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said , ‘ I ’ m a really good girl . I can clean . I keep my room clean . I cleaned chicken coops and cow things .’ I said , ‘ Honey , I want you to be a kid . I don ’ t want you to clean my house . I don ’ t want you to do my dishes . You come and you be a kid .’”

Nance quickly adopted Lizeth and provided the stability Lizeth longed for her entire life . She thrived at Ramona High , excelling in cheerleading , swimming and student government .

“ She ’ s the nicest , sweetest human being on the planet ,” teacher Karen Withey- Smith said . “ I just liked her right off the bat . She ’ s just one of those kids that you gravitate toward , and you just wish all the other kids were just like that .”

Lizeth will attend Bennington College in Vermont in the fall , a long way from home . But it ’ s also a chance for her to explore new opportunities .

“ In the nine years at Ramona High School , I ’ ve never seen anyone like her who ’ s gone through what she ’ s gone through and is attending a four-year university with a full-ride scholarship ,” said Mark Lim , a counselor at Ramona High . “ Talk about an amazing , resilient young lady .”

Lizeth Nance has suffered , and yet , she ’ s still standing . She says she is determined to never let her past define the woman she

Madonna Nance provided the stability her adopted daughter longed for throughout her life .

wants to be .

“ You define who you are ,” Lizeth said . “ And you can change your future . If you keep that goal there , you can do it . It doesn ’ t matter where you came from . It doesn ’ t matter where you went . You can still get through it .”

September 5 , 2016 EDCAL 5

ACSA ’ s new workshop , “ The Skillful Leader ,” will help attendees with meaningful employee evaluations to build capacity for increasing student achievement , as well as include examination of proper due process documentation and file building .

“ This workshop builds the capacity of school site and human resources administrators to create effective calibrated systems across a school or district to provide meaningful , evidence-based feedback to staff in order to enhance practice in the classroom and to increase student achievement ,” said Mauricio Arellano , assistant superintendent of human resources at Palm Springs USD . He is presenting the workshop along with Tony Signoret , assistant superintendent of personnel with Desert Sands USD .

Arellano said The Skillful Leader provides legal and ethical protocols to file-build and document employees who are performing poorly , including how to generate and monitor assistance plans , how to write disciplinary documents that are clear and detailed , and how to provide the attention to detail needed to conduct a crucial and honest conversation without diversion or deflection .”

Among numerous practices , participants will learn how to :

• Establish a common philosophy across the district regarding employee evaluation .

• Create common language used to provide meaningful and effective feedback to employees .

• Calibrate the feedback across the district in order to build employee capacity .

• Provide feedback to employees with quantitative and qualitative evidence .

• Generate assistance plans that are robust , multifaceted and improve the quality of instruction .

• Prepare for and conduct effective conversations with the purpose of improving performance .

This one-day workshop runs from 8:30 a . m . to 3 p . m . in four different locations in California :

• Oct . 14 , ACSA Sacramento office .

• Jan . 11 , ACSA Ontario office .

• Feb . 2 , ACSA Burlingame office .

• Feb . 8 , East Side Union SD , Lancaster . Arellano noted the workshop is useful for principals , assistant principals and anyone else who is responsible for certificated evaluations . Registration is available at www . regonline . com / theskillfulleader _ 2016 .

Jan Gordon , an unwavering advocate for successful alternative educational options programs , shoots hoops with staff and students in the safe , effective and efficient learning environment she has created at Argus High and Endeavor Alternative Center . Gordon will be formally honored , along with all ACSA award winners Nov . 11 at the 2016 Leadership Summit . Find out more and register at www . acsa . org / leadershipsummit .

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as a whole , including our alternative education sites ,” Gordon said . “ It has been an exciting journey participating with my colleagues in refining our skills in lesson design and delivery to assist and support our teachers . Watching teachers create and implement powerful and rigorous lessons has been very rewarding . Improved funding to the educational system has provided our site the opportunity to offer much needed programs for our students . The LCAP has brought an increase in mental health services through additional staff and outreach workers .”

Gordon said she wouldn ’ t have been able to be in a position to earn the ACSA honor without the help and support of people along the way .

“ I began my alternative education career 10 years ago under a principal who believed in learning by doing ,” she said . “ He challenged me and stretched my ability levels , while supporting me through all of my endeavors . The leaders in CUSD are a daily inspiration as well . All are committed to educating the whole child and are continually searching for inno vative techniques and programs . It is truly exciting to work with a group of people always looking forward and being on the cutting edge .”

And of course there is the support provided by her professional association .

“ ACSA has been an amazing support to my career through the variety of professional development programs that are offered ,” Gordon said . “ I have attended many seminars and conferences where valuable information is available , as well as the opportunity to network with others . My membership in ACSA has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career .”

Year-three Local Control and Accountability Plan training will focus on building capacity to effectively lead district-focused and site-driven improvement efforts that align with student performance .

Site leaders : From LCAP the Plan to LCAP the Achievement Game Changer

n Register at https :// goo . gl / xmry3t

District teams : Cultivating District-Level ‘ Systems Leadership ’ for Continuous Improvement

n Register at https :// goo . gl / 1Inlmp

Register at www . acsa . org / conferences

October 5-7 , 2016 | Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza | Sacramento

More information can be found by visiting acsa . org / conferences , or by calling ACSA ’ s Educational Services Department at 800.608 . ACSA .