September 21, 2021
The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program will begin accepting applications for Assessment and Maintenance Grants. The Notice of Funding Availability notes the application acceptance period start and end dates plus additional information on funding restrictions, funding availability, and the application submittal process. The Notice of Funding Availability can be found…
September 21, 2021
Superintendents argue new independent study law is flawed for a quarantine… Quarantines and teacher shortages are threatening to overwhelm school districts already struggling to provide independent study for tens of thousands of students who have chosen it or could be forced into it because of Covid infections and exposure. Many districts are confused over how…
September 21, 2021
School board members are largely unpaid volunteers, traditionally former educators and parents who step forward to shape school policy, choose a superintendent and review the budget. But a growing number are resigning or questioning their willingness to serve as meetings have devolved into shouting contests between deeply political constituencies over how racial issues are taught,…
September 21, 2021
From SSC on September 13, 2021 The State Board of Education (SBE) tackled a number of significant issues at their September 2021 meeting, including spring 2022 assessments, the revised LCAP template, and the approval of a number of federal items: Adopted a condensed version of the English language arts (ELA) and mathematics Smarter Balanced assessments…
September 21, 2021
From SSC on September 14, 2021. The 2021–22 State Budget provided two pots of special education resources: $100 million for dispute prevention and resolution and $450 million for learning recovery services. When districts use these one-time funds, they affect the ongoing maintenance of effort (MOE). Every year, LEAs must assure they have used the same…
This paper argues for a radical restructuring pf education for grades 11-14—by erasing the arbitrary dividing line between high school and college—to open opportunities for the learners our current system leaves behind. We make the case for an entirely new type of institution—neither high school or college—designed specifically to better meet the needs of young…
August 10, 2021
School districts in growing numbers are putting some financial muscle behind the nationwide push to protect the public against COVID-19, offering cash payments as high as $1,000 to employees who get vaccinated. The trend began several months ago, as the pace of vaccinations nationwide slowed to a crawl and state governments began looking for ways…
August 10, 2021
The Moses Lake School District decided to create a second high school for the community. They elected to build a school where industry, business, and education meet to promote practical knowledge, enhanced technology, and student empowerment. Anticipated to become a new model of next-generation learning in Washington, the new high school will produce lifelong learners…
A pandemic that reshaped American society and disrupted more than a year of schooling also slowed progress in math and reading for millions of U.S. students, according to new national data, which confirms Black, Latino, and low-income students were hit hardest. Younger students saw some of the biggest declines, as did students attending high-poverty schools….
August 10, 2021
The pandemic-driven shift to remote learning contributed significantly to a dramatic drop in public school enrollment last year, especially among the nation’s youngest learners. As the nation reopens schools amid upticks in Covid infections, newly collected data from 70,000 schools across 33 states, details how parents, faced with remote schooling for their kindergarten children, opted…