State agencies and school districts nationwide are actively working to address the problem of teacher shortages, often while simultaneously seeking to diversify their educator workforce. As California grapples with the need to improve learning significantly for a student population that is increasingly linguistically and racially diverse, policymakers must focus on opportunities to attract more teachers to the profession, diversify the teacher workforce statewide, and increase teacher retention. Reconsidering the approach to state licensure exam requirements is one way to make progress on all three fronts, and the governor’s proposed new teacher-credentialing requirements in the 2024–25 state budget trailer bill provides an opportunity for changes that will support those efforts. We focus on the explicit credential barriers that candidates face when trying to pass state-required basic skills and subject matter exams as well as on how policy improvements could more effectively diversify the teaching profession so that it better reflects the state’s 75 percent students of color. Specifically, we recommend that the state expand how candidates can meet basic skills and subject matter requirements; gather and disaggregate credential exam data by candidate race/ethnicity; reduce teacher education program costs for both individual candidates and programs; and support increased investments in GYO programs.
A Contra Costa County school district says it’s fully embracing artificial intelligence, but understands there’s still a lot of unknowns when it comes to the emerging technology.“I think I would step back and recognize that not all districts are embracing...
A Hayward elementary school struggling to boost low test scores and dismal student attendance is spending $250,000 in federal money for an organization called Woke Kindergarten to train teachers to confront white supremacy, disrupt racism and oppression and remove those...
Dedicated mentorship, training for potential superintendents, and trust-building are some of the solutions to curb the growing number of superintendents in California who are leaving the job, according to panelists at Tuesday’s EdSource roundtable discussion, “Superintendents are quitting: What can...
Teachers, who too often are left to work in isolation and lack instructional support or clear expectations, are struggling to help students rebound academically and personally post-pandemic. Policy Analysis for California Education’s (PACE) December report What Does It Take to...
In its ongoing commitment to foster development of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) identities in girls and nonbinary youth, the Fleet Science Center proudly showcases three key programs that San Diegans can engage with now. Expanded learning initiatives allow...
Two years after schools returned to in-person learning, students are struggling to meet math and English standards on statewide tests. Their mental health is also suffering and they’re missing lots of days of school. EdSource brought together a panel of...
Two years after California schools reopened their classrooms to in-person instruction following the Covid-19 pandemic, students continue to struggle—both academically and emotionally. Both of these factors are deeply connected and recovery requires a team effort, according to panelists at the...
Two years after schools returned to in-person learning, the state’s Smarter Balanced scores show disappointingly little improvement. Nearly two-thirds of California students failed to meet math standards for their grade level, and more than half fell short of the standards...
One of the only two states to provide schools with official guidance on artificial intelligence so far, Oregon published an explainer on its website with tips, definitions, references and links to helpful resources. The good news is that policy related...
Today's guest is Hayin Kimner. Hayin is a practitioner, a researcher and a policy advocate with a focus on the whole child, community school systems and partnerships that support the healthy development and youth in their communities. And she currently...
This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Education Policy which was held in Sacramento on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Panelists included Heather J. Hough, Policy Analysis for California Education, Stanford University...
The showdown over book bans and how students are exposed to information about racism and gender identity moved from school board meetings to the ballot box, where voters on Tuesday delivered a sizable blow to far-right agendas. From Iowa to...
A new resource produced by a group of organizations with expert knowledge on education and technology can serve as a starting point for local educational agencies as they look to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) safely, effectively and responsibly into classrooms...
School board elections have become a new battleground in American politics, with typically non-partisan races becoming increasingly polarized and garnering national attention. That was true in this week's election among a few closely watched counties. Julie Marsh, a professor of...
The development of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is emerging at lightning speed — so much so that the Biden administration just issued its first ever A.I. executive order regarding safety, labor, and civil rights issues. A.I. is already changing education in...
School boards across America are under attack. We have all seen the disruptions at school board meetings triggered by clashes over controversial policies regarding the teaching of race and racism, ethnic and gender studies, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. What we may...
Whether it’s with artificial intelligence-powered 1:1 tutoring services for students or a course-building aide for teachers, ed tech companies are increasingly embracing AI — especially since ChatGPT entered the scene in November 2022. As education leaders and policymakers weigh the...
Does your district have a dedicated point person on the role of artificial intelligence in K-12 education? Are you requiring vendors that use AI algorithms in their products to ensure they are free from bias? Do you have employees with...
A bill signed over the weekend by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 714, will begin to provide much-needed guidance and data for teachers like King, who often don’t have training or experience in how to teach newcomer students — defined...
With technology at the palm of your hand, you typically don’t hesitate to look up the answer to a question — and it’s often just a click away. For students, is there anything stopping them from doing the same? How...
Some liken the use of ChatGPT to generate answers from prompts to using a calculator to solve a knotty math problem. Both, proponents argue, are a time saving tool that expands what is possible. Adoption of the technology has been...
Many school districts spent the last academic year trying to seal students off from artificial intelligence. Now, they’re racing to establish AI-friendly classrooms as a new school year kicks off. They’ve crafted rules for AI use among students and trained...
Educators, policymakers, and researchers find themselves now, more than ever, at a moment of inflection. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health and wellness disparities, food insecurity, housing challenges, and the digital divide. Our country is poised to confront its history...
Artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses a broad set of tools developed to perform tasks that have historically required human intelligence. The new generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are not programmed with a specific set of instructions; rather, they are trained on sets of data and algorithms that guide how they respond to prompts. We are increasingly using a range of AI tools—such as autopopulate suggestions, navigation systems, facial recognition on phones, and ChatGPT—in many aspects of our lives. Because of the prevalence and power of these tools, their rapid development, and their potential to be truly disruptive—in positive and negative ways—it is critical that school districts develop policies, guidelines, and supports for the productive use of AI in schools. Later in this commentary, we discuss many of the short-term positives and negatives of using AI in schools. The greatest impact of AI, however, is how it can transform teachers’ roles and student learning.
