Opens on Monday, July 29 to Friday, Sept. 13
The Annual Education Conference and Trade Show (AEC) is the premier platform to showcase the innovative and successful programs and ideas that are making a difference in your district or county office of education. We strongly encourage Student Board Members to submit their unique perspectives and insights. Your proposals should provide relevant resources and strategies that support the best interests of students and public education.
By sharing your experiences, you’ll contribute to the broader dialogue on governance and educational leadership across the state. Your participation is essential to highlight the valuable role of student voices in shaping the future of education. To be considered, proposal applications must meet all the requirements and criteria outlined in the relevant links provided below. Are you interested in submitting but unsure of where to start? Do you need another student board member to co-present with? Please contact aec@csba.org with any questions or concerns.
Submission deadline: Friday, Sept. 13
Workshops
- Workshops must be approved by the school district or county office of education being represented. Should CSBA hear from a school district or county office of education that a submission was not approved, the proposal will not be accepted for consideration.
- Proposals must include at least one board member, superintendent, or other staff of a current (2023-24 and 2024-25) CSBA member school district or county office of education on the panel; no exceptions will be made. Local educational agencies (LEA) who are not members of CSBA are not eligible to participate.
- CSBA does not accept workshop proposals for sessions intended to sell a product or service.
- Panelists should represent the diversity of our state, districts and counties of varying sizes, and varied points of view.
- Panelists should practice their presentations and prepare visually informative materials. Our attendees absorb a great deal of information at our conference. Thus, all panelists are strongly urged to keep their comments brief, back all claims with data, and stay tightly aligned with their session topic.
- Workshops will be scheduled in 65-minute time blocks and may be scheduled at any time during conference dates at the discretion of CSBA. The total presentation time for all panelists may not exceed 50 minutes, to reserve time for questions from our audience. Thus, each panelist should expect to present for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes.
- Workshops are limited to four (4) panel members, including the moderator. No exceptions will be made. The moderator is required to proactively manage the time for each panelist, field questions from the audience, and keep the session moving forward. Multi-district panels are encouraged.
- The submitter, moderator and presenters will be notified in late-September whether a proposal has been selected for inclusion in the conference program.
- All panelists and moderators for selected sessions must attend an online presenter training in September. Those who are unable to attend the online training must review the recording by September 30, 2024. This workshop is essential for all AEC 2024 presenters.
- Presenters will receive a complimentary, non-transferable, one-day pass for the day of their presentation. If they wish to attend the entire conference, they must register at the full conference rate. Registration opens on Tuesday, June 4. Accepted session presenter(s) are responsible for following all conference guidelines and deadlines.
- Accepted session presenter(s) are responsible for their own travel and related conference expenses.
CSBA is seeking proposals reflective of the current environment in which California’s schools operate. Proposals should provide relevant resources to advance the best interests of students and public education.
Sessions help students, board members, superintendents, and other district and county office personnel learn about successful programs and how they can be replicated in other parts of California.
The following criteria will be equally weighed for each proposal:
- Does the proposal clearly address challenges faced by conference attendees?
- Does the proposal clearly articulate recommended actions attendees can take as a result of their learnings from the session?
- Is the proposal well-planned and well-written, providing a clear and realistic picture of intended outcomes for our attendees?
- Does the proposal reflect the interests of new, mid-career, or veteran education leaders from urban, suburban, small, or rural districts, or county offices of education?
- Is the perspective of student board members, the school governance team, and its policy role clearly present?
- Is the proposal aligned with the respective conference strand?
- Can the proposed solution be replicated and scaled across a variety of school settings?
- Does the proposal address why participants need to have the proposed information and suggest the tools and strategies they will take with them?
- Does the proposal address budget implications, cost savings, or value added?
- Is the proposed topic timely, relevant, and unique?
- Does the proposal clearly articulate data on results achieved over at least two (2) years, showcasing district and board expertise?
- Does the proposal contain an innovative solution for a pressing issue relevant to our attendees?
- Is each presenter(s) and the designated moderator experienced, knowledgeable, effective, and engaging?
Workshops
Dive deep into specific themes or challenges featuring practical applications, facilitated discussions and collaborative learning opportunities.
- Workshops will be scheduled in 65-minute time blocks and may be scheduled at any time during conference dates at the discretion of CSBA. The total presentation time for all panelists may not exceed 50 minutes, to reserve time for questions from our audience. Thus, each panelist should expect to present for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes.
- Workshops are limited to four (4) panel members, including the moderator. No exceptions will be made. The moderator is required to proactively manage the time for each panelist, field questions from the audience, and keep the session moving forward. Multi-district panels are encouraged.
Conference Strands
The Access for All strand explores the relationships between funding for schools, student achievement and preparation of students for college and career. This strand exemplifies how board decision making through an inclusionary lens can effectively respond to the diverse needs of students so that all students have access to a broad, rigorous and equitable course of study that prepares them for their futures.
Topics could include: Innovative and successful programs that close achievement and opportunity gaps for all students, including educational and wellness challenges; equity/access issues in rural and/or small school district communities; implicit bias; and understanding the shifting needs of California students. Examples: College and career exposure and readiness; use of data to measure progress; special education challenges; broadband access in the community; Local Control and Accountability Plan; Multi-Tiered System of Supports; extended learning opportunities; before- and after-school programs; positive behavior interventions and school discipline practices; transitional kindergarten and access to universal pre-K; course access, including dual/concurrent enrollment, career technical education and ethnic studies; dual language programs; and state Seal of Biliteracy.
The Digital Transformation in Education strand addresses the importance of ensuring that all students have access to the digital technology, programs and resources needed to prepare them for the future and explores the challenges of artificial intelligence (AI), cyberattacks, plagiarism, loss of privacy, social media bullying and the law. Workshops will provide board members with an opportunity to learn about the latest information on security risks, research and trends for the K-12 education system.
Topics could include: Professional development; one-to-one devices; funding; access to technology; student data and privacy; technology challenges and solutions; disabilities and devices; plagiarism; productive and ethical use of AI; cybersecurity; social media and digital communications; social media use by students, teachers and schools; privacy issues and use of cameras; student voice; computer science instruction; Esports; extended learning; and accelerated learning.
The Fiscal Strategies and Accountability strand addresses the importance of the board of trustees in ensuring that all members are involved with financial oversight and work in partnership with the superintendent. Together, they provide strong financial oversight to ensure that all students enrolled in school district and county office of education programs benefit from the resources needed for a broad, rigorous and equitable course of study that prepares them for their futures.
Topics could include: Advocating for K-12 funding; the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF); increasing LCFF base funding; broadband funding; CalSTRS and CalPERS planning; health care and labor negotiations; collective bargaining and the Local Control and Accountability Plan; declining enrollment and average daily attendance (ADA) recovery; bond, parcel and sales tax campaigns; communicating the budget to the community; community-funded school districts; transportation funding and small school districts; new construction and modernization of facilities including green opportunities; planning for food and nutrition programs; early education facilities; charter facilities; affordable teacher housing; local, state and federal budget issues; grant funding and philanthropy; special education funding; strategies for spending one-time funds; deficit spending in times of crisis; aligning fiscal resources with school district and community priorities; budget transparency and budgeting with an equity lens.
The Mental Health, Wellness and Student Safety strand encompasses the conditions of learning that address how student and staff wellness, school culture and campus security contribute to educating the whole student and creating a nurturing, safe and respectful environment.
Topics could include: Addressing student needs; suicide prevention; anti-bullying/harassment programs; human trafficking awareness; fentanyl, drug/alcohol prevention and response; mental health and the impact on students, families, teachers and staff; supporting LGBTQ students; mental health services and community partnerships; access to mental health services; social and mental health resources for teachers and board members, including stress and decision fatigue; board member role in promoting healthy school climate; programs that address student mental, nutritional and physical health; social-emotional curriculum including mindfulness as a discipline; wraparound services including before-school, after-school and summer programming; localized mental health services in underserved communities; trauma-informed services including addressing adverse childhood experiences; school-based health clinics; issues related to legalization of marijuana; vaping; open dialogue with law enforcement and government agencies; role of school counselors; and wellness interventions.
The Strategies and Practices of Governance strand aims to support school district and county board of education members with the leadership skills, qualities and techniques to become a productive team that represents the voice for all students.
Topics could include: Board member role in developing a positive school culture; shared governance; leadership and decision making in crisis; board self-evaluation; superintendent contracts, hiring and evaluations; conflict resolution; use of data in making decisions; policy and protocols to support good governance; goal setting and budget alignment; redistricting; leadership role of the board president; engaging the voice of student board members; how to be an advocate; understanding and following parliamentary procedure; Form 700 and conflict of interest; ethics and transparency; California Public Records Act; the Brown Act; orienting new trustees; charter school oversight; candidate orientation; and trustee role in negotiations.
The Student and Community Engagement strand addresses board members’ leadership role in enabling authentic, productive engagement and strengthening collaborative relationships with students, stakeholders, community partners and decision-makers to generate support for public schools and student achievement.
Topics could include: Engaging student voice; Local Control and Accountability Plan and strategic planning with authentic participation by families and stakeholders; community schools; connecting with faith-based communities to reach families; marketing and promoting schools and working with the media; building positive school culture; student-centered schools; cultural literacy; programs and strategies for welcoming and engaging families, including parent resource centers or multilingual parent/family liaisons; local and grassroots advocacy; community organizing; legislative advocacy; forming political partnerships; business, nonprofit, philanthropic and corporate partnerships including health and wellness providers and partnerships between county offices of education and school districts to support student success; programs and partnerships addressing climate resiliency or climate action plans and/or sustainability.
Presenter Types
Through the proposal submission process, you will be asked to designate different roles for those involved with each proposal. Descriptions for each role are listed below. We recommend that you take time to become familiar with the descriptions.
This person will not be considered part of the panel unless also designated as a moderator or presenter. Only one submitter per proposal will be allowed.
The moderator oversees the session development, communicates with CSBA staff, coordinates pre-conference preparations and acts as facilitator during the session on-site. Throughout the session, the moderator is required to proactively manage the time for each panelist, field questions from the audience, and keep the session moving forward.
The moderator will be the main point of contact for all conference-related correspondence between presenters and CSBA staff up to and through the Annual Education Conference and Trade Show. Only one moderator per proposal will be allowed. The moderator may also be the submitter. If there is only one presenter on the panel, they will be the moderator.
If your proposal is accepted, please note that CSBA sets each session with seating for up to (4) total presenters, including the moderator. The moderator will be published in all conference materials along with the other presenters. The names of the moderator and presenters are listed in the AEC app, without reference to role.
A presenter is a panelist. If a proposal is accepted, CSBA sets each session for up to (4) total presenters, including the moderator. Presenters are encouraged to funnel all communication with CSBA through their session’s moderator.