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Arts Education Conference

Creating Community Through the Arts

Educators, teaching artists, and arts leaders convened on Wednesday, October 1, for a dynamic day of hands-on workshops, inspiring presentations, and opportunities to collaborate and grow. This conference aimed to uplift, energize, and equip attendees with arts-integrated strategies to bring back to their classroom and community. 

Conference sessions spanned all five art forms—dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts—and were designed to support TK–12 educators across grade levels, particularly in three areas:

Bridging Cultures: Supporting English Learners Through Arts Integration
Learn strategies for leveraging the arts to enhance language acquisition, cultural expression, and student confidence, ensuring equity for students identified as English Learners.

Arts and Social-Emotional Learning: Transforming Classrooms Through Creative Well-Being
Explore the intersection of arts and social-emotional learning to address students' emotional needs, foster empathy and resilience, and promote positive relationships

The Inclusive Classroom: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Strategies Through Creative Practices
Leverage practical approaches to make arts education inclusive for every learner.

What is the Arts Education Conference?

The Arts Education Conference is a new opportunity for all TK-12 educators, administrators, and teaching artists to integrate the arts into their teaching. It is hosted by the San Mateo County Office of Education and coordinated by San Mateo County Creates Arts Council, which fosters collaboration, share best practices, and support strategic arts education planning across the county.

Keynote Speaker: Alejandro Vilchez

Alejandro Vilchez is the Principal of AV Consulting, an independent consulting firm based in Silicon Valley. With over 30 years of experience, Alejandro has been a leader in street violence prevention, youth empowerment, and organizational development. Known for his dynamic, down-to-earth style, he trains, coaches, and facilitates in both English and Spanish.

Well-versed in Restorative Practices and creator of Off 2 Play, Alejandro designs interactive workshops that help students, educators, and teams build trust, communicate openly, and handle challenges together. His work equips people to resolve conflict, grow as leaders, and strengthen their communities, schools, and workplaces.

A proud SF Bay Area native, Alejandro holds degrees in Early Childhood Education, Cross-Cultural Communications, Human Services, and Organizational Leadership. Off the clock, he’s under a classic Chevy, reading C.S. Lewis, or rooting (or yelling at) his beloved SF Giants, 49ers, and Golden State Warriors.

Presenters and Sessions