In a time marked by declining enrollment, shifts in federal policy and rising costs, the board’s role as stewards of local education finance is more critical than ever. In response to concerns from board members around the state, CSBA hosted a webinar, “Maximizing Impact: Prioritizing […]
Survey shows drop in how Americans grade their local schools
The 57th annual PDK Poll on the public’s attitudes toward public education found that 43 percent of Americans give their local schools an A or B grade (down from 54 percent in 2022), while just 13 percent feel the same about the nation’s public schools (a fall from 23 percent in 2022).
Experienced teachers reap benefits for school culture, student outcomes
Recent research concluded that teachers do continue to improve professionally the more experienced they become. Think Again: Do the Returns to Teacher Experience Fizzle Out? explores the conditions needed to foster ongoing growth and how the field can retain more seasoned educators.
Attendance Awareness Month: Study highlights immigration enforcement as factor in increasing absence rates
September is Attendance Awareness Month, a time when governance teams often look to re-examine policies and data related to school climate, chronic absenteeism, student wellness and more to address underlying causes of high absence rates among young people. School districts in California’s Central Valley experienced […]
Private school enrollment still climbing, but more slowly
Though enrollment in K-12 private schools continued to climb for a fourth year, momentum is slowing, according to the Cato Institute’s July report Survey: Is the Private School Enrollment Boom Ending?, which highlights enrollment trends between the 2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years.
Commission on Teacher Credentialing continues retooling of exams
The Aug. 28-29 meeting of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) continued work on evaluating CTC-approved exams, pulling in assessments that meet basic skills requirements and subject matter requirements to join the extensive work that has been going on for the past year on […]
Most CSBA-sponsored bills continue to progress through Legislature
Late on Aug. 29 the Legislature’s respective Appropriations Committees dispensed with their suspense files. Included among the many legislative measures considered by the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees were several CSBA-sponsored bills.
Help is available: Expanding awareness of support services during Suicide Prevention Month
September is Suicide Prevention Month — a time to raise awareness about this urgently important crisis. Currently, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-14, the third leading cause of death among those ages 15-24 and the 12th leading cause of […]
National snapshot looks at teacher recruitment and retention policies
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) recently released a national comparison of state policies to recruit and retain teachers across the teacher pipeline. “Schools continue to face specific and persistent teacher shortages in certain subjects, such as upper-level math and special education, and in […]
Cooling schools to protect students’ cognitive abilities over time
The article “Cumulative exposure to urban heat can affect the learning capacity of students and penalize the vulnerable and low-income young population: A systematic review,” which was recently published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLOS Climate, considered seven studies spanning 61 countries and roughly 14.5 million students on the subject as communities around the globe continue to face more extreme climate-related event.










