FOR HISTORICAL REFERENCE ONLY

The Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders was held in the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2023, we transitioned the program to Children Now as the Summit for Student Leaders.

This archival page is the last version of our general explanation of the program as we described it under Ed100 in 2022. The top of this page had this image.

For other archival information about the Academy, see links in the Ed100 announcement transitioning this mission to Children Now.

It's time to apply!

Apply by Friday, June 17, 2022 for the 2022 summer conference of the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders. This big online event will be held June 20-22 to connect students from all over California with extraordinary opportunities for leadership and civic engagement. There is no cost.

This page is organized as an FAQ about the Academy. Go to our 2022 Program Guide for information about speakers and sessions.

What is the Ed100 Academy summer conference all about?

The fastest way to understand it is to watch this two-minute video, then check out the Program Guide.

How can I participate?

Use the appropriate link below.

If you are an educator, a PTA leader, or other adult who is helping get students to this conference, please sign up as an ally. Our biggest challenge is getting the word out, so please share this page!

Which schools are participating?

Our team of student Outreach Ambassadors has been working to get in touch with every California high school with enrollment of 100 students or more. Every school should be represented at this conference. (Is yours? Check our list). To be clear, though, anyone aged 13 and up is invited to apply, even if you aren't in California.

Who will be speaking?

Check out the Ed100 Academy Program Guide to learn about the speakers and sessions. The list includes a US Senator, a famous founder, incredible student leaders, researchers, policy experts and the world's most influential teacher.

Why should students apply?

Student leaders can make a big difference in their school, in their community, and beyond, if they are well-prepared and well-informed. The purpose of the Ed100 Academy is to help rising student leaders learn, connect, lead, and identify civic engagement opportunities to make a difference.

Peer connections: The summer conference includes breakout sessions for students to meet peers from other schools and identify ideas for leadership in their own community.

Certificate: At the end of the Ed100 Academy Summer Conference, students can download their Ed100 Academy certificate, which documents and celebrates their participation in the program. This certificate can serve students as evidence of civic engagement. (Note: students can also earn a different certificate by passing all of the lessons in Ed100.org to become graduates of the Ed100 online course.)

Discord Server: When students are accepted to the Academy, within a week or two they receive an invitation to join our private server on Discord. It’s a student-moderated platform that helps students connect, share insights and get timely information about opportunities and projects, including how and when to apply for the student position on the California State Board of Education. Members also share information about scholarships and similar topics.

Ed100 Student Academy Summer Conference: June 20-22, 2022

In 2022 the summer conference will be held online June 20-22. Each day's programming runs from 10am through 5pm.

Why should adult allies sign up?

The only way that a student hears about the Academy is if someone they know (usually an adult) personally tells them, "Hey, you should apply for this program. It will help you as a leader." To get that message to student leaders in each high school, at each grade level, each year, we need the help of adults in each high school community. No high school should be left out of this program.

Who can be an adult ally? Anyone who works with high school students or high school communities can be an ally for student leaders — an administrator, for example, or a teacher, counselor, or PTA volunteer.

How can adults support participating students? When students mention you in their application, you become part of the circle of communication about their participation in the program. We'll let you know when they are accepted so you can cheer them on. When they earn a certificate for completing the free summer conference, we will inform you so you can get feedback about the program directly from them.

Can adult allies attend the summer conference? Yes, adult allies who are named by student members of the Ed100 Academy will be invited to attend the summer conference. There is no cost. Adult participants are encouraged to donate in support of the program.

How much does it cost to be a member of the Academy?

Zero. Our vision is to help every high school community develop a diverse pipeline of rising leaders. After considering complex solutions (scholarships, etc.) we decided to just keep it simple. It's free.

How many students should be in a school’s delegation?

There is no limit to the number of students from a school that can apply to or participate in the academy. Some schools are big, some are small, and leadership can take all kinds of forms. We encourage each high school to be represented in the Ed100 Academy by at least one freshman, at least one sophomore, and at least one junior.

Some schools and community organizations have used the Ed100 Academy as a no-cost extension of their leadership program, which is great. Please let us know so we can learn from you!

Who is eligible for admission to the Ed100 Academy?

Any student aged 13 and up may apply. Admission will be based on the content of their individual application. The Academy welcomes aspiring student leaders as well as those currently serving in leadership roles. The conference welcomes students from any kind of school including traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, and colleges. The program tends to emphasize support for students in California, but if leaders from other states want to get involved, we are open to ideas. If you are interested in a major collaboration, please contact [email protected].

How is the Ed100 Academy funded?

The short answer is that it isn't, yet. We are subsisting on volunteer help to keep costs low, but the program is vulnerable. We have great plans for how we would expand our impact with money if we had it. Please consider making a donation! We are also seeking sponsors.

How do I recommend a student for the Academy?

Students must individually apply for admission to the Academy. Just point them to this page, or to our flyer. Here's a message you can copy and send to help them take action:

How can I tell whether our school will be represented?

Have a look at this Google sheet. It lists every California high school with an enrollment of at least 100 students and shows whether we have received at least one application from that school. If you’ve nominated a student and your school doesn’t show on this sheet as represented, the most likely reason is that no student has yet applied. In that case, we suggest that you (a) nudge the student to act, and (b) nominate more students. Ideally, your school will be represented by participants in each grade level. The impact is highest when students participate as a school delegation, not just as individuals.

What organizations do students learn about?

An important objective of the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders is to help students learn about opportunities to get involved with organizations that need them. We invite organizations that run programs with significant leadership opportunities for students to work with us as Student Engagement Partners. Most of these partners are education-focused, but others emphasize climate change, justice, housing, media, reproductive health or other areas of interest to students. Engagement Partners don’t just speak at events like the summer conference — they commit to following through, with opportunities for student leaders during the summer and the school year beyond.

Student Feedback

Students leaders are the focus of the Ed100 Academy for Student Leaders, and also a big part of the team. At the summer conference in 2021, we collected a lot of feedback. (At the risk of over-sharing, here's a 12-page report summarizing findings from all the surveys we did about it.) The feedback was hugely positive, and also included a ton of ideas for improvement. Some of those ideas are being implemented, like adding breakout sessions for students to get to know one another. The Discord server was also a student-led addition to the program.

Learn more about past Ed100 Academy summer conferences

You can get a sense of what to expect from the 2022 summer conference for members of the Ed100 Academy by looking at the Ed100 blog, which includes posts based on past conference sessions. The 2021 program guide summarizes that year's conference, and a series of posts about the first Ed100 summer conference describes how it got started in 2020. Summaries and videos of some of the speakers from the summer 2021 conference are available on the Ed100 blog.

Become a Friend of the Ed100 Student Academy

Friends of the Ed100 Student Academy are organizations or individuals that commit to specific actions to help the conference achieve its core goal: intentionally developing student leadership in each of California’s high schools. There are many ways to help! Here are a few examples:

• Add the Ed100 Student Academy logo to your web page with a link to https://ed100.org/academy and/or the Ed100 logo and link.
• Help us on Instagram: ed100_california and Twitter: https://twitter.com/ed100_
• Commit to help us find adult allies, especially in schools that aren't yet represented among applicants to the conference.
• Give a short presentation about the Academy in a meeting such as a school board event or PTA event.

It's really easy to make your organization (or yourself!) a Friend of the 2021 Ed100 Academy. Use this form. You can also contact us at [email protected].

Here are some organizations that have been past Friends of the Ed100 Student Academy:

Thank you

If you have questions or ideas for the Academy, please contact [email protected]. For other matters please contact [email protected].