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About 21CSLA
The original California School Leadership Academy was established by Senate Bill 813 in 1983 and administered by the California Department of Education until 2003. Senate Bill 75 re-authorized the 21st Century School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) in 2019. The grant is dedicated to the professional learning and support of California’s educational leaders--teacher, site, and district- to create more equitable learning environments that ultimately improve success for underserved students. As a key member of California’s Statewide System of Support, the 21CSLA State Center is headquartered at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, and works in partnership with UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, the California Subject Matter Project and seven Regional Academies across the state.
The 21CSLA initiative provides high quality, equity centered professional learning for educational leaders of schools and districts in California that receive Title II funds. Programs are no-cost to participants and include leadership coaching as well as an emphasis on improving instruction and achievement outcomes (including through distance learning) for English Learners, students with disabilities, low income students, and other historically marginalized students.
21CLSA Grant Winners Press Release
Impact Statement
In partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE), California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), State Board of Education (SBE), California Subject Matter Projects (CSMP) and Regional Academies, 21CSLA will develop a robust, equity-forward approach to expand the capacity of California leaders at all levels. Informed by improvement science, this initiative will improve instruction, schools, and districts to better meet the needs of underserved students, ultimately creating more equitable schools for historically marginalized pupil groups.
Guiding Principles
- Support productive critical dialogue across the state to address pervasive leadership challenges that impede student learning, especially for underserved student populations.
- Focus on leadership for equity, including issues of instruction, at 3 levels: teacher leaders, site leaders, and district leaders.
- Models and builds capacity in alignment with the CA Quality Professional Learning Standards (QPLS) and culture of continuous improvement.
- Differentiated design that is informed by local needs and job embedded.
- Develops and models alignment with priorities of CDE, CCEE, and SBE.
STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT
“Congratulations to the 21CSLA awardees, who will provide professional learning that will have a positive impact on California’s six million students. One of the keys of student success, next to classroom teachers, are effective principals who commit to high standards and a schoolwide vision that helps all students”--Tony Thurmond,
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
“Support for school leader learning is always important, given the direct influence leaders have on school quality and student achievement. Professional learning for school leaders is even more critical now, with the many challenges facing schools to support extraordinary student and family needs and to redefine learning in the time of COVID.” --Linda Darling-Hammond,
President of the Learning Policy Institute and of the State Board of Education
“The Center’s work is directly connected to my own goals for research and practice partnerships with the UC system playing a major role in their design and implementation to solve the complex problems of equity, achievement, and inclusion in our classrooms, schools, and districts across the state.” --Prudence L. Carter,
Dean of the Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley
“The three UC entities that will collaborate in this effort – Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education, UCLA’s Center X, and the California Subject Matter Project in the UC Office of the President – each have extensive, demonstrated capacities for guiding and supporting high quality professional learning, coaching, mentoring, and networking to help educational leaders design, implement, and systematically evaluate data-informed education practices and policies that insure deep learning and positive social development of students.--John Rogers,
Professor of Education, UCLA
“The California Subject Matter Project (CSMP) is excited about this opportunity to add our collective expertise and networks in support of 21CSLA’s goals to strengthen instructional practices that lead to school improvement and positively impact learning for all students. CSMP looks forward to collaborating with other SOS agencies and our colleagues at Berkeley and UCLA to help expand the capacity of school leaders to better address the equity, access and achievement challenges facing our schools, students, and communities today.” --Claudia Martinez,
Executive Director CSMP
Welcome Message
from Board & Directors
Welcome to the 21CSLA Platform!
On behalf of the Leadership Board of 21CSLA Center and State Agency Partners, we are excited to contribute to the professional learning of educational leaders (teacher, site, and district) as part of the California Department of Education state system of support (SOS). The 21st California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) initiative provides high quality, equity-centered professional learning for educational leaders of schools and districts in California receiving Title II funds. Programs are offered at no-cost to participants and include leadership coaching, professional learning opportunities, and Communities of Practice with an emphasis on improving instruction and outcomes for English Learners, students with disabilities, low-income students, and other historically marginalized students.
Through the 21CSLAPlatform and Distance and Digital Learning Hub, we seek to:
- Model how to learn collaboratively online
- Produce new solutions to persistent dilemmas through technology
- Create a robust web-based environment to provide access to relevant resources, research, and 21CSLA events
- Communicate the purpose and vision for 21CSLA to our multiple publics
- Provide resources/frameworks for the public about equity leadership
- Support the development of leading for equity in relation to digital and distance learning
