The U.S. Department of Department of Education released a letter on Feb. 22 stating that assessment, accountability and reporting requirements for the 2020–21 school year will not be waived. The letter says that assessments are needed to “understand the impact COVID-19 has had on learning […]
Hoping to expedite the widespread return of in-person instruction, California legislators introduced Senate Bill 86 on Feb. 18, 2021. The $6.5 billion proposal, titled the “Safe and Open Schools Act,” is designed to get large numbers of students back in the classroom this spring. The […]
The California Department of Public Health today announced that youth and recreational sports will be allowed to resume in counties with fewer than 14 positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. The new rules apply to all organized youth and adult sports and take effect next […]
In a flurry of activity on Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health held a series of press conferences on school reopening and issued new tools and guidance meant to support the return to in-person instruction. Although […]
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, one out of six children — or 8 million U.S. students — experienced some level of chronic absenteeism, according to an analysis of the most recent federal data. Those with the most absences are also in the groups hardest hit […]
The first 2021 meeting of California’s Closing the Digital Divide Task Force on Feb. 2 provided viewers a more in-depth look at some the initial proposals put forth by lawmakers to boost broadband access to students and communities. “For us, this is one of the […]
Despite the remarkable efforts school districts have made to meet the legal and practical requirements of educating all students during the COVID-19 pandemic, lawsuits related to distance learning and school closures were inevitable, including lawsuits related to educating students receiving special education services. For some […]
While the proposed Feb. 1 deadline for districts to apply for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Safe Schools for All plan has passed, conversations around school reopening continue to dominate the education policy landscape. The Governor’s plan has faced significant pushback from school officials, labor unions and […]
A Jan. 25 brief from Policy Analysis for California Education finds that there has been significant learning loss in both English language arts and mathematics, with students in earlier grades most affected. Additionally, low-income students and English learners are among those falling further behind. As […]
Local educational agencies did an impressive job increasing access to computers and the internet during the fall school term, but there remains a persistent digital divide, especially for Black, Hispanic and low-income students, according to a new study. Researchers at the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge […]
