EdSource Commentaries
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All articles by EdSource Commentaries
Climate change will drive major changes in student learning needs
Schools must start planning now for the disruptions climate change will cause in the lives of their students.
Chase Nordengren
October 21, 2021
To improve literacy, focus on writing
Whereas reading is knowledge, writing is agency, power and influence.
Bita Nazarian, Jaime Balboa and Laura Brief
October 20, 2021
To help homeless students, embed community services into campus life
Schools and community-based organizations seeking to support students experiencing homelessness must step outside their silos, into students' lives and directly onto their public-school campuses.
Jennifer Friend and Sean Boulton
October 14, 2021
Rethinking how we 'care' for struggling students
Academic support like tutoring is too often divorced from wellness initiatives. But easing up academically on struggling students does them no favors; they need both emotional and academic support.
Andrew Simmons
October 12, 2021
You can't have meaningful civic engagement without social and emotional skills
Young people need role models. That means that educators, families, and policymakers must show what it looks like to have empathy, to solve problems collaboratively, and to insist on perspective-taking.
Karen Niemi
October 10, 2021
Equity in learning starts with equity for community college teachers
The majority of community college faculty are limited to working part time, often commuting from one district to another. A bill before the governor would allow colleges to increase the number of hours part-time faculty can work in a single district.
John Martin
October 7, 2021
Twenty years after 9/11, Muslim students still need our help
Muslim students are bullied and harassed at twice the national rate of other students, but each adult mentor — including teachers, coaches and even employers — can make a significant difference in their lives.
Kevin Singer
October 6, 2021
California’s new reading goal is achievable, but it needs to be more meaningful
The state has taken great care to develop standards and exams in line with the expectations of colleges and employers. Now is the moment for policymakers to ensure their education goals match the state’s economic development needs.
David Wakelyn
October 5, 2021
How California's commitment to safety is leading us out of the pandemic
The history of pandemics illustrates the importance of continued vigilance.
Linda Darling-Hammond
October 4, 2021
Want quality child care? Pay and train workers like the pros they are
The key to increasing access to quality child care is professionalizing the field by providing child care staff a livable wage and professional development grounded in emotional competence.
Donna Housman
October 1, 2021
Classified school employees should have the same job protections as teachers and administrators
Unlike certificated staff, classified employees, including cafeteria and custodial staff and school bus drivers, can be laid off any time of the school year with only a 60-day notice.
Matthew “Shane” Dishman
September 30, 2021
Educators must prepare for new wave of refugees. Let’s do it better this time.
As Afghan children arrive in California schools, teachers must help students make sense of the refugees' dramatic and heartbreaking exodus from their homeland.
Tuyen Tran
September 29, 2021
To ensure safe schools for all, we need statewide cleaning standards
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of keeping school facilities clean and well-maintained.
Max Arias
September 29, 2021
Healthy Kids Survey data belong on the California School Dashboard
We cannot talk about post-pandemic change in schools without considering the views of the families and students we serve.
Thomas Courtney
September 26, 2021
Online education is here to stay for colleges and universities: How can we make it better?
Experiences during the pandemic provide the knowledge to start building the kind of inclusive, high-quality online instruction that faculty can really get behind.