New CSBA resources on reporting requirements and late start

CSBA’s Research and Education Policy Development (REPD) team has contributed to the creation of new resources to inform local educational agency leaders on critical topics including state and federal reporting requirements and late start implementation. “The REPD team is committed to providing CSBA members with timely and relevant resources,” said Senior Director Mary Gardner Briggs. “This overview of the reporting requirements is a visual way of communicating concerns our members have been raising, and we already have reports of this document’s use in local and statewide advocacy with legislators.”  

New report provides snapshot of the state of English learners in California

Californians Together released an inaugural The State of English Learners in California Public Schools report on June 12 that summarizes key demographic and outcome data for English learners using a variety of data sources to examine how they are being served in the education system […]

New briefs detail best and worst practices in serving English learners and immigrant-origin students

Two recently updated briefs from Results for America and the Annenberg Institute at Brown University highlight proven practices local educational agencies can use to engage English learners and immigrant-origin students — a term that encompasses both the first- and second-generation youth — to help them […]

California accounted for majority of 2022–23 pre-K funding increases nationwide

California now ranks 16th in the nation for preschool enrollment for 4-year-olds and 15th for 3-year-olds across both the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) and transitional kindergarten (TK), according to a report released April 18 by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). While […]

Early literacy report shows narrowing of achievement gaps but slow growth overall

Only half of K-2 students across the U.S. are on track for learning to read, with three in 10 students considered far behind, according to a research brief released March 13 by Amplify, a curriculum and assessment company. Findings show that while schools across the […]

Survey shows adults support public education, divided on current issues facing the field

The results of a survey conducted between September and October 2023 by University of Southern California’s Center for Applied Research in Education on current issues including what educators teach, what books are available and assigned to students, and parental control are covered in the report Searching for Common Ground: Widespread Support for Public Schools but Substantial Partisan Divides About Teaching Contested Topics.

Researchers provide recommendations to harness the benefits of gentrification, mitigate the challenges

Gentrification is controversial and often associated with the displacement of low-income residents of color, cultural shifts in a neighborhood and other negative outcomes, but it can also bring new resources into communities that have experienced historic disinvestment, offering greater access to well-resourced public amenities such […]

Using chronic absence data to create change

The new brief “Seize the Data: Using Chronic Absence Data to Drive Student Engagement,” a joint publication of CSBA and Attendance Works released in March, provides an overview of chronic absenteeism in California and information on the student groups it impacts most as well as questions that board members can consider when assessing the issue, ways to address it and related resources. 

Universal school meal policies lead to higher participation rates, more challenges

Providing school meals to all students at no charge increased lunch participation in the five states that offer universal school meals, and raised breakfast participation rates in four of those during the 2022–2023 school year, according to a report released in February by the Food […]

Policies restricting teaching of controversial topics impact educators in states without such policies

Results of the RAND Corporation’s 2023 State of the American Teacher survey released Feb. 15 showed that nationally, 65 percent of teachers report limiting discussions about political and social issues in class — nearly double the share of teachers who are located in states that […]