As schools nationwide grapple with teacher shortages, recruiting and retaining educators remains a critical part of addressing students’ academic needs. According to the results from the Current Teacher and Former Teacher questionnaires of the 2021–22 Teacher Follow-up Survey, teacher attrition rates have remained steady. A […]
Author: Alisha Kirby
What LEAs can do to support foster youth and prepare them for the future
A new report details the significant overhaul needed across sectors to better support and prepare those exiting the foster care system as they transition into adulthood — and schools can play an important role in reinforcing this work. Released Jan. 24 by the Institute for […]
Gen Z needs more hands-on STEM experience, poll shows
While 75 percent of Gen Z youth are interested in science, technology, engineering and math-centered careers, only about 29 percent list a STEM role as their first-choice career, according to the results of a Gallup and Walton Family Foundation poll released in December. Despite the […]
State Board starts the year with a STEM-centered agenda
Kicking off the first State Board of Education meeting in 2024 on Jan. 18, the board moved ahead on items related to assessment, instructional materials, guidance for local educational agencies, the California School Dashboard, grant allocations and more — with a particular focus on science, […]
New research explores the use of AI tools in identifying students in crisis
With youth suicidality on the rise and schools struggling to hire the number of mental health professionals needed to support students, local educational agencies have begun to turn to artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools to help identify those at risk for suicide and self-harm. However, a […]
Webinar details how addressing school climate can reduce chronic absence rates
As schools across the country continue to deal with high rates of chronic absenteeism, the U.S. Department of Education hosted a webinar on Dec. 13 exploring the connection between chronic absenteeism and school climate. Discussion covered common reasons why students disengage from school, as well […]
College access and readiness indicators highlight room for improvement
More Californians are graduating from high school, but many graduates are underprepared for higher education, according to two recent fact sheets from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) that provide snapshots of college readiness and access across the state. College readiness Recent test scores […]
Tailoring student leadership opportunities
In 1999, Sacramento County Office of Education Board President Bina Lefkovitz founded the nonprofit Youth Development Network and was co-director until 2010. Since then, she’s continued to promote equitable pathways that allow burgeoning student leaders from all walks of life to learn, grow and develop […]
Millions of eligible children disenrolled from Medicaid following pandemic policy rollback
Children account for nearly 40 percent of the 10.6 million Medicaid disenrollments reported by states as of Nov. 14, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks state Medicaid data. As of September 2023 in California, nearly 704,000 people have been disenrolled, 21 percent (more […]
New research examines impact of TK as California expands access
As California continues to expand access to transitional kindergarten (TK), new research from the Public Policy Institute of California finds benefits and potential pitfalls should burgeoning trends go unaddressed. For instance, TK leads to earlier identification of multilingual students in need of English language support […]