California has committed to providing universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds and expanding access for income-eligible 3-year-olds by the 2025–26 school year. California UPK includes transitional kindergarten (TK), the California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start and locally funded early learning programs. Since 2021, this […]
Author: Kimberly Sellery
Placing English learners in dual language immersion courses should be priority for state
California schools are making significant progress in providing dual language immersion pathways for students, chipping away at a lapse in programs from 1998–2016, when voters approved Proposition 227, requiring English-only instruction for all students in the state. This served to shut down most bilingual programs, […]
Business Partner post: Innovative approaches to support migrant students in California
In the heart of California’s agricultural region, Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) is tackling one of education’s most persistent challenges: ensuring academic success for migrant students. With a large population of families following crop cycles throughout the school year, CVUSD has implemented creative solutions to address the unique needs of these students, offering valuable lessons for districts facing similar challenges.
Commission on Teacher Credentialing provides updates on Literacy Performance Assessment
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing had a meeting Aug. 29-30, with the second day spent in closed session to discuss a pending legal case. Much of the Aug. 29 agenda focused on progress related to pilot testing and other items associated with the upcoming […]
Back-to-school webinar provides roundup of requirements
The California Department of Education’s Office of School Based Health Programs hosted a webinar on Aug. 13 focused on providing information to local educational agencies on California Education Code requirements for return to school and resources to support the physical, mental and social well-being of […]
Education sector sees decrease in cyberattacks, increase in ransomware payments
A new report from the British cybersecurity company Sophos finds that cyberattacks in the education sector decreased in 2023; however, they remain higher than the average across industries. Sophos surveyed 5,000 IT/cybersecurity leaders across 14 countries to collect information and 600 respondents were from the […]
CSBA leads panel on education workforce housing at CDE housing summit
On Aug. 14, CSBA led a breakout session at the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Housing Summit: Policy Solutions to Address the Affordability Crisis, where leaders in the building trades and commerce sectors joined with education leaders to discuss opportunities and barriers to creating education […]
NWEA analysis finds student recovery from pandemic has slowed
A July 2024 report in a continuing series from NWEA examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student achievement and progress toward academic recovery finds that growth for all students lagged pre-pandemic trends in 2023–24. The gap between pre-COVID and current test score averages […]
Children of all abilities can play at this Rescue Union SD playground
On a warm summer day last September, some students in the Rescue Union School District in El Dorado County experienced having fun with their peers on the playground for the very first time. What made the difference? A new all-abilities playground at Jackson Elementary School […]
U.S. Surgeon General declares firearm violence a public health crisis
For the first time in the nation’s history, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring firearm violence a public health crisis. The advisory outlines the urgent threat firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of Americans. The Surgeon General’s advisory lays […]