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On the Frontlines: Supporting Educators in Navigating the Student Mental Health Crisis
Illuminated by COVID’s unwelcome 2019 arrival, the term adolescent mental health crisis has continued to sift through the stratosphere, rising with increasing urgency to the apex of our societal discourse over the last twelve months. Look, for one, at The Anxious Generation’s notable 25-week-run on the New York Times Bestseller list since its release last…
Read MoreCalling White Educators to an In-person Opportunity to Connect, Regulate, and Prepare for the Year Ahead
Last year was one of the most challenging ones we’ve experienced as educators, and—between the continued fallout from the war in Gaza, the upcoming election, and the ongoing pushback on DEI—there are sure to be many tense and complex moments this fall. As white educators, we’re often conditioned into silence; this year especially, silence will…
Read MoreA Letter from Executive Director, Lisa Haney
With deep gratitude for the part you play as a member of this unique learning organization, I am looking back with pride at another year of challenge and change. Our new CATDC team hit the ground running last August, and I cannot imagine a better group of individuals to help create and manage the professional…
Read MoreReflections on Leadership: Insights from CATDC’s Leadership Fellows Cohort
Participating in CATDC’s Leadership Fellows cohort this year has impacted me deeply, both personally and professionally, in ways I could not have foreseen. The essential question of this fellowship is, “Who am I as a Leader?” and this is indeed a question that needs to be asked and deeply reflected upon at every stage of…
Read More3 Core Strategies for More Impactful Gatherings
I spent much of the summer immersed in professional development with California educators as Executive Director of CATDC. I reveled in the opportunity to be a participant observer, witnessing months of planning come to exuberant life, soaking up what I could from the facilitators as well as the teachers and administrators in the room or…
Read MoreA Letter from Incoming Program Manager, Amanda McFadden
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the newest member of the CATDC team, stepping into the role of Program Manager. The opportunity to join this organization dedicated to empowering educators and fostering professional growth truly excites me. I have long been passionate about education and have had a hand in it for the last…
Read MoreConsider Joining “Sustaining and Evolving Anti-Racist Practices”: A Message from the Facilitators
In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, record numbers of white people heeded the national call to step out of the shadows. White educators were no different. We heard countless stories of racism shared by BIPOC students—both online and within our independent school communities. For white educators, that summer was particularly…
Read MoreA Letter from Board Chair, Dr. Tashon McKeithan
I was invited to the CATDC Board in 2018 as the first non-Head of School Trustee to the Board and now in 2023 have just completed my first year as Chair. I am deeply honored to be part of such an important organization, vital to the transformation of the educational landscape. As CATDC approaches its 25th…
Read MoreA Letter from Executive Director, Lisa Haney
As I prepare to enter my seventh year as Executive Director of CATDC, I feel proud of our evolution as an organization and excited about what is to come. At the heart of my leadership is my belief in the power of education to transform young people, to help them become more thoughtful, skillful, and…
Read MoreA Letter from Incoming Northern California Director, Lauren Benjamin
Fellow Educators, I am excited to journey anew with the CATDC team and honored to contribute to the meaningful and necessary work of the collaborative as the Northern California Director. CATDC has provided me and many others with a welcoming space to learn and develop as teachers and leaders. Its progressive programs and people have…
Read MoreEight Points of Intercultural Fluency Around Ramadan
Ramadan Mubarak! This translates as “Have a blessed Ramadan,” and in the vernacular it can be taken as “Happy Ramadan.” Take from this greeting the following three truths: Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic Calendar. Muslims who are able to do so fast during this month from pre-dawn to sunset. Ramadan is on…
Read MoreAn Evening On Leadership with Cheryl Ting
Date: April 4, 2023 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm Location: St Paul’s Episcopal School, 116 Montecito Avenue, Oakland, CA Cheryl is the Head of St. Paul’s School in Oakland and has over 25 years of experience in education. She worked at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, Redwood Day School in Oakland and the Bentley School…
Read MoreTrickle-Down Equity and the B in DEIB
How can you tell if your organization’s DEIB work is performative or transformative? For some organizations, especially those new to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work, there can be an urgency to “arrive.” DEIB statement? Check. Employee resource or affinity groups? Check. Recruiting for diversity? Check. Training on microaggressions and implicit bias? Check. Donate to…
Read MoreJoin CATDC’s first World Languages PLC
Teaching, especially in our students’ second language, is a wonderfully creative endeavor—and one that becomes significantly more effective in collaboration with a professional learning community, encouraging us to share innovative ideas, build upon them, experiment in the classroom, and reflect on our ever-growing instructional practices. I cordially invite and encourage you to join CATDC’s first…
Read MoreFrom Burnout to Thriving: Leveraging Powerful Communities of Practice
As independent schools navigate the post-pandemic world, levels of teacher burnout are at an all-time high. While many school leaders strive to alleviate the strain upon teachers in order to best serve their needs and thereby the needs of their students, there are only so many ways in which tasks may be redistributed or reimagined…
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