New report reveals an alarming state of crisis for California homeless students

By Geneva Sum State of Crisis, Dismantling Student Homelessness in California, a new report from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, reveals that even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, student homelessness was already on the rise and is estimated to worsen. More than […]

Large donation of facemasks to be distributed to students in high-need communities

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced on Oct. 22 that the California Department of Education received 500,000 cloth facemasks donated by General Motors for students in need across the state. In a press conference announcing the donation, Thurmond said that allocation of the […]

Federal audit of disaster recovery funds finds LEA issues exacerbated by COVID-19

A new audit report from the U.S Government Accountability Office addressed to Congress examines how federal disaster recovery funds are being used in districts that received them, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated fund implementation and exacerbated issues connected to natural disasters. In a […]

National comparison of K-3 policies shows room for improvement

The Education Commission of the States released a comparison of K-3 polices across all 50 states on Sept. 28 that examined school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements, educator quality, prevention, intervention and retention, and social-emotional learning and mental health. “Following a high-quality early care and […]

New report examines ways to rethink education as schools reopen

As local educational agencies across the country face decisions about when and how to reopen schools for in-person learning, the Learning Policy Institute has released a new report that looks at methods to rethink schools in ways that align with evidence-based policies and practices. Restarting […]

Ongoing digital divide concerns, possible solutions highlight Assembly hearing

A joint Assembly committee hearing on Oct. 14 offered an array of perspectives on the digital divide, which has long plagued California but is now being considered with new urgency due to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread distance learning. New Reality: Students’ Access to the […]

Updated CDC guidance provides testing protocol recommendations for schools, including shift in broad testing strategies

With COVID-19 tests becoming more widely available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance Oct. 13 on what K-12 school administrators and public health officials should consider when testing students or staff. “Interim Considerations for Testing for K-12 School Administrators and Public […]

National study finds text messages to parents can reduce chronic absence

Targeted text messages sent to parents reduces chronic absence in elementary school, particularly for students with a history of missing class, according to a first-of-its-kind study from the National Center for Education Evaluation at the Institute of Education Sciences. Researchers also found that most parents […]