The digital divide is still an issue despite recent progress, study shows

Local educational agencies did an impressive job increasing access to computers and the internet during the fall school term, but there remains a persistent digital divide, especially for Black, Hispanic and low-income students, according to a new study. Researchers at the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge […]

CSBA and other education management organizations offer critique on Safe Schools for All plan

A Jan. 19 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom from CSBA and four other education management organizations acknowledged the shared goal behind the state’s Safe Schools for All plan of returning students to in-person instruction, but pointed out several areas that should be adjusted to make […]

CSBA and WestEd webinar provides state and local insight into school reopening considerations

In a Jan. 25 webinar hosted by CSBA and WestEd, experts analyzed the landscape of school reopenings during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored the numerous considerations that district boards must take into account in reopening campuses, including staffing, learning loss, local public health statistics, local […]

Homeless students require long-term support from schools to improve outcomes

Homelessness is rising among public school students in large cities across the country, and the impacts of homelessness on a student’s educational outcomes persist even after they are sheltered, according to a recent working paper from University of Southern California researchers. Using nine years of […]

State Board Report: January meeting moves forward state literacy plan and ESSA amendments

Now almost a year since COVID-19 took hold in the United States, local, state and federal policymakers continue to grapple with how to ensure students receive equitable learning opportunities in a distance learning setting. Those challenges are beginning to stretch into school reopening planning, and […]

California Department of Public Health releases updated school reopening guidance for 2020–21 school year

The California Department of Public Health today released an update to its “COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Instruction Framework & Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, 2020–2021 School Year.” The document notes the new version consolidates content from other CDPH COVID-19 and school-related guidance […]

Court declines to invalidate FPPC regulations, but governing boards gain some protection in CSAC and CSBA v. FPPC

After hearing arguments from the parties in California State Association of Counties & California School Boards Association v. Fair Political Practices Commission on Dec. 4, 2020, the superior court denied CSAC and CSBA’s petition for writ of mandate and declaratory relief on Dec. 14, 2020, […]