By Dr. Susan Heredia, CSBA President There are exceedingly few silver linings to be found in the tragedy of COVID-19. The academic and social disruption our students have experienced is profound. Yet, if there is one welcome development from the pandemic, it’s the increased attention […]
Identification of homeless youth is vital as housing instability increases
About 2,600 students experienced housing instability in San Mateo County — one of the wealthiest counties in California — between 2016 and 2019. As rates of homelessness increase as a result of the pandemic, local educational agencies must improve identification efforts to ensure students receive […]
Educator Diversity Advisory Group issues recommendations
Decades of research have found that diversity in the teaching workforce has specific benefits to students of color and overall benefits for all students. Teachers of color boost the academic performance of students of color, including improved reading and math test scores, improved graduation rates […]
Earth Day: Exploring Plumas LEAs’ longstanding outdoor education efforts
The concept of outdoor learning may have gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic but providing students locally focused environmental education experiences is a longstanding commitment for the Plumas County Office of Education and Plumas Unified School District. For 27 years, Plumas COE’s Outdoor Education Coordinator […]
TikTok backlash highlights need to address digital literacy among students, families and policymakers
Last fall, local educational agencies throughout the country were inundated with news of rising youth misbehavior and mental health challenges linked to the social media app TikTok, which has become increasingly popular among children and teens. Stories of stolen and destroyed soap dispensers, mirrors, sinks […]
Youth impacted by COVID can benefit from comprehensive systems of care
On June 16, 2020, $14.3 million in ACEs Aware grants was awarded to 100 organizations across California to augment the work of the state’s ACEs Aware initiative. A Dec. 9, 2020 report, Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic […]
Equity-oriented restorative justice resource library available
UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools (the Center) in early April hosted the webinar, “Equity-Oriented Restorative Justice Tools for Schools,” which aimed to show how restorative justice practices can change the relationship students have with their school community while addressing racial disparities in disciplinary […]
U.S. Department of Education officials highlight funding and partnership opportunities to address teacher shortages
States and K-12 and university systems must work together to bolster preparation efforts to address the teacher shortage, officials said during an April 7 webinar hosted by the U.S. Department of Education (Education Department), which emphasized ways in which federal funding can be leveraged to […]
California pauses COVID-19 student vaccine mandate
Following news on April 14 that a bill requiring student vaccinations against COVID-19 has been shelved, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that evening that it will postpone the regulatory process used to require COVID vaccinations for public and private school attendance. The […]
Experts say lack of screenings during pandemic left children with undiagnosed disabilities
With schools throughout the country back to in-person learning, the lack of screening to diagnose and provide supports for students with disabilities has become acutely apparent, according to an April 5 panel discussion hosted by Easterseals, a nonprofit that advocates for equity, inclusion and access […]











