Category: equity

Research provides recommendations to improve outcomes for youth served in alternative education settings

California’s alternative education system — particularly its Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) schools — is a vital but often overlooked pathway for historically marginalized and vulnerable students. A recent report from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools analyzes 2022–23 data from 894 DASS schools, representing 150,009 students, to evaluate the effectiveness of these settings.

Survey finds digital accessibility must be prioritized now to meet upcoming federal requirements

The U.S. Department of Justice’s 2024 update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires state and local educational agencies to ensure accessibility across all digital platforms, but few are on track to meeting that goal, according to recent findings from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

Report sheds light on how state and local policymakers can better support Native American students

Native American Heritage Month, observed each November, serves as a reminder to local educational agencies to examine whether or not current policies, curriculum and more are contributing to ensuring schools are genuinely recognizing, respecting and nurturing Native American students. To support such efforts, the ACLU […]

California continues progress toward ensuring low-income youth are able to financially pursue higher education or job training

More than 260,000 California second graders started this school year with scholarship funds that will continue to grow during their K-12 journey to ultimately help them prepare for college and career training. The California Kids Investment and Development Savings (CalKIDS) program, launched in 2022, is […]

Survey finds AI tools not meeting most teachers’ needs, especially in rural areas

While artificial intelligence (AI) tools are gaining ground in schools, national survey results released in May from The Learning Agency show that they’re not reaching rural communities at the same pace as urban communities, and many teachers say the tools often don’t meet their needs. […]

Promising initiatives embrace diversity in schools through academic and social-emotional shifts

California is one of — if not the — most culturally, linguistically, racially/ethnically and socio-economically diverse states in the country, and its students reflect that. Research shows that embracing the unique perspectives students bring to their campuses is vital to the academic achievement of all […]

Post-pandemic academic recovery should ensure access to high-impact tutoring

High-impact tutoring became one of the core solutions to addressing long-standing achievement gaps worsened by the pandemic. However, while many districts allocated Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds toward such initiatives, fewer than half of states are preparing to continue funding these efforts […]