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  • Federal investigation targets California ban on parental notification policies 

    Federal investigation targets California ban on parental notification policies 


    The LGBTQ+ community rallies in solidarity, opposing the Social Studies Alive! ban in Temecula Valley Unified in June 2023.

    Credit: Mallika Seshadri / EdSource

    Jennifer Vietz’s transgender daughter came out to a teacher and friends at her school’s Gay Straight Alliance group. 

    “If my daughter didn’t get the kind of support that she did,” Vietz said, “she wouldn’t be here now.” 

    She’s grateful for the school’s and teachers’ support of her daughter, and is aware that not every student has the same support from their family. 

    “They should be able to come out in a way that’s safe — or not come out — and still have a trusted adult that they can talk to,” Vietz said. “If they don’t trust their families, they need to have another trusted adult that they can talk to and (have) that speech protected.” 

    Vietz is one of many parents and advocates who have expressed concern for the welfare of LGBTQ+ students since the Trump administration announced an investigation into the California Department of Education over a state law, California Assembly Bill 1955, which bans schools from implementing parental notification policies. 

    The investigation, announced Thursday, includes claims by the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office that schools that implement AB 1955 violate the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) and that the California Department of Education has enabled practices that “may be violating FERPA to socially transition children at school while hiding minors’ ‘gender identity’ from parents.” If the state is found to be violating FERPA, it could lose federal funding, the announcement said.

    “LGBTQ+ youth and their families deserve to have sensitive conversations on their own terms and in a way that ensures students feel safe and supported at school,” said Tony Hoang, the executive director of Equality California, a nonprofit organization focused on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, in a media release.

    But several school board members support and applaud the Trump administration’s efforts. 

    “I will not waver in opposing initiatives that undermine the parents’ God-given rights and prioritize social-political agendas over the well-being of our children,” said Joseph Komrosky, a member and former president of the Temecula Valley Unified school board. “To that end, it is great to see our president fight from the top down to vindicate our efforts at the local level.”

    In 2023, parental notification policies that require school officials to notify parents if their children show signs of being transgender started to gain traction in various parts of the state. Chino Valley Unified, Temecula Valley Unified, Murrieta Valley Unified and Orange Unified were among the California school boards that adopted such measures. 

    “I remain steadfast in my commitment to empowering parents and protecting the innocence of children as a (Temecula Valley Unified School District) school board trustee,” said Komrosky. “The fight against woke policies continues, as we have seen our parental notification policies challenged by special interest groups and state officials, such as Gov. Newsom’s support of AB 1955.” 

    When Temecula Valley Unified’s parental notification policy first went into effect, many students were left concerned, and many teachers were left confused, according to Edgar Diaz, the president of the Temecula Valley Educators Association, the district’s teachers union. 

    “It’s just been confusing over time, as we had a board approve something like this, without bringing employee voice into it, and then the state bringing a new law, and now … this investigation from the federal side,” Diaz said. “It just brings a lot of unknowns when you have different layers of government trying to add their own flavor to it.” 

    He added that the school board is currently in talks with the educators association and Temecula Classified Employees Chapter 538, which represents classified employees, about bringing a parental notification policy back under another name. 

    Jennifer Wiersma, a member of Temecula Valley Unified’s school board who supported the district’s parental notification policy, said, however, that the district has been working with unions on policies that are “nebulous” and that “don’t include parents as the focal point but instead mention sensitive topics and neutral classrooms.” 

    Those who oppose parental notification policies, including allies of LGBTQ+ students, have argued that revealing a student’s gender identity to their parents can be detrimental to their well-being.

    “We respect our justice system and follow laws in California. We wish we could say the same for the Trump/Musk administration,” said David Goldberg, the president of the California Teachers Association, in a statement to EdSource. “In California, we also provide safe and supportive learning environments for all students, and educators were proud to support the SAFETY Act (AB 1955) to protect all students’ rights to a safe and supportive learning environment.” 

    Equality California, which partnered with the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus to pass AB 1955, also doubled down on its commitment to transgender students. 

    “California’s laws don’t keep parents in the dark — they simply prevent extremist school boards from passing policies that target transgender youth and intrude into the parent-child relationship,” Hoang said.  

    Theo Burns, a professor of clinical education at the University of Southern California, says it’s critical for students to open up to their parents on their own terms. 

    He said that sometimes, reactions from parents are negative. But other times, parents might just be exhibiting a more immediate reaction, which can include misunderstanding, shock and denial. 

    “A child might think, ‘Oh gosh, you know what, my parents are really against me coming out as transgender,’” Burns said, “when in reality, the parent might just be not against it, but having to kind of sit with initial reaction before they come to a place of advocacy.” 

    Burns also said revealing transgender students can be associated with heightened mental health symptoms, like anxiety and depression, and can negatively impact their attendance at school. 

    “When we, as … a culture that values young people’s experiences, when we allow individuals to disclose who they are and what they want us to know in ways that feel safe and supportive,” Burns said, “it … not only benefits the individual, but also benefits community norms and values that those individuals are embedded into.”





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  • California teachers urgently need training in how to respond to, and cope with, trauma

    California teachers urgently need training in how to respond to, and cope with, trauma


    Child care providers discuss trauma at a training at BANANAS in Oakland.

    Credit: Zaidee Stavely/EdSource

    We live in stressful times. This, coupled with the high rate (80.5%) of children experiencing at least one adverse childhood experience by adolescence, necessitates that schools use trauma-informed practices in their daily routines.

    Trauma-informed practices, or TIPS, involve understanding the potential impact of trauma exposure on a child, recognizing signs and symptoms of trauma exposure and responding in a way that supports healing and may build resilience. I

    nteractive trainings help educators know how to respond to students with adverse childhood experiences, as well as what to do when a collective crisis happens, such as a natural disaster or school shooting. Educators learn and practice trauma-informed discipline, how to help regulate a stressed child, and build systemwide practices supporting student and teacher well-being.

    The California Office of the Surgeon General recognized the need for trauma-informed practices training and created an interactive online program for teachers and schools called Safe Spaces. However, it is not clear how many school districts and educators have accessed the program.

    A large majority of teachers (64%) want to learn how to better support students affected by trauma, according to a survey of nearly 15,000 educators by the American Psychological Association (APA). They also need support for coping with their own exposures to trauma. Teachers are often affected by the same events as their students — the pandemic, natural disasters, school shootings. And the APA survey shows educators must also contend with violence by students and parents.

    Although numerous online resources exist, including those from the National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, there are barriers to overcome to get trained.

    Our research team asked 450 of our local educators during the pandemic about why they might not have been using these resources and found that, despite being highly motivated, teachers faced limited energy and time, some perceived a lack of administrator support, and some felt stigma about needing resources to manage their own emotions. 

    California needs to do more to equip teachers and administrators on how to cope with trauma in their students and for themselves.  

    One of the best ways to embed trauma-informed practices into our school systems is to start with the programs that train our future teachers. The National Association of State Boards of Education noted that only 16 states require some form of trauma-informed practices training, although the content and type of training varies.

    In California, this type of training is one way a future teacher can meet professional standards, but it is not required. Perhaps if it were, future teachers would begin their careers recognizing signs of possible trauma reactions in their students and know how to approach it with a mindset of “What happened to you?” instead of “What is wrong with you?” They would have tools to support their students with coping and handling emotions, and know when to refer for additional supports.

    Teachers already in the classroom also need trauma-informed training, but it’s often lost in the many competing demands districts must balance. Some districts can offer professional development days for their teachers where in-person trauma-informed practices training is available. If more districts could offer this, teachers would have dedicated time to learn the current best practices for supporting students with adverse childhood experiences or with the initial aftermath of school crises, such as psychological first aid for students and teachers.

    They would learn how to support the safety of students with disabilities in emergencies through Especially Safe, which was developed by parents and educators who lost students in the Sandy Hook school shooting. Especially Safe offers free resources to help schools better plan, prepare and teach safety in a way that is accessible to all students.

    Training teachers in trauma-informed practices is not enough if they are in a school environment that is not prioritizing this; therefore, training of administrators is essential as well. And administrators have their own questions about how to support the whole school community following crises and other events. Therefore, it is best if everyone in the school community gets this training.

    Although many organizations offer trauma-informed resources and trainings to schools, we need to scale up these programs to reach all schools and teacher education programs. Funding must cover not only program costs, but also dedicated teacher and administrator time to take these programs as part of professional development days.

    Until tragedies make the news, better training in trauma-informed practices may not make the top of the list of priorities, but we need to change this.

    •••

    Erika Felix, Ph.D., is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • California teachers recall long road back from Covid

    California teachers recall long road back from Covid


    Left to right: Carly Bresee, Erika Cedeno, Todd Shadbourne, Sesar Carreño and Keith Carames.

    The last five years have not been easy for students or their teachers.

    During Covid school closures, teachers, accustomed to using overhead projectors and pencil and paper in classrooms, had to learn to use new technology so their students could learn from home.

    When students returned to campuses a year later, some had learning and socialization gaps. There were more behavior problems and chronic absenteeism.

    Thousands of California teachers, discouraged by classroom discipline problems, quit the profession. But many took on the challenge, offering students social-emotional support and individualized instruction.

    Now, teachers interviewed by EdSource are optimistic. They report that students are making academic and social-emotional progress. 

    Keith Carames: Pandemic didn’t stop James Lick thespians

    Drama teacher Keith Carames takes the adage “the show must go on” quite literally. 

    Keith Carames

    A pandemic didn’t stop Carames and his students at James Lick Middle School in San Francisco from producing a show, even if it meant doing it virtually.

    During school closures in the first year of the pandemic, Carames hired a director through the American Conservatory Theater to use digital storytelling and voiceovers to help students bring the Amanda Gorman poem “The Hill We Climb” to life in a five-minute video.

    Once school reopened, Carames was reluctant to have actors masked in live productions, something other schools were doing.

    “This is horrible,” Carames recalled. “Like it’s so disingenuous. We’re not using their full instrument. You don’t see their faces. It just made me sick.”

    So, Carames hired two playwrights to work with students to write eight original plays based on their experiences during Covid. He then collaborated with the San Francisco Opera Guild to turn two of the plays into musicals.

    “Everybody’s in the classroom with masks on,” Caramas said. “We rehearsed with masks on. I was like, OK, we’re going to do a show this year, but it’s not going to be like normal.”

    Carames’s answer was to rent a theater space where Covid-tested students could act and be filmed on stage without a mask for 10 minutes at a time. A production company filmed the eight plays.

    “We had fans blowing, and we had air filtration, and we had all the protocols in place,” Carames said. 

    The result was a one-night event titled “Unmasked: The Covid Chronicles,” complete with a red carpet.

    Much has changed since then. Last month, students in Carames’ after-school drama program performed the musical “SpongeBob” in front of a live audience. No one wore masks. Last week, the student actors gathered after school to watch a recording of the video and to eat Mediterranean food provided by their teacher.

    “Isn’t that cool?” Carames said.

    Sesar Carreño: Central Valley school gets technology boost

    Earlimart Middle School classrooms in Tulare County have had a technology boost since Covid closed schools. 

    Sesar Carreño
    Credit: Lifetouch Photography

    Students who once shared computers now each have one provided by Earlimart School District. Students and their families also have district-provided internet access in their homes, said Sesar Carreño, an eighth-grade teacher at the school.

    Now teachers use giant smart TVs to share their computer screens during lessons, instead of using overhead projectors and pull-down screens. 

     Carreño says the increased technology in the classroom has been a plus, but the increased access to everything the internet has to offer means more effort by teachers to keep students’ attention.

    “They wander off, watch YouTube videos and things like that,” he said. “You say, ‘Hey, hey, don’t do that. Stay on task.’ “

    Plagiarism can also be a problem when students copy and paste from the internet a little too often when doing homework. But it’s easy to catch,  Carreño said.

    “They don’t change the font … or it looks better than something I wrote at Cal State Northridge or UCLA,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s brilliant.’ We try to catch that, and I do ding them for that.”

    Other than policing students on the internet, Carreño says he doesn’t have any more discipline problems than before the pandemic.

    “We just had a fight 30 minutes ago in the yard,” he said. “We’re a middle school, so things will happen.”

    Carly Bresee: Classrooms are getting back to normal

    Carly Bresee was optimistic about her new career when she began her first full year of teaching in 2019. She had wanted to be a special education teacher since she was 5 years old.

    Carly Bresee

    But a lifetime of dreaming about teaching didn’t prepare her for teaching during Covid school closures or the increased social-emotional needs of her young students when they returned to school a year later. Bresee teaches transitional kindergarten through first-grade special education students with extensive support needs at Perkins K-8 School in San Diego Unified.

    Bresee couldn’t teach her students online like most other teachers. So, she donned a face mask and gloves and made weekly home visits during Covid school closures. 

    “You know, kids, especially at that age, and then especially again with students with disabilities, sitting in front of a computer for school just wasn’t a possibility,” she said. “It wasn’t accessible learning.”

    But returning to school was even harder, Bresee said. Students had increased social-emotional needs and unexpected behavior that left Bresee and other classroom staff exhausted.

     “We would go home and not be able to do anything else,” she said. “I would go home and fall asleep at like 4:30 in the afternoon.”

    Bresee considered leaving the profession then, but is now more optimistic.

    “I’m feeling good this year,” she said. “Things are getting back into a routine in my classroom. … It does feel like I’m getting my feet under me again. So, it does feel like I’m headed in the right direction.”

    Todd Shadbourne: Teachers became technology converts

    Foulks Ranch Elementary teacher Todd Shadbourne was a self-described “pencil-paper guy” until the Covid pandemic closed schools, including his campus in Elk Grove, in the spring of 2020. 

    Todd Shadbourne

    Suddenly, he needed to learn to use online video conferencing programs, classroom management tools and other technology to ensure his students could learn from their homes.

    “I’m almost 60, and I was surrounded by younger colleagues who totally just collaborated with me,” Shadbourne said. “I worked with my colleagues and I learned how to do it, and I’m really confident at it now.”

    When students returned to school, the computers, classroom management tools and online lessons came with them. The technology now allows students and their parents more access to teachers’ lesson plans and other classroom materials, Shadbourne said.

    “I think it has helped me to communicate with parents more,” said Shadbourne, who teaches sixth grade. “I’ve been teaching for a long time, and I remember when they were introducing emails and I remember when we were going to workshops for voicemail. And now, there are so many ways that I can communicate with parents. It’s almost too much.”

    And now, when there are technical problems in the classroom, the entire class jumps in to help solve problems, he said.

    Shadbourne says his newfound confidence in his ability to use technology has made him more self-assured in other areas as well.

    “I’m more willing to try new things, and I’m not afraid to mess up,” Shadbourne said.

    Erika Cedeno: Building connections key to student learning

    Spanish teacher Erika Cedeno believes connecting with her students is crucial to establishing good relationships with them. She thinks it is even more important since students returned to school after a year of learning in isolation.

    Erika Cedeno

    Cedeno says she doesn’t have any behavior problems in her classes. Mutual respect and trust are key, she said.

    She builds connections, in part, by setting aside time to have conversations with students, and by inviting them to use her classroom to heat up meals or just to hang out during lunch.

    “To say hello at the door is not enough,” said Cedeno, who was recently named Teacher of the Year at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita. 

    “They need to trust you, and they need to like you,” Cedeno said. “Because if they don’t like you, they’re not going to learn.”

    As chair of the world languages department at the school, Cedeno has encouraged other teachers to use project-based learning and to focus more on social-emotional support in the classroom.

    She recently applied for a grant to replace the desks in her classroom with tables, so that the students can collaborate in small groups.

    “When you collaborate in the real world, you don’t collaborate in rows,” Cedeno said. “With tables, you collaborate, you give feedback, you talk and you say your point of view. I’m creating that environment, and my principal is loving it.”





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  • How schools can help students facing homelessness get to class

    How schools can help students facing homelessness get to class


    Coming up with solutions to the transportation problems of homeless students would go a long way toward reducing chronic absenteeism, advocates say.

    Credit: KATE SEQUEIRA/EDSOURCE

    A quiet place to complete homework, free and stable transportation options, and not immediately being penalized for missed work are among the things that Te’yana Brown said could have helped her as she faced homelessness at different points between elementary and high school.

    Instead, Brown spent most mornings trying to figure out how to get to her high school. Sometimes, a family member could drive her the 45 minutes to an hour to school, while on other days she took the bus. She missed so much school at one point that she was deemed chronically absent, meaning she’d missed at least 10% of the school year.

    “I think they knew periodically because I would always have absences or I would always be tardy, but I don’t think they were really concerned because, either way, I usually got my work done,” Brown responded in a recent interview to a question about whether her school knew she was experiencing homelessness. “I guess they didn’t really want to make me feel bad about it, but I wish they would have provided a little bit more resources.”

    Te’yana Brown was awarded a scholarship from SchoolHouse Connection, a national homeless advocacy organization that addresses how schools can increase attendance among students experiencing homelessness.

    Brown was far from the only one finding it difficult to get to school as a student experiencing homelessness: Of the more than 246,000 homeless students in California during the 2022-23 school year, 40% were chronically absent, according to data analysis by SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.

    To prevent experiences like Brown’s is the reason for a new partnership between Attendance Works, a nonprofit aimed at boosting school attendance, and SchoolHouse Connection, a national homeless advocacy organization, to address how schools can increase attendance among students experiencing homelessness.

    A federal law, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, was implemented decades ago to ensure homeless students are identified and supported. If a homeless student falls through the cracks, they miss out on services that could help them stay in school, even if their housing situation remains tenuous.

    The two organizations spent months analyzing data and interviewing districts nationwide to understand how to bring homeless students back to school.

    “There’s a way in which all of McKinney-Vento is about attendance. The entire effort is about increasing attendance, as well as supporting success,” said Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection.

    Among the top strategies they gathered are training school staff to identify whether a student might be homeless, working together across school departments to avoid penalizing students for challenges arising from homelessness, and focusing on transportation access.

    Some specific examples of districts taking homeless students’ needs into account include a county in Virginia that coordinated bus routes to motels where homeless students were living. Students admitted to being embarrassed when their classmates would see where they lived, so the bus schedule was changed to make the motels the first stop each morning and the last stop after school.

    In Fresno, a team of school officials at Coalinga-Huron Unified School District meets weekly to review academics, attendance and other factors related to homeless students’ education and then take steps to support those students through that week.

    While identification of homelessness is required under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the people doing this work at schools are often understaffed and underfunded. Usually, they have to gather funding from sources unrelated to McKinney-Vento to comply with the law.

    The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth grant is a steady stream of funding targeted at this student population, but at $129 million nationwide, it does not reach all schools that enroll students experiencing homelessness. During the 2022-23 school year, for example, California received $14.6 million to support the educational needs of homeless students, but it reached only 127 of the state’s more than 2,000 districts. The year prior, California received $13.2 million in competitive grants that went to 136 districts.

    A significant amount of federal pandemic recovery funds set aside for homeless students was also available starting in March 2021 — over $98 million that went to 92% of California’s school districts, though that was one-time funding.

    A federal Department of Education study published this year found that local educational agencies that received those pandemic recovery funds saw a decrease of 5 percentage points in homeless students’ chronic absenteeism rate.

    The study attributed this national trend to schools’ access to increased funding. Duffield pointed out that these decreases occurred even as student homelessness rose over the same period.

    Brown was eventually able to get to school consistently and is now in her second year at Pitzer College, a private institution that is part of the Claremont Colleges in Southern California, studying management engineering on a full-ride scholarship.

    Her path there, however, required transferring to a high school that offered her flexibility in managing her schoolwork and provided resources that helped her focus on school even as she looked for stable housing.

    Brown’s story is not uncommon

    Te’yana Brown speaks at her high school graduation.

    Brown was never identified as homeless in high school despite showing signs that her basic needs were not being met, including being chronically absent and missing school assignments despite generally maintaining good grades.

    She struggled academically in the first two years of high school, a time in which she and her family were doubling up with other families, eventually moving between motels. She said she didn’t receive resources outside of what all other students were offered, such as referring families to social services programs like CalWorks.

    But her educational experience and her college aspirations changed when she transferred to a school that offered her more flexibility and support. Brown had started working part time at a Goodwill store at age 15, but she stayed on top of her academics because her new school was a hybrid program that required in-person classes only twice a week.

    “Not all students have the flexibility to go to school eight hours a day,” Brown said. ”That can be really challenging when it comes to students from underserved communities.”

    At her new school in the Pasadena area of Los Angeles, Brown had 24-hour access to tutoring platforms, regular check-ins with her teachers and academic counselor, and a college preparatory program that included university tours.

    “I had a lot of other tasks that I needed to do, whether it be research for my family or working to actually support myself,” she said.

    The research that Brown referred to was the time she spent searching for affordable housing for herself, her mother, and her sister.

    Once Brown got into college and moved to on-campus housing, she turned to figuring out how her mother and sister could remain stable.

    “It was really stressful because I had a lot of worry about how my family was going to survive. It really hurt my heart if I was able to go to college and have a roof over my head but they didn’t have a place of their own,” said Brown.

    Brown’s sense of responsibility has permeated her academic life, her college application process, and her decisions now as a college student. For example, when she got an Amazon scholarship that included a housing stipend and a monthly salary, she saved most of her pay for a down payment on a home for her family.

    Advocates say efforts to increase attendance will continue to fail if homeless students are not the central focus. Just last week, Fresno Unified’s school board voted to provide rental subsidies to 10 unhoused families with kids who were were chronically absent. This is the type of strategy that the partnership between Attendance Works and SchoolHouse Connection aims to highlight and help expand.

    “If we’re devising strategies but we’re not paying attention to the specific circumstances of the youth who have the highest chronic absence rates and some really unique barriers,” Duffield said, “then those overall attendance efforts aren’t going to be successful.”





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  • Seize the opportunity to select more effective math curriculum for California students

    Seize the opportunity to select more effective math curriculum for California students


    Credit: English Learners Success Forum

    I am a daughter of Mexican immigrants, born in the United States. Spanish is my first language. When I entered school, the language barrier was overwhelming. I see my story in the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) numbers. The report unveiled troubling trends in math performance, especially among English learners, underscoring the urgency of addressing this critical area.

    As a young Spanish speaker still learning English, I sat in the back of the classroom, feeling lost while my classmates actively participated. Contrary to what my parents taught my siblings and me, in school our linguistic background was considered a disadvantage, rather than an asset. I was a bright student with a father who was great with numbers without a calculator. Though my parents had only a second-grade education, they ensured my siblings and I could do math well. Yet, at school the perception was that because I didn’t know English, I couldn’t comprehend the content in other subjects either.

    Though my parents encouraged us to embrace learning, education and our cultural roots through our language, I struggled with my identity and found it challenging to express myself in English. The class instruction did not support my need to learn English while also helping me grasp rigorous content.

    As California confronts its educational challenges, a critical concern has emerged: the need for math instruction and a math curriculum that is accessible and meets the needs of all students, especially English learners.

    The National NAEP data indicates a concerning trend in math scores for both native English speakers and English learners showing a national decline in math scores for 4th and 8th graders, with 40% of 4th graders and only 28% of 8th graders achieving proficiency. Among Grade 8 math scores, English learners in the lowest percentile group experienced a six-point drop, widening the achievement gap with non-English learners, who only decreased by two points. In California, where nearly one out of every five students is learning English as a second language, it’s even more urgent that we address this crisis.

    Teacher voices and research consistently show that effective instructional materials are crucial. The California Math Framework adopted in 2023 specifically underscored that sense-making in mathematics is intricately linked to language development. It is critical for any math curriculum we choose to support all students in developing the skills needed to excel in mathematics.

    This is a critical moment for California as it is currently in the process of adopting math materials for 2026, which could significantly influence students’ achievement for years to come. The curriculum materials needed to change future outcomes are being selected now, and educators can demand high-quality instructional materials that are designed to support the needs of English learners.

    Education leaders play a pivotal role in this adoption process. We must advocate fiercely for the best interests of our students, especially English learners, to ensure they receive the education they deserve. Collaboration with educators, parents, and the community is crucial to ensure that we make informed decisions that cater to the diverse needs of our students.

    As California’s education leaders, we play a pivotal role, and there are specific actions that we can take to drive change.

    • Learn what high-quality materials for English learners look like. It’s vital to recognize what makes instructional materials effective. They should be culturally responsive, linguistically suitable and engaging, helping students access content while promoting language development.
    • Include representation of interest in committees. Ensuring voices are present in decision-making, like curriculum committees, fosters inclusivity. Engaging families and communities provides insights that create a more equitable educational environment.
    • Get involved now in curriculum adoption. Participating in the curriculum selection process enables educators to advocate for materials that support English learners. District leaders, school board members, educators and parents all have a role to play here.
    • Shift mindsets about materials together with professional learning. Changing educator perceptions and recognizing that traditional materials may not meet the diverse needs of English learners encourages innovative teaching strategies.

    If we fail to address the specific needs of the 1.1 million English learners in California’s K-12 schools, we risk perpetuating systemic inequalities, which broadens the achievement gap. The California Math Framework explicitly calls for the integration of language and content. California has an opportunity to make better curriculum choices that benefit all students and significantly improve the educational experience for English learners.

    By implementing these strategies, education leaders can foster change and a sustainable education process for English learners. Our children deserve nothing less.

    •••

    Alma Castro is the president of the Los Angeles County Schools Trustee Association, a member of the Lynwood Unified School Board, and director of California initiatives at the English Learners Success Forum, a collaboration of researchers, teachers, district leaders, and funders working to improve the quality and accessibility of instructional materials for English learners.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • Slow down and take a closer look at the issue of trans athletes

    Slow down and take a closer look at the issue of trans athletes


    Credit: Philip Strong / Unsplash

    As a San Francisco liberal, I was surprised to find myself agreeing with some MAGA arguments. It reflects a common way of thinking these days: You are either with us or against us. You are either a flaming woke liberal or an ignorant nutcase conservative.

    Not so.

    There are two basic ways people make decisions. Thinking fast and thinking slow. That’s the analysis of Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.

    Thinking fast is how we make emotional, stereotypic, unconscious decisions. Knee-jerk reactions. Thinking slow, on the other hand, takes more effort and analysis.

    Unfortunately, we sometimes come up with quick, simple answers to questions that require more complicated analysis.

    Let’s take the controversy of whether trans athletes should play on girls sports teams.

    President Donald Trump successfully used this issue to fuel culture wars between Democrats and Republicans during the 2024 presidential campaign.

    The first reaction is emotional, on both sides of the political divide.

    • Conservative response: It’s not fair to give one team a competitive advantage and risk injury to students.
    • Liberal response: Of course they should play on girls teams. We should never discriminate against trans athletes. Banning the athlete treats her as an outsider or misfit. This further traumatizes the trans athlete, who is already struggling with acceptance.

    These “my way or the highway” approaches are playing out at both the federal and state levels.

    One of Trump’s first acts as president was an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”

     “In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”

    Democrats later blocked an effort in Congress to turn Trump’s executive order into law.

    Since 2014, California students have had the right to play on a sports team that aligns with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records.

    However, two bills were recently introduced in the Legislature to ban this.

    • Assembly Bill 89 (Sanchez), would have required the California Interscholastic Federation to amend its constitution, bylaws and policies to prohibit a pupil whose sex was assigned male at birth from participating on a girls interscholastic sports team.
    • Assembly Bill 844 (Essayli) would have required that a pupil’s participation in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use of facilities, be based upon the pupil’s sex at birth, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.

    Both bills were blocked in committee on Tuesday, but Republicans have promised to continue their efforts.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom has angered Democrats and human rights advocates by breaking from the party line. He believes that allowing transgender girls and women to participate in female sports leagues is “deeply unfair.”

    Let’s now take the “think slow” approach: Analyze the issue. Don’t jump to conclusions.

    This issue is not hypothetical for me. My son has played on a girls team, and my daughter has played on a boys team. I have played on women’s soccer teams against trans athletes. For years, I played on co-ed teams.

    But there is one undisputed fact: On average, adolescent boys and men are stronger, taller and faster than girls.

    I absolutely support trans athletes playing on girls’ teams … unless they are bigger and stronger than the girls.

    The table below shows you the physical differences.

    There are no simple answers.

    Conservative response: Ban all trans athletes from playing on a girls team. To heck with equity.

    Liberal response: Allow all trans athletes to play on a girls team. To heck with competitive advantage and safety.

    Neither approach makes sense.  We need a middle ground.

    Let’s try an approach that puts students first.

    • Recognize this is an issue of fairness and equity for both the trans athlete and the members of the girls team.
    • For high school interscholastic sports, base the solution on the particular situation in junior and senior year of high school. That’s when the dramatic differences in strength, weight and height can influence the outcome of the game and impact the safety of the students.
    • For college sports, assess whether there will be a competitive advantage or risk of injury.
    • Understand that whatever the decision, people will be angry.
    • Forget the political divide and rest your decision on what you think is best for students.

    •••

    Carol Kocivar is a child advocate, writer for Ed100.org, retired attorney and past president of the California State PTA.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • Democrats reject California bills banning transgender athletes

    Democrats reject California bills banning transgender athletes


    A general view of the California State Capitol building in Sacramento.

    Credit: Kirby Lee / AP

    California Democrats on an Assembly committee blocked two bills Tuesday that would have banned transgender athletes from girls’ sports, locker rooms, bathrooms and dorms, after an emotional three-hour hearing that underscored the political divide in both the country and state.

    Assembly Bill 89 would have required the California Interscholastic Federation to change its policies and prohibit an athlete who was male at birth from participating in a girls’ interscholastic sports team. Assembly Bill 844 would have changed state law to require college and K-12 students who play sports to play on the teams and use the facilities that align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

    Both bills failed in party-line votes to move out of the Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism.

    The hearing drew an overflow crowd of people with strong opinions on transgender rights, the political divide and President Donald Trump.

    Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita, author of Assembly Bill 89, said the bill was not politically motivated. 

    “Let’s be clear; it is not about hate,” Sanchez said. “It is not about fear, and it’s not right-wing talking points. This is entirely about fairness, safety and integrity in girls’ competitive high school athletics. That’s it.”

    Committee member Rick Chavez Zbur, D-Hollywood, disagreed.

    “It’s about playing on the hate and fear of transgender people, one of our most marginalized communities,” he said. “And it is right-wing talking points.”

    Transgender rights are political

    The rights of transgender people, who make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, have been rolled back under the Trump administration. Since Jan. 20, Donald Trump has signed executive orders restricting gender-affirming care and proclaiming there are only two biological sexes. He has announced plans to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military, directed federal agencies to recognize only a person’s biological sex on passports and ordered that incarcerated transgender women be moved to men’s prisons.

    “The Trump administration has not only targeted transgender people through hateful executive orders, but has tried to erase their existence — erasing websites that talk about them, erasing studies that inform us about the needs of the community, (and) attempting to ban them from medical care, from public life,” Zbur said. “And, you know, the thing I just want to say is this is really reminiscent, to me, of what happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.”

    Since 2013, the California School Success and Opportunity Act has allowed students to participate in sports based on their gender identity. It’s not a popular stance in much of the nation. According to a Pew Research Center study released last month, two-thirds of the country prefer laws and policies that require athletes to compete on teams that match the sex assigned at birth.

    Bill supporters quote Newsom

    Republican lawmakers and other supporters of the bills were quick to bring up comments made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom during a recent podcast, during which the Democrat called the participation of transgender athletes in female sports “deeply unfair.”

    “This bill is not just about compliance with federal law, it’s about doing the right thing for our girls,” said Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, who authored Assembly Bill 844. “To quote Gov. Newsom — that right-wing extremist — this is an issue of fundamental fairness.”

    Essayli has authored two other failed bills aimed at transgender students. Assembly Bill 1314, introduced in 2023, would have required schools to notify parents within three days if their child identifies as transgender. Assembly Bill 3146, introduced last year, would have banned health care providers from providing gender-affirming care in the form of procedures or prescriptions to people younger than 18. 

    California in the federal crosshairs

    Last month, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was investigating the California Interscholastic Federation because it allegedly violated federal nondiscrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s and girls’ sports.

    Essayli called California’s law allowing transgender students to participate in sports and to use facilities based on their gender identity a violation of Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex.

    “If the Legislature does not take action to bring California into compliance with Title IX and federal directives, we will not only be failing our female students and athletes, but we are also jeopardizing a critical funding source for our school districts,” he said.

    The Department of Education announced last month that it would revert to the Title IX regulations put in place during Trump’s first term in office, which base protections on biological sex, instead of on gender identity.

    U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon sent a letter to Newsom last week warning that the state could lose funding because of its policies, Essayli said. The federal government contributes about $8 billion annually to California schools.

    The department has also announced it is investigating the California Department of Education because of a state law that bans schools from implementing parental notification policies requiring teachers to inform parents if their child asks to use a name or pronoun different from the one assigned at birth.

    Democrats on the dais, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, who showed up at the hearing as a substitute for an absent committee member, railed against the Trump administration’s policies.

    “Meanwhile, here in California, residents are facing cuts to Medicare, to schools, and to veterans’ services,” Rivas said. “Californians have lost their jobs because of DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency). But our Republican colleagues, they don’t want to talk about that. Republicans keep emphasizing how this bill protects women and girls. And women do face threats today, but not from the very small number of transgender kids playing sports.” 

    Rivas said that in his more than six years in office, he has never been stopped at the grocery store by constituents concerned about transgender athletes playing sports on girls’ teams. 

    “There is no epidemic of transgender kids playing basketball and soccer or any other sport for that matter,” he said. “There are more kids right now with measles in Texas than there are transgender athletes playing in the NCAA. Look, this past December, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified at a congressional hearing that out of more than 500,000 total college student athletes, he believed that fewer than 10 of those athletes were transgender. That’s not an epidemic.”

    Both sides cite harm to girls

    Sanchez said Tuesday that the California policy has had “devastating consequences,” resulting in transgender athletes taking titles girls should have won and hurting girls physically during competition. 

    Both sides rolled out stories of girls who they say have been harmed. An athlete who lost a spot on a team to a transgender athlete. A girl in a conservative state who had to pull up her top in a bathroom to prove she was not transgender. A girl who was knocked unconscious by a ball spiked by a transgender athlete.

    “I don’t feel there’s such a thing as girls’ sports anymore,” said a high school student identified only as Jaden, who says her chance to compete in the CIF State Track and Field Championships is at risk because of a transgender athlete with a No. 1 ranking.

    “It feels wrong,” she said. “I don’t understand how my hard work, my dedication, my very best can be rendered meaningless by a policy that ignores the differences between males and females. If we keep on the way we’re going, it sends a horrible message to young women like me that our achievements can be erased, our opportunities diminished, and our voices silenced.”

    Committee Chair Christopher Ward, D-San Diego, who also chairs the LGBTQ Caucus, called the bills harmful to all girls, many of whom could find themselves faced with intrusive methods to prove they were born female.

    Female athletes would be better served with legislation that would provide equitable funding and facilities for girls’ sports, diminish the harassment of players, and combat the exploitation and abuse by coaches and support staff, instead of by legislation aimed at banning transgender athletes, he said.

     “It sickens me that we’ve normalized that the cruelty is the point and that the collateral impact affects all girls,” Ward said. 





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  • California lawmaker again attempts to make computer science class mandatory

    California lawmaker again attempts to make computer science class mandatory


    Across more than two dozen Fresno County school districts, Quiq Labs, a tech education company, teaches students science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics through afterschool and summer or winter break enrichment programs.

    Photo courtesy of Quiq Labs

    Despite decadeslong efforts through legislation, funding and advocacy, California’s schools have still not caught up with — and are falling further behind — three dozen other states in the percentage of high schools offering at least one computer science course. 

    According to the national 2024 State of Computer Science report, 52% of high schools across California offered computer science in the 2023-24 school year.

    In other states, statewide policy has been pivotal in expanding access to computing skills for all students.

    What is computer science?

    Computer science, as described in the computer science academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education, is “the study of computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles … implementation and impact on society.” Proposed legislation has included the desire for students to go beyond using technology to understand how and why those technologies work.

    Assemblymember Marc Berman, for the third time, has introduced legislation to require every public high school to teach a computer science course, a mandate that will bring access to the 48% of California schools that do not offer a single class. 

    Because Assembly Bill 887 would require schools to implement computer science by the 2029-30 school year, it would expand access to all of California’s students in a way that initiatives have not been able to. 

    “Not having a requirement,” Berman told EdSource last year, “it’s not yielding the progress that our students deserve.” 

    The percentage of computer science classes offered statewide has increased slightly in the last 10 years because of legislation supporting standards and course development, funding for teacher training and on-the-ground efforts to address challenges in diverse communities across the state. 

    In 2014, legislation ordered the Instructional Quality Commission to develop computer science standards. Also, legislation established a method for computer science to satisfy graduation requirements in math. 

    In 2016, the state passed legislation to allow educators in other disciplines to pursue computer science certification with required coursework. 

    In 2018, the state adopted its computer science standards to ensure students received high-quality content in the subject.

    In 2019, the governor and superintendent of public instruction appointed a committee to develop a long-term strategic plan for the state to provide computer science courses to all students. Computer science is approved to count as a science credit. 

    In 2021, the state budgeted $20 million to computer science: $5 million for the Educator Workforce Investment Grant, which is professional development for teachers, counselors and administrators, and $15 million for teacher certifications and a statewide coordinator.

    Under the Educator Workforce Investment Grant, the state created Seasons of CS, California’s year-round computer science professional learning program.

    In 2023, the California Department of Education granted $50 million to expand existing educator professional learning in math, science and computer science.  Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation, requiring the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish a work group to develop a teacher preparation pathway for computer science to boost the number of qualified course teachers.

    For two consecutive years, a bill similar to AB 887 failed to come out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which considers the fiscal impact of proposed legislation. 

    According to the Appropriations Committee’s analysis of the 2024 bill, about 425 school districts would have had to purchase instructional materials and provide professional development to teachers at an unknown cost. The Department of Finance opposed the bill because implementation would cost $50 million to $73 million in ongoing funding from Proposition 98. 

    In 2023, Berman’s first iteration of the bill requiring all high schools to teach computer science stalled, in part, because of a lack of teachers, CalMatters reported. 

    The state has, since 2016, invested more than $1.2 billion to address the state’s teacher shortage, including nearly $100 million for computer science teacher training. In 2021, $20 million was allocated to computer science in the state budget: $5 million for the Educator Workforce Investment Grant for professional development of teachers, counselors and administrators and most of $15 million for certifications of educators in other disciplines. 

    Efforts across California have supported over a thousand educators.

    For example, the Small School Districts’ Association, through a nearly $4 million federal CS4NorCal grant, has provided intensive summer workshops for nearly five years as well as ongoing training, coaching and networking throughout the year for educators in small and rural school districts in six Northern California communities of Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta and Siskiyou counties, said Kathy Hamilton and Karen Mix, director and co-director for the grant.

    As a result, teachers have integrated computer science into agriculture, communication, media, digital literacy, math, science and general education classes, electives and clubs.

    A Redding teacher rotates between five schools to make sure students have access to computer science at least once a week. Middle school teachers have added computer science to their schools’ elective wheels for students to rotate through.

    Collaboration between regional and statewide organizations focused on computer science as well as partnerships with local entities that can support program growth and development have also been critical in increasing the number of qualified teachers and expanding access, advocates say.

    In the 2018-19 school year, Modoc County high schoolers had no access to any computer science courses, but numerous nonprofits and community organizations have over the last few years participated in training opportunities to better collaborate in the development of computer science.  The nonprofit Advancing Modoc, which eventually began leading the implementation, recruited tutors and other staff to support the initiative. Some educators have since integrated computer science into core content classes and offered elective courses.

    The professional development, which included year-round training, has led teachers to provide computer science classes, merge concepts into other subjects or offer lessons through electives or clubs. 

    Even with robust professional development, some challenges persist, particularly the reluctance or inability of administrators to include computer science courses in school offerings.  

    “In the past, teachers were reporting back to us in our research, ‘I need support from my administrator to make sure that computer science gets on the master schedule, that we are providing more classes to reach more students,’” said Julie Flapan, an educator and researcher leading two initiatives to expand access and participation in computer science. 

    Amy Pezzoni, computer science teacher at Modesto City Schools, told EdSource last year that passionate teachers are not enough. 

    “You need admin to support you. You need the district to be on board with you,” she said, noting the importance of a legislative mandate.

    Computer science advocates statewide and nationally have recommended a legislative mandate to bolster California’s efforts and increase access to the course. 

    Since 2013, the Code.org Advocacy Coalition, an organization of over 100 nonprofit, advocacy and industry groups across the country, has made policy recommendations for states to “address the urgent need to build capacity in computer science education,” including statewide policy. 

    “Strong policies, supported by resources, action, and implementation, are key to building the capacity needed to improve student access, participation, and experience in computer science education,” according to the national computer science report, which the coalition authored. 

    Legislation requiring schools to offer computer science has been implemented in states such as Arkansas, where all high schools offer computer science, and in neighboring Nevada, where 96% of the state’s high schools offer the course, based on the 2024 report. 

    Alabama also passed legislation in 2019, phasing in the computer science requirement, starting with high schools, followed by middle and elementary schools. This has resulted in an increase from 57% in the 2019-20 school year to 94% this past school year in the rate of high schools offering computer science and more than 90% of middle and elementary schools teaching computer science. 

    Akin among Arkansas, Nevada and Alabama is the adoption of the recommended policies and actions by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition. 

    Although California has implemented most of the policy recommendations — a state plan, state position, funding, K-12 standards, certification programs and allowing it to count for other subjects — the state has not created programs at higher education institutions to encourage aspiring teachers to gain exposure to computer science; nor has it required all schools to offer the course or mandated it as a graduation requirement. 

    Due to the policy recommendations and the state, regional and local efforts, there’s been a double-digit percentage increase of high schools offering computer science since the 2018-19 school year — still far from the national average of 60%. 

    In both the 2023 and 2024 national computer science reports, the authors encouraged California to require all high schools to offer at least one computer science course, “as it would greatly help support the 48% of high schools that currently do not offer any (computer) science courses.” 

    The 2025 legislative attempt to do so passed out of the Assembly Education Committee and was referred to the Appropriations Committee in late March. 

    If computer science courses become a requirement, some schools, such as small, rural schools, will have a harder time offering computer science because of a teacher shortage. Often, educators are already teaching multiple grades and/or subject areas on top of other duties. 

    Integrating, or merging computer science into another subject area, may be the best short-term solution to providing the content to students, especially when semester- or year-long courses aren’t offered, said Kathy Hamilton, who works for the Small School Districts’ Association.

    “Integration needs to be one of the delivery mechanisms if you want to truly provide access for all students around the state,” she said. 

    And it will be. 

    Aware of the unique challenges that some schools face, the legislation acknowledges the need for a course requirement to offer some flexibility. It would require the state’s computer science coordinator to develop an implementation guide that includes “varied computer science course options to best meet local capacity and context,” including computer science concepts being integrated or merged into other subjects.

    And thanks to federal and statewide funding and advocates’ regional and local efforts, there are now scores of teachers trained and ready to teach or integrate computer science.  Whether that is enough to compel the Legislature to require all schools to teach computer science is unknown.





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  • California colleges report no financial aid delays so far but fear federal upheaval

    California colleges report no financial aid delays so far but fear federal upheaval


    A 2025-26 FAFSA form.

    Credit: Andrew Reed / EdSource

    Financial aid staff at California’s colleges and universities have a cautiously optimistic message to share this spring — but are weighing contingencies in case massive restructuring and cuts at the U.S. Department of Education upend federal aid this summer and fall. 

    First, the good news. Federal aid for this spring term — like Pell Grants and work-study aid — has already been disbursed. Universities are processing files from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for next fall on schedule. And in turn, colleges are sending prospective students preview offers of grants and other support they are eligible to receive if they enroll.

    But trepidation is building about what’s ahead for the hundreds of thousands of California college students receiving Pell Grants and federal loans. Layoffs that have roughly halved the U.S. Department of Education’s workforce “raise serious concerns about the near future, particularly potential delays to the upcoming FAFSA cycle and the federal government’s capacity to accurately distribute billions in student aid,” said Toni DeBoni, the associate vice president for enrollment management at CSU Channel Islands.

    Those worries come following President Donald Trump’s executive order directing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all lawful steps” to close the Department of Education. The White House wants to potentially shift the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and even transfer Pell Grants to another department.

    Trump administration officials have pledged not to interrupt services as they wind down the Education Department, which would require congressional action to be formally eliminated. Trump says student loan servicing has “been a mess” and that it would improve under the SBA. But critics charge that dismantling Education parceling out its workload could hamper the distribution of aid to millions of students and harm student borrowers.

    If those dire predictions prove true, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems would face disruption to a major funding source. Cal State received almost $2.3 billion and UC about $1.7 billion in federal student aid in the 2022-23 school year, much of it for Pell Grants and student loans. Any delay would also be felt at California community colleges, where 24% of students received a Pell Grant in the 2023-24 school year.

    Both university systems are reassuring prospective students and saying they think federal student aid will continue uninterrupted, despite fears of possible cutbacks.

    A UC spokesperson said in a statement that the system of 10 campuses does “not expect recent news about the U.S. Department of Education to impact our ability to award and disburse financial aid to our students” and that federal grants and loans remain available “with no anticipated changes to availability in the foreseeable future.”

    A CSU spokesperson said the 23-campus university system does not anticipate any delay or stop to federal student aid in the 2025-26 school year, adding that “the number of [student and parent] concerns regarding recent federal actions haven’t been widespread.” Systemwide, almost 42% of CSU students receive a Pell Grant, a form of aid for students from low-income families that can provide up to $7,395 for the 2025-26 award year. 

    However, Cal State officials addressed the uncertainty about federal changes more directly at the March meeting of the system’s board of trustees.

    “We know that there have been some (departures) of employees in the Department of Education,” Chancellor Mildred García said. “We are concerned about the process it will take to really go through the FAFSA, and that’s the most that we have heard.”

    “We don’t know who’s going to be processing our FAFSA applications, who is the people in charge, etc.,” she added.

    Nathan Evans, the CSU system’s chief academic officer, said that students and families seeking help with their federal student aid “are having difficulty in connecting and engaging with folks that support the FAFSA process at the federal level. So our teams at our universities are working as hard as possible, but sometimes those answers can only come from the folks that are helping support that directly.”

    Meanwhile, the California Student Aid Commission reported in late February that the number of high school seniors completing financial aid applications was down 25% compared with the same point two years ago, before the rocky rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA. State officials attributed the decline in part to a nearly two-month delay in the opening last fall of the current federal financial aid cycle.

    Aiming to boost applications, the California Student Aid Commission extended the state’s priority deadline — the date by which students planning to attend four-year schools must apply for most state aid programs — until April 2. The latest commission data shows that as of April 1, about 55% of current high school seniors have completed a FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application, a form of state financial aid aimed at undocumented students. An aid commission spokesperson said the commission plans to soon compare applications through early April to previous years.

    So far, there are promising signs that aid applications are increasing. An analysis by the National College Attainment Network found that FAFSA submissions in California have risen 11% year-over-year. Financial aid staff at Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Bakersfield and UC Riverside said they have observed more FAFSA applications than in the previous year or two, suggesting a return to normal after complications with the new FAFSA.  

    But financial aid officials said Trump’s call to close the Department of Education has led some families to mistakenly conclude that federal student aid is no longer available, discouraging them from applying. Officials are working to counter that misinformation.

    Chad Morris, the director of financial aid and scholarships at CSU Bakersfield, has a simple message to families questioning whether federal aid will be reduced or delayed: Apply anyway. “Take the steps as if there won’t be any disruption,” he said. 

    Cal Poly Pomona is also trying to keep students focused on the here-and-now basics: The Department of Education is still operational; Pell Grants and federal student loans are protected by the law and are still available; students should apply as usual.

    “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Jessica Wagoner, the university’s senior associate vice president for enrollment management and services, “but what we can do is tell (students) what’s going on now.”

    Those soothing messages could be muddied by the loaded choice facing students who are eligible for federal aid as U.S. citizens or permanent residents, but who have spouses or parents who are undocumented immigrants. Students from such mixed-status families may have particular apprehension about whether data submitted through the FAFSA could be used for immigration enforcement purposes, though federal law prevents the U.S. Department of Education from using information students enter into the FAFSA for a purpose other than determining a student’s aid.

    University of California students have sued the Education Department, accusing it of turning over sensitive federal student aid data to members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. A federal judge in March blocked DOGE from accessing private data housed at the Education Department. 

    “When students are completing the FAFSA, they need to really look at the risk factor that they may take, especially mixed-status families,” said Jose Aguilar, the executive director of UC Riverside’s financial aid office. “But at the end of the day, if they are eligible for these federal grants and programs, I would encourage them to apply through the FAFSA.”

    UC Riverside has already started sending new students preliminary aid award letters. Its students receive about $79 million in Pell Grants, another $3 million from federal work study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant combined, and an additional $70 million in federal direct subsidized student loans, Aguilar said.

    Given the swings in federal education policy this spring, some university officials are starting to think about how they might respond if federal aid is delayed. DeBoni of CSU Channel Islands said her campus is “actively preparing contingency measures.” The university could extend internal deadlines for students to accept admissions offers or apply for scholarships, she said, and institutional scholarships could help to fund students’ expenses.

    At Cal Poly Pomona, Wagoner said the university could give students waiting for aid similar leeway. But the university, where almost 44% of students receive a Pell Grant, would face “a very big challenge” in the unlikely event of an abrupt drop in Pell dollars, Wagoner added. “I don’t know if we — if any institution — could supplement that loss.”





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  • Where are California’s high school students?

    Where are California’s high school students?


    High school students in a math class.

    Credit: Allison Shelley / EDUimages

    As California schools continue their post-pandemic recovery, a troubling pattern has emerged: High schoolers aren’t showing up.

    Recent midyear attendance data reveals that while elementary school attendance has improved significantly, high school chronic absenteeism remains stubbornly high.

    Nationally and in California, chronic absenteeism numbers tell a concerning story about older students. While California’s average chronic absence rate, based on the sample in the new report, fell to 20.46% (down from 29.04% in 2022-23), high school students continue to struggle.

    Over 28% of California high school seniors included in the report have been chronically absent this school year. We must rethink approaches to engaging older students to improve high school attendance.

    When students miss school, they miss more than just instruction. They miss opportunities to connect with supportive adults and peers — connections directly linked to academic success and well-being.

    Research from YouthTruth, which surveys elementary, middle and high school students, reveals that only 40% of high school students feel they belong at school, compared with 47% of middle schoolers. Only 22% of high school students report that their teachers understand their lives outside school — the lowest percentage since before the pandemic.

    Traditional attendance approaches that work for elementary students don’t resonate with teenagers navigating complex social pressures, growing independence, and increasing responsibilities. Many high school students juggle jobs, family care duties and mental health challenges that are not as prevalent in younger grades.

    The California Safe and Supportive Schools initiative identifies school connectedness as fundamental to attendance. When high schoolers have even one strong connection with a teacher or staff member who understands their life beyond academics, attendance improves dramatically. Schools can implement connection mapping to identify which students could benefit from more connections.

    Schools can also leverage peer influence. According to YouthTruth, 68% of high school students want to help improve their communities, but only 30% report having opportunities to create positive change. Student-led attendance initiatives consistently outperform adult-directed programs. For example, a peer-led “attendance influencer” program has an impact exceeding what other systems can achieve.

    Educators must also seek to understand and address the specific attendance barriers older students face. Many chronically absent teens are helping to support their families, caring for siblings or facing transportation limitations. Flexible scheduling options, transportation assistance and partnerships with local employers can help address these obstacles.

    Communication must shift from punitive to supportive to effectively reach students and families. A recent K-12 family survey revealed that more than 71% of families want messages celebrating good attendance or improvements to share with their child, while only 37% of respondents reported receiving regular communication about steps they can take to improve attendance. Schools that successfully address absenteeism use data to identify patterns and engage students and families in collaborative solutions-finding rather than blame.

    Finally, we must address the mental health component of attendance. Nearly half of all California students (48%) cite depression, stress or anxiety as obstacles to learning — yet only 41% of students nationally report having an adult at school to talk to.

    This “support gap” is particularly pronounced among at-risk student populations. About 77% of LGBTQ+ students cite mental health challenges as barriers to learning, compared with 41% of their peers. While 46% of white students report having an adult at school they can talk to, the percentage is significantly lower for other racial groups, between 37-44%.

    The good news? When targeted strategies are implemented, improvement can happen quickly. Effective approaches to building a culture of belonging include:

    • Teacher-student connection time: Brief but regular one-on-one check-ins to understand students’ lives outside school.
    • Student voice channels: Creating opportunities for students to provide feedback and lead attendance initiatives that resonate with peers.
    • Positive communication: Shifting from absence-focused messages to celebrating improvements and recognizing attendance gains.
    • Data-driven intervention: Using integrated attendance, academic and behavioral data to identify early warning signs and track what works.

    As California continues to invest in attendance improvement, we must tailor our approaches to different grade levels. Our high schoolers don’t want automated calls or perfect attendance certificates. They need meaningful connections, relevant engagement and practical support for real-life barriers.

    California’s future leaders walk our high school hallways — when they show up. Meeting these students where they are isn’t just good policy, it’s our obligation to the next generation of leaders, innovators and citizens.

    •••

    Kara Stern is director of education and engagement at SchoolStatus, a company that provides school districts with data tools and communication support for student engagement. 

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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