On Saturday, October 10, the state Educator of the Year awardees were announced! Our 2027 Teacher of the Year is Kori Cannon from Kennewick in ESD 123 and the 2026 Classified Employee of the Year is Dana Wilson from Washougal 112. Thank you to all the regional winners who came to Olympia to visit OSPI, learn with us, and celebrate your peers from other ESDs statewide. Thank you for letting CSTP be a part of your educator journey!

• October 2026: CSTP National Board Cohort
• By October 15: Apply for a CRE Residency or Design Studio HERE
• Apply to be a WERD Book Study Facilitator

Apply to Bring a Culturally Responsive Teacher Experience to Your Area Now!

Applications for our CRE residencies and design studios are open for the 26-27 school year!

Apply for a residency here! Be sure to submit your applications by end of day on October 15.

This school year, we are offering a limited number of CRE Experiences in multiple formats: a three-day CRE Residency (which includes the classroom experience) and a two-day Intensive Design Studio (which does not include the classroom experience). We hope to bring this experience to as many teachers as possible; therefore, we are looking for districts or schools in the same region to partner to reach up to 50 participants for each experience. 

Culturally Responsive Teacher Experiences 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 educators and their students, and include learning, coaching and technical assistance around the mental model that serves as the foundation for a culturally responsive classroom. Residencies will also bring teachers into a classroom for hands-on instructional experience.

Immersive Design Studios are a two-day experience which will focus exclusively on the design, refinement, and collaborative analysis of CRE Experiences. They will not include classroom application. This is open to all educators, including those who have not attended a residency before.

If you are interested in applying, here is the link to the application. Applications are due by October 15th.

Please contact Anzara@cstp-wa.org with any questions! 

Apply to be a WERD Book Study Factilitator

CSTP is thrilled to announce we are looking for Facilitators for our Washington Educators Read and Discuss (WERD) Book Study! Our book study will be moderated by Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge and Lindsey Stevens NBCT and will explore their newly released book Culturally Responsive Teaming: Composing Cultures of Collaboration in Schools! Read more about the book here.

We are looking for facilitators to lead small group discussions. As a Facilitator, you can earn a total of $400 - broken down to increments of $80 per meeting. Our amazing Facilitators support small group discussions, receive reflection and discussion questions in advance, and help to create the collective learning environment for rich dialogue with peers from all over the state! 

Facilitators will lead discussions in small groups and stay after participants leave for a quick meeting debrief. Meetings are on Thursday evenings from 4:30-6:00. We will discuss the following sections of Culturally Responsive Teaming on the dates below. This schedule is tentative at the moment and might shift a little! 

• Jan 28th: Preface and Chapter 1
• Feb 4th: Chapters 2 and 3
• Feb. 11th: Chapter 4
• Feb. 18th: Chapters 5 and 6
• Feb. 25th: Chapters 7 and 8

This application will remain open until all facilitator spots are filled! APPLY HERE.

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

CSTP's National Board Cohort is Open for Registration

Are you looking for a virtual cohort to join for support in your National Board Certification journey? CSTP can help!

CSTP is supporting online Washington national board candidates with a cohort over Zoom with one of two OSPI trained National Board Facilitators. Candidates are encouraged to register early as our small cohorts fill up early, and must register at least two weeks prior to the first meeting. Our two facilitators this year will be Sally Baer and Jennifer O'Shea. Foundations is in October with each component to follow.

Find more information and register here!

Questions? Contact ada@cstp-wa.org.

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

As you are considering what professional learning you may need this 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 Certification Information Sessions

To support Washington state candidates through this process, OSPI will be hosting information sessions open to all educators looking to begin or continue their National Board journey. If you are considering becoming a National Board candidate this year, then please plan to attend an informational meeting soon.These sessions will cover considerations for why National Board Certification is right for you,the assessment process, and supports and resources to help you along the way.

• Tomorrow! Wednesday, October 14 @ 4:30 PM-6:30 PM

2 Clock Hours available per session

Register for the OSPI session here!

Registration will close the day of the session. A Zoom link will be emailed upon completing the registration survey. For questions, please reach out to OSPI National Board, at NationalBoardSupport@k12.wa.us.

OSPI 2026-27 National Board Writing Webinars

Registration is live for OSPI's upcoming National Board Writing Webinars!

These one-hour webinars are designed to support writing for the National Board portfolio. Any candidate working towards certification can join. 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.

Choose series A, B or both. All sessions are hosted on Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 pm. One clock hour available per session.

Series A (Fall-Winter) (Register here)

• Oct 20: Identifying and Writing about Goals
• Oct 27: Using Evidence in Written Commentary
• Nov 3: Integrating National Board Standards
• Nov 17: Writing Tips: Convincing, Clear, Consistent

Series B (Winter-Spring) (Register here)

• Jan 5: Writing about Contextual Information
• Jan 19: Writing about Instructional Context
• Feb 2: Forms & Written Commentary
• Feb 23: Identifying and Writing about Goals
• March 9: Using Evidence in Written Commentary
• March 16: Integrating National Board Standards
• April 6: Writing Tips: Convincing, Clear, Consistent

Registration links can also be found on OSPI's webinar handout. RSVP is required. Contact OSPI's National Board Support email with any questions.

Educator of the Year 2026-27

Congratulations to Dana Wilson, Washington State 2026 Classified School Employee of the Year, and to Kori Cannon, Washington State 2027 Teacher of the Year! And congratulations once again to all of our regional winners and their exceptional communities.

On October 8-9, CSTP was honored to facilitate the Washington State Educator of the Year Retreat for the 2026–2027 Teachers and Classified School Employees of the Year. These exceptional educational leaders were recognized by their communities and selected as regional Educators of the Year. During the retreat, they reflected on their work, connected with peers, celebrated their accomplishments, and prepared to advocate for positive change in Washington’s education system.

Congratulations to this outstanding group of educators! Here is a collective poem written by this year's cohort who have joined the flock of Educators of the Year, For My People the 2026-2027 Educators of the Year. We wish you continued success on your year of service!

Here is the complete list of regional winners:

Teachers of the Year (see all the winners here!)

• Gretchen Cruden, ESD 101
• Rosalia Tapia, ESD 105
• Tammy Smith, ESD 112
• Scott Le Duc, ESD 113
• Jaden Friedle, ESD 114
• Lisa Merlin, ESD 121
• Kori Cannon, ESD 123
• Amelia Lehman, ESD 171
• Carlene Ogren, ESD 189

Classified Employees of the Year (see all the winners here!)

• Emma Evenson Trayte, ESD 101
• Lulu Rodriguez, ESD 105
• Dana Wilson, ESD 112
• Tom Harn, ESD 113
• Megan Lyke, ESD 114
• Flor Rivera Lopez, ESD 121
• Andrea Zimmermann, ESD 123
• Teresa Vargas, ESD 171
• Kelly Toner, ESD 189

2026 Youth Advocacy Summit

Free Community Youth Advocacy Event!

This is an event for youth, by youth, co-hosted by League of Education Voters (LEV), Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL), and a team of youth partners from across the state. Alongside youth partners, LEV and AWSL invite students, parents, leaders, and members of the community to come listen, learn, and participate in the events that students are putting on. Learn from their experiences with school. See what issues they are passionate about. Listen to and honor their hopes for the future. Whether you are a young person yourself or another member of the community, you are invited to hear from students, families, and community members.

Register here!

Throughout the event, there will be interactive tables staffed by partner organizations, as well as a LEV table where students can share what they would like to see happen in the 2027 Washington state legislative session. 

Lunch will be provided. 

When: October 27, 2026, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Where: Pacific Science Center (200 Sue Bird Court N. Seattle, WA 98109) 

Watch a short video of the 2025 Youth Advocacy Summit at Gonzaga University

WSAC Washington College Grant Webpages and Calculator

Qualify for a WA Grant and get money to pay for college or technical education!

Washington offers some of the most generous financial aid in the country. Half of families in Washington qualify to get money from the state to pursue career training or college. But not enough people take advantage of the money that’s available. In Washington’s Class of 2026, students who were eligible for free and reduced-price lunch had a FAFSA filing rate of 53%. That means 47% of the students who are most likely to be eligible for WA Grant and federal Pell Grants haven’t even applied.

It’s vital that Washington residents understand the potential of WA Grant, both in their own lives and as a lever for economic growth in our state. To that end, Washington state and the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) are taking action to support students and families with innovative, research-informed information and materials. The new WA Grant webpages and WA Grant calculator are examples of this approach.

The new WSAC WA Grant webpages offer clearer, more comprehensive information and a streamlined WA Grant calculator to estimate award amounts.

You can visit the new pages in English at WAgrant.org or Spanish at WAgrant.org/es. Here’s what you’ll find:

• The new content walks users step-by-step through the process of learning about WA Grant and applying for financial aid.
• The updated pages are more interactive to offer various ways for people to engage with the information and find what is clearest and most relevant to them.
• The WSAC website now features an improved and integrated WA Grant calculator.

The new WA Grant calculator is simple to use, requiring only income and family size to provide an estimated award. The primary function of the calculator is to estimate WA Grant award amounts; an estimated Pell Grant award is also available as a second step. Users can view results in graph or table format, filter by institution type, and compare specific colleges.

Yesterday Was Indigenous Peoples' Day

Yesterday, October 12, 2026, is marked by many as Indigenous Peoples' Day. This is a day to honor and celebrate native and indigenous peoples, cultures, and land in what we know today as the United States.

While not every jurisdiction in Washington state officially recognizes Indigenous Peoples' Day, it is still an important opportunity to learn and teach others about the cultural vibrancy and dark history of people on their native land.

This holiday was first officially recognized in 1992 in Berkeley, California thanks to activism and advocacy to push back against uncomplicated depictions of Christopher Columbus instead of reckoning with the colonialism's legacy of violence and erasure. Today we honor that past and continue to work for a kinder future.

Find more resources and historical events in the IPD archive.

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

Zero Zero Hour

The 24-hour clock can be a matter of some contention. People in the English-speaking world are generally more familiar with the 12-hour clock, where each day is measured in two 12-hour cycles. The 24-hour clock puts midnight at 00:00 and measures the day all the way up to 23:59–what the 12-hour clock would list as 11:59 pm.

One of the biggest benefits of the 24-hour cycle is clarity. Users don’t have to juggle the am/pm system. The time 03:00 only occurs in the darkness before sunrise. If you want the complementary mid-afternoon time, that would be 15:00. You don’t have to remember whether midnight or noon is labeled pm. It’s 00:00 and 12:00.

Computers function on the 24-hour cycle, as that makes programming the hour numbers easier. Otherwise your computer would have to work with the am/pm switch and generate times like, “the 4th hour, the second time today.”

Militaries and many medical practitioners use the 24-hour clock to avoid ambiguity. Did you last have your pain meds at 4:00, or 16:00? When was your last test or check in? If you’re in a high-stakes situation, a difference of 12 hours matters quite a bit!

The 12-hour clock does have its benefits. It keeps the numbers smaller and straightforward. Would you remember dinner reservations better at 7 pm, or 19:00? Many times can be understood in context. When I say bedtime is at 9:00, one can assume I mean the evening one.

The best visual defense of the 12-hour cycle is analog clocks. A clock shows clearly that the day’s hours run up to twelve and start over. Clocks with 24 hour marks and a half-speed hour hand do exist, but they are hard to read. The denser the numbers on the clock, the less the hour hand moves between the hours and the less immediately comprehensible it is. What’s the angle difference between 16:00 and 17:00? Is my workday done or not?

In the end, one is not necessarily better than the other. Both systems will continue to exist for various historical, regional, and precision reasons. Whatever time or date system you grew up with and use all the time is going to feel more natural, which is not a measure of quality but of familiarity. The important thing is that we all do our best to understand each other, and sometimes that involves adding or subtracting 12.

However, if you’re a teen who is communicating with your suburban American family with little exposure to 24-hour timekeeping, saying things like “let’s meet at fifteen o’clock” might cause some confusion. To all the contrarian teens out there: The point of communication is mutual understanding. Try not to be so smug about being inscrutable.

(It was me. I was that contrarian teen. Sorry, family! But all my clocks are still in 24-hour time!)