July 8, 2020
educational equity
Dear Educational Colleagues,

As we continue to learn and lead through both a pandemic and a civil rights movement, SDCOE is committed to providing support for all of our San Diego County school systems.

The Equity department is designing sessions to sustain the energy needed for this work. We want to help ensure that this is not a moment, but a movement where we co-construct a new way of being for all of us in service of our students.

We will begin our summer learning opportunities with the Black Student Experience Panel open to educators, students, parents, stakeholders, and community members to listen and to learn. The panel kicks off a three-session learning series devoted to helping administrators and educators design and hold dialogue space for students and adults to talk about experiences of racism. As author Margaret Wheatley has said, "All social change begins with conversation," and school systems can be proactive in this work.

The Equity team is also starting a new, informal group to learn more about allyship as part of equity learning.

Work is underway on 2020-21 learning sessions to engage in deeper equity work that is differentiated for the specific needs of your school /district needs. Please email me for an appointment to discuss this opportunity.

In service of our students,

Interim Executive Director, Equity
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE)
Upcoming Events divider art
Black Leadership Panel on July 21

Register today to attend the virtual Black Leadership Panel with San Diego County educational leaders at 6 p.m. July 21. Guests, including state Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber, will be discussing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community and the impact this is having on our educational systems. Topics of discussion will also include the current civil rights movement and proactive measures to both address and support our students and communities. Join us in this important San Diego County dialogue. The event is free, but registration is required .
Black Student Experience Panel and Learning Sessions

Experience how to hold dialogue space for students and adults with the Black Student Panel, and then participate in a three-part series on designing restorative space, listening, and engaging students and adults.

Black Student Panel on July 15 at 10 a.m.
  • Listen to students who attend San Diego County schools
  • Open to educators, administrators, students, parents, stakeholders, and community members
  • Participate in this practice of holding space for dialogue
  • Register for the link to attend

Learning Sessions
  1. Participate in a restorative dialogue and work through what you heard and your experience with the student panel.
  2. Explore what goes into designing space for restorative dialogue for adults and students by planning one together.
  3. Ask questions and engage in further exploration of what has emerged in the previous sessions.

Register for the cohort series dates and times that best work for you or your team. Participants must attend all three sessions.
Exploring Allyship and Accomplice

“One of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.” — Author bell hooks

The Equity department is designing space for a new, informal group that will meet to learn and talk about equity issues every three weeks on Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. We believe in the strength of the collective and in the necessary dialogue we must all be engaged in. Teaching Tolerance describes the difference between allyship and accomplice in this way: "Ally work focuses on individuals, and accomplice work focuses on the structures of decision-making agency." 

This informal network of support and guidance will be one way to sustain our region's equity work. This will be a self-directed group and a way to strengthen our collective drive to ensure equitable conditions and outcomes for all of our students and learning organizations. Register to attend the first network meeting on July 30.
Past Webinars Available Online

Did you miss our last webinar? The Knowledge is Power series, as well as the Latinx Leadership Panel recording and presentation slides can be found on the SDCOE Equity website.
SDCOE Credential Program Accepting Applications

Expand your opportunity to use your passion for equity in education to impact schools with a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC). The PASC Program at SDCOE is designed to prepare experienced educators for the challenges of school leadership. The credential allows you to serve in a variety of administrative roles, such as principal, assistant principal, program manager, coordinator, and others depending on your district. Learn more and apply at the PASC Program website .
Equity Curriculum and Instruction divider art
The following instructional continuity documents were created with multiple departments and community partners in order to provide supports to schools as they plan for distance learning.

SDCOE is working on instructional continuity documents for students who are Latinx, experiencing the juvenile justice system, and part of a religious minority. We are paying close attention to the different needs of these historically marginalized groups and creating and curating resources as they are available.
Can't Miss Links divider art
  • Equity resources for current events: SDCOE has gathered resources that may be helpful in facilitating conversations with students and families around recent, racially charged incidents and protests around the country and in our community. Resources are categorized by audience with links for parents, students, administrators, and educators.
  • COVID-19 equity resources: At the bottom of the page of SDCOE resources for distance learning are equity-focused materials on instructional continuity, xenophobia, and more.
If you have any questions or comments about Educational Equity , please contact