CSBA

More than 30 percent of California’s approximately 30,000 school-aged youth in foster care regularly experience some of the highest rates of chronic absence and exclusionary discipline. A new brief from @edpolicyinca details how changes in foster youth classification status impacted attendance and discipline rates in four of California’s CORE school districts — a group of several of the state’s larger school districts that test improvement theories at the school and district levels to provide the infrastructure for multi-district collaborations. Read more insights: blog.csba.org/foster-youth-t…

In April, CSBA Principal Research Manager Jeremy Anderson served as a special guest at the Public Policy Institute of California's Statewide Leadership Council meeting, speaking about achievement gaps in California schools as well as the foundational principles of CSBA's #SOSforStudentAchievementcampaign. The council comprises leaders from various economic sectors in California.

In a decision issued on April 22 in J.R. v. Ventura Unified School District, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals clarified the applicable standard for determining when the two-year statute of limitations in special education matters begins. CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance filed an amicus brief supporting the district’s statute of limitations argument. Learn more: blog.csba.org/statute-limita…

As #AAPIHeritageMonth begins, learn about Clovis USD's Asian American Student Success Conference, which celebrates a different region annually. In 2025, Cambodian culture was spotlighted while focusing on the theme of “Where Traditions Inspire Tomorrow.” This is one of several cultural celebrations Clovis USD holds throughout the year. Read more on the CSBA blog: blog.csba.org/clovis-aapi-mo…

CSBA is continuing to tirelessly advocate for measures to #StandUpforStudentSuccess via the #SOSforStudentAchievement campaign, which is calling for a state-level operations and support plan to address the issue as well as the state accountability gap. CSBA Delegate Rhodia Shead of Region 15, who serves as board clerk and president pro tem in Buena Park SD, shares why more collaboration and state-level accountability is needed. Learn more at csba.org/studentachieve….

Each year, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is required to submit a report providing data about the supply of new teachers available in the state. Here are some insights from the report for 2024–25: blog.csba.org/teacher-supply…

Earlier this month, CSBA President Dr. Debra Schade visited sites in Kerman USD, Pacific Union ESD, Gilroy USD, Cupertino Union SD, Mount Pleasant ESD and Santa Clara COE to learn about local programs, challenges and successes. She also attended a Fresno County School Trustees Association meeting where CSBA’s #SOSforStudentAchievement campaign was promoted.

The state's universal prekindergarten initiative recently published a toolkit that local educational agencies can use to find tips on communicating early learning options to families. Learn more: blog.csba.org/upk-toolkit/

A report from @JUST_Equations, a policy institute focused on the role of math in educational equity, offers recommendations that states can consider to improve the effectiveness of math pathways for learners. Here's a recap: blog.csba.org/math-alignment/

Literacy is a foundational skill set that students need to be proficient in to succeed in their K-12 career and being. Learn more about steps California policymakers are taking to boost student achievement in this area and the challenges local educational agencies are facing in implementing policy without sufficient support from the state in this feature from the winter 2026 edition of California Schools magazine: publications.csba.org/issue/winter-2…

Nominations for the 2026 Golden Awards are open through June 26! Start your entry form today at awards.csba.org. The CSBA Golden Awards honor the hard work and dedication of governing boards and district staff who create innovative programs that improve student achievement and well-being in the state’s preK-12 public schools. The Golden Bell Awards recognize outstanding programs and governance practices of school boards while the Golden Gavel Awards recognize individual school board members and governance teams who exemplify best practices in effective governance and boardsmanship. Additionally, the Golden Quill Awards celebrate the important role education journalists play in creating awareness in the community.

Student use of artificial intelligence for homework increased in 2025 according to a new @RANDCorporation report. At the same time, more students are expressing concern that the technology may be harming their ability to think critically. Learn more: blog.csba.org/ai-and-homewor…

High school (53%), social media (31%) and their parents (21%) were the top sources rising college students whose own parents received higher education cited for learning about their future careers, according to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System’s student experience report for the 2025 academic year. The report covers the findings of a spring 2025 survey of nearly 7,000 graduating high school seniors about their time in grades 9-12 and postsecondary plans. For first-generation college goers, school (50%) and parents (38%) were top sources, followed by social media (27%). blog.csba.org/c2c-student-su…

In part four of the CSBA County Board Handbook webinar series, happening at 11 a.m. on May 7, panelists will take a look at one of the most complex and critical responsibilities of county boards — financial oversight. This session will help ground county board members in the connection between budgets and their role in financial accountability. Register at csba.org/webinars!

Two new resources for local educational agencies to support stronger procurement processes and use of high-quality education technology, or edtech, have been released by @SETDA. Through the EdTech Quality Collaborative — organizations with distinct expertise working together to address challenges LEAs face in assessing edtech quality amid a rapidly evolving landscape — 5 edtech quality indicators have been developed that researchers say can help to support smarter procurement and implementation decisions. blog.csba.org/edtech-procure…

CSBA is seeking innovative and engaging ideas for sessions at the 2026 CSBA Counties Conference, happening Sept. 25-27 in Marina del Rey. Learn more: csba.org/countyconferen… County trustees are encouraged to submit proposals that will spark meaningful discussions and collaborative learning opportunities. Share your expertise in workshop sessions that dive deep into the specific themes or challenges most relevant to county board members. Proposals are being accepted through June 12 and should correspond to one or more of the major strands identified for this year’s conference, which include advocacy, governance and policy; funding, workforce and educational access; and student well-being, safety and success.

The CSBA-ACSA Coast2Coast Federal Advocacy Trip took place from April 12-15, where California education leaders came united by a shared goal: to help federal policymakers understand the realities facing California schools and make sure state representatives advocate for solutions that improve school conditions and student outcomes. When education leaders take the time to show up, share their stories and speak with clarity and purpose, they help shape policies that directly affect students’ lives. Read more about the event and advocacy topics on the CSBA blog: blog.csba.org/c2c-recap-26/ @ACSA_info @ACSARegionXIX @AcsaRegion4

This Earth Day, recognized annually today, April 22, San Diego County’s @NationalSD District will be one of six local districts participating in an event at the Fleet Science Center where roughly 200 sixth graders will learn about the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals and explore sustainability-focused exhibits. National SD is a long-time proponent of this work as evidenced by many impactful initiatives. This year, the district earned recognition as a California Green Ribbon Schools Green Achiever recipient, the highest distinction a local educational agency can receive, for their work around resource conservation, health promotion and environmental literacy.blog.csba.org/earth-day26/

The federal Government Accountability Office released a report examining the national landscape of school improvement & strategies that helped schools exit comprehensive support & improvement (CSI) and the challenges they faced. Under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, states are required to measure the performance of their public schools. They must also identify three categories of low-performing schools for support and improvement, including those that need CSI — representing the lowest-performing schools in the nation. The report determined that a school’s location, size and student characteristics — such as having higher rates of poverty — influenced the odds of improvement. blog.csba.org/exiting-compre…