Category: Systems of Support

Legislators and CSBA announce SOS for Student Achievement legislative package at Capitol press event

On March 17, Assemblymembers Darshana Patel (D-San Diego), Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy) and Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) joined CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy, CSBA President Dr. Debra Schade and Hope Elementary School District Superintendent Melanie Matta at the Capitol to unveil the SOS for Student Achievement: Close the state accountability gap campaign and related legislation to improve overall student performance, close achievement gaps and establish comprehensive state-level support for local school districts and county offices of education.

Report finds need for more coherence within the Statewide System of Support

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.

California’s community schools are seeing improvements in test scores, attendance and disciplinary rates

Since 2021, California has invested $4.1 billion in the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP), establishing the nation’s largest state-level community schools initiative. According to new research from the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), these schools are already having positive impacts on students and families. The […]

Teen court program seeks to provide young people a path forward 

Del Norte County is in the early stages of bringing back an initiative dissolved decades ago that will allow local teens who commit a first-time, non-violent offense, such as fighting, shoplifting or graffiti, to take accountability and repair harm without getting involved in the justice […]

Spotlight: Improving higher education access in the Inland Empire starts with early awareness

In a follow-up report to two recently released fact sheets detailing college access and readiness throughout the state, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) homed in on pathways to college completion in the Inland Empire. While the region has a higher share of children […]

Promising strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism among homeless youth

Students experiencing homelessness miss school at nearly twice the rate of their peers, but school districts across the country are implementing strategies that are reducing chronic absence rates, according to a new report from SchoolHouse Connection and Attendance Works. Through a series of case studies, […]

Community building is necessary to establishing healthy school cultures

Creating school cultures that support young people and minimize violence and bullying requires ongoing work — a topic explored by experts in a Feb. 14 webinar hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, […]

U.S. student-to-school counselor ratio improves but still misses recommended rate

The student-to-school counselor ratio improved 5.6 percent nationally between 2021–22 and 2022–23, but there is still work to be done to reach the recommended rate of 250:1, according to data released by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in February. In 2022–23, the student-to-counselor ratio […]

What LEAs can do to support foster youth and prepare them for the future

A new report details the significant overhaul needed across sectors to better support and prepare those exiting the foster care system as they transition into adulthood — and schools can play an important role in reinforcing this work. Released Jan. 24 by the Institute for […]

Webinar details how addressing school climate can reduce chronic absence rates

As schools across the country continue to deal with high rates of chronic absenteeism, the U.S. Department of Education hosted a webinar on Dec. 13 exploring the connection between chronic absenteeism and school climate. Discussion covered common reasons why students disengage from school, as well […]