2020 Convening Highlights
January 30-31 in Washington, D.C.
Intentional Integration
The Diverse Charter Schools Coalition’s (DCSC) 2020 Annual Convening brought together 175 attendees from charter schools, networks, non-profits, and advocacy groups. DCSC members shared best practices through networking, leading breakout sessions and coffee talks, attending school visits and listening to a student/alumni panel.
With this year’s theme of Intentional Integration, attendees engaged with experts in the movement and examined real-world experiences, data and strategies. Thank you to the attendees who completed our feedback survey and provided the comments quoted below.
Keynote Speakers
Cheyenne Batista
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Firefly Worldwide, Inc.
A champion of equity in schools
“Cheyenne was real and provocative. She shared her thoughts and experiences in a way that could help us all grow together.”
Mohammed Choudhury
Chief Innovation Officer, San Antonio Independent Schools
A thinker expanding diverse-by-design schools
“I thoroughly enjoyed Mohammed Chowdhury’s presentation – it was an energizing and intellectually honest kick off to this convening.”
Hanseul Kang
State Superintendent of Education, District of Columbia
A leader dedicated to student achievement
“The Friday keynote with Hanseul Kang was superb. She shared so many interesting and thoughtful contributions…”
Strands
session content
Plan
Are you developing a new initiative or program at your school or network?
Are You Who You Say You Are? Values-based Governance for Intentionally Diverse Schools
Implement
What are you refining at your school or network?
Disrupting Institutional Structures: Embracing the Voices in our Village
Equity in Compensation Demystified: Strategies to ensure you are paying fairly every time
Reflect
Who are we and what are we trying to accomplish?
Unlearning Inequity: Disrupting Narrow Definitions of Success to Model Integration for Our Kids
Intentional Integration in DBD Charter Schools: An Exploration of Impact and Implementation
Designing to the Edges: Increasing Instructional Access for All Learners
Influence
Where is our work positioned in the field of education?
Think Like a Communicator: How to Incorporate Strategic Communications into Your Daily Work
Nothing Changes Without Pressure. Advocacy Strategies to Support Your Schools
Walking Our Talk: Confronting Bias in School Based Policy-Making
Coffee Talks
Our convening featured an opportunity for attendees to come together around critical topics of school integration in a more informal format.
- Amber Charter Schools & Central Queens Academy: Lifting Up English Language Learners
- Beloved Community: School Equity Audit
- Charter School Business Management: Inclusive Financial Transparency & Intentional Decision-Making
- DCSC Office Hours: Member Supports and Program Evaluation
- Finalsite: Marketing and Communications platforms for schools and districts
- Harvard’s RIDES Institute: Moving from “diverse” to “intentionally integrated”
- NWEA: Leveraging MAP Growth to Address Achievement Gaps
- Phone2Action: Advocacy Software for Grassroots Marketing Campaigns
- Pulitzer Center: 1619 Project Curriculum
- Two Rivers Public Charter School: Share Your DC – A Parent + Staff Learning Expedition
- Valor Collegiate Academies: Comprehensive Human Development in Schools
Welcome Reception
Throughout the convening, DCSC members and partners were able to network with one another. This included a Welcome Reception on Thursday evening.
School Visits
“The school visit was really valuable – it was so interesting and wonderful to see the program in action.”
Attendees were able to visit DCSC member schools in DC for a deep-dive tour as well as debrief with school leadership:
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School
Washington Latin Public Charter School
DC International School
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Public Charter School
DCSC Member of the Year Award
Each year, DCSC celebrates a member school or network as an exemplar of diverse-by-design communities.
From publicly available data, along with internally collected metrics on membership engagement, we selected finalists that might inspire other members invested in this movement.
Congratulations to this year’s DCSC Member of the Year, City Neighbors Schools (Baltimore, MD).
Pictured left-right: Shyla Rao, Principal; LaShawn Gardner, Teacher; and Mike Chalupa, Academic Director and DCSC Board Member
Student Voices
Highlighting the voices of students in the work of school integration, our convening kicked off with an original performance, Nothing Without Us by EPIC Student Theatre Ensemble.
Students and alumni shared their experiences from DCSC member schools, E.L. Haynes and Washington Latin in a panel facilitated by two UnifiED fellow alumni.
2020 Convening Sponsors
Our committed sponsors helped make this convening happen. Thank you!
Other contributions made by:
Dr. Deborah M. McGriff, DCSC Board Member
DCSC would like to thank this year’s planning committee in helping the Coalition’s staff, board and funders prepare for the 2020 Annual Convening:
- Mike Chalupa, DCSC Board Member and Academic Director of City Neighbors Foundation
- Hilary Darilek, Chief Executive Officer of E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
- Monisha Karnani, Director, Demonstration & Outreach at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School
- Robert Reed, DCSC Board Member and Senior Director, Legal Affairs at National Alliance of Public Charter Schools
- Daniel Rubenstein, DCSC Board Member and Executive Director/Co-Founder of Brooklyn Prospect School
