U.S. Supreme Court reinforces First Amendment rights of school board members in O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier

In a resounding victory for school board members on March 15, the United States Supreme Court developed a new and more restrictive test for determining when public officials can be held liable for First Amendment violations related to management of their social media accounts. The […]

Report highlighted renewed fervor among state policymakers in supporting CTE

Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education released their 11th annual review of CTE and career readiness policies from across the country in February, finding that in 2023, 47 states enacted 115 policies, marking the second-highest number of states taking action to […]

Preparing students with disabilities for the workforce 

San Joaquin County Office of Education has long prepared students with disabilities for jobs that would allow them to lead more independent lives upon graduation, and by overcoming recent obstacles including the COVID-19 pandemic, county officials have developed additional programming that has further benefited students.  […]

Report looks at how school structures impact math education

Data from the RAND American Mathematics Educator Study on three factors that may impact K-8 students’ math education, are covered in the report Elementary and Middle School Opportunity Structures That Factor into Students’ Math Learning: Findings from the American Mathematics Educator Study, released by the […]

Better oversight of support and improvement plans is needed at all levels, GAO finds

Oversight of comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) plans meant to serve as a guide for underperforming schools’ improvement processes is lacking, according to a Jan. 30 study released by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO). Just 42 percent of CSI plans were found to be […]

State Board looks ahead on Dashboard and accountability; adopts revised instructional materials guidance

During a jampacked meeting of the California State Board of Education (SBE) on March 6, the board reviewed the 2024 Accountability Workplan, approved a revised document providing guidance for reviewing and piloting instructional materials, and more. Dashboard and accountability The board reviewed the 2023 California […]

Community building is necessary to establishing healthy school cultures

Creating school cultures that support young people and minimize violence and bullying requires ongoing work — a topic explored by experts in a Feb. 14 webinar hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, […]