Travis school board adopts new education materials – Daily Republic

By Susan Hiland

The Travis school board this week voted to adopt several new media for the coming school year.

The action included three programs from Cengage Publishing/National Geographic with “Look and See;” “Our World” and “Time Zones” being the new materials.

The National Geographic material emphasizes science and social studies content woven throughout the lessons, according to the staff report.

Source: Travis school board adopts new education materials

Draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that the California Department of Education (CDE) has posted online its latest recommendations to the draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. The recommendations are scheduled to be reviewed by the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) at its quarterly meeting on August 13, the next in ongoing opportunities for public input before final adoption.

The CDE recommends that the model curriculum remain rooted in four foundational disciplines of ethnic studies—African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano Latino Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies. The CDE also recommends the draft include educator resources for engaging in expanded, critical conversations that can be customized to reflect a school community’s diversity and engage in broader social justice issues.

“Our schools have not always been a place where students can gain a full understanding of the contributions of people of color and the many ways throughout history—and present day—that our country has exploited, marginalized, and oppressed them. At a time when people across the nation are calling for a fairer, more just society, we must empower and equip students and educators to have these courageous conversations in the classroom,” said Thurmond. “I am proud to submit these recommendations for a draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that will not only serve as a roadmap for educators but, hopefully, inspire action across the nation.”

Source: Draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

Vallejo school board tables support of ethnic studies curriculum – Times-Herald

By John Glidden

A proposed Vallejo school board resolution supporting California’s proposed ethnic studies curriculum was tabled by the trustees during their May 6 meeting.

Several of the trustees expressed that they were uncomfortable supporting the draft document which is expected to go up for review and possible approval by the State Board of Education next year.

“I think that it’s premature in approving something that is currently in draft form,” said trustee Christy Gardner during the meeting. “That is being revised as we speak and until the total, complete document is finished I feel very uncomfortable approving a draft.”

Source: Vallejo school board tables support of ethnic studies curriculum – Times-Herald

Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Update – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

The Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) was charged with developing an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that shall be a guide to allow school districts to adapt their courses to better reflect the pupil demographics in their communities. Last week at the IQC meeting, California Department of Education (CDE) staff presented a brief update on the status of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. CDE recommended that revisions to the draft follow the State Board of Education guidelines and follow Assembly Bill 2016, the legislation that directed the state to create a model curriculum. This will ensure that the curriculum is written to encourage cultural understanding of how different groups have struggled and worked together, as well as highlight core ethnic studies concepts such as equality, justice, race, ethnicity, and indigeneity. CDE also recommended that it be written in language that is inclusive and supportive of multiple users.

Since the last IQC meeting in November, much work and outreach has been done by CDE after receiving thousands of public comments about the draft released in summer 2019. In October, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a panel discussion that included subject matter experts as well as legislators. The panel provided different perspectives on ethnic studies implementation at the K–12 level. CDE staff have also used this time to review, analyze, and synthesize the more than 20,000 public comments to make recommendations to the IQC in spring 2020. WestEd is currently conducting focus groups for CDE that are comprised of teachers with ethnic studies experience as well as teachers who have not taught ethnic studies but may in the future. CDE is also working with districts that have implemented ethnic studies to utilize their learnings in our recommendations.

Source: Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Update – Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

Shanine Coats Appointed as New CFIRD Director – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed Shanine Coats as the new Director of the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division (CFIRD) at the California Department of Education (CDE).

“Like many of our talented staff here at the CDE, Shanine is and always will be a teacher with a passion for student achievement,” said Thurmond. “That drive will be invaluable as she guides the development of instructional resources for California’s schools. With her experience, she will be instrumental in making connections not only with state and federal programs but between curriculum, instruction, assessment, and accountability as a whole. We are very fortunate to have her leadership.”

As Director of CFIRD, Coats is responsible for the development of statewide policies, goals, and objectives for standards, curriculum, instructional resources, and translation programs. She is also responsible for providing leadership to advisory committees, including acting as Executive Director of the Instructional Quality Commission. In addition, Coats will provide administrative direction and supervision to approximately 60 employees who are organized into five offices.

Source: Shanine Coats Appointed as New CFIRD Director – Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

New textbooks adopted in Vallejo school district after nearly 20 years – Times-Herald

By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen

The Vallejo City Unified School District adopted new history/social studies textbooks for the first time in some 18 years, at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

The adoption of the new books completes a more than a year-long review process by a team who went over contenders and landed on three main publishers — Pearson, My World Social Studies — for K-5; National Geographic for grades 6 through 8 and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for grades 9 to 12.

Readability was a main factor in the decision-making process, officials said. Another was the benefit of students “seeing themselves” in the textbook — a criteria that came up after Trustee Tony Ubalde asked if the Philippines and Filipino involvement in World War II is included in the books at the high school level. He was told it is.

Source: New textbooks adopted in Vallejo school district after nearly 20 years – Times-Herald

The Challenges of Curriculum Materials as a Reform Lever – Education Next

By Morgan S. Polikoff

There is increasing momentum behind the idea that curriculum materials, including textbooks, represent a powerful lever for education reform. As funders are lining up and state leaders are increasing their policy attention on curriculum materials, this report discusses the very real challenges of this effort. The report draws on my experience over the last several years collecting and analyzing textbook adoption data, as well qualitative interviews of school district leaders and teachers. It identifies challenges in three main areas: collecting and analyzing textbook adoption data; encouraging districts to make different adoption decisions; and encouraging teachers to make different use decisions. The report concludes with specific recommendations, which are aimed primarily at state policymakers who seek to use curriculum materials as a policy reform.

Source: The Challenges of Curriculum Materials as a Reform Lever – Education Next : Education Next

Fairfield-Suisun school board to review new books – Daily Republic

By Daily Republic Staff

Community members are invited to sound off at the Fairfield-Suisun School District governing board meeting Thursday when trustees review proposed instructional materials.

The estimated cost for the new materials is estimated at $821,000. Lottery and Local Educational Agency Grants will be used. The new books’ topics include Photoshop, auto repair, mathematics and athletic training. The proposed materials have been on view at the Suisun City Library. The list was publicized through social media and the district website.

Board members will open the meeting at 5 p.m. followed by closed session. The meeting is at 2490 Hilborn Road.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun school board to review new books

Vacaville teachers join with others for Character Strong workshop – The Reporter

By Joel Rosenbaum

Educators from around Northern California including a group of about a dozen teachers and administrators from the Vacaville Unified School District participated in a daylong workshop that taught them the benefits of incorporating character into their daily curriculum.

“We are teaching them how to weave character development, compassion and interpersonal skills into their daily practice in the classroom and throughout the campus,” said Houston Kraft a trainer with Character Strong an organization that leads workshops around the country that “Help educators infuse character and social-emotional learning into the daily fabric of any classroom or campus,” according to their website. Visit www.characterstrong.com.

Source: Vacaville teachers join with others for Character Strong workshop

Business pilot program up for discussion by SCC board – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Several updates — on the 2017-18 budget, a business program pilot and the Solano County Sheriff’s Department — are on the agenda when Solano Community College leaders meet tonight in Fairfield.

Robert V. Diamond, vice president of finance and administration, will update the governing board about the status of the Solano Community College District budget.

However, the agenda neither included any supporting documents about the 2017-18 budget nor any information about revenues, expenses and funding balances projected for the two outlying years. There was no explanation in the agenda documents.

Lucky Lofton, the school’s executive bonds manager, will update trustees about the Measure Q Small, Local, and Diverse Business Program, including the starting of a two-year pilot program. Its purpose is to establish equity, inclusion and outreach guidelines and promote diversity by offering contracts to small businesses and those owned by ethnic minorities, women and disabled veterans in Solano County and the city of Winters. (Measure Q was the $348 million bond passed by Solano County voters in 2012 to upgrade SCC campuses.)

Source: Business pilot program up for discussion by SCC board

Science education funding still in Trump’s crosshairs, despite being saved by Congress | EdSource

By Carolyn Jones

Days after Congress passed a budget that mostly preserves funding for science education, President Donald Trump released a new budget proposal for 2019 that would eliminate many of those same programs.

Trump’s budget proposal, released on Monday, was drawn up before Congress passed its two-year deal last week. Although Congress already approved a budget, Trump’s proposal can offer funding priorities within approved budget caps, and it lays out his overall vision for the country. It calls for a $26 billion increase in defense spending next year, but $5 billion in cuts to non-defense programs, including a 10.5 percent cut to the Department of Education.

Source: Science education funding still in Trump’s crosshairs, despite being saved by Congress | EdSource

School board to vote on new, realigned BHS course outlines at Thursday’s meeting – Benicia Herald

By Nick Sestanovich

Nine new or restructured Benicia High School course outlines are up for review at Thursday’s school board meeting.

“The course outline of record plays a critical educational role,” Dr. Leslie Beatson, assistant superintendent of educational services, wrote in the agenda. “It is the primary vehicle for course planning. When a course is revised or updated, it is the course outline that records the changes. As such, it forms the basis for a contract among the student, instructor, and institution identifying the expectations which will serve as the basis of the student’s grade and giving the fundamental required components of the course which the student is guaranteed to receive from the instructor and institution.”

The first course up for approval is advanced welding, a full-year course for sophomores through seniors which serves as the next step for students currently taking automotive, welding/fabrication or construction, all courses which were implemented this year.

Source: School board to vote on new, realigned BHS course outlines at Thursday’s meeting

Board Approves History Social Science Materials – Year 2017 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the State Board of Education (SBE) voted to approve instructional materials for grades K–8 that teach California’s groundbreaking History/Social-Science Curriculum Framework.

“I am proud California continues to lead the nation by teaching history-social science that is inclusive and recognizes the diversity of our great state and nation,” he said. “Students will benefit enormously.”

Torlakson said the instructional materials will give students a broader, deeper, and more accurate understanding of history and the social sciences, provide them with current research, and equip them with the critical thinking and research skills to make up their own minds about controversial issues.

“They update the teaching and learning of history and social science and convey important new information about the challenges and contributions made by individuals and ethnic groups, members of the LGBT communities, and people with disabilities,” he said. “They recognize some individuals and groups who may not have been fully included in the past.”

Source: Board Approves History Social Science Materials – Year 2017 (CA Dept of Education)

Choosing a Curriculum: A Critical Act – Education Next

By David Steiner

An education system without an effective instructional core is like a car without a working engine: It can’t fulfill its function. No matter how much energy and money we spend working on systemic issues – school choice, funding, assessments, accountability, and the like – not one of these policies educates children. That is done only through curriculum and teachers: the material we teach and how effectively we teach it.

Education reformers have grasped the importance of one-half of this core: teacher quality. Indeed, one of the most contentious education reforms of the last decade was the effort, spearheaded in the federal Race to the Top initiative, to create accountability around teachers’ performance. More recently, federal initiatives and major foundations have begun to focus on the caliber of teacher preparation, with states such as Delaware and Louisiana taking the lead in evaluating the quality of schools of education. At the same time, we have seen the multiplication of clinical residency programs across the country, a strategy based on the medical model of training doctors.

Source: Choosing a Curriculum: A Critical Act – Education Next : Education Next

Vacaville Unified supe offers A-to-Z district snapshot – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Despite recent bad news that several Solano County unified school districts have some of the lowest average-daily-attendance funding in California, Vacaville’s can still lay claim to some decidedly positive news.

Science kits in elementary classrooms, Chromebooks for every student across 16 district campuses, Measure A projects, PE teachers at every elementary school, and increased pay for employees were among the highlights cited by Superintendent Jane Shamieh during her 2015-16 annual report when she updated trustees and the public during last week’s governing board meeting.

Stepping down from the dais in the Educational Services Center and standing behind a lectern to face trustees, she moved quickly during her slide presentation, recalling last year’s major board actions and initiatives for students and employees, something of an A-to-Z snapshot of the district.

 

Source: Vacaville Unified supe offers A-to-Z district snapshot

Sex-ed textbooks get OK after letter from 6 women questioning curriculum – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

Proposed textbooks that recognize people have different sexual orientations and that discuss same-sex relationships won approval Thursday by Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees after comments that included a letter from six mothers and grandmothers in Fairfield questioning the books.

“Children, of course, should be taught to always be kind to others who are ‘different’ sexually,” the letter states. “But they should also be taught it is wrong to act out sexually as they do.”

The Positive Prevention Plus textbook was on display at the school district offices and had generated a single comment before the letter from the women, along with separate correspondence from a former school board member.

Source: Sex-ed textbooks get OK after letter from 6 women questioning curriculum

Place proposed textbooks at library, trustee suggests – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

Placing proposed textbooks, including Positive Prevention Plus for sex education classes, at the Suisun City Library would expand the opportunity for the public to review the books, Fairfield-Suisun School District Trustee Chris Wilson said Thursday.

He said having the books at the library will allow review after 5 p.m., when the school district offices in Fairfield close and textbooks on display in the lobby are not available.

“We’ll see what we can do,” Superintendent Kris Corey told Wilson.

Source: Place proposed textbooks at library, trustee suggests

Sexual health education curriculum goes before Fairfield-Suisun school board – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

Positive Prevention Plus – sexual health education curriculum for middle and high school students that reflects the California Healthy Youth Act to affirmatively recognize people have different sexual orientations and discuss same-sex relationships – goes before Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees Thursday.

The sexual health instruction is among new instructional materials for spring 2017 that go before the school board as an information item.

Action by trustees on the curriculum would follow Oct. 5, when public viewing ends for textbooks recommended for adoption.

Source: Sexual health education curriculum goes before Fairfield-Suisun school board

Textbook Prices Have Risen 1000% Since 1977 – Education News

By Jace Harr

The price of a college education has skyrocketed in recent decades, but it’s not only tuition that contributes to student loan debt. Textbook prices have increased more than 1000% since the 1970s, according to a recent NBC documentary.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that between January 1977 and June 2015, the price of textbooks increased 1041%, which is three times the rate of inflation in the same period. A student at a public college is estimated to need $1,225 for textbooks this year.

Mark Perry, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan who has tracked textbook prices for years, said:

  • College textbook prices are increasing way more than parents’ ability to pay for them.

via Textbook Prices Have Risen 1000% Since 1977.

Planning the Best Curriculum Unit Ever | Edutopia

By Todd Finley

Teaching is not natural.

The public believes, incorrectly, that classroom instruction is as natural as showing your child how fish or helping a nephew play Ms. Pac-Man. But those comparisons don’t take into account the profoundly specialized discourse of K-12 instruction.

Answering a learners question with a question, creating a holistic rubric, or take a deep breath facilitating a high-level discussion of new content on the Thursday before prom with 35 diverse students two of whom present ADHD behaviors while an administrator evaluates you . . . all of this requires a ridiculous constellation of specialized, unnatural skills.

That alien skill set means that even the most brilliant teachers cannot just wing it. They have to plan.

via Planning the Best Curriculum Unit Ever | Edutopia.