California received mixed results on this week’s release of national test scores known as the “nation’s report card,” showing modest gains compared to generally static national results. On the positive side, California showed some improvement in eighth- and fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of […]
Supporting students with disabilities during Autism Awareness Month
April is National Autism Awareness Month in the United States. The month is designated to not only help people understand the disorder, but also to encourage diagnosis and emphasize the importance of early detection. According to the California Autism Society, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is […]
Students demonstrate across California for stricter gun laws
More than a million people worldwide demonstrated on behalf of gun control policies on March 24, in one of the biggest youth protests in the United States since the Vietnam War. The national and global demonstrations — countered by pro-gun rallies in several cities — […]
Lack of alignment, teacher shortage among roadblocks in NGSS rollout
In a report released earlier this month, the Public Policy Institute of California found that school districts are confronting a variety of obstacles as they work to roll out the new K-12 science standards. Using survey data collected from 204 unified and high school districts […]
Mendez v. Westminster: 72 Years Later
In the 1940s, more than 70 percent of all Mexican-American students in California attended “separate but equal” schools. And one court case changed that: Mendez v. Westminster (1946). Appalled that their three children—who were all fluent in English—were not permitted to attend a neighborhood school […]
School board members flock to Sacramento for Legislative Action Day
On March 13, 2018, CSBA members from across the state attended CSBA’s annual Legislative Action Day to meet with lawmakers and advocate for public schools. More than 200 school board members held 103 meetings with Senators and Assemblymembers in the Capitol to push for the […]
The California Earned Income Tax Credit can help families in your district
By Joe Sanberg and Laura Capps As school board members, you help thousands of families every day in your community by working to ensure their children receive the best education possible. You also help kids grow up healthy and make sure they thrive by helping […]
Funding gaps persist in California school districts
High-poverty school districts in California receive 2 percent less funding per student than more affluent districts when adjusted for student needs, a new report from The Education Trust determined. The discrepancy is part of a national trend of underfunding in large school districts serving large […]
Recruiting, Supporting, Retaining: African-American Teachers and the Teacher Shortage
California faces an acute shortage of teachers statewide. The demand for teachers is even greater in school districts with a large number of low-income students and diverse populations. As part of CSBA’s blog series exploring African-American student achievement in honor of African-American History Month, this […]
More than $300,000 in Scholar Dollars grants available to California K-8 schools
ScholarShare 529, California’s official 529 college savings plan, is now accepting entries for its Scholar Dollars grant program. All of California’s public and charter schools serving grades K-8 are eligible for the program, but they must register online by the March 7 deadline. The grants […]