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In Case You Missed It: Webinars Showcase UCLA Expertise

This year, innovative webinars presented by the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies provided a look at the on-the-ground knowledge of educators, scholars, journalists and experts around navigating teaching and school leadership in the midst of the pandemic. 

The UCLA Transformative Coaching & Leadership Academy, an initiative of the UCLA Department of Education, launched its series of “Critical Conversations: Transformative Coaching and Leadership.”  Moderated by Sue Enquist, former UCLA Women’s Softball coach and first All-American women’s softball player, the series highlighted the work of Valorie Kondos Field, former UCLA Women’s Gymnastics coach; Jill Ellis, two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winning coach and former UCLA Women’s Soccer coach, and Megan Kahn, CEO of WeCOACH; and Martin Jarmond, the new director of UCLA Athletics.

Examining school leadership through the lens of social justice is the focus of the series, “Transformative Voices: Educators for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, presented by the UCLA Women’s School Leadership Academy. School leaders from across K-12, many of whom are alumni of the UCLA Educational Leadership Program (ELP) shared their experiences, drive, and expertise.

The launch of the UCLA University Women’s Leadership Academy saw the creation of another webinar series, “The Courage to Lead: Narratives of University Women in a Time of Crisis.” The inaugural discussion was held on Oct. 22.

The challenges of balancing health and safety, quality of education, and equity among all students is addressed in the webinar series on “Schools in Light of COVID-19.” A discussion on “The Issue of Equity” on Oct. 1, was moderated by Sandy Banks, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, in conversation with L.A. Times education reporters Paloma Esquivel and Howard Blume. Tyrone Howard, UCLA professor of education and director of the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families, and LACOE Superintendent Debra Duardo also took part in the discussion.

The inaugural event was held on Aug. 5, featuring a discussion on re-opening schools in the pandemic, as moderated by Blume. Speakers included Georgia Lazo, principal, UCLA Lab School; Dr. Nava Yeganeh, specialist in pediatrics and infectious disease, UCLA Health; and Professor Howard.

UCLA Ed & IS faculty and scholars also took part in virtual conversations presented by the University. Howard joined Nicole Green, executive director of UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services, to discuss “Processing racial trauma” and “Where do we go from here? Creating an anti-racist climate of support,” as part of the UCLA Connections series. Annamarie Francois, executive director of UCLA Center X, also led a UCLA Connections conversation, “How can parents successfully cope with remote learning?” drawing perspectives from Erin Powers and Daniel Diaz, Center X researchers and parents working from home while overseeing their children’s education online.

In addition, Professor Howard participated in the virtual course, “!0 Questions,” presented by the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture, exploring the answer to “What is Love?” on Nov. 30. UCLA Professor of Information Studies Ramesh Srinivasan took part in the panel discussion on “What is Hope?” on Nov. 2. 

Visit these links to view past events:

Critical Conversations: Transformative Coaching and Leadership – Sue Enquist with Val Kondos Field, June 30

Critical Conversations: Transformative Coaching and Leadership – Sue Enquist with Martin Jarmond, Aug. 4

Critical Conversations: Transformative Coaching and Leadership – Sue Enquist with Jill Ellis and Megan Kahn – Oct. 6

Transformative Voices: Educators for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – #1, July 21

Transformative Voices: Educators for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – #2, Aug. 4

The Courage to Lead: Women’s Narrative in Times of Crisis – Oct. 22

The Courage to Lead: University Women’s Narrative in Times of Crisis – Nov. 19

Reopening Schools Safely in Light of COVID-19 – Aug. 5

Schools in Light of COVID-19: The View from the Principal’s Office – Oct. 15

UCLA Connections: Processing Racial Trauma – June 10

UCLA Connections: Where do we go from here? Creating an anti-racist climate of support – July 29

UCLA Connections: How can parents successfully cope with remote learning? – Sept. 16

10 Questions: What is Hope? – Ramesh Srinivasan – Nov. 2

10 Questions: What is Love? – Tyrone Howard – Nov. 30

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