Teaching for Equity Symposium 2025
Symposium Overview
The Teaching for Equity Symposium is a HyFlex professional development event designed to empower educators, administrators, and staff to create inclusive, equity-driven learning environments. Featuring practical strategies such as culturally responsive teaching, race-conscious inquiry, and anti-deficit frameworks, the symposium equips participants to honor the diverse identities and experiences of students.
Keynote Speaker: Erin Gruwell
Join us for an inspiring keynote address by Erin Gruwell, celebrated educator and founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation. Renowned for her transformative teaching practices, Erin has empowered countless students once labeled "unteachable" to succeed. Her story and methods offer powerful lessons in resilience, empathy, and equity in education.
Learn more about Erin Gruwell and her impactful work with the Freedom Writers Foundation here.
Call for Proposals
Join the Movement for Equity and Inclusion in Education
We invite you to contribute to the Teaching for Equity Symposium by sharing your expertise through a presentation, workshop, or discussion. Proposals should align with the symposium's overarching goals, advancing equity-driven change in education. Please note that all presenters are required to register for the symposium.
Symposium Goals
Your proposal should address one or more of the following focus areas:
- Promote Equity-Minded Pedagogical Practices
- Propose innovative strategies for implementing culturally responsive teaching, race-conscious inquiry, and anti-deficit approaches.
- Share successful methods for fostering inclusive learning environments that honor and celebrate students' diverse cultural identities and experiences.
- Showcase practical tools or case studies that can inspire transformative teaching practices.
- Advance Institutional Capacity for Equity-Driven Change
- Present strategies for identifying and dismantling structural racism in policies, practices, and curricula.
- Facilitate discussions on closing racial equity gaps to improve student outcomes.
- Highlight initiatives that cultivate institutional accountability and create sustainable change for equity in education.
- Foster Collaborative Action for Racial Equity and Justice
- Inspire collective efforts to decenter Whiteness and confront systemic inequalities in education.
- Engage participants in meaningful activities that reinforce equity-mindedness through collaboration and shared accountability.
- Share frameworks or projects that translate racial equity and justice commitments into actionable practices.
Proposal Guidelines
We welcome submissions from educators, administrators, classified professionals, and other stakeholders committed to equity and inclusion. Sessions can take various formats, including:
- Presentation: 45 minutes
- Interactive Workshop: 60 minutes
- Poster Presentation: 30 minutes
- Panel Discussion: 60 minutes
Presenter Requirements
- All presenters must register for the symposium
Event Details
- Date: April 25, 2025
- Time: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
- Location: Coastline College, Garden Grove Campus & Virtual (via Zoom)
SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL BY MARCH 21, 2025.
Let’s work together to transform education and inspire meaningful change!
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the following:
- Alignment with the symposium goals.
- Practical applicability and relevance to diverse educational contexts.
- Creativity and engagement potential.
Together, we can foster environments where every student thrives and every voice matters.
History and Mission
Coastline College is dedicated to advancing equity and social justice. Supported by a $300,000 grant from the Chancellor's Office, this initiative focuses on professional development in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Our programs aim to eradicate systemic inequities and transform educational practices, with the ultimate goal of improving student success.
Learn more about our ongoing DEIA efforts here.
Coastline believes professional development can advance the racial equity and racial justice agenda envisioned for California’s community colleges. The focal point of the proposed project leverages professional development activities that can be a lever for eradicating the practices that create the "separate and unequal" academic caste system that continues to be upheld by structural racism.