Blog posts -- Education

This guide is created by Project Cal-Well, with input from the Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup, to assist schools and districts to build capacity to better address mental health challenges among students. Learn about Project Cal-Well See Guide attached.

Depression-Related Feelings Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Youth, 2013-2015 An alarming 61% of youth who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual have felt depressed in the previous year in contrast to 29% of their peers who identify as straight. These students, who are in grades 7th, 9th, or 11th grade or are in non-traditional programs, felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that they stopped doing their usual activities. Disparities among youth who experience...

Mental health advocates say anxiety is up among college students dealing with things like debt and the cost of living. That's prompted a push for more counselors at California State University campuses. CSU campuses would be required to have at least one full time mental health counselor for every 1,000 students, under legislation passed by the Senate Education Committee. Few campuses meet that standard now. Jared Giarrusso is with the California State Student Association. He says students...

In 2016, heading into her 15th year as a kindergarten teacher, Kristy Caesar knew what to expect from a room full of 5-year-olds. But what greeted her on that first day of school last year was an eye opener — she had 21 kindergartners and only four had attended preschool. Eighteen students couldn’t recognize a single phonetic letter sound, such as the sound “A” makes. “It was so challenging; they were months behind,” said Caesar, who teaches at Kennedy Elementary School in Lindsay, in...

As California’s housing shortage intensifies, the number of homeless children is expected to climb. Since 2014, the number of homeless youth in California has jumped 20 percent, to more than 202,329, and accounts for nearly 4 percent of the overall public school population. Homeless children are enrolled in nearly every district in the state, according to the California Homeless Youth Project . An EdSource special project explored the issue in detail, and includes a map showing the number of...

California is the first state in the nation to get enhanced school ratings from GreatSchools , an Oakland-based nonprofit. The improved ratings now include course access, student progress and equity - which are intended to help parents choose schools, advocate to improve them and support their children's education. " We believe schools must serve the needs of every child, in every community, and we know that parents play an enormous role in ensuring this happens," said Matthew Nelson,...

California’s funding model for school districts is known as the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Under LCFF, school districts have flexibility—and an unprecedented opportunity—to spend district dollars on early childhood education. Researchers, economists, and educators all agree: early childhood programs set kids up for success in school and in life. Now is the time for district leaders to make sure that students in your community are getting off to a strong start. And you can help...

David B. Cohen, a veteran English teacher at Palo Alto High and columnist for Education Week, spent a year crisscrossing California observing some of the state’s best teachers. The result was Capturing the Spark: Inspired Teachers, Thriving Schools, an insightful look at talented teachers, effective practices and promising schools, from Arcata to El Centro. Some interviewees were California Teachers of the Year or, like Cohen, have their national board certification, a distinguished...

There will be a free webinar on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 - 10:00am - 11:30am To register for this Free Webinar, please see the following: Register at: https://cdeevents.webex.com/cdeevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=e98afd6cd988b25234145fb3c7f4f1331 Event number: 663 922 756 Event password: 130777 TIPS FOR ATTENDEES To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use WebEx. Step 1: Visit the test site at http://www.webex.com/test-meeting.html Step 2: If you experience...

In California and across the country, suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens—a grim reminder that many high school students’ primary barrier to adulthood is themselves. More young people take their own lives than the number killed by cancer, heart disease, birth defects, stroke, flu, pneumonia and chronic lung disease combined. And under legislation set to take effect in January, school systems up and down the state will be forced to confront the taboo topic head-on.

Imagine you’re a ninth grade student in a public high school. Everyone you know is straight and you’re not. There are no resources at school for you. The school doesn’t care about your identity. Imagine further that you go to school every day to learn only about people who do not share your identity. Nothing in the history of America depicts the life you’re living. No one who has faced the same challenges you face has made a valuable contribution to history. Do you want to go to school? Do...

Join this free webinar to find out the latest on Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) policy developments and ways in which local groups can use these opportunities to advocate for greater equity in local schools. Children Now presenters will review the new LCAP template and the LCFF evaluation rubric. In addition, the webinar will cover opportunities in federal policy for local organizing efforts, and possible changes under the Trump administration. Opportunities to Advocate for Equity in...