The latest standardized tests scores for California’s students show relatively flat results from previous years with minimal progress made for students overall. While Latino students improved at a slightly higher rate than the average, African-American student improvements were smaller than the overall increase, contributing to […]
Author: Kerry Macklin
Voter awareness comes to high schools ahead of fall elections
To encourage civic participation and increase awareness of voter eligibility, the last two weeks of September are designated High School Voter Education Weeks in California. Required under California Education Code, the campaign stresses voter education and civic participation on campus as part of a long-term […]
Getting the lead out: Free lead testing for schools
California schools are encouraged to take advantage of a free program to test water taps for toxic metals. Triggered by increased public awareness of lead contamination in schools, the California Water Resources Control Board and the California Department of Education launched the free testing program […]
ESSA approved ending months of negotiations with SBE
The State Board of Education unanimously approved final changes to Every Student Succeeds Act plan at its mid-July meeting. On July 12, the U.S. Department of Education approved California’s plan ending a monthslong process of negotiations with the U.S. DOE. The State Board developed the […]
The Janus Decision and Implications for School Leaders
by CSBA staff The U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated opinion regarding Janus v AFSCME. As expected, the Court has ruled, by a 5–4 margin, that compelling nonconsenting employees to pay agency fees, also known as fair share fees, to unions is a violation […]
California aims to be a language leader in the classroom
Spanish, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean, Armenian, Mandarin and are just some of the languages taught in California schools. A new initiative announced last week by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, Global California 2030, aims to expand the teaching and learning of world languages and […]
New federal data offers insights on school safety, STEM courses and more
Last month, the U.S. Department of Education released its Civil Rights Data Collection for 2015–16, offering the public new statistics on enrollment demographics, opportunity gaps and other civil rights issues that affect K-12 public school students. The U.S. Dept. of Education also released two accompanying […]
Supporting foster youth during Foster Care Month
May is Foster Care Month, a 31-day reminder that foster youth need support 365 days of the year. In California, 82 percent of school districts and county offices of education serve students in foster care. In 2016, the California School Boards Association and the Stuart […]
Riding for a Reason: Full and Fair Funding of Public Schools
CSBA’s push to secure Full and Fair Funding for public schools is a statewide campaign, but its success depends on local support from every corner of California. On April 28, CSBA President Mike Walsh addressed the kind of community-driven event that is essential to raising […]
Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. California has been home to communities of Asian heritage since before its entrance into the United States in 1850. According to […]