Educators from the San Fernando Valley and other parts of the Southland will gather at California State University, Northridge on Friday, July 29, to take part in a free, statewide day of learning and networking.

Better Together: California Teachers Summit is taking place at 38 locations across the state to provide teachers an opportunity to share ideas, join a teacher network and learn effective strategies for implementing new California standards in their classrooms. The gathering is scheduled to take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The CSUN meeting will occur at the Valley Performing Arts Center, located at the southern end of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

“Events such as Better Together highlight the importance campuses like CSUN play in convening the professional community for the public good,” said Michael Spagna, dean of CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. “In this case, Better Together simultaneously fulfills the goals of valuing our teachers and maintaining a strong professional community of practice — both essential to serving the educational needs of the region.”

The program will include addresses by education leaders, TED-style “Ed Talks” presented by local teachers, and “EdCamp” discussions on timely topics such as California’s education standards in English/language arts and math, and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Organizers said attendees will walk away from the summit with access to new resources and concrete tools that are already working in classrooms across the state.

In addition to CSUN, other summit locations in the Southern California area include Antioch University, Azusa Pacific University, Biola University, Brandman University in Irvine, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, CSU Los Angeles, CSU San Bernardino, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University and University of Redlands.

A unique partnership between the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the California State University (CSU) system, and New Teacher Center formed to host this free statewide day of learning.

During EdCamp sessions, teachers will pick topics – ranging from technology in the classroom to improving literacy in early education, or boosting science, technology, engineering and math education – and exchange ideas with colleagues throughout their region.

The TED-style EdTalks will feature local teachers sharing strategies and classroom victories in implementing the California standards.

More information, a list of event locations and online registration is available at CATeachersSummit.com. Follow #CATeachersSummit for up-to-date information.