California Ethnic Studies Advisory Board

Thank you for joining this exclusive group and agreeing to help guide Newsela towards authentic, affirming Ethnic Studies curriculum.

Welcome and thank you for joining the Newsela California Ethnic Studies Advisory Board

Your participation in this exclusive group will guide Newsela’s approach to Ethnic Studies curriculum and help shape how educators across the state of California bring Ethnic Studies into their classrooms. As part of the advisory board you will:

Use your insights and experience to improve and refine the Newsela Ethnic Studies Collection
Bring value to education by being a key voice in the development of our Ethnic Studies Collection and go to market strategies
Provide feedback directly to our product team through two way communication
Expand and learn from other leaders in Ethnic Studies in California

Session dates and details

Each moderated session will last approximately an hour and a half. Nothing to prepare ahead of time! Simply come ready to share your thoughts and discuss ideas with the group. Sessions are invite-only, no RSVP necessary.

December 13th, 11:00-12:30 PT

Listening Session

January - TBD

Opportunity Statement Review

February - TBD

Prototype Review

Final thoughts

Use the link to add any comments, suggestions, or questions you have following each session.

Submit here

Advisory Board Session Leaders

Brian Veprek
Brian Veprek is a Curricular Solutions Architect at Newsela, where he collaborates with school districts to surface and address the unique needs of their students and teachers. He is a former teacher of English, theatre arts, history, and Latin. In all of his work as an educator, Brian strives to support learners as they cultivate their empathy and agency.

Tiana Miller-Leonard
Tiana Miller-Leonard is the Learning Engineering Manager for Social Studies at Newsela. At Newsela, she is able to marry her two passions for history and education, working closely with the entire social studies team to design rigorous, engaging, and culturally responsive learning materials for teachers and students.

Tres Tyvand
Tres is Newsela’s Enterprise Partnership Representative for California districts with over 20,000 students. She is a former AP English teacher and has served in the EdTech industry for over a decade.

Access to the California Ethnic Studies Collection

Newsela is providing complimentary access to the California Ethnic Studies Collection to all advisory board members. For assistance in logging in or exploring the collection, please reach out to Brian Veprek.

Get the collection