Dashboard changes take shape during State Board of Education meeting

During its March 8–9 meeting, the State Board of Education laid the groundwork for developing updates to the 2023 California School Dashboard, which will be finalized later this year. The 2022 California School Dashboard, released in December following a two-year pause prompted by the COVID-19 […]

Best-selling author Tara Westover links extracurriculars to school engagement and student well-being at AEC

Why, after never having set foot in a public school, did Tara Westover leave the only life she’d ever known to work so hard to enroll at Brigham Young University? Because, she told the audience of the Third General Session in defense of extracurriculars, she […]

Student mental health is a significant priority for school board members

School board members consider student mental health one of the most pressing issue facing schools and youth today, according to a national survey of trustees released Jan. 25 by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) USA, a program administered by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. […]

Efforts continue to expand broadband access

A Jan. 9 brief released by the Pew Charitable Trusts details the goals, requirements and other considerations for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, an ambitious federal investment in high-speed, affordable internet. BEAD dedicates more than $42 billion to construct broadband networks, offers […]

New studies examine underlying causes of disproportionate discipline

State and district efforts to limit the use of suspensions for minor infractions and adopt nonpunitive strategies such as restorative justice have helped to reduce the overall out-of-school suspension rate from 6.9 percent in 2010 to 3.8 percent in 2018. Yet African American students, who […]

Cultivating recruitment, retention and school climate to increase teacher diversity

Research demonstrates the cyclical relationship between school climate and teacher recruitment and retention. A positive climate can improve a school’s ability to recruit and retain qualified, diverse educators, while having these educators can improve school climate. That’s why it’s so critical that local educational agencies […]

Promising policies in advancing language proficiency among newcomer students

Most newcomer students enter school with very low or beginning English language proficiency (ELP), but their language skills can develop rapidly under the right conditions, according to the first in a new series of briefs by Policy Analysis for California Education. While California does not […]

State analyst’s office recommends overhaul of adult education

California’s system for funding adult education needs a complete redesign, according to a Dec. 13 report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which called the current methodology “fundamentally flawed and at odds with the state’s program goals.” The brief, Redesigning California’s Adult Education Funding Model, noted […]