My research team from the Understanding America Study at the University of Southern California recently asked parents of school-aged children to upload a snapshot of their kids’ school attendance record from last year as part of a broader survey. The study failed — during the pilot phase, only 17% successfully completed the task. We pulled...

As another school year gets underway, several states are considering whether to give students more time for recess, and some have already expanded the role of unstructured play in a child’s school day.  The momentum around recess has been building for years, with experts raising awareness about the importance of preserving time for daily play...

How long can one school year last? In Fairfax County, Virginia, this year, it will take 297 days between the start and end of the year to deliver 180 days of instruction. How is that possible? Well, weekends, obviously. And then two weeks of Winter Break, one week for Spring Break, and three days for...

This story was originally published by EdSource As a key element in the state’s package of early literacy reforms, Gov. Gavin Newsom included $200 million in last year’s state budget to pay for instructing elementary school teachers in the new reading strategies. On Wednesday, the State Board of Education approved 31 training programs that school districts can...

A group of Jewish parents and teachers are celebrating a recent court ruling that will allow them to refile a lawsuit against the United Teachers Los Angeles union and creators of the controversial “liberated” ethnic studies curriculum that some Los Angeles Unified teachers use.  A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...

Ask almost any educator what makes the biggest difference in a student’s success, and families will quickly enter the conversation. Learning does not begin and end at the classroom door. When families and educators understand one another and work toward the same goals, students are better supported. But believing in family engagement and having the...

Compton, Calif. — Fifteen years ago, the challenge of leading the Compton Unified School District would have scared off even the most confident education leader. Darin Brawley almost passed it over. The urban system, just off one of Los Angeles’ major freeways, was headed for state takeover and had a 58% graduation rate. When the...

With five simple words last year, Maine issued guidance that speaks volumes about how extreme weather is changing school. The law, Temperature Standards for School Buildings, clearly calls for each district in the state to set minimum and maximum temperature limits under which schools can operate.  What’s left unsaid in this bill is what any...

Lawmakers and the governor on Monday failed to extend a state grant program that helped schools upgrade their air conditioner systems, a decision that will allow utilities that funded the program to claw back funds for their ratepayers.  The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency program — CalSHAPE for short — set aside nearly...

California’s mandate requiring later start times for middle and high schools is already yielding results, with students sleeping more, reporting better mental health and scoring higher math and English scores, according to a new study.  The new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research examines the effects of Senate Bill 328, California’s statewide mandate for...