Graduation Equity Webinar Series
Free Equity Clock Hours
Sign up here for May clock hours now!
Final 2024-2025 Graduation Equity Webinar
- May 14: Teacher Strategies for Supporting Mental Health in the Classroom
Stay tuned for next year's lineup coming soon!
Need Help?
Contact Information
Kefi Andersen
Assistant Director of Early Warning Systems
360-790-1446
Graduation: A Team Effort (GATE) Equity Webinars are an hour and a half long and an opportunity to learn from people trying innovative approaches across the state. Webinar topics include behavior and belonging, early warning systems, school climate, youth voice, college readiness, staff wellness, and more.
The National Equity Project defines educational equity as each child receiving what they need to develop their full academic and social potential. This aligns with our mission at OSPI.
Upcoming Webinar
Teacher Strategies for Supporting Mental Health in the Classroom
May 14 | 10:00-11:30am
Students come to school with experiences and perspectives that are shaped by their home lives. Integrating mental health literacy into classroom curriculum can go a long way to reduce stigma and promote mental health awareness. Social emotional learning standards can be integrated into any content with learning options that personalize lessons to student experiences. In this webinar you’ll get tips from Student Assistance Program and teacher staff who are using strategies to integrate mental health supports into classrooms. We’ll have resources to share that you can use and free Equity Clock Hours for participants.
Presenters
- Sara Ellsworth, Clinical Director True North Behavioral Health Program, ESD 113
- Kaitlyn Puri, Student Assistance Professional (SAP), Tumwater Middle School
- Mabel Thackeray, Clinical State Supervisor, Elementary School Counselor, Forks Elementary
- Renee Cruickshank
- Josh Kent, Mental Health Literacy Program Supervisor, OSPI
Resources
- Registration & Clock Hours
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Each session is free and includes up to 1.5 clock hours.
- Sign up on Graduation Equity Webinar Registration for the series to join us live. You only have to register once to attend for the whole season, August – May of each school year.
- Zoom will email you a confirmation email when you register with the option to add a calendar appointment. You'll also get a reminder email before the webinar with your personal link to join.
- Register in pdEnroller each month for free Clock Hours: The new link is posted here on the first day of each month. MAY Clock Hours
- After the webinar, pdEnroller will send you an email link to a short evaluation survey. Complete and submit this survey.
- Clock hours are awarded based on actual attendance time, after we have verified your attendance, within one week of the webinar. Clock hours are released to your transcript; you can print a copy from your pdEnroller account if needed.
If you miss the live webinar, you can still earn Clock Hours!
- Register for the clock hours using the pdEnroller link for the month. If it is after the month of the original webinar, you will be registered after you have completed the survey.
- Watch the video on our YouTube Channel.
- Fill out our Feedback Survey. We check every two weeks to award Clock Hours for viewing on YouTube.
- Note: We cannot offer clock hours for webinars that are more than 9 months past.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Ronnie Larson on OSPI's Student Engagement and Support team.
- Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities
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We want to support your full participation. Our webinars have closed captioning available each month. To arrange other accommodations for persons with disabilities, please contact Kefi Andersen by email within 3 business days of this event. However, we will be better able to respond if you give us at least two weeks. The ADA does not require OSPI to take any action that would alter the nature of its programs or impose undue burden.
- Feedback Survey
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We care about continuous improvement. A lot of our best ideas came from our amazing audience. How can we improve our webinars? You can tell us what you thought of our latest webinar and which presenters you'd like to see. Choose the times and topics that work best for you: Webinar Feedback Survey.
Archives
Check out past webinars on OSPI's YouTube Channel. Subscribe by clicking the bell to get alerts when we post new videos.
- April 9, 2025 | Alternative Learning Options
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Alternative Learning Options
A one-size-fits-all approach to K-12 education doesn’t work for everyone. Alternative learning options have become more widely available as schools expand their options be more student-centered. There are a lot of different models that allow for greater personalization. In this webinar we’ll be sharing with you a variety of program options with program and practitioners from Open Doors, online school programs, traditional alternative model, and mastery-based learning. You’ll get an idea of the various models different districts are using, how they work together for better customization, and aspects of what each program has to offer. We will have free resources and Equity Clock Hours for participants.
Presenters
- Rhett Nelson, Director of Learning Options, OSPI
- Brad Sprague, Executive Director, Washington Association for Learning Alternatives
- Curt Scheidel, Principal, Heights Campus, Vancouver School District
- Kathleen Paradis, Associate Principal, Heights Campus, Vancouver School District
- Carol Gift, ABE Lab Instructor/Open Doors Coordinator, YVC Step up to College Program, Stevenson and White Salmon
- Brooke Wertz, Coordinating Teacher for Online Learning, Bellingham School District
- Mace Edward Gratz, Principal, Seaview Academy & Lincoln High School, Port Angeles School District
- Mandy Paradise, Associate Director of Open Doors Youth Reengagement, OSPI
- Anissa Sharratt, Associate Director - Learning Options & ALE, OSPI
Resources
- March 12, 2025 | Peer Mentoring & Empowering Youth Voice
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Peer Mentoring & Empowering Youth Voice
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Mentoring is about more than just pairing people together. We all need mentors to help us think through major decisions and help us to the next stage in our lives. In this webinar we’ll have Dr. Jean Rhodes, author of Older and Wiser: New Ideas for Youth Mentoring with us to share what she’s learned in her mentoring research. She'll share practices that make a difference and moves you can use with peer support programs that strategically put supports in the hands of the students that are socially positioned to connect their friends through programs like Natural Helpers and Hope Squad. We’ll have guests from Manson School District to talk about how the program has evolved with student voice as a driving force for its implementation and continued growth. Get free Equity Clock Hours.
Presenters
- Jean Rhodes, researcher, professor, author, University of Massachusetts, Boston
- Francesca Matias, Youth Engagement Program Supervisor, OSPI
- Kayla Helleson, School Counselor, Manson School District
- Jim Broome, School Counselor, Manson School District
- Camille, Student, Manson School District
Resources
Peer Mentoring & Empowering Youth Voice Presentation
- February 12, 2025 | Culturally Responsive Practices & Policies that Help Students Attend & Engage
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Culturally Responsive Practices & Policies that Help Students Attend & Engage
What gets students excited about learning? Engagement is often a result of meaningful connections. Relevant lessons that tie to students’ lived experiences and cultural identities can be powerful motivation. In this webinar we’ll be talking about options for asset and mastery-based learning practices, ways to leverage student strengths for greater engagement, and ways to support cultural activities and bereavement in partnership with families and without shaming. We’ll have Sui-Lan Ho’okano sharing her experiences with transforming school approaches and OSPI Office of Native Education and Learning Options department staff with us to share from their experiences across the state. Free Equity Clock Hours are available!
Presenters
- Bawaajigekwe Boulley, Native Success Program Supervisor, OPSI
- Willard Bill, Assistant Director of Native Education, OSPI
- Liz Quayle, Alternative Learning Accountability & Mastery-based Learning Program Manager, OSPI
Resources
- January 8, 2025 | Artificial Intelligence Hacks for Leadership Teams
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Artificial Intelligence Hacks for Leadership Teams
New technology can make people feel uncomfortable and is created to help us do our work more efficiently. Schools across the country are grappling with what it means to use artificial intelligence with school work. We know that students and teachers are already using it and it’s changing the way we write, learn, and offer supports. Washington has created guidance for artificial intelligence use in schools that’s becoming the model for other states. Join some of the authors of the guidance to talk about how you can use it with your teams and address concerns from your staff. We’ll have examples from the classroom and from Jethro Jones, author, podcaster, and founder of Transformative Principal to share examples from how he coaches school teams to use this new technology. Free Equity Clock Hours are available for participants.
Presenters
Jethro Jones, Founder, Transformative Principal Jeff Utecht, Educational Consultant & Podcaster Aaron Makelky, History Teacher & AI Integration Consultant in Casper, WY Bre Urness-Straight, Educational Technology Director, OSPI - December 11, 2024 | Substance Use Prevention & Intervention Best Practices
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Substance Use Prevention & Intervention Best Practices
Are you concerned about youth substance misuse in schools?
Adolescence is a time of growth and opportunity for students. Brain development is being fine-tuned, and our adolescents are finding their way. As adults setting the tone for their immediate environments in our schools, our care and actions can turn down the heat in substance use numbers and keep this issue from boiling over past our ability to support. According to Healthy Youth Survey results, the students smoking and vaping are some of the most likely students to have experiences Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and to need additional supports. In this webinar we’ll walk you through how to use data-informed decision making to set up prevention strategies and examples of timely interventions. You’ll learn about culturally respectful practices to address substance use and specific ways to support Native American youth. We’ll have resources to help you get started. Free Equity Clock Hours are available for participants.
Presenters
Joe Neigel, Director of Prevention Services, Monroe School District, Rebecca Purser, Native Educator Cultivation Program Supervisor, Office of Native Education, Armando Davila, Student Assistant Professional, Lake Chelan SD, Brittany Spencer, Clinical Supervisor, ESD113, Brisa Sanchez Cornejo, Substance Use/Misuse Prevention & Intervention Program SupervisorResources
- November 13, 2024 | Empowering Students & Families with Varying Immigration Status
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Empowering Students & Families with Varying Immigration Status
The path to post-secondary education is not often linear. This is especially true for our Multilingual and Newcomer Students. Although not all multilingual learners may be undocumented or come from mixed status families, these social identities often intersect. There may be students you currently serve grappling with the complexities of their own immigration status or their families. Please join Dr. Vanessa Delgado and our Panelists in learning more about how to best support your students and families on their path to post-secondary education.
Presenters
Vanessa Delgado, Assistant Professor of Sociology, WSU Sarah Weiss, Director of College Access Initiatives, WSAC Virginia Morales, Assistant Director of Multilingual Education, OSPI - October 9, 2024 | Harassment, Intimidation, & Bullying: Preventative Classroom Behavior Support Strategies
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Harassment, Intimidation, & Bullying: Preventative Classroom Behavior Support Strategies
Do you know when and how to intervene when it comes to harassment, intimidation, and bullying? This month we’re sharing what you’ll need to know about intervention, reporting, prevention, and response when it comes to bullying in schools. We will take a deeper look at the resources that are available to you and how to collaborate with families and students in regards to safety and prevention. We will share current reporting requirements and different scenarios so you can be prepared. Free Equity Clock Hours are available for participants.
Presenters
Eric Landers, Associate Professor, Elementary and Special Education, Georgia Southern University Briana Kelly, Assistant Director of Restorative Practices, OSPI Garaline Tom, Student Safety and Belonging Program Specialist, OSPI Stacy Cho, HIB Compliance Coordinator & Truancy Officer, Student Title IX, HIB Coordinator/Nondiscrimination Officer, Issaquah School DistrictResources
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- September 11, 2024 | Designing Accessible Graduation Pathways for All Students
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Designing Accessible Graduation Pathways for All Students
Washington’s graduation pathways have changed in the last few years to provide one diploma and a variety of ways to earn it. This month we’re sharing what you’ll need to know about graduation to keep the kids at your school on track for graduation and taken a deeper look at CTE and ways to make it more accessible for all students. We’ll talk about course equivalencies, credit flexibility for CTE courses, and ways schools can award credits on transcripts. We’ll be sharing with you lesson plans that can help CTE teachers increase inclusion and differentiate learning and talk through resources OSPI has developed in the Graduation Toolkit. Free Equity Clock Hours are available for participants.
Presenters
Candace Conroy, Director of K-12 Curriculum & Instruction, AGC Education Foundation Alexandra Toney, Program Improvement Supervisor, OSPI Maria Muto, Secondary Counseling Program Supervisor, OSPI Stanley Weaver, CTE Program Supervisor, OSPI Kefi Andersen, Assistant Director of Early Warning Systems, OSPI
Resources