Students with access to universal free meals (UFM) in kindergarten have better attendance records than children without this access, according to a research brief released Feb. 7 by Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. Among more than 132,000 New York City kindergarteners, […]
Month: March 2023
CSBA bills for COEs, small school districts and cybersecurity receive boost from Legislative Action Week
CSBA co-sponsored AB 906 seeks to increase funding for juvenile court and community schools Juvenile court schools and community schools provide important academic instruction as well as critical supports and services for some of California’s most at-risk students who have either fallen upon difficult times […]
California high schoolers talk school culture
Four high school students, members of the California Center for School Climate’s (CCSC) Youth Advisory Team, shared their experiences being a young person today, impacts of the pandemic on their academic and social lives, advice for educators and more during a recent webinar, “Youth Perspectives: […]
Member advocacy blossoms with CSBA Roadshow and Legislative Action Week
By Susan Markarian The author Leo Tolstoy said, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” That is certainly true at CSBA, where we have spent the first weeks of March planting seeds of advocacy that we hope will blossom into policy and legislation that […]
National politics are impacting local classrooms, research shows
Political attacks on public schools are pervasive and growing, hindering learning and the role schools play in a diverse democracy, according to a new study by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles and UC Riverside. The brief, “Educating for a Diverse Democracy in California,” […]
School-based health services expanding as need grows
Millions of students receive school-based health services, and for many, schools are their first — and sometimes only — option to receive health care. At least 70 percent of students who access mental health services begin doing so in a school-based setting, which makes expanding […]
Supreme Court rules in favor of student seeking monetary compensation under the Americans with Disabilities Act
On March 21, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion, holding that students receiving special education services who file suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) seeking monetary compensation do not first have to exhaust administrative procedures under the Individuals with Disabilities […]
Sacramento COE leaders detail plans to expand mental health access in every school
Cooperation and building understanding should be key aspects of any attempt to expand and align youth mental health supports across a county, experts said during a recent panel discussion on an innovative collective-impact approach to reimagine mental health care taking place in Sacramento schools. The […]
San Mateo COE suit alleges social media platforms negatively impact student mental health
On March 13, 2023, the San Mateo County Board of Education and county superintendent filed suit against YouTube, Snap (formerly Snapchat) and TikTok in the federal district court for the Northern District, alleging that these social media companies designed their platforms and/or applications to intentionally […]
New report calls for path to climate-resilient and sustainable schools
Recognizing demands from students and the urgent action needed to combat climate change, a statewide coalition of nearly 50 stakeholders — including doctors, medical and environmental health researchers, educators, youth and community groups, and other experts — convened in 2021 to examine the challenges of […]