Stars next to the workshop title means the
workshop is Student Oriented 

B1      Empowering Your Futures: Innovations and Strategies in California High School Proficiency and

          Equivalency Programs That Can Help Your Path in School

Don Killmer, California Department of Education

Want to know the different paths you can take for graduating from high school?  Join us for a conversation about the latest advancements in California high school proficiency and equivalency programs. In this workshop, we will do an in-depth exploration of fee waivers for homeless and foster youth, give you an introduction to the impactful GEDWorks®, and share recent testing procedure changes. Leave with a better understanding about your path options through high school.

 

B2     Improving Educational Outcomes of Foster Youth through the Collaborative Courts Model

Honorable Judge Craig E. Arthur, Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court, Orange County Superior Court

Griselda Velasco, Program Specialist and Raina Lee, Coordinator

Orange County Department of Education, Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program

 

Collaborative Courts provide individualized responses and case management services for foster youth.  The frequent interaction a youth has with the court, along with specialized services provided to the youth, enhances performance at school and in the classroom.  The Orange County Juvenile Court has three different collaborative courts meeting the needs of specifically identified populations.  The collaborative court model has effectuated improved outcomes for foster youth.  You will hear from Judge Craig E. Arthur, who is the Juvenile Court Presiding Judge in Orange County.  He presides over one of the collaborative courts in his county and has extensive experience in the juvenile court system.  You will also hear from representatives from the Orange County Department of Education, Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program.  This session will address the purpose and structure of the collaborative courts, as well as how youth are identified for the programs, who the partnering agencies are, what resources are offered, and how the members of the team work together to improve youth education outcomes as well as an opportunity to understand youth perspective and feedback on programs.

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B3     Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) and Students in Foster Care

Danielle Wondra, Children Now

Jill Rowland, Alliance for Children’s Rights

Alejandra Chamberlain, Contra Costa County Office of Education

 

Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) are a key accountability component of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), intended for local educational agencies (LEAs) to show how they are serving high-need students, including students in foster care, and working to reduce achievement gaps. Yet, many LCAPs do not specify how LEAs plan to meet the unique educational needs of students in foster care. In this presentation, we will cover the basics of LCFF and LCAPs and share resources to assist LEAs in developing their LCAPs for students in foster care. You will receive a sample LCAP with goals targeted to students in foster care with language that LEAs can use in their own LCAPs and a detailed worksheet to help you develop goals targeted to students in foster care, including for COEs to address LCFF Priority 10. This will be especially useful for LEAs in which students in foster care have very low performance on one or more CA School Dashboard measures, as they are now required to include focused goals to address areas of low performance.

 

B4     Partner with AmeriCorps to Improve Educational Success and Life Outcomes for Foster Youth in Your Community

Tabitha Grier, The Child Abuse Prevention Center

Cristina Castaneda, Lynwood Unified School District

AmeriCorps Member

 

Are you looking to expand your capacity to better serve foster youth?  Look no further! The CA Foster Youth (FYI) AmeriCorps program has demonstrated tremendous outcomes for foster youth throughout CA. Last year alone 92% of youth served by an AmeriCorps Mentor demonstrated improved financial literacy, 90% demonstrated improved life skills competency, 90% of Seniors graduated high school on time, and 84% demonstrated improved academic engagement. YOU too can bring this program to your agency and achieve positive outcomes for foster youth in your community! Join us to learn how the FYI program improves educational success and life outcomes for youth in foster care through mentoring from AmeriCorps Members. This workshop will provide an overview of the FYI AmeriCorps program and how becoming a collaborative partner can benefit your agency, the AmeriCorps Mentors, and the foster youth you serve.

 

B5      Revisiting the Invisible Achievement Gap: Education Outcomes of Foster Youth and District Targeting

          of Funds in the Context of the Local Control Funding Formula

Vanessa Barrat and Kenwyn Derby

WestEd

 

This workshop will examine a mixed-methods project that updates and expands the pivotal Invisible Achievement Gap study conducted a decade ago. Researchers will present their updated research examining education experiences and outcomes for foster youth, describing what’s changed and what’s still needed to improve student outcomes. In addition, you will explore the research team’s analysis of Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to highlight detailed information about funding amounts and uses targeting students in foster care. To complement the findings, the session will feature key policy, practitioner and youth voices to provide insight on opportunities and priorities for policy and practice improvements, including on how educational services specifically for students in foster care are funded. Presenters look forward to learning from attendee wisdom as well. You will walk away with the report as well as ideas for advocacy in your local community and statewide.

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B6      Social Media Safety

DaeJah Seward,  Co-facilitator of the Students Together Reducing Exploitation and

Trafficking (STREAT) team and CA’s CSEC Survivor Advisory Board Member (2018 to 2020)

 

Social media is here to stay! Whether you are a provider or a student you should come and learn how to navigate social media safely.  We will discuss how to spot scams and phishing emails, and you will learn how to engage on social media safety. We will break down what each platform does and learn how to set privacy controls to restrict content & report abusive behavior as well as learn how to spot potential scams and protect yourself & clients from online phishing.

 

B7      Standing on Business

Valencia Esther, Super Investors

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Stand on Business is an empowering financial literacy program designed specifically for youth in foster care to build a strong foundation for financial independence. Students will learn essential skills like understanding credit, opening and managing bank accounts, leasing apartments, and the importance of paying bills on time. Through interactive workshops, real-life simulations, and expert guidance, you will develop practical knowledge you can use immediately. Each student will receive a resource kit, including budgeting tools, credit-building guides, and step-by-step instructions for financial tasks. By the end of the session, you will feel confident navigating your finances and taking control of your financial future. Join us to gain the tools you need for long-term success!

 

B8     Independent City: A District's Journey Toward Creating an Event Educating Students on Independent Living

Justin Prewitt, Matt Case, and Michelle Stanford

Antelope Valley Union High School District

 

Come learn from a Golden Bell Award Winner about how to leverage district, community, and human resources to put on an unforgettable one-day event called “Independent City” for your Foster Youth. We've been doing it for 8 years and want to tell you all about it!  You'll hear about how it started and how it's going, what we have learned, and what we are working on improving. Find out how district funding supports this event, how to get staff involved, and how to run the “city”. Walk away with concrete information for you to start an Independent City program in your area.

 

B9     To be known for who you are and want to become: Supporting youth experiencing the foster care system

Vicky Isarraras and Nicole Tognozzi

Stanford University

 

One of the most important predictors of success for any student in school is a strong, trusting relationship with a teacher. Yet many students lack such relationships, particularly students from marginalized backgrounds, in part because they are often unseen or mis-seen by adults, as a consequence of negative stereotypes. Come learn about our program which provides youth with a platform to introduce themselves to an educator of their choosing in their own words, bypassing pre-existing stereotypes and misconceptions. We show how through a light touch intervention, students affirm their commitment to school and their educators respond by showing up for their students. Join us to learn more about the goals and challenges foster students experience in school and the ways educators’ perspective of foster students changes with this information. We will provide interactive materials to facilitate meaningful discussions and practical strategies for implementation.

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B10    Unlocking Financial Aid Success: Creative Approaches to Boost FAFSA/CADAA Completion for Foster Youth

Maegan Mattock, John Burton Advocates for YouthCrystal Gomez, Fresno County Office of Education

TBD, Riverside County Office of Education

TBD, Los Angeles County Office of Education

 

Completing the FAFSA/CADAA is a critical step in ensuring that foster youth have the resources and support to achieve their postsecondary goals. We also know that it takes individualized guidance and creative outreach to support foster youth in completing financial aid applications. In this session, panelists from across the state will share how their  innovative programs and practices have increased foster youth FAFSA/CADAA completion rates and contributed to their students' success.  You will leave the session feeling inspired to replicate these practices at your own county or LEA!

 

B11    Foster Youth Educational Rights 101

Amy Fowler and Rico Petrino

California Department of Education

 

Empower Foster Youth! The California Department of Education will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about the many foster youth educational rights students are afforded in our state.  You will be given information on foster youth educational rights, as well as best practices in creating and maintaining mechanisms on a local level to sustain and support access to foster youth educational rights for students. We aim to engage attendees by providing common scenarios in addressing the educational rights of foster youth. As well as how to best connect foster students to programs, resources, and financial aid for college and career readiness.