students that the students haven’t even begun to imagine. They interact with them in a way that makes them improve their sense of a future self. Because, at the end of the day, that teacher might be the only person that’s life affirming to them. It’s so important to engage with our children in a way that makes them feel a sense of belonging, a sense of embrace.

And that’s when we get a step closer to the work of equity. Giving teachers strategies to connect with students. Uncovering and valuing children’s stories, providing them positive, emotional interactions on a day-to-day basis, and then affirming their futures.

Acclaimed television host and author Elaine Welteroth will close out AEC with the Third General Session on Dec. 4.

The California native, who graduated from Newark Unified School District in the East Bay area of Northern California before attending California State University, Sacramento, has co-hosted “The Talk” on CBS and sits on the judge’s panel of Bravo’s “Project Runway.”

Welteroth is a New York Times-bestselling author following the release of her 2019 book, More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are No Matter What They Say. The memoir won the 2020 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work.

She is also a podcast host and award-winning journalist who provides unique insight on today’s youth as the former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. Welteroth 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.

The Los Angeles resident is a leading expert and advocate for the next generation of changemakers, according to her website. “It’s always going to be a through line of my career … I’m always going to be fighting for young people to have their voices heard,” Welteroth said in a 2018 interview with Forbes.

A dynamic speaker who brings a fresh perspective on youth advocacy and youth as change makers, Welteroth’s work at Teen Vogue is among the many reasons she was chosen to speak at AEC.

“Under her leadership she was able to help make this shift at Teen Vogue to really lift up youth voice as advocates, changing the narrative on young women and positioning them as change agents at a pivotal time,” said Naomi Eason, Assistant Executive Director of Member Services at CSBA. “What we hope our members will be excited about is not only hearing this fresh perspective of youth as change makers, but also hearing her perspective on diversity and the value of diversity. What we saw at Teen Vogue was Elaine prioritizing diverse narratives. We’re excited to have her talk to our members about making shifts in how we think of young people in education.”

Welteroth’s presentation at AEC will center around the next generation of change makers, the impact of young people’s voices and encouraging youth leadership in education. Her words will be especially timely as CSBA also promotes the critical role of student board members.

“This year’s is a special conference because our Second General Session features student speakers,” Eason said. “We will have seven panelists including current and former student board members. I think Elaine is a nice complement as an adult ally around why it’s important to lift up student voices.”

Welteroth was appointed a Cultural Ambassador for Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative in 2020. In addition to writing credits on hit Freeform series “Grown-ish,” her work has appeared in The New York Times, British Vogue, Glamour and The Hollywood Reporter.