Reducing Chronic Absence: An Overlooked Opportunity for Raising Student Achievement

September is Attendance awareness month! To celebrate, we have invited four guest bloggers to provide insight throughout the month about the importance of student attendance.  In this first installment, guest blogger Hedy Chang explores how reducing chronic absence can raise student achievement. By Hedy Chang, […]

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.

Let’s restore the civic mission of California schools

In California and across the nation, research is revealing a very troubling ‘civic learning opportunity gap.’ Students attending schools that serve populations with higher socio-economic status have many more civic learning opportunities than students attending schools serving lower SES populations, minority populations and those serving high concentrations of recent arrivals to our nation. Schools facing pressure to make ‘annual yearly progress’ are all too often significantly reducing instructional time for civic learning/social studies, or in some cases eliminating the subject altogether to concentrate on math and reading.

Does common core = common curriculum?

A recent Education Week article quoted excerpts of a speech delivered by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to the American Society of News Editors in which he defended the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Duncan stated that those opposed to Common Core believe that the standards and tests will lead “to mind control, robots, and biometric brain mapping.” That may sound extreme, but it is not surprising. There has been a growing resistance to CCSS.

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.

Executive Committee sees successful Linked Learning programs in action

A recent site visit to the Sacramento School of Engineering and Sciences provided CSBA Executive Committee members and staff with a real-world view of the Linked Learning approach. The students’ high level of interest and deep engagement in their work was evident across the Sacramento City Unified school site.

CSBA joins work to link students with college and career opportunities

The Linked Learning approach to high school reform is based on the principle of equity and has a fundamental goal of increasing postsecondary opportunities for California’s Latino, African-American, and low-income students. Common to the Linked Learning approach are the practices of project-based learning, career-themed courses and experience, and personalized support—and reducing the use of practices associated with limiting college prep access, such as tracking and lack of articulation across grade spans.

Save the date for AEC: Dec. 5-7 in San Diego

Now’s the time to start making plans for CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show, which runs from Dec. 3-5 in San Diego. Register and make your hotel reservations now to ensure your place at the convenient headquarters hotel, the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina, or one of several other local hotels. “There’s something for everybody here at this annual education conference. … It’s gonna be dynamite,” says Rowland USD board member Heidi Gallegos, a member of the conference planning committee, in a video on the conference site: aec.csba.org, which has registration details.