October is National Bullying Prevention Month and local educational agencies should consider how they can foster positive, safe and inclusive school environments in order to prevent bullying and boost student success. CSBA’s Research and Education Policy Development (REPD) Department has published a governance brief, “School […]
Category: Systems of Support
Communication can help students get off to a strong start with attendance
With chronic absenteeism rates in California still hovering at about double where they were prior to the pandemic (22 percent compared to about 10 percent), communicating to families the importance of getting children to school is more important than ever. To aid local educational agencies […]
New data shows steep increase in special education students
The number of students in special education in the United States has doubled over the past 40 years, according to new data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The total number of students in special education increased from 3.6 million in the 1976–76 school […]
Trends in community schools implementation
With $4.1 billion in funding for community schools grants and technical assistance, California has made the largest investment in community school implementation in the country. Its efforts, as well as those in other states, are examined in the Learning Policy Institute’s (LPI) recent report State […]
Experts highlight strategies for teacher retention
As schools continue to struggle to staff classrooms and retain newer educators, an April 26 panel discussion hosted by EdSource highlighted several potential solutions: Increase pay, reduce bureaucratic paperwork and provide systemwide support with the help of mentors. Experts reflected on the many challenges new […]
New report highlights factors needed for strong MTSS implementation
New report highlights factors needed for strong MTSS implementation Local needs, strong leadership and relationships are all at the center of proper implementation of Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), according to a new report from the University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for the Transformation […]
Local and state leaders discuss disproportionate discipline
In light of recent findings that discipline rates have increased, particularly for African American and Native American children and students with disabilities, the California Department of Education hosted a panel on March 2 focused on alternatives to discipline. State and local education leaders and advocates […]
Supporting students in foster care requires time and resources
California’s Students in Foster Care: Challenges and Promising Practices, a report released by the Learning Policy Institute in July 2022, considers statewide pre-pandemic education data and conversations with county offices of education foster youth services coordinators to find promising practices that can implemented. In 2018–19, […]
Report details how one county’s juvenile justice program effectively engages students
Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Road to Success Academies (RTSA), a comprehensive educational model for juvenile court schools that serve young people detained for extended periods of time, is successfully reigniting student engagement, according to a new study. Centering Care and Engagement: Understanding Implementation […]
New report details how to decrease hesitancy in school threat reporting
Building trust, transparency and awareness that reports are taken seriously are among the steps local educational agencies must take to boost the rate at which threats to school safety are reported, according to new research from the U.S. Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center. Supporting Individual […]











