Tom Torlakson

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that the California Department of Education is sponsoring a summit to improve professional learning for California educators.

“The summit will share promising, research-supported ways to improve professional learning for teachers throughout California,” said Torlakson. “Successful professional learning programs give our hardworking, dedicated teachers additional tools to help our students succeed.”
The 2016 California Educator Excellence Summit will be held Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at the Sacramento Convention Center.

The summit is designed for educators who will participate in building and improving professional learning systems in local educational agencies. The event is especially relevant because participants are among those who will decide how to allocate $490 million in professional learning funds for teachers provided in the 2015-16 State Budget by the Legislature and the Governor with strong support from Torlakson, a former high school science teacher.

Linda Darling-Hammond, an emeritus education professor at Stanford University and president and CEO of the new Learning Policy Institute, will serve as keynote speaker at the event, which will focus on areas such as recruiting and distributing excellent educators to all communities, educator preparation, induction of teachers and leaders, opportunities for professional learning, educator evaluation, and leadership and career development.

For more information regarding the summit, including registration details, please visit the CDE 2016 Educator Excellence Summit Web page. Details of the California 2015 State Plan to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators can be found on CDE’s Improving Teacher & Quality Web page through a PDF.

The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education Web site or by mobile device. You may also follow Superintendent Torlakson on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.