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5 things to know about California’s final ESSA plan following a year of discussion & debate surrounding the Golden State’s schools
*UPDATE: California’s ESSA plan was approved on July 12, the day after it was submitted. After nearly a year of discussion and three rounds of revisions, California’s Board of Education on Wednesday approved its final version of its state accountability plan known as ESSA, to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Here are...
By Mario Koran | July 11, 2018
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Lots of talk but little action to help the lowest-performing schools in Los Angeles and California
There’s been a lot of talk but little action from Los Angeles and California education officials when it comes to supporting the lowest-performing schools. Last week state board members again voted to put off revisions to California’s education plan, which are required in order for the plan to be approved by the federal Department of...
By Laura Greanias | March 19, 2018
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California isn’t giving parents what they need to evaluate schools, say experts who reviewed state’s ESSA plan
California’s parents aren’t getting two key pieces of information they need to evaluate schools, says a new independent review of states’ accountability plans. California ranked at the bottom, along with Idaho and Texas, receiving the lowest scores in two categories out of nine in a review of 34 state plans on complying with the federal...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | December 12, 2017
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Getting foster youth to schools — LA County contracts with HopSkipDrive to meet ESSA requirements
(This article first appeared in The Chronicle of Social Change.) HopSkipDrive, a child-focused ride-sharing company, announced Tuesday a partnership with Los Angeles County’s Office of Education (LACOE) to transport foster youth to school. Moving at what one official called a “fast and furious” pace to rectify its failure to comply with foster care mandates enshrined in the federal...
By Daniel Heimpel | November 21, 2017
Investigation: Nearly 1,000 Native Children Died in Federal Boarding Schools
Podcast: What a Mentorship Mindset Can Do for Student Motivation
Black and Hispanic Voters Say Democrats Aren’t Focused Enough on K-12 Education
Teen Activist Rhea Maniar on the Power of Abortion to Turn Out Young Voters
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California approves its ESSA plan, adding more teachers to those deemed ‘effective’
The California State Board of Education voted Wednesday to approve its plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, culminating a year and a half of work with dozens of public meetings and comment periods. Whether it will be accepted, however, is far from clear. The plan is required under the new federal...
By Sarah Favot | September 13, 2017
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Commentary: Teacher quality is determined in the classroom, not by a credential
By Haena Shin Teachers can tell when they are effective. In my first year as a special education teacher in a pre-kindergarten setting, the signs were small but profound — a nonverbal student who started to greet me in the mornings, a student who didn’t know how to hold a pencil properly who learned to...
By Guest contributor | August 30, 2017
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9 reasons why an education advocacy organization says California’s ESSA plan won’t cut it
California’s plan to comply with federal education law comes up short in nine key areas and is destined to have portions rejected, according to the influential California advocacy organization Children Now. Based on federal feedback to states that have already submitted their plans, the Oakland-based nonprofit, nonpartisan education advocacy organization has sent letters to the state...
By Sarah Favot | August 29, 2017
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Seth Litt: Kids in low-performing schools lose big under California’s ESSA plan
By Seth Litt On July 12, the California Board of Education met to discuss the state’s plan to comply with the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which must be approved and submitted by September. Board President Michael Kirst opened the conversation with a defense of the draft plan, which offers no commitment on...
By Guest contributor | August 3, 2017
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Ed Trust’s Ryan Smith explains ‘The California Way’ in education
At an event filled with 500 Los Angeles education leaders, Ryan Smith, executive director of The Education Trust -West, highlighted the urgent need to ensure that low-income students of color get the best education possible — and how to do it with what he calls “The California Way.” Smith is director of the research and advocacy organization...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 21, 2017
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Teacher groups frustrated with California ESSA plan’s ‘loose’ definition of ineffective teachers
Teacher advocacy groups are concerned that California’s definition of an ineffective teacher is too loose and won’t be bolstered before the state has to turn in its federal accountability plan in two months. Each state must submit its plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act by Sept. 18, and one accountability measure...
By Mike Szymanski | July 14, 2017