Category Archive for "Education and Training"

Is your district prepared for the next earthquake?

17 Oct

0

An earthquake big or small can strike California at any time, and when one does, the safety of students and staff is of paramount concern. There are a number of ways officials can prepare districts and schools for the tremblors the state is known for, from earthquake drills and seismic upgrades to possessing a basic geological knowledge. Additionally, knowing how to seek assistance, secure funding and chart a course after disaster strikes are important elements for board members to consider....

2018 state assessments show minimal gains; achievement gaps remain

3 Oct

0

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 a growing achievement gap that Education Trust–West says could take a generation or more to close. California’s Department of Education made public the results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP,...

Voter awareness comes to high schools ahead of fall elections

19 Sep

0

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 goal of creating lifelong voters and engaged citizens Presently, just 53 percent of Californians ages 18–34 are registered to vote. Even then, only one in four of that demographic actually votes. And according to the...

Implementing the new state Dyslexia Guidelines

11 Sep

0

by Leslie Lingaas Woodward Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting up to 20 percent of the population. This means that, statistically, every classroom in California has several students with dyslexia who struggle to acquire literacy skills. In 2015, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1369, which required that the California Department of Education create state Dyslexia Guidelines to assist teachers and parents in identifying, assessing and supporting these students. The guidelines were developed with input from an...

How one rural California district is tackling student suicide prevention

11 Sep

0

Editor’s Note: September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. CSBA has invited a guest blogger working with real school districts to share their experience addressing students’ social-emotional needs. By Laurel Bear, Ph.D. A young district with 30,000 students, Twin Rivers Unified School District is celebrating its 10 year anniversary. Over the course of those 10 years, Twin Rivers has recognized — along with school districts across the country — that students are coming through their halls with challenges that demand...

The Janus Decision and Implications for School Leaders

3 Jul

0

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 of their First Amendment rights. This decision by the Court overturns its 1977 ruling in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. Abood, a 1977 Supreme Court case, gave public employees represented by a union the...

California aims to be a language leader in the classroom

6 Jun

0

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 the number of students proficient in more than one language over the next 12 years — thus creating a more globally prepared workforce. According to the California Department of Education, more than 40 percent of...

In the news: May 18-24

25 May

0

Push underway to increase California school funding by billions -John Fensterwald, EdSource Legislators and education advocates who support Brown’s funding formula are ready to set the next target: an aspirational goal of committing more than $35 billion in new K-12 dollars to the funding formula — enough to raise California’s current per-student spending of $11,149 by about $6,500. That would potentially place California among the top 10 states in the nation. Betsy DeVos: Schools can choose to...

Member Profile: Gary Miller

17 Apr

0

Each issue of California Schools Magazine features a short interview with a CSBA member. Below is an unabridged transcript of the Member Profile featured in the Spring 2018 issue — an interview with Gary Miller, school board member for the Roseville City School District. How long have you been a school board member? For almost 30 years, I have served on local school boards. I served on the Robla Elementary School School District Board in North Sacramento for 19 years beginning in 1987. When...

School board members flock to Sacramento for Legislative Action Day

14 Mar

0

On March 13, 2018, CSBA members from across the state attended CSBA’s annual Legislative Action Day to meet with lawmakers and advocate for public schools. More than 200 school board members held 103 meetings with Senators and Assemblymembers in the Capitol to push for the Full and Fair Funding of California’s public schools, discuss the pension crisis, talk about school facilities funding and inform their legislators about CSBA’s sponsored bills. The day also included legislative briefings from CSBA’s governmental relations...

Category Archives: Education and Training