A recent site visit to the Sacramento School of Engineering and Sciences provided CSBA Executive Committee members and staff with a real-world view of the Linked Learning approach. The students’ high level of interest and deep engagement in their work was evident across the Sacramento City Unified school site.
Busloads of students from around the state joined state education, business and legislative leaders at the state Capitol June 20 for the kickoff of the Summer Matters campaign to boost summer learning. “We’re gonna rock with summer learning this year,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson told the crowd of students assembled in front of the North steps of the Capitol, ready for the fun, literacy-themed activities to take place throughout Capitol Park after the rally.
In a move by the legislative leadership, State Constitutional Amendment 3—the amendment initially sponsored by CSBA to permit passage of school-related parcel tax ballot measures by a 55 percent rather than a two-thirds majority—is now a vehicle for a constitutional amendment related to the California Public Records and the Brown Act.
The Linked Learning approach to high school reform is based on the principle of equity and has a fundamental goal of increasing postsecondary opportunities for California’s Latino, African-American, and low-income students. Common to the Linked Learning approach are the practices of project-based learning, career-themed courses and experience, and personalized support—and reducing the use of practices associated with limiting college prep access, such as tracking and lack of articulation across grade spans.
Now’s the time to start making plans for CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show, which runs from Dec. 3-5 in San Diego. Register and make your hotel reservations now to ensure your place at the convenient headquarters hotel, the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina, or one of several other local hotels. “There’s something for everybody here at this annual education conference. … It’s gonna be dynamite,” says Rowland USD board member Heidi Gallegos, a member of the conference planning committee, in a video on the conference site: aec.csba.org, which has registration details.
CSBA exists for and because of its members. Members rely on us to advocate for them, coordinate their advocacy, provide governance training, inform them and support them in ways that no other educational organization can match. At the same time, CSBA relies on members’ continued dues support and participation.
The CSBA post-doctoral fellows program is a new collaboration between Drexel University and CSBA. The fellows program is the result of CSBA’s effort to establish partnerships with universities and other organizations. These partnerships help advance the policy leadership and priorities of CSBA by adding to CSBA’s human capital, expanding the high-quality information we provide to the members, and building understanding of governance issues and the needs of governance teams.
With the governor’s announcement in the May Revision about potentially directing $1 billion to support the implementation of Common Core State Standards, the buzz is beginning about Common Core among the general public, parents and those who look for reasons to point to the failure of our public schools. Do you have a communications plan in place to communicate to your parents and constituents about Common Core?
This blog post highlights the top 10 educational actions/recommendations within the state Senate and Assembly budget proposals.
Local Educational Agencies can’t rely on the California Department of Education to figure out how to implement the Common Core State Standards and other key education reforms looming on the horizon. Speaking to members of CSBA’s Delegate Assembly in Sacramento May 18, Rick Miller, former deputy state schools superintendent and executive director of the California Office to Reform Education, said that’s one reason 10 school districts banded together to form the CORE coalition, which is optimistic that federal education officials will approve its waiver plan that releases participating LEAs from some of the harsher requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.
