Following months of discussion, stakeholder meetings and study sessions, the California State Board of Education (SBE) adopted new performance criteria for determining differentiated assistance (DA) eligibility during its July 8 meeting.
A new report published on June 5 by the Brookings Institution, Local control, national conflict: School boards in the COVID 19 and cultural war era, analyzes what happened during the turbulent first half of this decade.
Nuview Union School District (NUSD) is a small local educational agency in Nuevo, an unincorporated area in Riverside County nestled between the City of Riverside, Palm Springs and Temecula. According to district leaders, NUSD serves about 2,200 students — 90 percent of whom are English learners, foster youth or are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. As the largest employer in Nuevo — a town of under 7,00 people — NUSD’s emphasis on its Beyond the Bell programming is even more valuable, as the district prioritizes hiring from within the community, thereby allowing it to invest back into the community it serves.
California’s alternative education system — particularly its Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) schools — is a vital but often overlooked pathway for historically marginalized and vulnerable students. A recent report from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools analyzes 2022–23 data from 894 DASS schools, representing 150,009 students, to evaluate the effectiveness of these settings.
Reclassification of students designated as English learners (ELs) is a critical process governed by state policies that mandate using multiple criteria to ensure fairness and accuracy. However, while these policies aim to create equitable pathways for reclassification, discrepancies in local implementation can present barriers for students, according to a report released in March by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE).
About half of adults think their local public schools are doing an excellent or good job in preparing students for jobs and the workforce, according to a recent survey of Californian’s views on education conducted between March 26 and April 3 by the Public Policy Institute of California.
A new white paper from Learning.com and Whiteboard Advisors found that at least 39 states have passed legislation restricting student cellphone use since 2023, but interviews with superintendents, state education technology directors, researchers and practitioners suggest banning or limiting the use of these devices on school grounds should be a first step.
About two-thirds of LGBTQ+ students reported feeling unsafe because of their identity in the 2024–25 school year, according to results from an annual survey by Glisten (formerly GLSEN).
SchoolHouse Connection, a national nonprofit that works to support those experiencing homelessness through early care and education, released an analysis in March of the latest federal data on identification, attendance, graduation rates and more.
Cinnabar Elementary School District (CESD), located in Petaluma, serves just 220 students. What sets the one-school district apart from many of its similarly sized local educational agency peers is its dedication to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programming.
