State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was honored with an award on Thursday for his unwavering dedication and commitment to students at the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators Summer Institute in San Diego. The award, highlighting equity efforts in education, comes as Thurmond sponsors Assembly Bill 1127 (Reyes) to reestablish the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program, which aims to increase the number of bilingual teachers in California.

The award is one of many in recent months for Thurmond, including the Educator of the Year Award by Loyola Marymount University School of Education and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., that have recognized his substantial contributions to the field of education, advocacy for greater equity in opportunities for future generations, community service, and significant, lifelong commitment to enriching the lives of all learners. He also received the prestigious Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 16 Leadership Award for his achievements and dedication to public education and his service to the children of California.

Thurmond has made transforming California schools his priority. His vision and leadership secured 10,000 mental health counselors for schools and billions in dollars for wraparound services to support the whole child through community schools. Thurmond is leading an effort to ensure reading by third grade for all students by 2026, and he has established the first statewide teacher recruitment effort with a public service announcement and a one-stop information and referral system to help connect teacher candidates to scholarships, credentialing programs, and employers with current vacancies. He is also leading a statewide effort to provide a graduation requirement in personal finance for students and is championing efforts to ensure California schools provide inclusive education so all students feel safe and supported and achieve academic success.

Throughout his tenure, Thurmond has fought for all students. He has launched initiatives to close opportunity gaps for African American and Latino students, English learners, students with disabilities, foster and homeless youth and students from low-income backgrounds. He is leading an effort to provide universal preschool for every four-year-old and to provide universal meals—free meals to every student regardless of their ability to pay. More information about Thurmond’s Transforming California Schools Initiatives can be found on the  California Department of Education’s Transforming Schools: Superintendent’s Initiatives web page.

The California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) is a community of diverse educational leaders skilled in addressing the needs of Latino/a students and dedicated to increasing the number of highly effective Latino/a administrators. The organization’s purpose is to advocate for the continued development and placement of Latino/a educational leaders who are committed to quality public education. Their goals consist of providing leadership in school administration and instructional capacity, building community with national administrative organizations, providing mentorship and professional assistance, initiating research, and providing resources for employment opportunities.