Congratulations to all 17 of our regional Educators of the Year (including Teachers and Classified Employees), who gathered in Olympia on September 27 for their awards ceremony, hosted by WA State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. Scroll down for the state winners and more details!

• LAST CALL for 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!

LAST CALL to Apply 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! Applications are due by the end of October!

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 up to a total of $400.

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!

• 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

Teacher of the Year and Classified Employee of the Year Summit and Winners

Maryan Abdow (ESD 121, Tukwila) and Gabriela Whitemarsh (ESD 123, Pasco) have been named the 2025 Classified School Employee of the Year and the 2026 State Teacher of the Year, respectively!

Regional Teachers and Classified Employees of the Year gathered for the Educator of the Year Summit hosted at OSPI September 25-26. These educators came from every ESD in the state to build a learning community and share understanding of educational equity, systems, and leadership.

Here is the complete list of regional winners:

Teachers of the Year:

• Ruwani Brohier, ESD 189
• Jacqui Gibbons, ESD 113
• Shannon Green, ESD 114
• Gail Gregory, ESD 105
• Destiny Hornstein , ESD 101
• Madonna Konshuk-Carlton , ESD 171
• Stephen Pickard, ESD 121
• Gabriela Whitemarsh, ESD 123
• John Zingale, ESD 112

Classified Employees of the Year:

• Maryan Abdow, ESD 121
• Lori Beaty, ESD 101
• Andi Bloomfield, ESD 113
• Angelica Cardenas, ESD 105
• Oliva Grassl, ESD 123
• Robin Hanson, ESD 171
• Jim Logan, ESD 189
• Paul Richie, ESD 112

EoY Summit Poetry

The cohort at the Summit co-wrote their own version of Margaret Walker's poem "For My People" that included pieces of themselves. Here is what they made:

For my people full of love, hope, uncertainty, fear and joy

For my people whose parents only spoke German and French. Not the popular one, always fighting to be seen. Learning to celebrate ME and make a difference.

For my people who speak volumes of unconditional love but not in the same language bending over backwards with the weight, responsibility and joy of tarof all at once.

For my people who see the world as it should be, not as it is.

For my people who are just a little lost in the middle. The middle of transition, the middle of the family. Raising the babies and babying the parents.

For my people, who love to laugh, feeling vulnerable and comfortable enough to be their true self.

For my people, six sisters sharing joy and heartbreak.

For my people who challenge the status quo even when their voice shakes. For my people who love despite the heartbreak.

My people, sturdy, resilient. Mountains, tall fields flowing, aspens pine blowing. Solitude but together celebrate family, joys, sorrows, and songs.

For my people who have learned from your mistakes, mistakes of others, and make daily choices to improve.

For my people from broken homes, whose jobs do not pay enough, relationships always broken, who do not feel they are worthy. You are rich in faith, and shall “inherit the earth,” you are enough.

For my people being told no because you don’t speak Spanish, so how can you be Mexican. You don’t even like spick food. Your Mom and Dad are still married, what makes you so special?

For my people setting down roots, begin to grow the sun, rain, air, mountains, people surround us…feed us…

For my people caring for siblings too young, being invisible in school with dirty clothes that didn’t quite fit. Rough around the edges but eager to please, hardworking and diligent.

For my people who are refugees. Leaving what they have known and finding a new home. For my people who left their homes for a safe place, but can’t seem to find a safe place.

For my people, single mom filled with joys, fears, and struggles. A teacher carrying traumas as well as dreams of her students.

For my people, we are the children of burned CD’s and grit, raised in a world that refused to quit.

For my people who like to hug trees, drink spicy apple cider, to sharing our creators’ gifts with all. But remembering to always give back more than you take!

WA STEM: Annual Summit 2025

Join WA STEM at their annual summit on November 19 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This year's summit focuses on the cradle-to-career journey. It will explore the systems, partnerships, and promising practices shaping education reform in Washington. Through the lens of data justice, it'll examine the barriers too many students face, connecting the dots between early care and education, STEM belonging, and postsecondary preparation.

Find more and register here.

Ready WA: College Admission Reactions

Ever wondered what it’s like to open college decision letters on camera?Ready WA Storyteller Helen shares her college admissions reactions in this deep dive! From UW to Georgia Tech and more, she shares her honest reactions to college decisions, plus advice for future applicants.

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

On a Moonlit Afternoon

Our little blue planet would not be the same without our moon. Consider the tides: As the moon revolves around the earth, it exerts a gravitational pull on the waters of the oceans. This tilts them around in their ocean beds, creating the tides. Varying heights of water on the shore produces unique ecosystems, and the ocean’s motion helps mix waters from different parts of the globe which keeps the earth’s climate intact.

Aside from the tides, the moon plays such a part in culture and mythology because of its visual prominence in our skies. The moon provides light, but it does not produce it. Rather, all light from the moon is sunlight being reflected down to us. The phases of the moon are created by different halves of the moon being illuminated as it orbits around us.

The interesting thing about the moon’s face is that, to us, it is static. Imagine you are looking down at our earth at the north pole. The moon revolves around the earth in a counterclockwise direction. Meanwhile, the moon is rotating around its own axis in a clockwise direction that equals the rate of its motion around us. This means the same face of the moon always faces the earth. This also means a day on the moon equals its moon-year, that being about 28 earth-days.

The other side of the moon was never seen until we could send cameras and people into space, so we named that the “dark side” of the moon. It would be more accurate to say that it's the far or unseen side of the moon, as that face is lit just as often as the rest.

A new moon is a moon that appears completely dark–it is the far side that is illuminated. At this point, the moon is closest to the sun. When the moon reaches our other side, the near side is fully illuminated, appearing to us as a full moon.

We picture the moon only being up during the night, but this is not accurate, as the relative positions of the sun and moon change. A new moon is on the same side of the earth as the sun, rising only in the daytime. As the moon waxes, it rises later in the day, setting partway into the night. A full moon, opposite the sun, is only up when the sun goes down. The waning moon sticks around into the morning. It’s impossible to see these daytime phases when the sun is at full light, but we get glimpses at dawn and dusk.

I think the moon can be forgiven for sometimes hiding in the glow of the sun, thinking of everything else it does for us.