EdSource

OPINION by Cerritos College president/superintendent Jose Fierro: These programs don’t just increase wages; they provide economic mobility, helping workers build stability, advance their careers, and lift their families into greater financial security.

Roundtable | March 27: In much of California, recovery from the lingering effects of Covid on learning, chronic absences and students’ mental health has been slow and difficult.  However, some parents, teachers and administrators have met daunting challenges with novel strategies to re-engage students, partner with families and create inspiring opportunities for high school students. Join us for a free virtual roundtable discussion with leaders who seized one-time Covid resources as a catalyst for change. Hear firsthand about these initiatives and whether you might adapt them to your schools. We’ll explore how: • Family coordinators respond to emergencies and boost student attendance • Training parent-tutors has raised student achievement in Oakland • College advisers/tutors build confidence and motivate students • Milpitas Unified School District's new Innovation Campus is building a new vision for high school Speakers: • Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University • Lakisha Young, co-founder and CEO, The Oakland REACH • Darin Brawley, superintendent, COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT • Cheryl Jordan, superintendent, Milpitas Unified • Lorena R. Solorio, associate director of the Care Corps Program at Rocketship Public Schools

Take a look at our interactive timeline: https://bit.ly/42cEO02

Last week I got to visit Austin, TX to host my podcast LIVE at #SXSWEDU. The topic was "Undocumented Student Civic Engagement in the Trump Era" and we delved into the history of undocumented youth organizing, from way back pre-DACA to the present day. It was really exciting and fun to host my podcast live for the first time in front of an audience. But more than anything, it was so powerful to hear my guests' stories in person and share them with the world. The recording is now up for all to hear: https://lnkd.in/gKNPesxb Thank you Blanca Hernández, Vanesa Cruz Granados, Rafael Martinez, Jacky Neri Arias, Alejandra and so many others who I spoke with or who put me in touch with folks. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

OPINION by Patricia Lozano & Scott Moore: We must expand the workforce because, while 36% of infants and toddlers qualify for subsidized care, only 14% have access to a space. But California — which has led the nation in taking bold action by creating access to universal preschool through the expansion of Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for all 4-year-old children and expanding access to state preschool to 3-year-olds — can close this gap. 

At least 2,000 credentialed school staff have received preliminary layoff notices before the March 15 state-mandated deadline, according to data from the California Teachers Association. Most of those holding pink slips are teachers. #californiaeducation #layoffs #cta

Documents newly obtained by POLITICO offer insight into the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the Education Department. The nearly 1,000 planned terminations include attorneys, student aid workers, civil rights office staff, policy staff and workers in special education and IT. https://lnkd.in/gUy8mXHM

UPCOMING ROUNDTABLE: In much of California, recovery from the lingering effects of Covid on learning, chronic absences and students’ mental health has been slow and difficult. However, some parents, teachers and administrators have met daunting challenges with novel strategies to re-engage students, partner with families and create inspiring opportunities for high school students. Join EdSource’s John Fensterwald and our new CEO, Deborah Clark, for a live roundtable discussion March 27, 2025 from noon to 1pm PT, as they talk with leaders who seized one-time Covid resources as a catalyst for change. REGISTER FOR FREE TODAY https://lnkd.in/gQ2N6xHm

Since the 1860s, the NCES has collected and analyzed data on education across the country, which has been used by policymakers and the public to measure academic success. As of this week, nearly all the agency’s 130 staffers have been fired.

The U.S. Department of Education announced that it is reducing its workforce by half, shutting seven of 12 regional branches of its Office for Civil Rights. The administration said this dramatic slashing would be followed by “significant reorganization to better serve students, parents, educators and taxpayers.” But educators and civil rights advocates say that vulnerable students will not have recourse when schools violate their civil rights.