The nation holds its collective breath as election day approaches. While President Biden’s withdrawal from the race initially shocked us all, the true turning point for many of us came when former Republican Representative Liz Cheney from Wyoming endorsed Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. Then it got real! Two powerful women leaders coming together despite their usual partisan divide to say, enough is enough, it’s time to get back to the business of policy work that our nation depends on. Oh do you see it? The significance of this point in history for women, for families, for our nation!

I, for one, am thankful that the state of Washington has mail in ballots and my vote was cast over a week ago. Now my plans are to binge watch election news on November 5th for the state-by-state call of the results. 

November 5th is special for another reason. Voice4Equity will be kicking off its new cohort of the Girls Policy Network™ – a program for young ladies in high school that teaches them about the policy constructs that frame so much of their lives, including their career passion, whether urban planning, engineering, sustainability, education and so forth. Four districts from the states of New York, New Jersey, and Maryland are joining together for this cohort. I love the way this program organically but intentionally unveils the awesome power of student voice. Once a student is exposed to the power of their voice for action, there is no taking back of personal power!  If you are interested in bringing this program to your district or state, we are setting up 2025 cohorts now and would love to talk to you. If you want to be student centered, this is true student centered programming.

I am also thrilled to announce our newest addition to our policy-focused offerings, the Tech, Power and Equity conference on January 23-25, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. There is no better time to be in Phoenix! This unique offering is a space for women executives in the education sector to come together to learn about AI innovations with dedicated time to plan for next step areas of focus for your district. This is an opportunity to develop your skills about a technology innovation that is fast moving, powerful and an opportunity to leverage. Speakers have been carefully selected so that you have exposure to tech industry leaders, researchers, policy makers, system designers and education decision makers, and we are so fortunate to have Dr. Lupita Hightower (AZ) and Dr. Tahira Dupree-Chase (NY) as our co-emcees and guides through this event!

We encourage you to not only bring or send women on your cabinet teams, along with school principals, but also to encourage women board members to attend and take advantage of the learning opportunities around AI and technology policy frameworks. I especially encourage you to attend in small teams so that you can use the planning team to prepare to take new learnings back to your district through our e-planning guide. Register today at voice4equity.com/tpe!  

In this November issue, you will meet two leaders who will also join us at Tech, Power and Equity in January. Associate Superintendent Rebekah Kim from the Kent School District in Washington, along with her team, will share the Kent AI and tech plan for teaching and learning. I enjoyed sitting down with her recently to discuss the financial, design, and capacity development conditions surrounding this plan. Tech, Power and Equity will have multiple district models from around the country for you to learn from.

This month’s newsletter also includes a short but powerful discussion with Dr. Rachel White, professor and researcher from the  University of Texas at Autin, and founder of The Superintendent Lab. Her research on the financial and social costs of political division in our public school system is insightful – a timely topic indeed! Read her article, listen to our talk and join us at Tech, Power and Equity where Dr. White will lead a discussion session about this often taboo topic – politics and education. 

I will close by encouraging you to surround yourself with leaders who can deeply reflect with you on practices and systems that don’t just require you to lean in. Seek out those who challenge you to think differently and help create new approaches to achieve the equity of access that has been elusive but is absolutely attainable.

Network, share, engage and empower! Voice4Equity is a dedicated space that celebrates, invites and values the diversity of women in this nation and beyond!

With Great Love!

Christina

NOVEMBER 2024 | DR. CHRISTINA KISHIMOTO

In her conversation with Dr. Kishimoto, Dr. Kim discusses the integration of AI and technology in the Kent School District. Dr. Kim emphasizes the importance of digital and media literacy and developing an AI policy to ensure ethical and unbiased use, integrating AI into core learning without compromising academic integrity. 

Enjoy the conversation with Dr. Kishimoto and Dr. Kim below.

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Dr. Kishimoto

Welcome everyone to The Stories We Must Tell. I am so excited to have this amazing leader with me today, Rebecca Kim. Dr. Kim from the Kent School District in Washington, right here in my backyard. Dr. Kim is doing outstanding work as she leads the Teaching and Learning arm of the Kent School District and is doing amazing work with AI and Technology. Rebecca, welcome.

Dr. Kim

Thank you. It’s great to see you again.

Dr. Kishimoto

It’s great to see you. I love seeing your presence all over the state and regionally, and love to talk about what’s happening. But let’s start with the fact that we’re several months into the school year. There’s so much going on. How is it going for everyone? How is it going for you?

Dr. Kim

It is very busy. We have budget cuts. We no longer have ESSER funding to support us, and so we’re doing a lot with less. We’ve had some staffing restructuring happening in Teaching and Learning, so it’s been quite busy, but we continue to keep our North Star around the importance of our students experiencing joy and pride in their learning, and that is centered around some of the instructional leadership work that we’ve been focusing on for all our school and teaching and learning leaders. There are 20 teaching and learning leaders, and we have 44 schools represented. So, all of our principals and assistant principals are really focused on the learning and the implementation this year. And so, it’s been exciting, and the feedback has been positive thus far.

Dr. Kishimoto 

This is why I love talking to you because you do focus on your North Star, the district’s North Star. You’re always focused on excellence for students and the opportunities we need to keep providing them. We know how complex education is these days. We know that funding is dropping everywhere. There are challenges at the state level, and at the local district level, and we also know that we have an election coming up. There’s just so much happening, right? 

NOVEMBER 2024 | DR. CHRISTINA KISHIMOTO

Dr. White, an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, recently engaged with a collaborative research team from UCLA, UC Riverside and American University to bring insight into an issue often treated as a taboo issue – the effects of politicized agendas on public education  This interview with Dr. Kishimoto explores some of the key findings of the article concerning the financial burden on public school districts of culturally divisive conflict, based on insights collected from 467 school districts around the nation. 

Enjoy the discussion as Dr. Kishimoto and Dr. White sit down to discuss The Real Cost of Cultural Conflict. You can read her article here and watch the conversation below.

Dr. Rachel White will be discussing the costs of divisive conflict in public schools today at our Tech, Power and Equity conference in January.

Don’t miss out on the incredible chance to learn from inspiring women at the Tech, Power and Equity conference in Phoenix, Arizona on January 23-25, 2025. This summit is a unique opportunity for school leaders and educators to delve into the world of AI and technology, led by women who are experts in the field. This event is designed to provide valuable insights and skills to enhance learning and innovation in your school community. Register now to join industry and educational leaders in thought-provoking discussions and hands-on workshops.

Secure your spot today and be part of this transformative learning experience!

View the Event Website to Register

When life feels overwhelming, your yoga practice can be a great comfort. Getting on your mat and taking the time to move your body in a supportive, nurturing way, can bring about mental clarity and focus, helping you navigate challenges. Ultimately, your yoga practice is a supportive form of self-care that can calm your fears, create a sense of peace, and nurture and sustain your overall well-being during times of uncertainty.

Grab your mat and join me for a 18-minute comforting sequence for uncertain times.

Xo,
Tiana