Only 30 percent of the nation’s largest school districts are led by women, and they continue to face unique challenges and stressors compared to their male colleagues, according to the annual Women Leading Ed Insight Survey, released in February. This percentage has largely stayed stagnant […]
Category: equity
New analysis finds rate of book bans has increased in recent years
Stories about people of color and LGBTQ topics continue to be banned in school libraries at disproportionate rates, according to the latest analysis from PEN America, a free speech advocacy organization that tracks curriculum censorship. The report, released on Feb. 27, is based on PEN […]
Report highlights gaps in career readiness for in-demand fields
Early career exposure is critical to addressing student disengagement among middle and high schoolers and closing workforce gaps, according to the 2025 State of the Future U.S. Workforce Report released in February by YouScience. Data from 450,000 middle and high school students across all 50 […]
New report sheds light on commonalities and differences among highly mobile youth
Children experiencing homelessness, those in foster care, migratory students, and youth involved in the juvenile legal system face compounded challenges that disrupt their education, health and future opportunities. The UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools released a report in February, Often Overlooked but Not […]
Dual enrollment in math courses is growing and becoming more diverse, but study finds room to grow
Through dual enrollment, California high school students earn college credits when they take and pass a college course. According to a February Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, legislation, significant financial investments and advocacy have helped inform and support the growth of dual enrollment […]
New research: States must step up to ensure students have internet access
The federal Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) — all of which boosted student connectivity during and after the pandemic — have come to an end, leaving states to pick up the slack to ensure […]
Report examines benefits to identifying low-income youth differently under LCFF
Using free and reduced-price meal (FRPM) enrollment as a proxy to identify how much additional funding local educational agencies receive under California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) may be leaving out children and undercutting schools’ efforts to support them. LCFF allocates additional funding to LEAs […]
Riverside COE initiative emphasizes data in supporting foster youth
The Riverside County Office of Education recently launched an initiative focused on partnerships and collaboration to address the myriad challenges that foster students throughout the county face both in and outside of the classroom. Data show foster youth throughout the nation continue to face lower […]
Legal update: 2024 Title IX regulations have been vacated
As explained in a previous issue of California School News, in April 2024 the Biden Administration issued new Title IX regulations effective Aug. 1, 2024. Among other things, these regulations made significant changes to Title IX sexual harassment procedures — such as those governing the […]
Report finds Native youth face disproportionate rates of discipline
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students nationwide often face disproportionately high rates of exclusionary discipline. A recent report from WestEd examines the negative consequences of exclusionary discipline; shares examples of how some states address problems of suspension and expulsion; and offers policymakers recommendations to […]











