Commentary

March 14, 2018

Community engagement is the key to making California's school funding formula work

Report says district focus on community engagement is vital for successful implementation.

March 13, 2018

Linking a school massacre to Obama-era school discipline policies

President Trump suggests that federal guidelines put forward by the Obama administration encouraging alternatives to suspension and expulsion somehow contributed to the Parkland school massacre.

March 12, 2018

California should stay the course with its education plan

The State Board of Education should approve the revised Every Student Succeeds Act state plan without delay.

February 21, 2018

After-school programs level the playing field

Proposed cuts to federal program would be catastrophic for local after-school partnerships.

February 20, 2018

Youth voices represent a wild card in the gun regulation debate

High school students from Parkland FL are speaking out eloquently and powerfully in favor of gun regulation, in a way elementary school students from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, were not able to do because they were too young

Louis Freedberg

February 15, 2018

Florida school massacre yet another example of failure to regulate guns in U.S.

School safety plans only go so far to protect students and staff.

Louis Freedberg

February 6, 2018

When transcript typos stand in the way of college

Failure of districts to update A-G course lists can result in students being denied admission to UC/CSU despite meeting requirements.

John Watson

January 24, 2018

California leaders must act to extend progress on school discipline

Legislature has until July 1 to extend ban on suspending students for willful defiance of school authorities, a category that is used too often to punish students for minor infractions

Robert Ross

January 17, 2018

State must improve the California School Dashboard, not move the goalposts

Equity advocates give California an incomplete grade on its new accountability system.

Vernon M. Billy and Ryan J. Smith

January 16, 2018

School district networks use improvement science to get results

Districts seek to narrow achievement gaps, especially at the middle-school level.

Rick Miller

December 21, 2017

Male teachers provide important role models

Our society should celebrate and respect male teachers in the same way we idolize sports figures and celebrities.

Josh Brown

December 19, 2017

Creating a culture of coaching to support teachers in every school

Instructional coaching, peer feedback, and strategic use of technology can help administrators build an ecosystem of support that keeps high-achieving teachers in the classroom.

Michael Moody

December 12, 2017

California must set ambitious goals to combat chronic absenteeism

California still has work to do to make new indicator of school attendance more meaningful.

Phyllis Jordan

December 11, 2017

New California 'dashboard' will prompt deeper questions about student and school performance

Parents are both capable of understanding multiple data points and eager to know more about their school’s successes and challenges.

Dianna MacDonald

December 7, 2017

The urgent need for a system of support for California schools

In particular, says Carl Cohn, there is a "moral imperative" for California to take on the challenge of more effectively serving students with disabilities