Reading losses that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic are disproportionately affecting young Black and Hispanic students, according to a new research brief by K–12 curriculum and assessment company Amplify. “COVID-19 Means More Students Not Learning To Read” includes middle-of-school-year data from Amplify early literacy […]
Month: April 2021
Pension rates on the rise, despite state buy-downs
The California Public Employment and Retirement System (CalPERS) board will meet next week to set the employer contribution rate for schools for the 2021–22 fiscal year. The system’s staff has recommended the board adopt a rate of 22.91 percent for the period of July 1, […]
School boards in action: 5 questions with Melissa Crick, Paradise USD
This is the second portion of a two part update from Paradise Unified School District’s board president. Read the first part here. In the midst of a global pandemic, local educational agency boards have continued working to support programs and initiatives that offer students the […]
California granted some assessment flexibility
The U.S. Department of Education on April 6 granted California’s waiver requests regarding accountability, school identification and related reporting requirements for the 2020–21 school year. The Education Department advised in a separate letter to the state that it does not need to submit a waiver […]
School boards in action: Paradise USD president talks board, Camp Fire recovery, pandemic
This is the first portion of a two part update from Paradise Unified School District’s board president addressing the state of the board and its service area, the district’s response to the pandemic and the ongoing recovery from the Camp Fire. Melissa Crick, president, Paradise […]
Newsom sets tentative reopening date; resources for ventilation upgrades discussed at CDE webinar
With hospitalizations on the decline and more than 20 million vaccine doses administered, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California’s next steps in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic on April 6. If vaccine supply is sufficient for all residents 16 and older who wish to be inoculated […]
Ninth Circuit holds in favor of school district in First Amendment case
On March 18, 2021, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit once again upheld the school district’s handling of a high profile First Amendment issue where a high school football coach was suspended after praying on […]
Authorizing school districts reach repayment settlement in charter school fraud case
In May 2019, a Grand Jury in San Diego County indicted 11 individuals involved in the group A3 Education, which ran 19 charter schools across California. The indictment alleged a scheme to siphon state funds for charter schools to A3 and the criminal defendants. During […]
Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant template now available
Of the $6.6 billion provided to local educational agencies in Assembly Bill 86, $4.6 billion is allocated in the form of ELO Grants, which can only be spent on extending instructional learning time, accelerating progress to close learning gaps, integrated pupil supports, community learning hubs, […]
“High-dosage tutoring” drastically improves learning after COVID
As state and local educational agencies seek out impactful ways to address the learning loss many children experienced this past year as a result of the pandemic, researchers at the University of Chicago Education Lab report promising results from “high-dosage tutoring.” In a study of […]