Tag: education

Celebrating American Education Week

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By California State PTA Education Commission

The National Education Association (NEA) has officially declared November 15-19, 2021 as “American Education Week.” This is a time to celebrate public education and honor the individuals working to ensure that every student receives a quality education. Festivities honor the team of people who support public schools, everyone from the bus driver and classroom teacher to the cafeteria worker and administrative staff, plus countless others.

This includes YOU — the PTA leaders and parent advocates who give their time and talents to improving the lives of all children and families. On behalf of the California State PTA, thank you for your dedication and passion for students across the state.  

Be sure to take a look at the resources offered by the NEA to celebrate education this week. Here are some ideas for celebrating locally:

  • Familiarize students with American Education Week, including theme and celebration days, in the morning announcements on Monday and throughout the entire week, highlighting the observance of the day.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. You can thank public school educators for their service or thank the community for its support of public schools. You can also encourage the local paper to write an editorial about public schools and American Education Week.
  • Hold a poetry reading on the topic, “What I Like Best About My School.”
  • Have students make cards showing support for their educators and school employees.

Advocates Plan to Continue Work on Several Education Bills

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Anita Avrick, Melanie Lucas and Beth Meyerhoff, California State PTA Education Advocates

The California State PTA takes positions on bills to improve the lives of children and families.  

The Legislation Team reads hundreds of bills a year. The Legislation Action Committee then meets monthly between January and June to discuss and take positions on bills that fulfill our Mission Statement to “positively impact the lives of all children and families.”

During 2021, the Education advocates researched many bills affecting K-12 public school education, based on our authorities, which consist of our legislative planks, resolutions, and position statements. Although the bills listed below did not proceed through the full legislative process to reach Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk and were not signed into law, California State PTA continues to support the issues these bills address.

We hope that the legislature will again discuss these bills when they reconvene in January 2022. 

Senate Bill 70 (Rubio). Elementary education: kindergarten
This bill would require that a student complete one year of kindergarten before being admitted to first grade. Students would begin first grade if they had their 6th birthday on or before September 1 and had completed one year of kindergarten.

Currently, Education Code Section 48200 requires every person between the ages of 6 and 18 years to attend school full-time. Students must be admitted to first grade if they have their 6th birthday on or before September 1.

According to the author, kindergarteners who miss 10% or more of school days have lower academic performance when they reach first grade. The impact is even greater for students who do not attend kindergarten at all.

AB 1444 (Buchanan, 2014) would have required a student to have completed kindergarten before being admitted to first grade. Governor Brown vetoed AB 1444, saying that he preferred to let parents determine what is best for their children rather than mandate an entirely new grade level.

The majority of eligible children in California do attend kindergarten, including approximately 95% of eligible students (public and private kindergarten) with 80% at a public school, as estimated by the Department of Education (CDE). According to the California Kindergarten Association, an estimated five- to seven percent of students do not enroll in kindergarten. (EdSource, March 3, 2021)

California PTA supports this bill because we believe that early learning is crucial, especially for our most vulnerable population. Making kindergarten mandatory will help those children who are most likely to fall behind due to the lack of early learning programs. Since kindergarten is optional, it can lead some families to believe that it is not important or that attendance is not essential.

Senate Bill 723 (Rubio). Pupil instruction: tutoring program: learning loss mitigation
Among the many challenges during distance learning is a rising opportunity gap. Senate Bill 723 would address learning loss and provide students with tutoring as a documented strategy to close opportunity gaps. The tutoring would be provided by college students and other pupils through the California Leadership, Excellence, Academic, Diversity, and Service-Learning Tutoring Program.

California State PTA supports legislation that can improve academic achievement for all students and eliminate the achievement gap. PTA believes it is important to provide all students with equal opportunity to learn and, when necessary, to provide access to appropriate intervention strategies and remediation programs for academic success. 

Additional funding and support for this program was included in Assembly Bill 86 which appropriated $4.6 billion to provide support and tutoring by certificated or classified employees.

Assembly Bill 520 (Gipson). Teacher retention: California Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Grant Program
This bill would establish the California Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Grant Program to provide one-time competitive grants to develop and implement new or expand existing programs to develop and retain a diverse teacher workforce. 

According to the author, California’s teaching force is significantly less racially and ethnically diverse than the student population. For example, according to the California Department of Education (CDE), 23% percent of K-12 students are white and 54% are Latino, while 63% of teachers are white and 20% are Latino. Assemblymember Gipson states, “Student success is amplified when they are taught by teachers who reflect the diversity of those students. In addition to academic benefits, students of color experience social-emotional gains to having teachers who look like them, also lessening the likelihood of chronic absenteeism and suspension.”  

California State PTA has a resolution, TEACHER QUALITY: RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND RESOURCES (2012), that supports “policies, programs, and practices that promote the recruitment, hiring and retention of well prepared, fully credentialed teachers.”   

Assembly Bill 285 (Holden). State Department of Education: state school nurse consultant
AB 285 would require the State Department of Education to appoint an experienced state school nurse consultant with a minimum of 5 years of experience. The state school nurse would promote quality school programs to support the health needs of students. 

California is one of 10 states without a school nurse official at the state level during the COVID-19 pandemic.

California State PTA supports legislation that encourages a greater number of school nurses in schools. Appropriate health services by credentialed nurses are vital to students, especially during this pandemic. A school nurse consultant at the state level will improve the health assistance and guidance our school districts can provide students.

Assembly Bill 299 (Villapudua). Career technical education: California Apprenticeship Grant Program
AB 299 would establish the California Apprenticeship Grant Program to provide grants to high school pupils, community college students, and employed and unemployed workers to enter career technical education and vocational professions through state-approved apprenticeships.

California State PTA supports continued and sufficient funding of School-to-Career education. We believe that apprenticeships give community college students not only additional funds for continuing their education but a step up on their career path.

Senate Bill 237 (Portantino). Special education: dyslexia risk screening
SB 237 would require the State Board of Education to establish an approved list of culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments to be used by schools to screen pupils for risk of dyslexia.

Local educational agencies (LEAs) would be required to annually screen all pupils in grades kindergarten through second grade for risk of dyslexia using the screening instruments approved by the State Board of Education. This bill would also require third-grade pupils to be screened during the initial year of implementation. LEAs would also be required to provide results to parents within 45 days of the screening. LEAs would be required to provide all pupils identified as being at risk of dyslexia with appropriate instruction, progress monitoring, and early intervention in the regular general education program. 

According to the bill’s author, “Students with dyslexia are less likely to graduate from high school and attend college, and also experience higher rates of incarceration. In some prisons today, where nearly 80% of the inmates are illiterate, almost one-half of the inmates are on the dyslexia spectrum. 

“Research evidence from multiple scientific studies is unequivocal: early identification and intervention with scientifically based early reading instruction strategies and materials improve literacy outcomes for students with dyslexia and other struggling readers.

“By screening all students for risk of dyslexia early, California can help families and teachers achieve the best learning and life outcomes for all students, close academic achievement gaps, and help end the school-to-prison pipeline.”

California State PTA strongly supports early screening for signs and symptoms of dyslexia and the use of appropriate accommodations to provide students with dyslexia equitable access to the general education curriculum as identified in the California State PTA Resolution, “Dyslexia: Addressing the Educational Implications in Public Schools.”

Celebrating Partners in Education: School Administrators

Posted on by Ray Kinyon

By California State PTA Education Commission

Our kids’ education is a team effort! A collaborative partnership between families, teachers and school administrators who are dedicated to the well-being of all children and youth can strengthen family life and improve education outcomes for all students. 

California State PTA takes pride in celebrating October 10-16, 2021, as the “Week of the School Administrator”. Serving as role models in this new era of learning, school administrators are outstanding advocates who work together with families and the community to develop new visions for our schools and programs, spark innovation and inspiration for change, and support teachers in efforts to actively engage students in their own learning. 

Help Celebrate Administrators at Your School

We encourage unit PTA’s to celebrate the Week of the School Administrator by publicly recognizing the contributions that school principals and vice-principals make in creating quality educational opportunities and enhancing academic achievement for all. Here are a few ways to recognize your school administrators this week:

  • Create and display posters and fliers on campus to celebrate school leaders.
  • Provide a nutritious treat to your school site principal and administrators.
  • Give school leaders positive feedback by sending a thank-you note.
  • Give public comment in your next school board meeting thanking school administrators for the work they do.
  • Request that your school board adopt the Week of the School Administrator Resolution.

Protecting Kids from the Academic Impact of a Lost Year

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Mary Perry, California State PTA Board of Managers

For many California children, the 2020-21 school year was a time of lost potential as one fourth of families did not have a high-speed internet connection and thousands of students did not even enroll in school. In June, Assembly Bill 104 (Gonzalez) was adopted as an emergency measure to support parents and help them protect their students from some of those impacts.

According to a press release from the bill’s author, San Diego Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, “AB 104 goes into effect immediately and allows parents of students who fell behind during the last year to pursue a number of learning recovery options before the next school year begins.” California State PTA supported the bill. 

Three key things parents can do

Thanks to this newly passed emergency measure, families have several options for helping students make up for lost instructional time. Each has a specific timeline and requires that parents and students take the initiative to communicate with school officials. When state guidance refers to Local Education Agencies, or LEAs, it includes school districts, charter schools and county offices of education.  

  • Change a “D” or “F” grade to Pass/No Pass

This option requires fast action! Students enrolled in high school in the 2020–21 academic year may apply to have any letter grade replaced with a pass or no pass grade. The CA Department of Education has prepared a form that LEAs will use for this request and should have already posted on their website. In addition, they should post this list of the UC campuses and private universities that have agreed to accept transcripts with these changes. AB 104 required that all California State University (CSU) campuses accept the pass/no pass grades as well. After the LEA has posted this information and provided written notice, students have 15 days to file their grade change request.

  • Retain a student in their previous grade

This option is for students who were in any of grades kindergarten to 11th grade in 2020-21 and successfully finished less than half of their course work. Parents must file a written request with their Local Education Agency to have their student retained in the same grade for another year. The LEA, in turn, must schedule a consultation with the parent within 30 days of that request. The LEA makes the final decision on the request and must notify the parent within 10 days of the consultation. Most LEAs already have a form they use for parents related to grade retention. You should contact your school principal or district office for more information.

  • Exempt a student from local graduation requirements 

Students enrolled in their third or fourth year of high school in 2020-21 and who are not on track to graduate in four years must be offered some options. One option is to exempt them from all coursework and other requirements adopted by the LEA that are in addition to the statewide coursework requirements, which are fewer than most districts require. If necessary, LEAs must also provide these students the opportunity to complete the statewide coursework required for graduation, which may include offering a fifth year of instruction or credit recovery. Here is a quick comparison of the statewide requirements and those that make a student eligible for UC or CSU admission.

This EdSource article, part of their July 26 news update, provides additional background about AB 104. For deeper background related to education, PTA advocacy, health, community concerns, and family engagement, visit the Focus Areas section of the CA State PTA website

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Homework: How Much is Enough?

Posted on by CAPTA IT

Is it fine for your kindergartener to spend an hour after school on homework? Does your high school student never crack a book or do an assignment at home?

As parents, we would likely find both of these scenarios concerning. But do you feel confident about how much homework your student should be doing? Luckily, there is some research-based guidance available and also some suggestions from California State PTA regarding how to have that conversation with teachers, principals and school district officials about the policies in your local schools.

First, here is a bit of research information, from a recent article in EdWeek.

“Studies by researchers including Harris Cooper, a Duke University psychology and neuroscience professor who wrote The Battle Over Homework, have consistently shown that homework has minimal academic benefits for children in the early-elementary years.

“Instead, both the National Education Association and the National PTA endorse Cooper’s so-called 10-minute rule, which calls for roughly 10 minutes of homework a night per grade level beginning in 1st grade. So children in 2nd grade would have 20 minutes, those in 3rd grade would have 30 minutes, and so on. In high school, students may exceed that recommendation depending on the difficulty of the courses they choose.”

In 2014, California State PTA passed a resolution titled “Homework: Quality Over Quantity.” All of our resolutions (which are posted on the California State PTA website at www.capta.org/resolutions) include a research summary and a commitment to take action. This homework resolution acknowledges that homework can be “a valuable aid” to student learning, calls for assignments to be high quality, and spotlights that too much homework, too soon, can actually hurt students’ academic progress. It also raises concerns that it can create inequities and contribute to the achievement gap if it does not account for the diversity of family situations.

So what should you do if you are uneasy about the amount and/or quality of your child’s homework? You can start by finding out what your local school and district’s homework policies are (your school principal should be able to help). Do they address quality, quantity and equity concerns based on current research? Are they being followed at your school? Is this a worry other parents share?

If you see cause for concern, you can ask to have the issue on the agenda at your next PTA meeting. Your principal should be informed and invites, and perhaps invite teachers to specifically discuss their perspectives.