Happy back to school! Our families are all back in the classroom, from high school to college to grad school to another year teaching. We wish all educators and their families the absolute best this year!

• CRE Residencies: Application here!
• Starting October: National Board Cohorts: Online Cohort and Olympia's In-Person Music Cohort
• Winter 2026 WERD Book Study: Application Here!

Applications Now OPEN for CRE Residencies: A Unique and Intensive Professional Development Experience

Culturally Responsive Teacher Experiences (also known as CRE Teacher Residencies) are a unique and intensive professional development experience in which your team receives coaching, facilitation, and technical assistance from Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge, author of “Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom” and “Brilliant Teaching: Using Culture and Artful Thinking to Close Equity Gaps”.

Residencies are designed based on the needs of your school, educators, and their students, and include 18 hours of in-person learning, coaching, and technical assistance around the mental model that serves as the foundation for a culturally responsive classroom. The 18 hours are covered in three consecutive days using a sub-release model. The dates and schedule will be mutually agreed upon once your team is selected and approved. We anticipate selecting up to 15 schools or districts for this one-of-a-kind professional development training.

For those who have already participated in a residency, we also offer a one-day Design Studio to focus on more intensive lesson planning and further application of culturally responsive ideas.

Apply here to host a residency or design studio in your building or district!

If you have any questions, please email Anzara@cstp-wa.org.

WERD Book Study Winter 2026: Registration Open Now!

This 2025-2026 school year, CSTP is thrilled to host our Washington Educators Read and Discuss (WERD) online book study. We are happy and full of gratitude to have Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge return as a facilitator for this book study.

We will be spending time with Dr. Stembridge's second book Brilliant Teaching: Using Culture and Artful Thinking to Close Equity Gaps. Participants will connect, discuss, and reflect upon the book in small groups and be guided through our shared community learning by our amazing crew of facilitators.

These free book studies are open to all Washington paraeducators, teachers, principals, administrators, and ESAs. Registration is free, and 15 clock hours will be available for purchase upon completion based on live attendance. Book study registrants will purchase and read the book on their own and then attend the live sessions (recordings will not be available).

Meetings will take place weekly on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30-6:00 PM. Below are the dates for each meeting:

Jan 13th - Preface, Chapter 1 

Jan 20th - Chapter 2 

Jan 27th - Chapters 3 & 4 

Feb 3rd - Chapters 5, 6, 7 & 8 

Feb 10th - Chapter 9, Afterword 

For more information and registration, please visit our book study Zoom registration page.

Book Study Facilitators

We are looking for facilitators to lead small group discussions during the book study. Facilitators are responsible for watching a facilitator informational video and reading the book prior to the first meeting. We expect facilitators to attend all meetings for each book study. However we do know that things come up, so stipends will be paid per-meeting. You can earn a total of $400 - broken down to increments of $80 per meeting. 

Facilitators will lead discussions in small groups and stay after participants leave for a quick meeting debrief. 

Find the interest form here.

CSTP's National Board Component Support is Open for Registration

Registration is open for two CSTP-sponsored National Board Component Support cohorts, with potentially more on the way.

For the 2025-26 school year, we are partnering with the following facilitators:

• Online cohort: Faciliated by Ranice Innocent. This will be Ranice's 7th year facilitating and supporting National Board Candidates/Cohorts. Foundations and all four components will be offered, with clock hours available for each section. Read more and register here.
• In-person cohort for music teachers: Stacy Brown will be hosting an in-person cohort for music teachers in the Olympia area. Components 1 and 4 will be offered in 25-26, with clock hours available for each section. Read more and register here.

Bring CSTP Expertise to Your School or District's Professional Learning

As you start the school year and consider what professional learning you need for the year, CSTP is ready to collaborate with you! We provide consultation, facilitation, and coaching to support teacher leadership, teamwork, and customized professional learning in your school or district. 

We bring expertise in:

• Teacher Leadership Development, helping educators step into influential roles and contribute meaningfully at the school and district level. 
• Supporting Teacher Teams, offering structures and strategies that enhance team communication and empower collaborative, equity-focused reflective practice 
• Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, equipping educators with tools and mindsets that support all students to access rigorous, engaging work while honoring all students’ identities 

Let CSTP help you design meaningful learning experiences, launch leadership frameworks, or amplify teacher-led initiatives—whether virtual or in-person. Interested in exploring how CSTP can support your school or district? Reach out to Linsdey@cstp-wa.org. We’re ready to collaborate with you!

Partner with CSTP to Offer Clock Hours at Your Next Training

Are you running a course, professional development or book study and want to offer Washington State clock hours? CSTP is an approved Washington State clock hour provider and can approve your courses for clock hours. It is free for the instructor to apply for the course with participants paying a nominal fee.

Learn More and Apply for Clock Hours

National Board Writing Webinars

Register today for OSPI's National Board Writing Webinars!

Who: Any National Board candidate working toward National Board Certification in 2025-2026

What: These one-hour webinars are designed to support writing for the National Board portfolio. Candidates should expect to examine their own writing and work with peers on the selected topic. These sessions DO NOT replace cohorts nor conditional loan requirements.

When: Fall-Spring, always Tuesdays, 4:30 PM-5:30 PM (choose Series A, B, or both!)

Series A (Fall-Winter) REGISTER HERE!

• Sept 16: Writing about Contextual Information
• Sept 30: Writing about Instructional Context
• Oct 7: Forms & Written Commentary
• Oct 21: Identifying and Writing about Goals
• Oct 28: Using Evidence in Written Commentary
• Nov 4: Integrating National Board Standards
• Nov 18: Writing Tips: Convincing, Clear, Consistent

Series B (Winter-Spring) REGISTER HERE!

• Jan 6: Writing about Contextual Information
• Jan 20: Writing about Instructional Context
• Feb 3: Forms & Written Commentary
• Feb 24: Identifying and Writing about Goals
• March 10: Using Evidence in Written Commentary
• March 17: Integrating National Board Standards
• April 7: Writing Tips: Convincing, Clear, Consistent

Where: Zoom – Register above and select the sessions you’d like to attend. You will need an account with https://zoom.us/ and an electronic device to join. A Zoom link will follow in an email after completing the registration survey. Each session per series uses the same Zoom.

RSVP is required – registration will close day-of event. Contact OSPI National Board Program Specialist, Steven Mueller, at Steven.Mueller@k12.wa.us for any questions

Our Green CSTP Notebooks had a Wonderful Summer!

As you may have seen on social media, our little green CSTP notebooks went on a lot of trips this year! From Eastern Washington to Portland to Michigan, our books visited family, relaxed at the beach, and caught up on some reading. We at CSTP hope you had some time to enjoy yourselves over summer break as well! And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on all CSTP news and happenings (and to find out where these little green notebooks might end up next!).

September 15-October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture. While we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communites beyond this month, from September 15 to October 15 we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods, and much more.

Hispanic Heritage Month provides an additional opportunity to explore the incredible impact Latinas and Latinos have had on the United States for generations. The Latino presence in America spans centuries, predating Spain’s colonization of what is now part of the United States, and they have been an integral part of shaping our nation since the Revolutionary War. Through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Treaty of Paris that followed the Mexican-American and Spanish-American wars, the United States gained territories in the Southwest and Puerto Rico. This incorporated the people of this area into the United States and further expanded the presence of Hispanic Americans.

Read more here.

Join us for fun facts, obscure knowledge, and exploration of physics, genetics, etymology, art, and more!

I'm More of a Binturong Person

Cats and dogs are two of the most popular pets. We love to apply generalizations to them and their owners. Cat people might be aloof, while dog people are loyal. Cats are snuggly and knead you, while dogs are messy and need more work. Is there any genetic basis for this bifurcation?

In terms of taxonomy, cats and dogs share a kingdom, phylum, class, and order: Animalia (animals), Chordata (spines), Mammalia (mammals), and Carnivora (they eat meat). Carnivora is split into two suborders: Caniformia (dog-like) and Feliformia (cat-like). Caniforms include bears, otters, ferrets, and pinnipeds like walruses. Feliforms include hyenas, meerkats and other mongooses, viverrids like the binturong, and all big cats.

The major defining characteristic between these two suborders lies in the skull, specifically the ear bones. In feliforms, the auditory chambers are two separate but connected bones. In caniforms, the auditory chamber is a single bone, forming a full or semi-divided cavity. Other common differences include longer snouts on caniforms and feliforms having retractable claws.

Without any larger biological differences, cat and dog stereotypes must lie instead in functionality: You have to take dogs outside, while a cat uses a litter box. Dogs retrieve things but cats hunt things. Dogs show you that they are loyal; cats show you how to live and then give up because you’re not very good at it.

We do not have stereotypes for other members of the suborders, mostly because it’s a lot harder to have a red panda or a lion as a pet. If we might, let’s imagine a world in which popular pets are different pairs of caniforms and feliforms. What might the generalizations look like then? (For you educators out there, see if your students can come up with anything better!)

SEA LION vs. OCELOT: Do you spend your time diving deep into the sea and napping on warm rocks, or are you hopping around branches in the tree canopy to find a quiet nook?

WOLF vs. HYENA: Do you always have to make the group agree on a plan for dinner and today’s activities? Or are you more content to just go out with your friends and see what you can find, laughing all the way?

BEAR vs. LYNX: Are you strong and brash barreling through those trees, or lighter and quicker, barely leaving a footprint in the snow?

RACCOON vs. MEERKAT: Are you in the city looking for the treasure in others’ trash, or are you out in the countryside, making your own underground home off the grid?

DOG vs. CAT: Do you have two ear bones, or just one? Think carefully! This is important!