Positive behavioral health outcomes are affected by a variety of factors including social, biological, economic and physical environments. These social determinants of mental health (SDOMH) affect not only individual children but the communities and neighborhoods in which children are expected to live, play and thrive. The State must ensure…

National reports have raised concerns about the physical accessibility of public school facilities for people with disabilities. These facilities serve important roles as schools, voting locations, and emergency shelters, among other things. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine the physical accessibility of public school…

State policy leaders have an opportunity to take leadership in protecting students--and especially student veterans--from being targeted by predatory colleges. Given failings by the federal government to police for-profit colleges and to ensure basic rights for students to attend college without being defrauded, it now falls to the states to step…

Between 2014 and 2016, California policymakers invested a half-billion dollars in the California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT). The initiative funded regional and local partnerships to establish career pathways designed to lead secondary school students to postsecondary degrees or certifications aligned with regional workforce needs. This brief…

The May 2012 State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) report, "The Broadband Imperative: Recommendations to Address K-12 Education Infrastructure Needs," pushed educators and policy makers nationwide to increase high-speed broadband access in schools, with specific recommendations regarding access, funding, and policies…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Senate Committee Passes Education Appropriations Bill; (2) Upside Down: New Alliance Brief Says Federal Education…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House and Senate Pass Budget Blueprints: Plans Would Increase Spending by More than $20 Billion Over the President's…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) NCLB Anniversary Prompts Renewed Calls for Reauthorization: Growth Models, High School Reform Emerge as Points of…

While the California State Department of Education (SDE) holds the primary responsibility for the success of the California educational system, the Federal Government also supports state and local educational activities. The intent of this document is to assist local educators in understanding federal education programs and communicating with the…

A study was done of Californians' attitudes toward public higher education and its future in comparison to attitudes across the nation. The study conducted eight focus groups in California and used those findings to generate hypotheses tested through two telephone surveys. A California survey was conducted with 832 residents 18 years of age or…

The Lifelong Learning Project was a 3-year effort launched in March 1980 to assist educational leaders in California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, New York, and Ohio in their planning and coordination of adult learning services. These six states undertook a variety of project activities aimed at establishing and maintaining a participatory planning…

In 1985, the California legislature directed the California Postsecondary Education Commission to study the attrition rate of students in engineering education in order to learn if ethnic minority and women students had a higher drop-out rate than all engineering students and, if so, to determine the reasons for their high attrition. In that…

This report presents the California edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's 2008 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook." The 2008 "Yearbook" focuses on how state policies impact the retention of effective new teachers. This policy evaluation is broken down into three areas that encompass 15 goals. Broadly, these goals…

Discusses some of the activities of the California Task Force on Nuclear Emergency Response. Raises some issues that some feel should be addressed in the task force's report to the state legislature. Points out the need for further involvement by citizens and scientists in dealing with nuclear power plant safety. (TW)

Intended as a conceptual framework within which to analyze accountability and governance, this paper by a joint task force of the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges and the California Community College Trustees offers a model for establishing a new system of accountability for the colleges. Part I presents a statement on…