Leadership magazine Jan/Feb 2016 V45 No 3

to opportunities to observe Universal Design for Learning in classrooms and speak with teachers who were implementing it for their students with disabilities. As our knowledge base and networking increased, my colleague, Ryan Osier, and I were granted the great honor of representing Sanger Unified in a guided conversation regarding pushing forward for students with disabilities. This co-presentation, which took place at the Education Success Project: Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood Schools Colloquium was hosted by Loyola Marymount University. It allowed us an opportunity to collaborate with fellow administrators from across California. This experience in both sharing knowledge we had gained, and most importantly, learning from others, occurred because an ACSA Region 9 Student Charter symposium inspired us to continue our learning and strengthen our leadership capabilities. The ACSA Region 9 Student Charter is committed to supporting professional development opportunities through financial assistance to its board members. Thanks to Region 9 and the Student Charter, I had the oppor- tunity to attend an annual ACSA Leadership Summit. Many board members before me have gone to Leadership Summits, each one using the experience to build their leadership capacity and then positively impact students. The summit provided me with a focused approach to leadership that I implemented immediately upon returning to my school site. After attending numerous keynote speeches and breakout sessions, I determined to consciously align all of my actions to vision, grounded in a purposeful move toward continuously building connections. More importantly, the learning I gained at the Leadership Summit was shared with Student Charter members, to further positively impact student learning in the entire California Central Valley. Most recently, Ryan Osier, who is the charter’s secretary, and myself were given the opportunity to attend ACSA’s Summer Institute for New and Aspiring Principals at UCLA. The five-day professional learning experience was made possible by financial support from Region 9, the Student Charter, and Sanger Unified. The ACSA-sponsored institute proved to be a superb professional learning and networking experience that both reignited our passions for educational leadership and also provided skills/strategies that were immediately applicable to our leadership positions in Sanger Unified. The institute provided many opportunities for professional growth on topics including facilitation of difficult conversations, action plans for first-year principals, Restorative Justice in schools and site leadership, among others. Region 9 Student Charter’s financial support and encouragement to pursue this opportunity fueled our leadership development. The learning experience has alread

Leadership magazine Jan/Feb 2016 V45 No 3 | Page 32