Adult Learning Participant Feedback

“It was evident that Canizales Group values customizing content design to participant needs.  They used data about our district’s student and educator performance and well-being metrics, as well as formed a focus group to help inform the content of the PLC. In addition, they surveyed participants throughout the PLC to make adjustments as necessary. The sessions were engaging and fostered multiple practice and application opportunities.  The sessions felt meaningful and provided me with actionable next steps I can apply in my role.”
“This opportunity made me feel seen!!! It made me feel part of a community and space that I knew existed but didn’t know where to find it. It helped me realize that what I sometimes see as a personal asset, is also a huge professional asset and resource! It helped me gain more confidence in what I can do and how I can grow in my profession within DCPS.”
“I think my biggest takeaway here is the validation in my own practice of believing that anti-racist instruction and inclusive instruction begins with building strong and trusting relationships. It encouraged me to keep doing what I’m doing and to stand strong in my convictions even when others try to redirect me or discourage me from what I believe to be what matters most. Often times people want to skip over steps to check off a checklist. This opportunity is rooted in a shared belief that a strong foundation is critical to introducing anti-racist, and anti-bias lessons.”
“This opportunity allowed me to be extremely reflective of my practices, as well as any of my biases that I may have. It allowed me to reinforce my own beliefs about having high expectations and making sure I am upholding them in the classroom. Finally, this allowed me to feel seen. That validation itself is very helpful.”
“It was evident that Canizales Group values customizing content design to participant needs.  They used data about our district’s student and educator performance and well-being metrics, as well as formed a focus group to help inform the content of the PLC. In addition, they surveyed participants throughout the PLC to make adjustments as necessary. The sessions were engaging and fostered multiple practice and application opportunities.  The sessions felt meaningful and provided me with actionable next steps I can apply in my role.”
“This opportunity made me feel seen!!! It made me feel part of a community and space that I knew existed but didn’t know where to find it. It helped me realize that what I sometimes see as a personal asset, is also a huge professional asset and resource! It helped me gain more confidence in what I can do and how I can grow in my profession within DCPS.”
“I think my biggest takeaway here is the validation in my own practice of believing that anti-racist instruction and inclusive instruction begins with building strong and trusting relationships. It encouraged me to keep doing what I’m doing and to stand strong in my convictions even when others try to redirect me or discourage me from what I believe to be what matters most. Often times people want to skip over steps to check off a checklist. This opportunity is rooted in a shared belief that a strong foundation is critical to introducing anti-racist, and anti-bias lessons.”
“This opportunity allowed me to be extremely reflective of my practices, as well as any of my biases that I may have. It allowed me to reinforce my own beliefs about having high expectations and making sure I am upholding them in the classroom. Finally, this allowed me to feel seen. That validation itself is very helpful.”

Coaching Experience Feedback

“Dual language professional development support for school leaders? Simply put, it doesn't exist, or at least I haven't found it. As a new dual language school leader, I need collaboration in affinity with other Latino/x leaders so we can learn the dual language model together. We need a stronger Latino/x Leadership pipeline, period. It needs to be strategic for us to make it in leadership. More districts need to be involved and show caring about this type of workforce development. Learning from someone who has done the work and looks like me helps me feel safe to fail and have the courage to try. I am grateful that The Canizales Group exists, for someone like me who is new to the space, this is powerful and needed.” 
“What was special about receiving coaching from the Canizales group? A couple of things, the intersection of the personal and professional. The testimonios that they include in presentations are a really helpful way of seeing your why and connecting to partner goals. The motivation behind the work is visible and intentional. The combo of the wealth of knowledge and ability to execute independently but also how to collaborate on what the partner needs. They didn't have a stock approach but instead collaboratively curating to our needs.”
“I walked into a district that does not have a high-functioning Dual Language Instruction school or high-quality programming. I needed an example in my first few months of what this should look like and mentorship on instruction. I started with what I knew. It was left to me to see what thread I wanted to focus on first. Had I gotten this coaching before starting I would have paid attention to different teachers. I would have been highlighting, I would have put a few teachers up front first and faster. I would have been able to see DLI best practices faster. I would have done different work to preserve the use of Spanish in our instructional model via language allocation plans. I would have been able to preserve the operations that aligned with the mission.”
“The Canizales Group coaches have done what we are trying to do. They have the experience and knowledge. They have been in schools doing this. They come here and have the capacity to connect with us and our community very fast because they feel comfortable being themselves. I  learned from their modeling, coaching, and holistic way of working. They ask lots of questions, and we make decisions together; after listening to us, we workshop and discuss our next steps together; the learning is productive because of this. The modeling is huge about how to coach teachers but even with how you ask us questions. Their work is thoughtful and flexible, they come with an agenda and flex to our responsive needs.”
“The Canizales Group has a very interesting strength in believing that relationships are an important data point and that you have to hold it in system change and hold onto it and value it in our community. Learning leadership from white people looked different and I had to unlearn it. I didn't know how steeped in white-sis-culture training I was. With the Canizales Group, when there is a sense of “Oh, you don't know”, it is followed with, we will model. They model direct instruction with adults that is not condescending. The balance between relational figuring it out and direct modeling felt really healthy in our conversations. They share prior experiences very beautifully; not just as anecdotes but the work with other people. They don't feel removed as coaches/consultants. I was ready to go with another consultant who had good spreadsheets. When I met with The Canizales Group, they were clear on the tangible next steps and were not afraid of saying things directly, this works for me. They give feedback thoughtfully but directly. There is trust and I trust their judgment and that happened quickly. There is a cultural directness aspect.”