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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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  • On Attention, ‘cognitive endurance’ and reading

    On Attention, ‘cognitive endurance’ and reading


     

    In our forthcoming book on the Science of Reading, Colleen Driggs, Erica Woolway and I discuss the importance of attention to reading.

     

    Short version: if nothing else, the smartphone, having fractured the attention of millions, has taught us that attention is malleable. This is especially important in reading, which places such intense demands on students’ ability to sustain periods of focus attentiveness.

     

    The flip side, we argue, is that by attending to attention in reading classrooms—by bringing the act of reading back into the classroom where we can shape the experience of reading for students–could help rebuild students’ attentional capacity. To quote our own forthcoming book:

     

    If we build a habit in which reading is done with focus and concentration and even, to go a step further, with empathy and connectedness, and if we do that regularly for a sustained period of time, our brains will get better at reading that way—more familiar with and attuned to such attentional states… We can re-build attention and empathy in part by causing students to engage in stretches of sustained and fully engaged reading. One thing this implies is more actual reading in the classroom with more attention paid by teachers to how that reading unfolds. Attending to how we read—thinking of the reading we do in the classroom as “wiring”—gives us an opportunity to shape the reading experience intentionally for students.

     

    In light of this is was struck by this study by Christina Brown and colleagues: COGNITIVE ENDURANCE AS HUMAN CAPITAL.

     

    “We focus specifically on cognitive endurance: the ability to sustain effortful mental activity over a continuous stretch of time,” the authors write and what they find is stunning.

     

    “Using a field experiment with 1,600 Indian primary school students, we randomly increase the amount of time students spend in sustained cognitive activity during the school day,” the authors write. Doing so, they find, “markedly improves cognitive endurance: students show 22% less decline in performance over time when engaged in intellectual activities.”

     

    “This indicates that the experience of effortful thinking itself increases the ability to accumulate traditional human capital.”

     

    One of the key benefits good schooling can provide is the ability to sustain deep, focused attention. Acquired via the habit of being caused to engage via deep, focused attention.

     

    Sadly the authors find that access to such environments correlates to wealth: “Globally and in the US, the poor exhibit cognitive fatigue more quickly than the rich across field settings; they also attend schools that offer fewer opportunities to practice thinking for continuous stretches.”

     

    So two takeaways from this very important study.

     

    • In reading classrooms its urgently important to cause students to engage in focused reading for sustained blocks of time as a matter of habit. If you’re interested in this, there’s a whole chapter in our forthcoming book about harvesting attention in reading classrooms. Among other things it means bringing shared reading back to the heart of the classroom.

     

    • It also means recommitting to orderly schools, something many educators have sadly abandoned in recent years. One of the things you need to be able to practice “cognitive endurance” is reliable and predictable quiet in which to focus your attention and stay on task without disruption. There’s lots of research on the frequency of low-level disruptions in most classrooms, I would only argue that it is “low-level” only in the level of noise it creates. It’s consequences are far from small.



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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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  • Nancy Flanagan: Teachers Must Be Heard!

    Nancy Flanagan: Teachers Must Be Heard!


    Nancy Flanagan is a retired veteran teacher. Her blogs are always insightful because she sees the issues from the perspective of her long career in the classroom. In this post, she explains why some conferences work and some don’t. She wrote it after returning home from the Network for Public Education conference.

    She writes:

    I am just back from the Network for Public Education conference, held this year in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus is an eight-hour drive from my house, and we arrived at the same time as ongoing flood warnings. But—as usual—it was well worth the time and effort expended.

    For most of my career—35 years—I was a classroom teacher. Garden-variety teachers are lucky to get out of Dodge and attend a conference with their peers maybe once a year. Teachers don’t get airfare for conferences in other states and often end up sharing rides and rooms, splitting pizzas for dinner. They go with the intention of getting many new ideas for their practice toolboxes—lesson plans, subject discipline trends and tips, cool new materials—and to connect with people who do what they do. Be inspired, maybe, or just to commiserate with others who totally get it.

    In the real world (meaning: not schools), this is called networking. Also in the real world—there’s comp time for days missed at a weekend conference, and an expense form for reimbursements. Conversely, in schools, lucky teachers get a flat grant to partially compensate for registration, mileage, hotel and meals. In many other schools, nobody goes to a conference, because there’s just not enough money, period.

    When you hear teachers complaining about meaningless professional development, it’s often because of that very reason—there’s not enough money to custom-tailor professional learning, so everyone ends up in the auditorium watching a PowerPoint and wishing they were back in their classrooms.

    Back in 1993, when Richard Riley was Secretary of Education, his special assistant, Terry Dozier, a former National Teacher of the Year, established the first National Teacher Forum. (In case you’re wondering, the Forums lasted just as long as the Clinton administration, and Riley, were in the WH.) Teachers of the Year from all 50 states attended. The purpose of the conference was to engage these recognized teachers in the decision-making that impacted their practice. In other words, policy.

    It was probably the most memorable conference I ever attended. I took nothing home to use in my band classroom, but left with an imaginary soapbox and new ideas about how I could speak out on education issues, engage policymakers, and assign value to my experience as a successful teacher. The National Teacher Forum literally changed my life, over the following decades.

    But—the idea that teachers would start speaking out, having their ideas get as much traction as novice legislators’ or Gates-funded researchers, was a hard sell. Education thinkers aren’t in the habit of recognizing teacher wisdom, except on a semi-insulting surface level. In the hierarchy of public education workers, teachers are at the lowest level of the pyramid, subject to legislative whims, accrued data and faulty analyses, and malign forces of privatization.

    Which is why it was heartening to see so many teachers (most from Ohio) at the NPE conference. The vibe was big-picture: Saving public education. Debunking current myths about things like AI and silver-bullet reading programs. Discussing how churches are now part of the push to destabilize public schools. New organizations and elected leaders popping up to defend democracy, school by school and state by state.  An accurate history of how public education has been re-shaped by politics. The resurgence of unions as defenders of public education.

    Saving public education.  A phrase that has taken on new and urgent meaning, in the last three months. Every single one of the keynote speakers was somewhere between on-point and flat-out inspirational.

    Here’s the phrase that kept ringing in my head: We’re in this together.

    The last two speakers were AFT President Randi Weingarten and MN Governor Tim Walz. I’ve heard Weingarten speak a dozen times or more, and she’s always articulate and fired-up. But it was Walz, speaking to his people, who made us laugh and cry, and believe that there’s hope in these dark times.

    He remarked that his HS government teacher—class of 24 students, very rural school—would never have believed that Tim Walz would one day be a congressman, a successful governor and candidate for Vice-President. It was funny—but also another reason to believe that public schools are pumping out leaders every day, even in dark times.

    In an age where we can hear a speaker or transmit handouts digitally—we still need real-time conferences. We need motivation and personal connections. Places where true-blue believers in the power of public education can gather, have a conversation over coffee, hear some provocative ideas and exchange business cards. Network.

    Then go home–and fight. 



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  • My Science of Reading Journey

    My Science of Reading Journey


    The past two years I have been on a journey and have immersed myself in Science of Reading (SOR) and the research on how students truly learn how to read. This has been the most enlightening journey!

    I have been seeing first-handedly how much our students are learning and growing and it has been incredible. Before becoming an Instructional Coach I taught K & 1st grade for 10 years. The way I was previously teaching wasn’t working. My students weren’t making the growth I expected. It was frustrating and we didn’t have a current curriculum. Over those ten years, I found ways to embed more phonics instruction and try to create high-interest, quality content of knowledge units while feeling a disconnect using old assessments.

    Covid allowed us time to create whatever we could use to survive online teaching. During this time, SOR information started to come to the surface. I started implementing many of the concepts and teaching strategies SOR found successful. In my 1st grade class online, I spent a lot of time explicitly teaching phonics skills, practicing them, and applying them into reading and writing. I also tried to create little mini units of knowledge content to do with my class while including vocabulary practice. It wasn’t perfect, but while most teachers found online teaching difficult and kids were not performing as well, my students were thriving. Why? I completely contribute this success to learning better ways to teach reading and incorporating them.

    What is Science of Reading?

    Maybe you are familiar with SOR but if you are not here is what Science of Reading is. SOR is an extensive, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research wasn’t just conducted by teachers but was conducted by numerous scientists, teachers, linguistics, neuroscience, and psychologists. This is partly why SOR is so beneficial. While phonics is a large component of Science of Reading especially in younger grades, SOR is not just about phonics. Science of Reading incorporate 5 components of reading. These include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. I will be talking about these more in upcoming blogs and sharing some teaching strategies and ideas.

    What Science of Reading is NOT

    Is this just a pendulum swing? I really hope not! I hope with all this research teachers will never go back to the old way of teaching. We have personally seen so much success in just changing our practices in the past few years. It is truly amazing! Critiques will push the argument that this is just a trend or a political agenda. Science of Reading is none of these things. Research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world. SOR is not a program. It is research and evidence to inform how reading and writing develop. It also addresses why some students struggle and what are the most effective ways to assess and teach literacy skills.

    For more information I highly recommend downloading the free eBook Science of Reading Defining Guide by clicking the link below.

    As I previously mentioned, I taught 1st grade for many years. I knew my instruction wasn’t helping all my kids be successful and over the years I researched and changed many of my practices. While I was completely my masters in Early Childhood Literacy our thesis topic was due. I decided to research explicit phonics instruction implementation in my 1st grade classroom with my most struggling students. I had to get special approval for this topic since all the articles I was finding were over ten years old. While some of my professors, wished me luck and said to let them know if I needed a new topic, I had one professor who challenged me to see this action research through. She was my cheerleader and I am so glad to have her on my journey. I instructed my students in explicit phonics and using research from the 1970s and 80s to support my instruction. At the end of the research, I had all my students reading by blending words and sounding out the phonemes. By the end of the year, these struggling readers ended up being my top readers that year. They had knowledge of English phonics patterns and could use them to blend and decode new words. From that year on, I ramped up my phonics instruction. While this is only one aspect of Science of Reading and I had a long journey to go, this success story got me thinking and changing my instruction.

    “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

    Maya Angelou

    I have always been a true believer that teachers are lifelong learners. I know better now, so I am doing better. Many of my posts were based on a balanced literacy approach and centers, I will be deleting these and begin a new blog based on best teaching practices that are SOR aligned. 

    Please follow my journey as I share how our district changed out mindset, our curriculum, and our test scores. Hear our many success stories and look for easy implementation strategies and activities to better support student success in reading and reading comprehension.



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  • PBL Project Design Focus on Content Knowledge and Skills

    PBL Project Design Focus on Content Knowledge and Skills


    Project Design Focus of PBL Image

    PBL Project Design Focus

    When designing a PBL Project, your focus is to teach students academic content area knowledge and skills drawn from district or state standards. Your project also focuses on building students’ ability to think critically, solve problems, collaborate, and communicate (3Cs), which are the 21st Century skills students need to prepare for life and work in today’s world, according to PBL in the Elementary Grades book.

    The book provides a project overview planning form. See below

    PBL Project Overview Form

    On the form, it indicates which standards and skills you are targeting for your project.

    Selecting Content Standards for Your Project

    You are good to go if you have come up with your project ideas by starting from your standards. It is important to remember to align your project with standards.

    Standards that are most important are called “priority standards” that are identify by your school or district you want to use as the focus for your project. Priority standards are often based on what items appear more frequently on state tests.

    If priority standards have not been identified, you can decide for yourself or with colleagues in your grade level what the priority standards are for the content areas included in the project.

    To Start the Alignment Process:

    First decide on the few standards that are most essential for meeting the goals of the project. It is not a good idea to try to include as many standards as possible in the project since students will ne spending so much time on it. Typically, a project should focus only 1 – 3 standards from each academic content area to be included, depending on how specific standards are written.

    If you try to include too many standards, you cannot teach them in any depth and assess them adequately.

    PBL in Elementary Grades book provides an 4th grade Curriculum Map with Projects as an example:

    4th grade Curriculum Map Image

    Another suggestion the book made is to use curriculum guides or scope and sequence documents that contain standards that are “unpacked” into discrete skills and pieces of knowledge. You can use this specific guidance to design project products, assessments, and lesson that align closely with the standards.

    Selecting 21st Century Skills

    Communication, collaboration, and critical thinking/problem solving are the three most important 21st century skills called the “3Cs”. According to PBL in Elementary Grades book these skills and several others are a natural fit with PBL. The book recommends not to assume students are gaining these skills because you designed a challenging project. These skills should be taught and assessed in a project.

    PBL in Elementary Grades book notes you only teach and assess two of the skills if this is your first project. One is oral communication (making presentation) because all projects include presenting to a public audience as an essential element. Presentation skills are called for in the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, and they are straightforward to teach and assess.

    Collaboration or working in teams is the other skill that is easy to teach and assess. You probably are familiar with group work and cooperative learning, so you already have some basics tools in your toolbox.

    PBL in Elementary Grades book emphasizes the 3Cs are important for success in the 21st century, and that these skills can be taught and assessed in projects. See examples below:

    Collaboration

    • Take responsibility for the quality and timeliness of his or her own work; uses feedback; stays on task during group work.
    • Accepts shared responsibility for the work of the group; helps improve the quality of the work an understanding of other members.
    • Applies or encourages the use of strategies for facilitating discussion and decision making.
    • Manages project by identifying and prioritizing goals and tasks, creating timelines, organizing resources, and monitoring progress.
    • Respects the ideas, opinion, abilities, values, and feeling of other group members; Works well with diverse group members; Encourages group cohesion by using conflict management strategies.

    Communication (When making a presentation)

    • Organizes ideas and develops content appropriate to audiences and situations.
    • Uses effective oral presentation skills.
    • Create media/visual aids that enhance content delivery.
    • Gauges audience reaction and/or understanding and adjusts presentation appropriately.
    • Responds to questions appropriately.

    Critical Thinking/Problem Solving

    • Recognizes and defines problems accurately; raises relevant questions and issues, formulating them clearly and precisely.
    • Gathers pertinent information from a variety of sources; evaluates the quality of information (source, validity, bias).
    • Organizes, analyzes, and synthesizes information to develop well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, judging them against relevant criteria.
    • Considers alternatives; recognizes and assesses assumptions, implications, and practical consequences.

    College and Career Readiness Standards for English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Continuum from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. See Below:

    Hallermann, Sara; Larmer, John; Mergendoller PhD, John. PBL in the Elementary Grades: Step-by-Step Guidance, Tools and Tips for Standards-Focused K-5 Projects (p. 32). Buck Institute for Education. Kindle Edition.

    Teaching students how to think critically and solve problems is more challenging. These are complex skills that cut across several content areas, and most teachers only have experience with instruction that emphasizes factual and procedural knowledge. Assessing critical thinking/problem solving is also challenging, because it is not readily observable.

    Hallermann and Mergendoller suggest other skills might be encouraged in your project, but not explicitly taught and assessed — such as creativity or global awareness. If you’re ambitious, and it’s not your first project, you may wish to add more skills to your list of goals, such as project management, the use of various technological tools, and cross-cultural competence. These are all teachable and assessable. Note that if you want to teach multiple 21st century skills, your project will need to be longer, to build enough time during the project to practice and assess the skills.

    Hallermann, Sara; Larmer, John; Mergendoller PhD, John. PBL in the Elementary Grades: Step-by-Step Guidance, Tools and Tips for Standards-Focused K-5 Projects (p. 33). Buck Institute for Education. Kindle Edition.

    If this is your first PBL project, you might want to review First PBL Project Modest in Scope Achieve Best Results



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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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  • Balancing Freedom and Control with Classroom Technology

    Balancing Freedom and Control with Classroom Technology


    Feb 4
    2025

    Balancing Freedom and Control with Classroom Technology

    Al Kingsley

    By Al Kingsley, CEO, NetSupport.

    Teachers know that giving students more freedom — by enabling greater choice and agency — unlocks engagement and better outcomes. Decades of research backs this idea up. Still, there’s value to structure in a classroom.

    How then, can teachers balance maintaining a level of control that steers productive learning with giving students the freedom they need to thrive? Setting clear boundaries and leveraging technology effectively are the keys. 

    The Value of Limiting Choice

    Technology is often thought of as a tool that can help open more choice for students. Whether it’s choosing research topics that fit their interests, providing options to engage in educational content to meet different learning styles, or even giving students ways to master topics at their own pace.

    Research on choice, however, shows that too many options can be counterproductive. People are more likely to make decisions, and avoid “analysis paralysis,” when there are fewer options. The magic number, the reports say, is to offer less than six choices. 

    As teachers continue to embrace allowing students more classroom freedom, using technology to offer a set of choices rather than limitless options can be effective. 

    Adding Alternatives for Answering Questions

    Class participation is an easy way to add greater freedom for students without overwhelming them with choices, especially by using technology. For example, if teachers want all students to participate in a classroom discussion they can ask for responses to questions using a computer-based poll and then ask students who feel comfortable to share their answers out loud.

    An alternative option is to adopt a platform with a classroom chat feature. Teachers who use classroom.cloud report that using the solution’s chat feature allows students who might be more self-conscious or shy to speak up. By typing their response, or even discreetly asking a question, students can engage more fully in classroom activities. 

    Adding Guardrails to Set Students Up for Success

    Many approaches that grant students greater freedoms are based on self-directed learning. Students might be able to choose the final format of a project or decide between learning about a topic by reading or watching a video about it.

    Likewise, offer a game like a web-based scavenger hunt. Such activities require students to use computers and tablets with internet access, opening the door to a variety of explorations, as well as distractions. 

    Just as teachers can use technology to increase options for learning, they can also use it to add guardrails that size down the vast world of the internet to something not quite so overwhelming (or tempting).

    Determining the websites and applications students can access by creating a list of “allowed” and “restricted” content ensures students only access relevant and appropriate resources during class. This way, they will stay on task and work more efficiently. 

    IT directors who have adopted classroom.cloud ease the burden of managing such a list off teachers’ plates. Instead of taking up teachers’ time to create and manage the lists, IT leaders work with educators to identify sites and apps and then set the restrictions and allowances. Other control options needed include different permissions for specific school buildings within a district. 

    Tools that enable simultaneous screen sharing as well as a lock screen feature can also help in setting up appropriate guardrails.

    When teachers can manage students’ screens with a single click, it becomes easier to bring everyone together after a period of working independently or redirect students who may have gone off track. 

    Provide Support Anytime, Anywhere

    Many classrooms have continued to embrace learn anytime, anywhere environments. Students are learning remotely, in person and in hybrid classrooms. No matter where kids are learning, they deserve the same level of help.

    The right technology can enable students to maintain freedom in where and how they learn while still getting the support they need. This goes beyond live-streamed instruction or watching videos asynchronously. Teachers can use technology, like classroom.cloud, to support and engage with students in the very moment they are learning.

    When teachers use technology they have an immense opportunity to continue fostering classroom environments that are engaging and anchored in choice. By considering how the same tools can create structure, educators can strike the balance to help students avoid feeling overwhelmed and keep them focused on growing and learning.



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  • The Science of Reading – Podcast Series: Unlock the Secrets of Reading Success


    Jeffrey D. Bradbury
    Latest posts by Jeffrey D. Bradbury (see all)

    The Science of Reading is revolutionizing literacy instruction, providing educators with evidence-based strategies to enhance student outcomes. This approach focuses on the essential components of reading development and leverages scientific research to inform teaching practices. Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to learn more about The Science of Reading by creating a series of Podcast Episodes featuring Laura Stewart, the Chief Academic Officer from the 95 Percent Group.

    In this blog post, I am excited to present key insights from our podcast episodes and showcase the valuable resources offered by the 95 Percent Group to support educators in their journey to improve literacy education.

    Check out these great resources to learn more about The Science of Reading and the 95 Percent Group.

    1. 10 Principles of Literacy Instruction

    In this episode, we delve into the 10 Principles of Literacy Instruction, which emphasize the importance of explicit instruction, repeatable routines, and data-driven practices. These principles are designed to help educators implement effective literacy strategies in the classroom.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MI3H5_PMH0

    2. The National Science of Reading Landscape – Part 1

    This episode explores the current landscape of the science of reading, highlighting the importance of investing in teacher knowledge, coaching, and high-quality instructional materials. Learn how this national movement is reshaping literacy education.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmYaIOmTxOw

    3. The National Science of Reading Landscape – Part 2

    Continuing from Part 1, this episode delves deeper into the levers that can improve literacy outcomes, such as funding, teacher preparation programs, and the banning of ineffective instructional strategies. Discover success stories and ongoing efforts to sustain and improve literacy education.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUizERtdCiE

    4. Six Bold Moves to Protect Your Literacy Investment – Part 1

    In this episode, we discuss six bold moves that educators can make to protect their literacy investments. These strategies focus on ensuring the longevity and effectiveness of literacy programs through thoughtful planning and implementation.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AljlqRKEeE8

    5. Six Bold Moves to Protect Your Literacy Investment – Part 2

    Building on Part 1, this episode provides further insights into the six bold moves and their impact on literacy outcomes. Learn how these strategies can help maintain the integrity of literacy investments in the long term.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QbOcrpKiPs

    6. The Science of Implementation – Part 1

    Understanding the science of implementation is crucial for the successful adoption of literacy programs. This episode covers the key components of effective implementation and how they contribute to improved literacy outcomes.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJsUIUMJ8OE

    7. The Science of Implementation – Part 2

    Continuing from Part 1, this episode explores advanced strategies and best practices for implementing literacy programs. Gain insights into how to overcome common challenges and achieve sustained success.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqQ55gSuOOw

    Promoting the 95 Percent Group

    The 95 Percent Group offers a range of resources and programs designed to support educators in implementing the Science of Reading. Their offerings include professional development, instructional materials, and comprehensive literacy programs that align with evidence-based practices.

    Visit 95 Percent Group to explore their full range of offerings and learn how they can help you enhance your literacy instruction. Whether you are looking for training opportunities or high-quality instructional resources, the 95 Percent Group has everything you need to succeed.

    Join my Newsletter Today!

    Stay updated on our latest podcasts and educational news articles by filling out our contact form below.

    Discover more from TeacherCast Educational Network

    Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.



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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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