WesternA Note from Western Region Interim VP David Gupta
Found in Western News
Apr. 2013
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David Gupta |
Dear Colleagues,
What an exciting spring in the Western Region!
We’ve had a number of opportunities to meet with students, educators, advocates and legislators to consider new ways to improve access and achievement for young people across the region.
Earlier this year, the Western Regional Office hosted a College Board Superintendents’ Symposium that focused on college and career readiness and the needs of districts across our states. Participating education leaders shared challenges, best practices and information on programs that support access and equity in preparing all students for success.
Those conversations and others like them continued at the 2013 Western Regional Forum in San Diego. I was so pleased to see nearly 500 education professionals attending this important gathering to talk about collaboration and the future of our education system.
Forum Features Lively Talks on Technology, Curricula, Access
Found in Western News
Apr. 2013
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Hundreds of Western Region educators explored new ways of working together to improve students’ experiences during the Western Regional Forum in San Diego in February.
Dozens of sessions and workshops offered inspiring ideas and practical tips for using technology, improving curricula, and increasing students’ access and academic achievement.
Counselors, teachers, administrators and higher education professionals offered their perspectives and gained new insights into the educational environment in the region.
Science Proves Value of Diversity, Page Tells Educators
Found in Western News
Apr. 2013
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Advocates for diversity often rely on moral appeal and don’t realize or emphasize the facts that support its value, keynote speaker Scott Page told participants at the Western Regional Forum.
Page, a professor at the University of Michigan and external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute, shared findings from his and others’ research that confirm the importance of diversity in solving complex problems. He has brought these findings to corporations, institutions and educators around the country for the past several years.
“For years, people have been thinking of diversity in the wrong way,” he said, by often putting it in a framework that‘s moral or legal or political. “I want to put it in a different box. This makes us better at what we do. The value of diversity really kicks in when problems are very hard. It wasn’t seen as much in earlier years because, honestly, it didn’t have as much value then. In a more complex world that is much more interconnected, its value has greatly increased.”
Educators, Schools Honored at Regional Forum
Found in Western News
Apr. 2013
Several teachers and schools received awards honoring their exceptional work at the 2013 Western Regional Forum in San Diego.
Wilson Kwan, an AP® Chemistry teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles, accepted the 2013 Jaime Escalante AP Award. This award recognizes exemplary contributions of individuals who demonstrate passion, dedication and knowledge to help students succeed.
Sara Quezada, a teacher and Social Studies department chair at South El Monte (Calif.) High School, was the regional winner of a 2013 Bob Costas Grant for the Teaching of Writing. The award is presented to exceptional teachers in recognition of the innovative methods they use to develop students’ writing skills.
Sara Quezada Named Western Regional Recipient of Bob Costas Grant for the Teaching of Writing
Found in Western News
Apr. 2013
Sara Quezada, a teacher and chair of the Social Studies department at South El Monte High School in California, is one of six recipients of the 2013 Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing. The grant recognizes exceptional teachers for using innovative methods to inspire their students to write. The award was created to support teachers and to thank Bob Costas, the Emmy Award–winning broadcaster and author, for his generous public service work on behalf of the National Commission on Writing. Each winner receives a grant of $3,000 to support her or his innovative work. Quezada has helped students connect with their family histories by having students interview and write about the lives of their relatives. In these writings, students also research important historical events and trends that were part of earlier decades and shaped their families’ lives. With the help of the grant, Quezada plans to publish a historical journal that includes students’ writing about local community activists.
