The LA County Office of Education provides programs and services to K-12 schools across Los Angeles, aiding in promoting academic and financial stability of 80 school districts. LACOE offers a quarterly networking call with the scholastic esports leaders of LA County. Within these sessions, they discuss various topics on how to continue to provide fun, educational and welcoming spaces for their students. Initiatives such as this promote the continued development of K-12 esports programs across the U.S. This is an excellent model of NASEF’s goal to connect play and learning. 

In one of the recent networking calls, leaders were asked “What makes your scholastic esports program successful?” And here’s what they said:

Pablo Larios - OUSD, NASEF Community Leader

“My program is successful because of the community support.” 

Nyah Beck - Black Gxmers Society | CSULB Esports

“Diversity & Inclusion. With the Black Gxming Society, our mission is to empower Black Gxmers, and being able to carve out space for marginalized groups to fully participate, grow, and thrive within gaming and esports.

Lorena Chavira

“Having coaches that are dedicated to supporting students and encouraging them to learn and get better.”

Adam Lopez

“Having an administrator who is willing to invest money and time into gaming & esports at scale to the unrivaled levels of interest students are showing in this activity.”

Rick

“I would say connect with PlayVS and Generation Esports first and foremost as they are both great resources.”

Alvaro Brito - LACOE

“Having great partnerships is crucial,”

In another networking call, leaders were asked “what steps are you taking this year to make your esports program more inclusive?” and these were their responses:

James Hicks - LAUSD

“We have started working more closely with SPED, BTB, CTE, Multi Lingual and even virtual learners to participate more in the upcoming season,”

Julie Mavrogeorge - California Esports Association

“Started the CEA to bring all of the districts, schools and organizations across California together to provide support and resources.”

Nyah Beck - Black Gxmers Society | CSULB Esports

“At CSULB Esports and with BGXS, inclusivity is reflected directly in who we are and the values we have chosen to uphold… When we center diversity as a strength we invite underestimated gamers to feel safe, celebrated and validated,”

Tasneem Muhammad - HSD

“We’re making our esports program more inclusive by adding beginner-friendly classes, highlighting roles beyond gameplay, and encouraging participation from all students,”

Lynn Kong - Rosemead School District 

“I currently do buddy activities with my 6th grade students and the SPED classes each month. It would be great to have my students partner up with buddies and have them participate in some esports activities together”

Byron Zuniga Jr. - Lennox School District

“Try to get more variety in what students play, as well as expand on their current skills and get more involved in more leagues.”

The Esports Network in LACOE demonstrates how to build a community of leaders who support each other. NASEF applauds this work to provide sustainable, fun and educational esports programs in schools. We hope that this model – and the advice from members – is helpful to our affiliates and partners who are building similar programs in the United States and across the world. Whether you’re new to the world of scholastic esports or a veteran of the industry, join NASEF free, and access a wealth of resources to leverage esports as a platform to help youth Game. Grow. Learn. Lead.