Parents Should Get More Involved With Their Local School Board–Here’s How

Three tough years parenting school-aged kids has some San Francisco parents taking part in a political candidate training program and considering running for office. Learn more about their experiences and insights. Read EdSource Article Photo: Unsplash
America’s Educational Culture Wars Hit San Ramon Valley Unified

A typically placid school board meeting in Danville was anything but recently, with grim faces and waving pride flags spilling from the meeting’s doors. Dozens of parents, students and community members packed the building, and many more crowded outside to watch a livestream on cell phones. The overflow crowd was a direct response to the […]
What ‘Barbie’ Teaches Us About School Leadership

In public schools today, staffs of mostly female teachers are led by a staff of disproportionately male leadership. Seventy-seven percent of public school teachers are women, while only 56 percent of public school principals are female. There is even less pink in America’s district offices; only 28 percent of superintendents are women. Barbie, in the […]
Nearly 100 Parents in LA County Are on the Verge of Becoming Teachers Through a New Collaborative Program

The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Career Development Initiative helps parents complete the coursework required to take on various teaching positions, ranging from assistants to lead teachers. The program is a new collaboration between the Los Angeles County Office of Education, UCLA, West LA College, Teachstone, Waldorf University and several local nonprofit organizations and school districts. Students can […]
Why Back-to-School Dates Vary So Much Across US

Depending on where you live, August may sound way too early and September might sound surprisingly late to start the new school year. In reality, the time to return to class for most public school students varies widely between states, a practice that can be traced back to the historical needs of different regional communities. […]
The Key To A Better Future For Students May Be Social-Emotional Growth, Not Standardized Test Scores

A study from the University of Chicago Consortium of School Research looked at how high school climate and organizational context affect student development and achievement in both the short and long run. They found that their measure of school climate was a better predictor of school effectiveness than other measures such as test scores. In […]
Growing Futures: How Students Find the “Why” Behind the Wine in Lodi Schools

“Many times students aren’t aware of the opportunities that are available in their own backyard,” said Dr. Rafael Ceja, director of education for Lodi Unified. “What we really wanted to do with the program was explore career opportunities in our local community.” “We think hands-on experiences are key to getting our kids excited about learning,” […]
Kids’ Mental Health Can Decline in the Summer. What Schools Can Do to Help.

Students’ mental health issues don’t disappear during the summer. Sometimes they get worse. Without the structure and routine of a school day or access to counselors, some students may be at risk of regression. That risk of worsening health problems is especially concerning as research points to the toll the pandemic took on children’s mental […]
Social-Emotional Learning Can Help Students Balance Mental, Physical and Social Needs

San Diego County school counselor Jessica Ley Nuñez knows that social-emotional learning works. And the research supports her. According to child development research from Loyola University Chicago, students who participated in social-emotional learning programs demonstrated significantly improved social-emotional skills, attitudes, behavior and academic performance that reflected an 11-percentile-point gain in academic achievement when compared with […]
9 Ways for Schools to Honor Teacher Needs This Year

Administrators can use these tried-and-true strategies to meet the needs of their staff—from planning time to bathroom breaks. The key is to listen to educators’ varying needs. Here are nine actionable, administrator-tested strategies we gathered from our archives—and across the web—to help school leaders ensure that teachers’ needs are met. Read Edutopia Article Watch video: […]