California Census Challenge launches to improve poor response rate

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla recently announced the California Census Challenge, a statewide competition with the goal of increasing the census self-response rates of the state’s cities and counties while decreasing the need for at-home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. If the current lack […]

Funding influx needed to address equity concerns this school year and beyond

In the topsy-turvy leadup to the 2020–21 school year, the most recent pressing issues involve the logistics of when and how campuses could or should physically reopen. While opening dates are critical for the operations of school districts, national education observers and advocates said at […]

Special education teachers need professional development to bridge all aspects of the digital divide

The abrupt shift to distance learning this spring revealed glaring and significant disparities that have long been present in student access to technology. Campus closures also highlighted another problem: there is little understanding of how to best educate students with disabilities via distance learning. An […]

New report highlights need for more, stable funding to upgrade school facilities amid pandemic concerns

Though the majority of districts in California are beginning the 2020–21 academic year through distance learning, campuses will eventually reopen for in-person instruction, and many students and staff are likely to return to facilities desperately in need of repair, according to a new report from […]

Revised Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum begins new rounds of public review

A revised draft of the California Department of Education’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum was presented to the Instructional Quality Commission on Aug. 13, after reviewing thousands of critical comments of the initial draft. The first draft had been criticized by advocacy groups as promoting anti-Semitism […]

Measuring and monitoring attendance the era of COVID proves a challenging task

Districts likely won’t be celebrating Attendance Awareness Month next month with the usual fanfare, but in this time of hybrid or virtual learning, where students need additional support to also make up for missed time last year, local educational agencies are acutely aware that being […]

CCEE outlines goals, emphasizing how to address the current needs of teachers

Teachers, much like everyone else involved in the public education system, are actively seeking answers on how to best deliver engaging, high-quality lessons to students through virtual learning models. And more than ever before, they are turning to the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence for […]