Category Archives: Education and Training

Education and Training

President’s Message: Help make sure that every student is counted

27 Mar
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By CSBA President Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez As school board members and education leaders, we all agree that every student counts. That mantra will be put to the test this month as invitations to complete the 2020 U.S. Census begin arriving in mailboxes. While U.S. Census Bureau and California officials will ramp up their outreach efforts in the coming weeks, we also play a key role in making sure school-aged children are not forgotten. Traditionally, some of our youngest citizens have not...

Coronavirus, school closures bring major changes for testing season

24 Mar
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test answer sheet
Tests used for K-12 accountability, advanced course credit and college admissions are the latest segment of education to experience major repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting school closures. Standardized assessments will likely be cancelled in most states this school year, high schoolers will take their Advanced Placement exams at home, and the SAT and ACT won’t be administered until at least June, among other changes. Waiver flexibility for standardized state testing California is among the long list of states...

President’s message: Promoting student success through teacher recruitment, training and retention

18 Feb
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By Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, CSBA President Providing all students with a high-quality education is our greatest responsibility as school board members. In order to succeed in this work, we must prioritize teacher quality and invest both intellectually and finan­cially in the recruitment, retention and development of an effective and diverse educator workforce for California’s preK-12 schools. This is not just a moral ambition, it’s a practical measure to improve overall student outcomes and help close opportunity and achievement gaps that shortchange...

CCEE turns System of Support focus to mindsets and cultures

11 Feb
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At their Feb. 6 board meeting, California Collaborative for Education Excellence board members and staff discussed ways to ensure the Statewide System of Support is taking root, a continuing theme for the under-resourced organization. The system aims to assist local educational agencies by promoting partnerships, building capacity and focusing on continuous improvement by connecting LEAs with the CCEE and other state resources. Thus far, the CCEE’s task of implementing the system and producing results at the local level has proven...

March 15 layoff notices: What boards should know

10 Feb
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public school building
As a member of a school board governance team, few situations are more sensitive than a district delivering March 15 layoff notices. It is essential for governing board members to be familiar with information about the March 15 notice, its implementation process and the strict legal requirements attached to the process. The March 15 notice is a formal, written announcement from a school district to certificated employees — required by Education Code section 44949 — informing them that they may...

Governance brief focuses on the need for boards to support equity-based decisions

6 Feb
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students taking test
The new year presents a good opportunity for governing boards to reflect on recent achievements as well as unfinished work that districts and county offices of education have ahead of them to ensure that all students have access to an education that prepares them for college, career and life success. To support board members in this journey, CSBA has produced a new governance brief, “Educational Equity: The Need for Boards to Support Equity-Based Decisions.” The brief, authored by CSBA Equity...

Bilingual teacher development grant takes root in 10 districts

17 Jan
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latino student
By Amy Boles, director of educational services at Oak Grove School District In November 2016, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 58, a state ballot initiative that creates more opportunities for students to become bilingual and biliterate. The measure passed with 73.5 percent of the vote and was supported across all 58 counties. A report released in June 2017 by Californians Together, Unveiling California’s Bilingual Teacher Shortage, said that the wide support reflects the high regard that the public holds for...

CEO’s note: The brain and implicit bias

9 Dec
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Recognition is the first step in helping students By CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy Our brains are fascinatingly powerful tools that have the capacity to go beyond our own imagination. The brain has an unsurpassed ability to create, interpret, suppress and disassociate ideas and feelings. Recently, as I was sifting through my seemingly endless pile of paperwork, I came across several old articles I had flagged about the power and mysteries of the human brain. One article...

Convening highlights keys to supporting immigrant and refugee students

18 Nov
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One in six California K-12 students has at least one undocumented parent and approximately 250,000 of the state’s students ages 3–17 are undocumented. Recognizing the increasingly difficult climate facing these students, Californians Together presented the Statewide Convening for the Support of Immigrant and Refugee Students on Nov. 14 at the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento. The event was part of a support project headed by the organization’s Director of Policy and Initiatives Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, who also serves as CSBA...

New report shows need for period supplies for low-income youth

7 Nov
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A recent national survey of 1,000 teen girls ages 13 to 19 found that many have missed school because they lacked access to menstrual hygiene products. This was especially true among low-income students. The study, conducted by Harris Insights & Analytics on behalf of Period. and Thinx Inc., found that found one in five teenage girls surveyed said they couldn’t afford to purchase menstrual hygiene products. One in four respondents said they had missed class because they didn’t have access...