"When I think about why I do the work I do, I actually think of my privilege first. All of my ability to affect any change, that’s what I use. Because no one in this room is privileged or disadvantaged; we have multiple identities that are intersecting—not equally, not identically, but humanly." -Alison Park, founder of Blink Consulting, at this morning's Local Challenges; Local Solutions Panel _____ Our Local Challenges; Local Solutions Panel this morning was moderated by Head of School Nanci Kauffman. Joining us were: Peter Fortenbaugh, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula. BGCP provides the low-income youth of East Palo Alto, eastern Menlo Park, and Redwood City with opportunities that enable them to achieve school success. Alison Park, founder of Blink Consulting. Blink is an educational consultancy that is critically rethinking diversity. Since 2009, Blink has collaborated with over 90 schools, as well as various community-based, government, and for-profit organizations to help create communities where all children, youth, and adults can thrive. Raymond Plaza is the Director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Santa Clara University. He works closely with many groups across campus to design strategies for the recruitment and retention of individuals from underrepresented groups.

"What we know from data is that opportunity gaps are what drive achievement gaps. There are kids who have access to elevators running at the speed of a bullet train versus kids that are on escalators moving very smoothly from floor to floor...and then there are some kids who are on stairwells with missing handrails and broken steps. And we are saying EVERYONE has to get to floor 16, or college graduation, at the same time. How could you possibly get there all at the same time if you're using drastically different modes of transportation? What we as researchers and educators and policymakers have been doing is comparing at what speed students get to that top floor, ignoring, often, the radical difference in modes of transportation to that top floor. " - Dr. Prudence L. Carter, Dean and Professor of the University of California, Berkeley's Graduate School of Education _______ Our Thursday Global Week keynote speaker Dr. Carter's research agenda focuses on causes of and solutions to enduring social and cultural inequalities among social groups, especially in education and schooling. Specifically, she examines academic and mobility differences influenced by the dynamics of race, ethnicity, class, and gender in the U.S. and global society. Her expertise spans issues of youth identity and educational well-being; urban poverty, social and cultural inequality, and the sociocultural and organizational contexts of schools. She is also an award-winning author, elected member of the National Academy of Education and the Sociological Research Association, Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and Board member and Program Committee chairperson for the William T. Grant Foundation.

This morning, we have a number of special guests on campus speaking about Equity in Education from different lenses of expertise. Students had the opportunity to attend three sessions that they were interested in. For more about our fantastic group of presenters (including some familiar faces!), check out the photo captions in this set.

"If half your population is not at its full capacity, we are all impacted." Treasurer Rosie Rios delivered a keynote presentation today on "Inspirations and Aspirations". She spoke of several "awakening moments" throughout her life when she realized the lack of representation of women. From our nation's currency, to the classrooms of well-meaning history teachers, to statues in Central Park, the women who helped to shape American history remain mostly invisible, especially to children and students. Treasurer Rios has demonstrated profound leadership in her ability to take these moments of realization and create positive change, including when she lead efforts to place a woman's portrait on currency and when she created the program "Teachers Righting History" to help teachers and students better connect with influential women in history. __________ Rosie Rios was the 43rd Treasurer of the United States. She is most recently known for initiating and leading the efforts to place a portrait of a woman on the front of U.S. currency for the first time in over a century. Rios was the longest serving Senate-confirmed Treasury official beginning with her time on Treasury/Federal Reserve Transition Team in November 2008 at the height of the financial crisis.

"For so many people in the world, education is a privilege and not a right like it was for me. We need to work hard to make meaningful educational opportunities available to all." -Michael Bakal, co-founder of Voces y Manos ____ Today's Global Solutions Panel brought together Michael Bakal, Thulani Madondo, co-founder and executive director of Kliptown Youth Program, and Diaz Nesamoney, board member for the American India Foundation, to speak about Equity in Education: The Global Learning Landscape.

Global Week 2018: Equity in Education kicked off with an engaging keynote presentation with Dr. Jonathan Jansen, the commencement of week-long grade-level activities, and an afternoon panel with EdTech entrepreneurs.

Each year Global Week offers the Castilleja community a chance to deepen awareness and understanding of an important global issue. This year's theme is Equity in Education and students will be gaining knowledge and exploring tough questions to deepen their understanding of this issue on a local, national, and global scale. We've invited global experts to campus this week to guide learning and challenge us in our thinking through keynote speeches, topic panels, grade-level projects, and community conversations. Our exciting learning activities kicked off today and continue through Friday—check back here throughout the week for photos and updates about how students are engaging with this exciting topic!

Happy New Year from our Global Investigators! After months of preparation, the junior class has arrived in China, India, and the Dominican Republic for a week of partnership and cultural exploration. Follow along with all three groups on the Castilleja School ACE Center page.

Earlier this month, singer-songwriter and Castilleja alumna Leila Milki '11 released her debut original music video which was directed by fellow alumna Tayo Amos '10. Check it out!

Castilleja’s mission to prepare young women to lead confidently and compassionately for the greater good is as important as ever. With our eye on the female leadership gap, we seek to further our mission by providing opportunities to more motivated young women on a campus modernized to better reflect and support our innovative program. To learn about Castilleja’s vision for the future, and to add your name to our list of supporters, please visit CastillejaReimagined.org.

Check out what Sreya Guha '18 has been up to! Her work was recently featured by The Poynter Institute.