Summer Institute

Look for details on the 2027 Summer Institute soon…

2026 Summer Institute

Did you know that in Arizona 67% of students who enrolled in K-12 schools for the 2025-2026 school year were students of color? Yet K-12 instruction often under-represents the voices, perspectives and contributions of people of color in school curricula. By contrast, academic studies show that in culturally responsive classes students develop a stronger sense of personal empowerment, perform better academically and graduate at higher rates.

In the 2026 Summer Institute, AZ educators as well as pre-service teachers will probe deeply into what it means to be an advocate for both ethnically diverse and gender nonconforming students in their classrooms, from examining personal hidden biases to redesigning curriculum to reflect the natural “assets” that their diverse students bring to the classroom, and much more.

The 2026 Summer Institute took place over 8 days — June 8, 9,11 and 12, and June 15, 16, 18 and 19, for 90 minutes each day, and was available to all K-12 Arizona educators and pre-service teachers who appled and were admitted into the program.​

Teachers who complete the program receive a $100 stipend and 12 CEUs.

During the 8 days, a maximum of 30 educators engage in highly collaborative and interactive sessions, which include lectures, discussions, and opportunities to experiment with new tools and lesson plans.

Participants not only walk away with new tools, resources, leadership skills and new understandings of the contributions that people of color and gender diverse people add to the American tapestry, they also have a transformational experience about who they are as educators for all of their students.

ROSAmerica presenters for the Summer Institute 2026

What the participants had to say about the 2026 Summer Institute…

“My main takeaway from the ROSA Summer Institute is the importance of creating inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms where all students feel seen, valued, and empowered. The sessions reinforced the need to honor students’ diverse identities, cultures, languages, and experiences while providing opportunities for them to share their voices and engage in meaningful learning. I also gained new ideas and strategies to promote empathy, critical thinking, student agency, and representation across the curriculum.

“In addition, the institute made me feel very proud and hopeful to know that there are so many wonderful educators who are committed to making their classrooms the safe and welcoming homes that our students deserve. Seeing the passion, dedication, and advocacy of fellow teachers was inspiring and reminded me of the positive impact we can have when we work together to support all learners.

“At the same time, it was also a powerful reminder of the ongoing need to teach important and often overlooked topics so that students can better understand different histories, perspectives, and realities. This was a ‘wake-up call’ about how much more work still needs to be done to ensure our curriculum truly reflects the diverse world our students live in, and at my school I’m pretty sure that we are on the right path, but I’m talking about the community in general.

“Overall, the institute inspired me to be a more reflective educator and advocate for equity and belonging in my classroom.”

My takeaways:

  1. It is so important to give student voices inside the classroom, making them comfortable wherein they can express themselves freely without the fear of being judged and that we can do that in a lot of ways.
  2. Learning through connections by using stories, experiences and poems.
  3. Language—how we can make language not become a barrier for everyone to learn in the classroom. It is important to honor everyone’s language and how to make connections to students through this.
  4. Being a culturally responsive teacher can make a huge difference inside the classroom by making students feel that they belong and that they have a safe space in our classrooms.

That is so right, Sylvia! And to see these educators with so much passion in the work that we do, it ignites the passion of why we chose this profession in the first place.

 

Breaking down stereotypes is not a task that can be accomplished in a day or even a semester. It happens one step at a time, one conversation at a time, and sometimes one encouraging sentence a day. Building positive relationships, giving students a sense of belonging, and providing continuous encouragement are so important.

Think out Loud: Would it be possible for me to meet teachers around Buckeye in this cohort to share how they have incorporated culturally responsive practices into their classrooms at different grade levels/subject? Learning from peers, hands on, class observation would be very valuable. This Summer Institute was an eye opener.

#Our Story Matters#
#Our Culture, our language defines us#

Every student in our class has got a story to tell, giving listening ears, allowing them to express themselves is a starting point to building a relationship.

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I have to say I’m very thankful I had the chance of being part of this summer group. It was sometimes VERY emotional to me. It was refreshing to hear everyone else’s experiences and perspectives. The part that I enjoyed the most is learning strategies I can use with my students to support them and let them express their thoughts and opinions, make them feel seen and important. Help them find their VOICE. Also, I recognize how much I need to learn about other cultures and their histories. At times I felt like I’m so tiny in this big world, but if I can only illuminate someone’s way or help them glow and bloom, I’ve done my part! I’m excited to be an agent of change, not only in my classroom but wherever I’m at. Super THANKFUL for this opportunity!”

#weseeyouDuane

I love youuuuu Sylvia!!!

“Over the past two weeks I have felt more inspired and productive than I have all summer. Learning about culturally responsive teaching and what it truly means to be inclusive made me look closely at how I teach and how I show up for my students. I am so grateful to ROSAmerica for giving me the space to grow and reflect. This experience helped me appreciate my role as a teacher even more and it reminded me how much I value my students and the rich multicultural backgrounds they bring into our classroom. It made me proud of the work I do and excited to keep building a learning environment where every child feels seen and valued.”

“I entered this program wondering how it would impact my teaching. I left realizing that while I already know how to teach science, there is always room to grow in how I connect students to the learning. The greatest value of this experience was not learning about specific groups or specific strategies, but being reminded that every student brings a unique story, perspective, strength, and challenge into my classroom. My goal moving forward is to intentionally create learning experiences where students feel seen, heard, valued, and empowered. If I can do that, the science becomes more meaningful, engagement increases, and students are more likely to flourish both academically and personally.”

“My takeaways are making sure students’ voices are heard and that different aspects of their lives, interests, and other cultures are included.”

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“My takeaway from these 8-day sessions is that regardless of color, culture, or personal experiences, every voice deserves to be heard and valued. As educators, we are called not only to teach but also to listen to our students. Even as teachers, we must create space where students feel safe to express their thoughts, knowing that their voices matter and contribute to meaningful learning.”

“My takeaway from RosAmerica’s 8-day sessions is gratitude for everything I learned. The knowledge and insights shared were valuable and essential, providing strategies and perspectives that I can use to support my students not only academically but also in their personal growth and development.”

“My takeaways: I really loved each of the presentations and I learned a lot about some topics which I did not know such as Indigenous Culture and History in Arizona. It was great learning how people are connected with culture, nation, diversity, tradition, belief and ethnicity. In addition, it helped me recognize how culturally responsive I am.”​

 

“I would like to thank the team for organizing this professional development and for inviting such wonderful and excellent speakers. Over the past two weeks, I have gained valuable insights into diverse cultures, history, and ways to integrate science and other content areas into student learning. The sessions have been engaging, informative, and meaningful. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator. Thank you for your time, effort, and dedication in making this experience so valuable.

I feel the same way as you Sylvia! 💜”

“There have been so many inspiring sessions, and great resources! I keep thinking about Joanna DeShay on Day 1 and the visual she shared about how culture leads to nation to diversity, traditions, beliefs, ethnicity, but they all lead to PEOPLE. When we play outside I emphasize that PEOPLE are the most important part of a game (not the rules or winning or losing). Her talk encouraged me to apply that concept to our content and discussions; that PEOPLE are the most important thing!”

“My experience here has been very uplifting and inspiring. Especially Andre’s presentation on Creating Poetry with Purposeful Empathy. Using creative ways to express feelings is a cool thing to tap into. Students may not want to talk about their feelings or things they might be going through but they may be willing to write about it. Also, understanding the dynamism of each student helps bring every difference into play.”

“My takeaway has to be with the importance of incorporating cultural responsiveness in the classroom. As teachers we need to obtain our authenticity and learn to collaborate with the kids and colleague teachers always.”

“My takeaways: The importance of hearing and valuing the voices of our students. Recognizing and affirming the diverse background and experiences of all students. Intentionally integrating APIDA perspectives, histories and contributions. Fostering empathy by encouraging students to appreciate different viewpoints. Creating inclusive learning environments where everyone feels seen, heard and respected. #teacherAsinclusiveLead #ROSAmerica👍🏽👍🏽”

#ROSAmericaMakesitPossible#EmpoweredTeachersforSY26-27!

“As a participant in the RosAmerica seminar, I learned how to strengthen culturally responsive teaching by integrating APIDA representation into daily instruction, advocating for multilingual learners through a sociocultural lens, and teaching students to analyze origin stories and real events like journalists. These sessions helped me see the importance of honoring students’ identities, valuing their languages as assets, and helping them investigate, question, and tell stories with evidence and purpose. I am thankful for this opportunity. Thank you for including me.”​

ROSAmerica is grateful for grants from the Salt River Project , Vulcan Materials and Build-Tek, as well as donations from our network of friends, family, education activists, etc.