Resources for COVID relief fund spending and beyond

CSBA is following up on its recently released COVID relief funding reports, Beyond the spreadsheets: Insights from California education leaders on utilizing COVID-19 relief funding and Unprecedented times, unprecedented responses: An analysis of federal COVID-19 relief fund spending in California public schools, with resources that […]

Using ARP funds, other grants to support a diverse teacher workforce

Research has shown that having a racially and culturally diverse workforce of teachers benefits all students, especially students of color. Still, teacher demographics rarely mirror the students they serve. “While the majority of students in P-12 public schools are children of color, only 20 percent […]

Understaffing in schools is a major concern nationwide, survey shows

More than half of school leaders reported starting the 2022–23 school year understaffed, according to recently released survey data of 904 schools from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Overall, 53 percent of public school leaders reporting feeling understaffed entering the […]

Access to computer science coursework is growing nationwide despite pandemic, report finds

The pandemic slowed growth in computer science education, but the number of high schools across the United States that offer foundational computer science courses showed a slight increase from 51 percent in 2020–21 to 53 percent in 2021–22, according to a new report. 2022 State […]

Recent funding increases not enough to offset long-term challenges schools face

Despite record education funding levels, fiscal challenges remain, according to a fact sheet released Sept. 28 by the Public Policy Institute of California. State K-12 funding increased nearly 50 percent between 2017–18 and 2021–22, and with state, local and federal funding combined, public schools received […]

Parents find post-pandemic hope in alternative education models, survey finds

Among the findings of the first installment of Tyton Partners’ School Disrupted 2022 series, Pandemic Driven Decline in K-12 Public School Enrollment Continues, is that a “seismic shift” has occurred in K-12 enrollment as some parents opt for homeschooling programs, charter or private schools to […]

The pandemic’s effect on learning policy and practice in 2020–21

Local educational agencies statewide planned to provide technology, assess student learning, implement tiered levels of support and prioritize services for special student populations during the 2020–21 school year, but methods of doing so largely varied across districts, according to recent research. The most notable differences […]

LEAs, federal leaders share how they’re addressing youth mental health

“Addressing the Student Mental Health Crisis,” a webinar hosted by the Healthy Schools Campaign on Sept. 14, showcased how some local educational agencies are handling the challenge as well as what’s being done at the federal level. “The last two-and-a-half years have been intensely difficult […]

CSBA report finds that learning recovery is a top priority for school leaders

By Jeremy Anderson Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a national conversation about its impacts on student learning. Compounding this concern is the educational inequities that pre-existed the pandemic were worsened in school districts that primarily serve historically marginalized students. This conversation […]

District leaders want deadline extension to spend federal COVID funds

Without an extension to the deadline by which districts must spend American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, officials say they will have to scale back pandemic investments while students are still in desperate need of additional academic and social-emotional supports. A majority of school superintendents surveyed […]