Empowering and Preparing Educators
High-Quality Professional Development, with Follow-Through
Opportunities for a Broad Range of School Workers
SCOE supports schools countywide with information, resources, networking opportunities, and professional development for all types of school employees. We also promote opportunities involving community groups, such as arts programs through Creative Sonoma and the Luther Burbank Center, or resources for teaching media literacy from the News Literacy Project. Some of SCOE’s professional development offerings for 2024-25 have covered:
- Meeting the needs of students from multilingual or migrant households, and connecting families to resources
- Focusing grading practices on whether students are learning as opposed to rewarding classroom participation or the ritual of turning in homework on time
- Interrupting, questioning, and educating in response to biased speech, racism, discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes
- Increasing the capacity of high schools to support early college credit, internships, work-based learning, and career technical education
- Exploring how trauma-informed practices can be integrated to create safe, supportive learning environments where all students feel seen, heard, and valued
- Establishing clear, organized procedures for reunifying students with families in the event of a campus emergency
As part of our commitment to professional development, SCOE staff follow up with check-ins and classroom visits to help educators and administrators employ the strategies learned in trainings and workshops.
North Coast School of Education
Removing Barriers to Earning Credentials
The North Coast School of Education (NCSOE), housed within SCOE, partners with the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing to provide several lower-cost programs to help make credentials more attainable for aspiring teachers and administrators.
The program is dedicated to removing barriers that can block access to the teaching profession for people from lower- income backgrounds. Its work is grounded in equity and aims to encourage the development of an educational workforce that reflects the rich diversity of California’s North Coast.
NCSOE’s two-year Be a Teacher program allows interns to work as paid classroom instructors during the day and attend credentialing courses outside of school hours. Costs for Be a Teacher are often partly or fully covered by subsidies, scholarships, and grants.
Schools are emphasizing career skills along with preparing students for college, which makes career technical education (CTE) teachers a hot commodity! NCSOE offers several pathways for educators or even people with no teaching experience or bachelor’s degree to earn a credential to teach career skills in a number of specialized areas.
A one-year Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program equips experienced educators with the skills to become visionary and courageous administrators.
For each credentialing program, NCSOE offers resources and information sessions so that prospective teachers or administrators can familiarize themselves with the programs. Visit ncsoe.org for more information.
Finding and Developing Educational Superstars
Getting Highly Qualified Workers into Our Schools
In addition to making sure SCOE hires, develops, and retains
a highly qualified workforce rooted in principles of equity, the Human Resource Services department provides services to Sonoma County’s districts and charters, including:
- County-level onboarding and background checks for substitute teachers, streamlining their paperwork and facilitating their ability to work across multiple districts
- An on-site credentials team that assists educators with credential and permit applications and works to ensure employed teachers hold the proper credentials for their position
- Providing resources and networking opportunities for school staff in the aftermath of job cuts
- Assisting with recruitment of administrators