Basic infrastructure to support K-5 social studies instruction — academic standards, accountability requirements, teacher evaluation, professional learning opportunities, guidance around materials and assessment programs — is inadequate in many states, according to new Rand Corporation research. And even where state-level infrastructure to guide teachers’ instruction […]
Month: March 2023
Measuring students’ college readiness
More than half of states are underestimating their students’ postsecondary potential as they depart the K-12 system, according to All4Ed’s February report Undermeasuring: College and Career Readiness Indicators May Not Reflect College and Career Outcomes. “Today, four in five good jobs require at least some […]
Local and state leaders discuss disproportionate discipline
In light of recent findings that discipline rates have increased, particularly for African American and Native American children and students with disabilities, the California Department of Education hosted a panel on March 2 focused on alternatives to discipline. State and local education leaders and advocates […]
New pay-to-play law challenged in court
By Dana Scott As of Jan. 1, 2023, school and county office of education board members are subject to “pay-to-play” campaign contribution restrictions due to the passage of Senate Bill 1439 and the changes it made to the Political Reform Act PRA). Prior to SB […]
The progress of using federal COVID-19 aid in California — winter 2022 update
By Jeremy Anderson The first spending deadline for the historic federal COVID relief funding known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER I) fund and the Governors’ Emergency Education Relief (GEER I) fund was Jan. 30, 2023. These 2020 funding packages were the […]
How parents, teachers and LEAs can help students read by third grade
Almost 60 percent of children in California don’t meet state standards for reading by third grade. A recent EdSource webinar “Reading by third grade: What parents and teachers can do” provided parents and educators who are on the front lines of the “literacy crisis” an opportunity […]
Dashboard changes take shape during State Board of Education meeting
During its March 8–9 meeting, the State Board of Education laid the groundwork for developing updates to the 2023 California School Dashboard, which will be finalized later this year. The 2022 California School Dashboard, released in December following a two-year pause prompted by the COVID-19 […]
AED training is essential to keeping students safe
Freezing or panicking may be a normal reaction among bystanders if a child goes into sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). However, because every second is critical in responding to such an event, experts are calling on schools to provide teachers and staff with training that addresses […]
California schools still have work to do to address lead in drinking water
A 2020 analysis by the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) Education Fund of more than 2,100 drinking fountains found that 1,300 California schools tested positive for lead during the prior three years, with the health problem encompassing more than half (53 percent) of the […]
School Boards in Action: 5 Questions with Brad Beach, ABC USD
Brad Beach, board president, ABC Unified School District With the school year well underway, what are some promising practices taking place in your district? Our district is trying to hire a mental health professional at every campus. We are getting close. In an effort to retain […]