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Bill would protect transgender students’ right to school sports
Saying he is working to ensure that transgender students in California feel fully included in schools, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, last week introduced legislation to give transgender students the right to participate in school sports and use bathroom facilities that correspond with their expressed genders, the Associated Press reported. If Assembly Bill 1266 becomes law, transgender students would have the right “to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities,” regardless of how their gender is listed on their school records. Transgender refers to those who identify with a gender that differs from their sex. California law prohibits discrimination against transgender students and, according to a statement from the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco, AB 1266 would make it clear to school districts that the state non-discrimination law “requires public schools … Read entire article »
Filed under: Quick Hits, Special Needs
For now, K-12 districts can wait and watch sequestration unroll
K-12 districts have one advantage over meat inspectors, military contractors, national parks staff, air traffic controllers, Head Start operators (see story) and others facing immediate cuts in federal funding as of Friday’s sequester deadline: time. Because of how districts budget their money, the 5.1 percent reductions in federal revenue that would go into effect March 1 under sequestration won’t be felt by districts until the start of their new fiscal year, July 1. That gives … Read entire article »
Filed under: Disabilities education, English learners, Featured, Poverty, Reporting & Analysis, Special Needs, Title I, U.S. Education Policy
State ordered to pay back districts $1 billion for 20-year-old mandate
A state commission has ruled that the state must reimburse school districts about $1 billion in mandated special education costs dating back 20 years. But like many protracted mandate cases, the victory is largely one of principle. Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to include a small payback in next year’s budget, and the dollars will come from funding within Proposition 98, so it will essentially involve shifting education dollars around. The unreimbursed expenses are for intervention … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Reporting & Analysis, Special Needs
California near bottom in number of school counselors
As a mourning nation focuses on the need for more mental health support for students, California has regularly ranked at or near the bottom among the states in the number of counselors per student. In California, there was one counselor for every 810 students in 2009-10. Nationally, there were almost twice as many. The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of one counselor to 250 students. “We don’t have enough counselors in schools,” said Art Revueltas, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Dropout prevention, Featured, High School Completion, Reporting & Analysis, School Safety, Special Needs
Districts use creative methods to counsel students
(EdSource Today writer Kathryn Baron contributed to this article.) In an era of budget cutbacks and more pressure on students to perform, some districts and teachers are finding ways to stretch their dollars to provide mental health services for students. The secret sauce in programs that try to improve student behavior is relationships. The goal is to get students to feel connected – to their school, to their classmates and to their teachers. One strategy developed by … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discipline, Dropout prevention, Featured, Reporting & Analysis, School Safety, Special Needs
Great uncertainty over direction of state standardized tests
With the statute authorizing state standardized tests due to expire in June 2014, the incoming Legislature is facing some hard decisions on the future of the state testing system: What subjects should be tested, for whom, how often (not every year in every subject, perhaps), at what cost, and, perhaps the biggest question, for what purpose? The state will likely end up with a hybrid system, a combination of state-created tests and tests designed in partnerships … Read entire article »
Filed under: Common Core standards, English learners, No Child Left Behind, Reporting & Analysis, Special Needs, Standardized tests, State Board of Education, STEM, Tests & Assessments
Stark education differences in presidential race, say surrogates
Education has not exactly been at the forefront of the presidential campaign. It received far less than even 15 minutes of fame during the first debate, but stand-ins for President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney explored it in depth last night in a debate that revealed sharp philosophical and policy differences between the two candidates. Jon Schnur, President Obama’s surrogate, co-founded America Achieves and New Leaders for New Schools. Phil Handy, Gov. Romney’s stand-in, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, No Child Left Behind, Poverty, Poverty, Reporting & Analysis, School Choice, Special Needs, Title I, Turning around failing schools, U.S. Education Policy
Overusing test for special ed students inflates API scores
California’s 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) results, released today, in general show small but steady gains similar to the last four years. But a deeper look at the results shows not only inflation contributing to the gains but also a substantial policy shift toward lower expectations for special education students in California. The API trend data inflation is due to the introduction of a new test for special education students over the past five years: the California Modified Assessments, or CMAs. These tests were introduced to give selected students greater “access” to the statewide testing system, by making tests easier than the regular California Standards Tests (CSTs) given to all other students. When the CMAs were approved in 2007, the plan was that roughly 2 percent of total enrollment (or about … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Disabilities education, Featured, Special Needs, Tests, Tests & Assessments
Special education in California needs more flexibility
“Flexibility” is education’s new buzzword. Check out all those No Child Left Behind Act waivers, providing flexibility to states, while we await Congress’s NCLB reauthorization. Twenty-six states already have those waivers. More are expected. In approving a batch of them, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “We all understand that the best ideas don’t come from Washington, and moving forward, these states will have increased flexibility with federal funds and relief from NCLB mandates, allowing them … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Featured, Special Needs
Foster youth to benefit from broader access to school records
January 13th, 2013 | 2 Comments | By Daniel Heimpel / commentary
(Update: The Uninterrupted Scholars Act was signed into law by President Obama on Jan. 14, 2013) The Uninterrupted Scholars Act, which sits on President Obama’s desk awaiting signature, marks another important step on the longer road to increased educational opportunity for students in foster care. The act will amend the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to ease child welfare agencies’ access to foster children’s student records. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), who as the most senior Democrat on … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Foster care, Special Needs