Despite efforts to provide more equitable funding for schools, district boundaries continue to be barriers nationwide blocking low-income families from accessing better funded schools with a variety of academic and extracurricular programs in more affluent neighborhoods, according to an October report from Bellwether Education Partners. […]
Category: Closing the Achievement Gap
Closing the Achievement Gap
Graduation rates improved before COVID, growth can continue with targeted efforts
The high school graduation rate in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 85.8 percent in 2018–19, the final school year unaffected by the upheavals of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Building A Grad Nation report. Released Oct. 6 by Civic and the […]
Celebrating student culture year-round
National Hispanic Heritage Month can be a time for local educational agencies to dedicate time and effort specifically to engaging with Latinx families, but it can also be a launching off point to establish a culturally affirming school culture year-round. Californians Together Executive Director Martha […]
California launches student reading initiative
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was joined by various California education leaders on Sept. 21 to announce a literacy initiative for the state: By 2026, every child will learn to read by third grade. “We already know that when students learn to read, […]
CDE prepares stakeholders for long-awaited growth model release
The California Department of Education on Sept. 22 will release the initial set of historical student growth data on student achievement for English language arts and math on its Growth Model webpage, officials announced in a Sept. 13 webinar. The “residual gain” model calculates differences […]
Study on exclusionary discipline shows long-term negative effects on students
A new study from the American Institutes for Research examines the effects of the type and length of suspensions received by middle and high school students’ on their educational outcomes, their same-grade same-school peers’ educational outcomes and school climate. While an abundance of research has […]
New report considers California’s homework gap
More than 1.6 million children across California did not have high-speed internet access at home prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report. “Closing the Homework Gap in California” — released in June by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Small School Districts’ […]
Now is the time to seriously invest in computer science education
By Julie Flapan and Allison Scott, co-directors, CSforCA Our culture’s reliance on computers has never been stronger — whether we are working from home, schooling from home, shopping from home or socializing from our home — the pandemic has demonstrated technology’s increasing presence in our […]
Experts cite the need, potential pitfalls of federal broadband infrastructure plan
President Joe Biden’s recently proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan makes significant investments in schools and students, including $100 billion to help expand broadband access in communities nationwide. The investment is a good start toward ensuring all students have internet access that will allow them to […]
Expanded learning opportunities event encourages ‘broader, bolder and smarter’ use of grant funds
California’s K-12 practitioners came together on May 5 for a daylong virtual event focused on how Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant funds, available through Assembly Bill 86, can be used to support student learning recovery and well-being. A collaborative effort by the California AfterSchool Network, California […]











