State of California funds professional development for Title II districts
BERKELEY – The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education has been awarded $13 million from the state of California to be the home for two key offices in the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) program: the statewide headquarters, and home to a 21CSLA regional academy.
“We are very pleased to be selected and see this as recognition for the GSE’s remarkable research, teaching, and leadership preparation and induction,” said Prudence L. Carter, Dean of the Graduate School of Education.
“The GSE has trained more than a thousand school leaders over the decades, and we are well-positioned to have a pre-eminent role in the design and implementation of school practices that engender equity, achievement, and inclusion in our classrooms, schools, and districts across the state,” Carter said.
The 21CSLA program, as authorized by SB75, reignites the state’s effort to support and improve the skills of school leaders at multiple levels – from teacher leaders through system leaders – at Title II districts as they work toward improving campus culture and climate, creating more equitable learning environments, and ultimately boosting student success. The professional development opportunities are provided at no charge to eligible schools and districts.
Of the $13 million, $8.56 million will fund the 21CSLA State Center, with a companion office at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies’ Center X. Additional support will come from the California Subject Matter Project (CSMP) at the University of California Office of the President (UCOP).
The remaining $4.47 million will fund a 21CSLA regional office, which will also be housed at Berkeley’s GSE. It will be one of seven regional academies 
across California. The 21CSLA Regional Academy will be supported by other Berkeley partners including the College & Career Academy Support Network (CCASN), and the UC Berkeley Professional Development Providers (UCBPDP).
Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the Learning Policy Institute and of the State Board of Education, noted that “Support for school leader learning is always important, given the direct influence leaders have on school quality and student achievement. Professional learning for school leaders is even more critical now, with the many challenges facing schools to support extraordinary student and family needs and to redefine learning in the time of COVID.”
About the 21CSLA State Center
The California School Leadership Academy (CSLA) was first authorized by the state in 1983 and was operated by the California Department of Education until the program was discontinued due to budget cuts in 2002. In 2019, the state Legislature re-authorized 21CSLA and requested that educational institutions and agencies submit proposals to operate the statewide center, and seven regional academies.
The purpose of 21CSLA is to support educational leaders at school sites and systems in order to increase equitable outcomes for all California students by providing leadership development.
With direct involvement from the faculty and flagship school leadership education programs at UC Berkeley and UCLA, the 21CSLA State Center will be afforded opportunities to integrate expertise and research.
At the broadest level, the statewide office will structure a collaborative partnership among the Regional Academies; California Department of Education; California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE); and grant partners.
The statewide center is also poised to establish a research and practice product management system to ensure widespread dissemination; support and nurture a culture of continuous improvement through a social infrastructure; and create organizational support that focuses on sustaining communication and collaboration efficiently through structures and access.
About UC Berkeley’s 21CSLA Regional Academy
The Regional Academy will provide professional development and learning opportunities for educators committed to equity and building a culture of deep reflection at their institutions, from teacher leaders all the way through, and including, system leaders.
The Regional Academy will focus on the areas of leadership development; coaching; disciplinary-specific learning; curriculum development; distance learning; and technical assistance, among others. These professional learning opportunities will be offered in a variety of formats, including but not limited to, research symposiums; curriculum development; and technical assistance.
The Regional Academy will draw its expertise from GSE faculty as well as other disciplines on and off campus. Among the major campus partners are the College & Career Academy Support Network (CCASN), and the UC Berkeley Professional Development Providers (UCBPDP).
In alignment with the GSE’s mission and expertise, the regional academy will focus on developing the knowledge, skills, and capacities of participants to:
- Understand and critically interrogate issues of equity in schools, with an emphasis on serving vulnerable and historically underserved student populations, including content area, organizational climate and culture, as well as issues of class, language, and race.
- Plan and implement equity-centered instructional, school wide, and system wide change.
- Design high-quality professional learning for all educators in the school and system in service of student learning that is informed and supported by the Quality Professional Learning Standards (QPLS).
For more information about the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) program, let us know how to reach you.
Read the GSE News Release about the funding, "Statewide educational leadership center to be led by UC Berkeley with UCLA, UCOP Partnership."