Morning Breakout Sessions 11:30-12:15PM

When School Becomes the Healing Place
Liberty IJK, Level M4
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When it comes to educational equity, ambiguity is the enemy. We must provide clarity of the desired outcome to make critical moves to achieve it. Advancing equity takes focus and commitment. It requires us to ask reflective, probing questions that build a "data story" to identify gaps in student achievement and explore adult capacity around equity. In 2017, Oklahoma City Public Schools began a journey toward educational equity by creating and unanimously approving a school board policy to define our vision for educational equity. To advance the work, district leaders adopted a conceptual framework for educational equity and incorporated the social determinants of health to guide their work. In this session, district leaders will walk through examples of how they identified and addressed root causes that were impeding education resource equity.

Ronald Grant is the director of student programming for Oklahoma City Public Schools. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational administration and curriculum supervision. Grant oversees several areas, including homeless and foster care services, attendance advocacy and bullying prevention, after-school programming, and charter and enterprise school administration.

Shana Perry is the executive director of equity, innovation, and achievement for Oklahoma City Public Schools. She received her doctorate in educational administration from Oklahoma State University. Her 25 years of experience as an educator include teaching at the elementary and secondary level in urban low socioeconomic status schools, suburban middle-class schools, and in Germany for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Leading for Equity 
Liberty L, Level M4

Leading for equity in schools begins with the school board. As education leaders, you have the power to set direction and policy that will result in more equitable outcomes for students. But the school board cannot move forward without its community. Whether your community is pushing schools to address disparities based on race and identity or is resistant to changes you aspire to make, the board must listen and know your families and community. 

Catherine Carbone Rogers, APR, is the chief communications officer at Highline Public Schools, where she oversees strategic communications working with a team of five. She started in the Highline communications office in 2001 and has led the department since 2005. She is an active member of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and past president of the Washington School Public Relations Association (WSPRA.) She is a frequent presenter at WSPRA and NSPRA conferences and has provided communications training for new superintendents through AASA.

Angelica Alvarez is president of Highline Public School Board. She was the first and only member of her family to graduate from high school and graduate from college. She holds a bachelor's degree in education and is finalizing her master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Washington University. She currently works for Puget Sound Educational Service District as the student, family, and community engagement manager.

Confronting Systemic Inequities with Policy Solutions  
Liberty M, Level M4

In the ever-evolving world of education, one foundational goal still remains—educational equity. Reaching this feat is possible, district by district, by taking deliberate actions. You're either perpetuating systemic inequities or disrupting them by developing a culture of belonging. Our societal culture demands that school systems meet the needs of the whole child. In this session, hear from former two-term school board member and education expert Channel Powe. She will share findings from her recently published case study emphasizing educational equity. 

Channel Powe has been a champion for communities, public schools, families, and children for over a decade. She stands in the gap of racial inequities by using her expertise and influence to create equitable policies to improve the quality of life for all.

Ms. Powe’s work as an equity activist began as a child advocate in Detroit, Michigan, which led to board and commission appointments by the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County in Arizona. In her role as Balsz ESD Board President, Ms. Powe led the Board in a national search for a new superintendent during a global pandemic and America's racial reckoning. Serendipitously, the district appointed the first African-American woman to serve in that position on Juneteenth 2020. That same year, Powe led the Board in the adoption of an equity-based five-year strategic plan and forged a partnership between Balsz ESD and 1619 Project Advocates of Arizona to offer The 1619 Project as supplemental curriculum in classrooms while training teachers to present the lessons.

Currently, Ms. Powe is an education, political, and equity and inclusion consultant. She's a Progressive Governance Academy Lead Trainer and Desert Botanical Garden Monarch Council member.

Keeping Communities Safe: Using Data to Support COVID Decision-Making
Liberty NOP, Level M4

During this pandemic, school boards have constantly been thinking through the impact of their decisions on the health and safety of students, teachers, and their communities. In this session, Epistemix CEO John Cordier will discuss how science-backed tools can model COVID and inform decisions for leaders around health and behavioral trends. 

John Cordier is the CEO and Co-Founder of Epistemix Inc. As an entrepreneur and educator, he focuses on creating solutions to improve the conditions for people to increase health and well-being. His focus on social determinants of health and innovation has led to the formation of multiple companies and non-profits with shared goals to improve health outcomes and well-being. His team at Epistemix has worked with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal and state agencies. Their data is being used by businesses, school districts, the events industry, and health systems to manage the current pandemic. Prior to going into public health, John taught high school chemistry, robotics, and sociology in Texas. He also has been an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh.