Media Kit: 25th Annual California Charter Schools Conference
The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) is honored to welcome over 3,000 charter public school supporters to San Diego on March 26-28, 2018 for the 25th Annual California Charter Schools Conference to celebrate how charter public schools are "Making a Difference" in California's public education system.
Learn more about this year's Conference by day, below. We will continue to update this webpage with new information as it becomes publicly available. View the full Conference program here.
IMPORTANT: To attend Conference and get past security, you must submit your RSVP to Caity Heim (cheim@ccsa.org) to receive a Conference Press Pass. You can pick up your pass at our registration desk outside Hall F at the San Diego Convention Center.
Monday, March 26
- Opening Plenary Session (1:30-2:45 p.m.): Featuring a keynote presentation by Geoffrey Canada, Nationally Known Author, Children's Advocate and Founder of Harlem Children's Zone. Lineup also includes:
- 2018 Hart Vision Award for Teacher of the Year - Kaelin Swaney, Rocklin Academy Gateway (Rocklin, CA)
Tuesday, March 27
- Tuesday Morning Plenary Session (8-9:30 a.m.): Featuring
- 2018 Hart Vision Award Announcements - Details about each winner found online here.
- School Leader of the Year (North) - April Chou, Chief Growth and Operating Officer, KIPP Bay Area Schools (Oakland, CA)
- School Leader of the Year (South) - Debbie Tarver, Executive Director for LaVerne Elementary Preparatory Academy (LEPA) and Desert Trails Preparatory Academy (DPTA) (San Bernardino County, CA)
- Elected Official of the Year - Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)
- Keynote Speaker, Jed Wallace, CEO & President, CCSA and CCSA Advocates Board Member
- 2018 Susan Steelman Bragato Scholarship Announcement - Details about each winner found online here.
- Zoe Karch, Inspire School of Arts and Sciences (Chico, CA)
- Destinee Duncan, Oakland Military Institute College Preparatory Academy (Oakland, CA)
- Amy Estrada, Roseland University Prep (Santa Rosa, CA)
- Monica Garcia-Vilchis, Lighthouse Community Charter School (San Leandro, CA)
- Caleb Deniston, Inspire Charter Schools (Tollhouse, CA)
- Daisy Gonzalez, Wonderful College Prep Academy (McFarland, CA)
- Sadie-Jean Bolton, Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy (Los Angeles, CA)
- Anthony Ramirez, Animo Pat Brown Charter High School (Los Angeles, CA)
- Felipe De La Cruz, The Preuss School UCSD (San Diego, CA) ]
- Ai Setoyama, Capistrano Connections Academy (Irvine, CA)
- 2018 Hart Vision Award Announcements - Details about each winner found online here.
- 25th Anniversary Celebration Reception & Plenary - Making a Difference: Charters Past, Present and Future (4:45 - 7 p.m.): Featuring:
- A panel of woman charter public school leaders from across the state moderated by Dr. Margaret Fortune, CEO of Fortune School of Education, who will discuss the diversity of California's charter public school movement, models and theoretical approaches to education as well as where we’ve been, where we are now and where we are headed in the next 25 years. Panel to include:
- Dr. Jody Graf, executive director for Visions in Education
- Yvette King-Berg, executive director for Youth Policy Institute
- Sue Park, head of Yu Ming Charter School
- Frances Teso, founder and CEO of Voices College-Bound Language Academies
- 2018 Hart Vision Award Announcements: Details about each winner found online here.
- Charter School of the Year (North) - Shasta Charter Academy (Redding, CA)
- Charter School of the Year (South) - EJE Middle Academy (El Cajon, CA)
- Volunteers of the Year - Xitlali Castro, Ramona Lopez, Esmeralda Medina, Roxann Nazario, Mireya Pacheco, and Bielma Perez (Los Angeles, CA)
- A panel of woman charter public school leaders from across the state moderated by Dr. Margaret Fortune, CEO of Fortune School of Education, who will discuss the diversity of California's charter public school movement, models and theoretical approaches to education as well as where we’ve been, where we are now and where we are headed in the next 25 years. Panel to include:
Wednesday, March 28
- Closing Plenary Session (2:45-4 p.m.):Featuring keynote presentation by Paul Tough, Bestselling Author of How Children Succeed and Helping Children Succeed, as well as the following award announcement:
- 2018 Hart Vision Award for Supporter of the Year - Bill and Susan Bloomfield
