The Education Commission of the States released a comparison of K-3 polices across all 50 states on Sept. 28 that examined school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements, educator quality, prevention, intervention and retention, and social-emotional learning and mental health. “Following a high-quality early care and […]
Author: Alisha Kirby
Updated CDC guidance provides testing protocol recommendations for schools, including shift in broad testing strategies
With COVID-19 tests becoming more widely available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance Oct. 13 on what K-12 school administrators and public health officials should consider when testing students or staff. “Interim Considerations for Testing for K-12 School Administrators and Public […]
Incoming California State University chancellor Joseph Castro on the value of higher education, ethnic studies and equity
Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized nationwide from Sept. 15–Oct. 15 as a time to honor the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a proclamation issued on Sept. 15, 2020, recognized Latino Heritage Month to honor and recognize the contributions […]
Assembly Bill 992 amends Brown Act to address social media use
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 18 signed Assembly Bill 992, which amends the Brown Act’s prohibition of serial meetings, to permit certain social media communications. Under the revised law, board members may communicate with their communities via social media, but may not communicate directly with […]
National health officials attempt to re-establish trust in COVID-19 vaccine and treatments
Four national health experts testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions last week sought to convince legislators, as well as the public, that when a vaccine or a treatment for COVID-19 is released, it can be trusted. “In the end, […]
California’s new anti-hate initiative must avoid common pitfalls to make lasting change, experts say
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced on Sept. 21 the Education to End Hate initiative, designed to empower educators and students to confront hate, bigotry and racism through education. “Education continues to be one of our most powerful tools for countering hate and […]
Early learning centers serving dual language students need more support, research finds
There has been a significant push to reopen in-person school settings for California’s youngest students, but more must be done to support early learning centers that address the needs of dual language learners, according to a new report. The brief from Early Edge California and […]
New report finds COVID-19 learning loss will be drastic, and students will need significant support
With local educational agencies beginning to reopen campuses or get into the swing of virtual learning, significant resources will be needed to help students overcome a summer slide made worse by the “COVID slide,” according to a new study. The report released Aug. 25 by […]
Legislative leaders shirked their responsibility in shielding schools from COVID-19 liability
The 2019–20 legislative session ended without Assembly Bill 1384 (O’Donnell, D–Long Beach) being considered by the State Senate. AB 1384 was not defeated by a vote of the State Senate, but by the decision of the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to not schedule […]
Factors beyond student ability and hard work likely to impact grades
When it became apparent that the 2019–20 academic year would come to a close with nearly every student in the state participating in distance learning, districts were forced to scramble to come up with fair grading policies that took into account all of the ways […]











