Schools can be affirming, safe places for LGBTQ youth amid book ban disputes 

Public, sometimes vitriolic, debate surrounding student access to books that positively portray lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) characters can have negative impacts on children’s mental health and well-being, even if they don’t attend schools in districts where these conversations are taking place.   “Even […]

California must incentivize and support further efforts to expand TK programming

In an effort to expand transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-old children in California by 2025–26, local educational agencies have focused their efforts on developing facilities and ensuring suitable staffing, but state leaders must turn their attention to promoting high-quality teaching and learning if universal TK […]

Governor, AG and SPI weigh in on book bans with a joint letter

On June 1, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sent a joint letter to California superintendents and school principals under the heading, “Educational Rights and Requests to Remove Instructional Materials Statewide.” The joint letter advised county and […]

New report recommends state and federal spending changes to better support homeless youth

Identifying and supporting homeless youth can be as difficult as it is crucial to ensuring equitable outcomes among some of a local educational agency’s most vulnerable students. Approximately 1.3 million students in the United States were identified as experiencing some form of homelessness in 2019–20 […]

One district’s efforts to improve mental well-being of all staff

Recognizing the importance of addressing employee mental well-being, Chula Vista Elementary School District is moving to improve teacher and staff services on campus for its 3,000 staff comprising teachers, administrators, bus drivers, custodians and more. Through a new partnership with Campus Clinic — a preventative […]

SBE updates assessment criteria for charter school petitions/renewals and more

Charter schools and career technical education were among the most discussed topics during the State Board of Education’s May 18–19 meeting. Assembly Bill 1505 made substantial changes to processes governing charter school petitions and renewals and modified the level of review for requested renewal petitions […]

California officials announce free trauma-informed training for educators

The Office of the California Surgeon General will release in late June a free, two-hour online professional learning module designed to help early care and education personnel respond to trauma and stress in children. The goal is to provide greater awareness of the impacts of […]

Low cost, low effort COVID-mitigation strategies were more common in schools without nurses

Schools with a full-time nurse or school-based health center were more likely to use several COVID-19 prevention strategies early in the 2021–22 school year, according to new school analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study examined 21 school-level prevention strategies, including […]