The California Department of Education awarded Thompson Policy Institute on Disability, in partnership with El Dorado County Charter SELPA, a grant in the amount of $419,794.00 to further Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and Person Driven Planning (PDP) for educators in Southern California charter schools. The Building Bright Futures Grant supports the development and delivery of high-quality best practices workshops and Critical Friends Groups to develop practices and structures that create access to social emotional and academic learning, and future/transition planning for all students, including students with disabilities.
Primary Outcomes of RTAC
This grant is a Public Charter Schools Grant Program Regional Technical Assistance and Coaching (RTAC) sub-grant designed to further improve schools and local education agencies (LEAs) implementation of evidence-based practices through a multi-tiered system of support (CA-MTSS). The grant targets developing college and career readiness and strategies to improve academic achievement of educationally disadvantaged students in English language arts and math through the best practices workshops and CFGs.
RTAC Components
The Building Bright Futures Grant provides three high-quality, best practices workshops for educators, leaders, and support staff in Southern California public charter schools. Participants gain foundational knowledge of SEL competencies and UDL principles, while exploring signature practices that can be used in the classroom. The interactive workshops make the connection between PDP, self-determination, and independence by sharing the background, principles and expected outcomes of the PDP process.
The Critical Friends Group (CFG) focuses on bringing together two cohorts of public charter school teachers who are interested in improving teaching practices through collaborative learning in a supportive environment throughout the school year. The CFG is led by certified CFG coaches Jill Perez, Program Manager from the Thompson Policy Institute and Sean Andrews, Program Coordinator-Mental Health from El Dorado County Charter SELPA. Educators in the CFG meet monthly to look seriously at their classroom practices and make changes with the support and guidance of the CFG coaches.
Together, the best practices workshops and CFGs build the capacity of educators to provide SEL/UDL and PDP in schools. The tools the educators learn through this grant will better prepare students to transition to college and career through strengthening academic skills and providing students with a personalized plan for their future.
To learn more about Public Charter Schools Grant Program Regional Technical Assistance and Coaching (RTAC), please visit https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ch/rtac.asp
RTAC Events
Our events for the 2023-2024 school year have concluded. To view the recorded sessions please visit: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ch/rtac.asp#previousbpw
Interested in Person Driven Planning? View our training video:
RTAC Development Team
| TPI Team | El Dorado Charter SELPA Team |
| Meghan Cosier, Executive Director | Ginese Quann, Executive Director |
| Audri Sandoval Gomez, Director | Sean Andrew, Program Coordinator |
| Jill Perez, Program Specialist | |
| Shayne Brophy-Felbab, K - 12 Learning Specialist |