PACE Event

PACE 2020 Annual Conference

Evidence to Advance Equity and Excellence in California’s Cradle-to-Career Vision

PACE’s annual conference brings together nearly 300 California policymakers, researchers, and education leaders to discuss new research and approaches to improving educational outcomes for California’s students, from early childhood through higher education.

Conference highlights

Keynote addresses by Paul Tough, author of the newly-released book, “The Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us,” and multiple well-known books on education in the US and Derek Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Partners in School Innovation
Results from the 2020 PACE/USC Rossier Poll, a survey of California’s electorate on how they perceive the challenges facing the state’s education system
Breakouts and new research on:
- Securing Education Resources to Finance California's Future
- Improving Quality in Early Childhood Education
- Organizing Schools to Serve Students with Disabilities
- Supporting Schools and Districts in Continuous Improvement
- Making College Affordability a Reality for California Students

Conference agenda

8:00-9:00: Breakfast and Registration
9:00-9:15: Welcome and Orientation (Slides, Report: What's Next for California Schools?), Magnolia Ballroom
9:15-9:45: Opening Keynote: Derek Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Partners in School Innovation (Slides), Magnolia Ballroom
9:45-10:15: Break and Transition
10:15-11:45: Breakout #1 (choose one)
Securing Education Resources to Finance California's Future (Slides, GDTFII Finance Briefs, Report: Not Enough Adults to Go Around, Report: Sacramento City Unified's Ongoing Budget Challenges), Magnolia Ballroom	Part 1: Organizing Schools to Serve Students with Disabilities (Slides), Sycamore Room	Improving Quality in Early Childhood Education (Slides, Report: PreK-3 Alignment), Alder Room
11:45-1:00: Lunch and Presentation of the 2020 PACE/USC Rossier Poll (Slides, Report: 2020 PACE/USC Rossier Poll), Magnolia Ballroom
1:00-1:15: Transition to breakouts
1:15-2:45: Breakout #2 (choose one)
Supporting Schools and Districts in Continuous Improvement (Slides, Brief: Learning and Practicing Continuous Improvement, Report: Leadership that Supports Continuous Improvement, Brief: The Vision for County Offices of Education), Magnolia Ballroom	Part 2: Developing Systems to Serve Students with Disabilities (Slides), Sycamore Room	Making College Affordability a Reality for California Students (Slides, Brief: College Affordability in Every Corner of California), Alder Room
2:45-3:00: Break and transition to plenary
3:00-3:45: Keynote address by Paul Tough, author of the newly-released book The Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us and multiple well-known books on education in the US, Magnolia Ballroom
3:45-4:00: Closing remarks
4:00-4:30: Book signing with Paul Tough (optional) - Don’t forget to bring your copy of The Years that Matter Most, or purchase a copy at our conference on February 7, Magnolia Foyer

Speakers

Jorge A. Aguilar, Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District
Carolynne Beno, Assistant Superintendent, Yolo County Office of Education
Alex Briscoe, Principal, California Children's Trust
H. Alix Gallagher, Director of Research Practice Partnerships, PACE
Karen Symms Gallagher, Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education
Tammeil Gilkerson, President, Laney College
Malati Gopal, Analyst, Fresno Unified School District
Mari Guillermo, Project Coordinator, Interwork Institute, San Diego State University
Carrie Hahnel, independent consultant
Heather J. Hough, Executive Director, PACE
Daniel C. Humphrey, independent consultant
Nancy Hunt, Professor Emerita, Cal State Los Angeles, and Discipline Director, Special Education, California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities
Connie Kasari, Professor of Psychological Studies in Education and Psychiatry, UCLA
Hayin Kimner, independent consultant
Jacob Kirksey, Doctoral Candidate, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, UC Santa Barbara
Kelsey Krausen, Senior Research Associate, Comprehensive School Assistance Program, WestEd
Michal Kurlaender, Professor of Education Policy, University of California, Davis; Faculty Director, PACE
Johanna Lacoe, Research Director, California Policy Lab
Rachel Lambert, Assistant Professor in Special Education and Mathematics Education, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, UC Santa Barbara
Lauren Lindstrom, Professor and Dean of the School of Education, UC Davis
Patricia Lozano, Executive Director, Early Edge California
Ed Manansala, Superintendent of Schools, El Dorado County Office of Education
Meera Mani, Director of Children, Families and Communities, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Julie A. Marsh, Professor of Education Policy, USC Rossier School of Education; Faculty Director, PACE
Fred McFarlane, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation and Postsecondary Education, San Diego State University
Derek Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, Partners in School Innovation
Scott Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Kidango
Jeannie Myung, Director of Policy Research, PACE
Naomi Ondrasek, Senior Researcher and Policy Advisor, Learning Policy Institute
Patrick Perry, Division Chief of Policy, Research & Data, California Student Aid Commission
Morgan Polikoff, Associate Professor of Education, USC Rossier School of Education
Ronand Powell, CEO and President, RJ Powell Consultants
Cecilia Rios-Aguilar Associate Dean for Equity & Inclusion and Professor of Education, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies; Faculty Director, PACE
Lynn Rocha-Salazar, Principal, Ayer Elementary School
Sawait Seyoum, Founder, Parents United to Restore Our Schools
Fred Silva, Director of Public Policy, California Forward
Aubyn Stahmer, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UC Davis
Deborah Stipek, Judy Koch Professor of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education; Faculty Director, PACE
Samantha Tran, Senior Managing Director, Education Policy, Children Now
Jason Willis, Director of Strategy & Performance, Comprehensive School Assistance Program, WestEd