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.

CSBA President Marks named Elected Woman of the Year

Cindy Marks

CSBA President Cindy Marks has been named Elected Woman of the Year by California Women Lead, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of women holding – or interested in holding – elected or appointed office. She was among five elected or appointed women honored by the organization in Sacramento on Aug. 21, and the fourth CSBA president to also serve on the board of directors of California Women Lead.

LCFF input sessions wrap up in Sacramento and Bakersfield

A final two days of sessions to gather input about implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula drew capacity crowds Aug. 12-13. The sessions were facilitated by WestEd on behalf of the State Board of Education and California Department of Education. They provided local governing board members and other education advocates an opportunity to weigh in as the State Board and CDE develop regulations, templates and guidance for local educational agencies to implement LCFF.

LCFF: State hears questions, concerns, desires about new funding formula

Capacity crowds at the first of three public input sessions on implementation of the state’s new school funding formula revealed a thirst for more information and details about the law, as well as concern about its accountability requirements. Local community, district and county education leaders, teachers and classified staff have lots of enthusiasm and interest for successfully implementation of LCFF. There is a strong desire for clarity around the requirements on use of supplemental and concentration funds; for more information and data on the state priorities to be included in the Local Accountability Plan Templates and for authentic engagement of parents and especially parents of English learners and African-American students.

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.

Policy watch: Does your district have policies that support breastfeeding?

As August is World Breastfeeding Month, this is a good time to review district policies and practices to ensure compliance with legal requirements that employees be provided with reasonable break time and an appropriate location to express milk for their infant children. CSBA’s sample board policy BP 4033 – Lactation Accommodation reflects these federal and state requirements and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation against any employee who chooses to exercise her rights under these laws.

6 federal agencies collaborate on new school safety guide

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama proposed a range of initiatives to address gun violence and school safety in response to the school shootings in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Last week, the Administration did release its “Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans,” which provides guidance to school districts and states on everything from school design to planning emergency drills to balancing privacy and student safety.

Common Core State Standards and Local Control Funding Formula dominate State Board agenda

The State Board of Education (SBE) met in Sacramento on July 10 and 11 with much of the agenda appropriately consumed with issues relating to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation, changes to the state assessment system and the newly adopted Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). For a quick overview, tune into our This Just In feature to learn more.

Teachers are critical to the success of Common Core

If the implementation of the Common Core State Standards is to be successful, it will be because of teachers. All of the planning, budgeting, assessment development and communication won’t matter at all if the efforts are not ultimately focused on preparing teachers. With approximately $200 per student to spend on Common Core implementation over the next two years, boards have work to do. They will need to have a plan for staff to use the funds, hold a public hearing to inform the community, and then adopt that plan at a subsequent board meeting.