Experts share insights on boosting California’s number of teachers of color

Emphasizing the benefits they say all students and teachers could gain from the state having more teachers of color, experts shared their strategies and insights on moving forward at a recent event hosted by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. The April 24 forum […]

California’s teaching force continues to grow but can’t keep pace with demand

State also sees slight drop in percentage of fully credentialed educators California’s slow but steady stretch of issuing more teacher credentials continued in fiscal year 2017–18, according to a new Commission on Teacher Credentialing report. Prospects may also appear slightly brighter for districts struggling to […]

Recruiting, Supporting, Retaining: African-American Teachers and the Teacher Shortage

California faces an acute shortage of teachers statewide. The demand for teachers is even greater in school districts with a large number of low-income students and diverse populations. As part of CSBA’s blog series exploring African-American student achievement in honor of African-American History Month, this […]

Finding meaning in California’s constitutional guarantee of education

by Keith Bray All children can succeed, but not all children have equal opportunity to do so. A child’s background and social station continue to play an inordinate role in his or her scholastic outcomes, both in California and across the nation. Schools, given the […]

Involving Students in LCAP Process is a Lesson in Civic Engagement

by Paul Richman California Gov.  Jerry Brown’s May Budget Revise reflected a strong commitment to the improvement of public education through the Local Control Funding Formula. As school districts seek to involve local communities – parents, students, teachers, administrators and school boards – in shaping […]

Minding the DROPS: Water conservation projects teach awareness at schools

by Renee Cashmere As a first and second grader in the Bay Area in 1976-77, an epic drought made impressions upon me that have lasted a lifetime. Even before the more recent drought began, I remembered the conservation rules all Californian’s were required to follow back then. […]

CTC again considers special credential for ROTC teachers

The Special Teaching Authorization in Physical Education for members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps would serve as recognition that the credential holder has met the subject matter requirement and represent another option for school boards considering whether to grant high school graduation credit for ROTC or Basic Military Drill.

Ask Gov. Brown to veto AB 375

Granted, the process required to dismiss a teacher is long, cumbersome, and costly. But Assembly Bill 375, now on the governor’s desk, is not balanced reform. It sets time limits for commencing and completing the process for dismissing a teacher, while also adding procedural steps that defense counsel could use to delay. Ask Gov. Jerry Brown to veto the bill now.

New CTC board tackles recommendations on teacher preparation and induction

For the first time in six months, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing at its August meeting had a full complement of members, including board member Juliet Tiffany-Morales from the Campbell Union School District Board and three other members Gov. Jerry Brown appointed in July. The commission focused its attention on recommendations by the Teacher Preparation Advisory panel established last year to review and recommend potential improvements to California teacher preparation programs.

Credential commission strengthens qualifications for interns teaching English learners

At their meeting in May, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing attempted to wrap up a number of issues that have been in the works for many months. First up was the issue of adopting updated California Administrator Performance Expectations and draft standards for administrator credential programs. This work has been the subject of stakeholder meetings for more than a year. CSBA has been actively involved in ensuring that the standards provide training in working with boards, community and other elected officials as an important part in the success of a principal in his/her duties.