At least 89 bills have been introduced throughout the country this legislative session that address reading instruction, third-grade intervention or literacy in general, according to the Education Commission of the States. According to the commission’s updated 50-State Comparison on K-3 Policies brief, recent legislative activity […]
Month: July 2023
Students feel their motivation and morale is mostly intact post-pandemic; Teachers disagree
Students and teachers have very different opinions on students’ level of motivation, according to a recent EdWeek Research Center report, Student Motivation: Student and Educator Perceptions. To determine the degree to which the views of educators align with those of the young people they serve, […]
SBE closes the book on revised math framework adoption saga
After nearly four years of rewrites, debates and thousands of public comments, the State Board of Education adopted a revised K-12 Mathematics Framework during its July 12–13 meeting. “One of the things I realize is that at the heart of every comment … children are […]
Experts call for lawmakers to continue funding the Affordable Connectivity Program
Congress must continue funding the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to further efforts to provide online access to all, according to a June 5 Brookings Institution Center for Technology Innovation panel. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) administers the $14 billion ACP, which provides up to $30 […]
Legislation to switch from attendance to enrollment-based funding becomes a two-year bill
Senate Bill 98 (Portantino, D-Burbank), which would provide supplemental enrollment-based funding to California’s schools, became a two-year bill on July 11 and will remain under consideration in the Assembly Education Committee until next year. CSBA has an Oppose unless Amended position on SB 98. CSBA […]
COVID relief aid and district spending
A July 11 webinar examining how districts are using COVID relief funding featured CSBA Senior Director of Research and Policy Development Mary Briggs in a panel discussion. The webinar, hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), accompanied its new report, District Spending of […]
Supreme Court rules against affirmative action
The spring edition of California Schools magazine included an article detailing the United States Supreme Court’s history on affirmative action and described two then-pending cases that sought to undo 45 years of judicial precedent, and consequently make affirmative action practices illegal in United States colleges’ […]
Developing a diverse teacher workforce will require more effort at the state level
California must establish a clear vision and comprehensive action plan to recruit, prepare and sustain an educator workforce whose diversity reflects the state’s student population, but local educational agencies can’t meet this goal alone, according to a new document. California Educator Diversity Road Map: Community-Informed […]
School Boards in Action: 5 Questions with Dieema A. Wheaton, El Segundo USD
Dieema A. Wheaton, board president, El Segundo Unified School District in Los Angeles County What are some promising practices taking place in your district? El Segundo USD is committed to the overall well-being and mental health of our students. We offer a variety of programs […]
Preschool enrollment starts to rebound post-pandemic
Comparing the 2021–22 school year with pre-pandemic data, The National Institute for Early Education Research’s (NIEER) report The State of Preschool 2022 provides information by state on preschool enrollment, funding and policies, and outlines next steps for improvement. Enrollment was down 8 percent from pre-pandemic […]