24th Annual California Charter Schools Conference Highlights
March 24, 2017
The 24th Annual California Charter Schools Conference, held March 20-23, 2017 at the Convention Center and Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California, was host to 3,500 charter public school leaders, supporters and advocates. This year's conference was themed "Momentum" to celebrate the growth of the charter movement in California and reaffirm our commitment to providing students with the best education possible. California is home to the largest number of charter schools in the nation, with more than 600,000 students attending more than 1,230 schools.CCSACon 2017 had something for everyone. This year's conference featured 170 breakout sessions, new tools and resources from over 260 exhibiting companies, an exclusive Q&A session with three California Gubernatorial Candidates, and a special keynote presentation by journalist and award winning author Andrew Solomon. CCSA also continued the tradition of honoring charter teachers, volunteers, schools, and elected officials for their outstanding leadership and excellence in education, and awarded scholarships to graduating high school seniors.
General Sessions
Notable Speakers
- Andrew Solomon, journalist and author of "Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity"
- Jed Wallace, president and CEO, California Charter Schools Association
- Blanca E. Rubio, State Assemblywoman (D-Baldwin Park), 48th District
- Delaine Eastin, former Superintendent of Public Instruction, CA Gubernatorial Candidate
- Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles, California Gubernatorial Candidate
- John Chiang, Treasurer, State of California, California Gubernatorial Candidate
Susan Steelman Bragato Scholarships
CCSA awarded $2,000 individual college scholarships to ten deserving high school graduates at CCSA member charter schools to help fund their first year of college. The scholarship is named in honor of Susan Steelman Bragato, the co-founder of the first charter school in California and the founder of the California Network of Educational Charters, renamed to what is now known as the California Charter Schools Association in 2003.
- Omega Agee, KIPP King Collegiate High School, Oakland, CA
- Akosua Boateng, Sacramento Charter High School, Sacramento, CA
- Kevin Chang, Western Sierra Collegiate Academy, Rocklin, CA
- Kyle Dent, Lighthouse Community Charter School, San Lorenzo, CA
- Erick Felix, Synergy Quantum Academy, Los Angeles, CA
- Abraham Herrera, Math and Science College Preparatory, Los Angeles, CA
- Rola Kojok, Guajome Park Academy, San Marcos, CA
- Meron Lemmi, The Preuss School UCSD, San Diego, CA
- Eduardo Perez, Oakland Unity High School, Oakland, CA
- Vanessa Wan, Clayton Valley Charter High School, Concord, CA
Hart Vision Awards
CCSA was honored to award charter school leaders, teachers, volunteers and schools with a Hart Vision Award for their outstanding leadership and excellence in education. The Hart Vision Awards were established in 1995 in honor of Gary K. Hart, retired California State Senator and former California Secretary of Education. While serving as state senator, Hart sponsored the legislation that established California charter schools.
- School Leader of the Year, Northern California - Casey Taylor, Achieve Charter School of Paradise, Inc. - Paradise, CA
- School Leader of the Year, Southern California - Emilio Pack, STEM Prep Schools - Los Angeles, CA
- School of the Year, Northern California - Summit Public Schools - Bay Area, CA
- School of the Year, Southern California - Wilder's Preparatory Charter School - Inglewood, CA
- Teacher of the Year - Jeanette Perez, The Charter School of San Diego - San Diego, CA
- Volunteer of the Year - Jorge Corona, Aspire Antonio Maria Lugo Academy - Huntington Park, CA
- Elected Official of the Year - California Legislative Black Caucus - Sacramento, CA
- Supporter of the Year - Arthur Rock, Arthur Rock & Company - San Francisco, CA
Post. Tweet. Tag #CCSACon
Attendees connected with their colleagues at conference via social media using the hashtag #CCSACon to share their favorite conference moments and photos.
YouTube
For additional footage of the event, be sure to check out our YouTube profile and the 24th Annual California Charter Schools playlist.
Press Contact
If you are a member of the news media, please contact Emily Bertelli at: (412) 559-8571 or ebertelli@calcharters.org.
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