Closing the Achievement Gap
Attendance rates improve when a school develops meaningful family engagement, and when students feel safe and have positive relationships with peers and teachers. According to new research from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, these positive factors of school climate have become especially impactful since the pandemic.
The California Department of Education (CDE) hosted a webinar in January to equip local educational agency leaders, educators and other stakeholders with best practices and actionable strategies to improve literacy outcomes for Black students. With Black History Month in full swing, now is a perfect time for administrators and governance teams to revisit the discussion.
The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team and leadership at Avalon Elementary in the Val Verde Unified School District adopted a simple change to the school’s morning routine that has led to positive shifts in student behavior and campus culture.
A December report summarizes the findings of a working group convened last year by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to determine how effectively the Statewide System of Support’s current structure — including the layers of technical assistance embedded in it, such as differentiated assistance and direct technical assistance — is supporting local educational agencies.
In recognition of Black History Month, observed in February, CSBA Principal Research Manager Jeremy Anderson highlighted how the initiative, with proper implementation, will allow local educational agencies to better support African American students.
Livingston Union School District (LUSD), a small, high-need district in California’s Central Valley, invested in a collaborative, equity-driven counseling model that has helped to boost student outcomes across several crucial metrics, according to a case study from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Through sustained funding, strong leadership and clearly defined counselor roles, researchers found that the district can serve as a model for how comprehensive, equity-centered school counseling can drive meaningful outcomes for diverse student populations.
Proposal correctly diagnoses lack of state-level coherence as major issue and opens door to more comprehensive solution that supports local school districts in driving student performance and closing achievement gaps The logic behind Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to unite the State Board of Education with […]
CSBA’s 2026 budget advocacy strategy: Protect core funding, strengthen local control and drive overall student success As the 2026 State Budget cycle begins, CSBA is advancing a comprehensive advocacy strategy that defends public education’s fiscal foundation while urging Sacramento to do more — at the […]
A September report from the University of California, Los Angeles’ Civil Rights Project, Extreme Segregation and Policy Inaction in California Schools, found that the state’s school remain deeply segregated by race and class, contributing to educational inequities. The report begins by explaining its methodology is […]
The Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP) was a $500 million investment established by Assembly Bill 181 after California set a 70-percent postsecondary attainment goal in the 2022–23 State Budget. Program funds are provided to support expanded pathways and smoother transitions into high-wage, high-skill and high-growth […]
