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  • Central Valley students to benefit from new Fresno State program | Quick Guide

    Central Valley students to benefit from new Fresno State program | Quick Guide


    Fresno State University

    Credit: fresnostate.edu

    Thanks to a new program, thousands of students across the central San Joaquin Valley will receive college and career prep throughout their entire high school career and a guarantee that, once they graduate, they’ll have a spot at Fresno State, one of the California State University campuses. 

    Through Fresno State’s Bulldog Bound Program, students at more than 20 school districts, including the state’s third-largest, Fresno Unified, will get a guaranteed spot at the university, if students meet the minimum graduation requirements, as well as guidance each year of high school. 

    “We know that Bulldog Bound will completely change how we see and truly live what it is to have a college-bound culture in our (school) system,” said Misty Her, Fresno Unified deputy superintendent, during the Aug. 23 board meeting discussing the program. 

    “This says to all of our students that we believe in you, that we will cultivate and build your greatest potential, and that as soon as you enter our system, college is already an option for you.” 

    Jeremy Ward, assistant superintendent for college and career readiness for Fresno Unified, said that while guaranteed admission to Fresno State is the chief “promise” of the program, all students will receive support, resources and tools to be successful Fresno State Bulldogs.

    All students — starting in the ninth grade and every year until they graduate — will reap the benefits of the program. 

    “I believe that Bulldog Bound is going to prepare (students) not just for the requirements for getting into college but into careers,” said Phong Yang, interim associate vice president for strategic enrollment at Fresno State.

    The university started the program to ensure students in the Central Valley have a “clear, tangible path” to a college degree. 

    Throughout much of the Central Valley, less than 25% of adults age 25 or older earned a bachelor’s degree, according to 2020 education and labor statistics. Specifically, 22% in Fresno County hold a bachelor’s degree; 15% have a bachelor’s degree in Kings, Madera and Tulare counties; and 14% earned a bachelor’s degree in Merced County. In comparison, statewide, 35% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree. 

    The Bulldog Bound program, many believe, can change that by promoting a college-going culture in the region. 

    “The vision behind Bulldog Bound is that every student gets the same treatment, no matter where you go, no matter where you come from,” Yang said. “You’re going to have the same opportunity.” 

    The university, Fresno Unified and other school districts launched the initiative in May, but this is the first semester for the program. Here’s what it means for students and families. 

    What districts are participating? 

    Fresno State’s partnering school districts are located in Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties and include: Caruthers Unified, Central Unified, Chawanakee Unified, Clovis Unified, Cutler-Orosi Unified, Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified, Fowler Unified, Fresno Unified, Gustine Unified, Kerman Unified, Kings Canyon Unified, Kingsburg Unified, Los Banos Unified, Madera Unified, Mendota Unified, Parlier Unified, Porterville Unified, Sanger Unified, Tulare Joint Union High School District, University High School and Visalia Unified. 

    What can all students, grades 9-12, expect? 

    High school counselors and Fresno State ambassadors (current students) will lead workshops about the program and the opportunities it will provide. Although the workshops start in ninth grade, the lessons continue throughout students’ high school careers.

    Are there any other benefits for ninth graders? 

    Students will receive a Fresno State ID card and email address. Although the cards will be a different color from the college student ID cards, the cards grant high schoolers access to: 

    • On- campus privileges, such as library use.
    • Student admission rates at sporting events and for food or other items.

    In 10th grade?

    Students can:

    • Participate in campus tours.
    • Explore the majors they can study at Fresno State.
    • Learn in-person and on-campus during a summer experience at the end of their 10th grade year. During the summer experience, students can take college-prep lessons, learn even more about majors and become familiar with the campus. 

    In 11th grade? 

    While continuing to learn from workshops and admission prep, 11th grade students receive:

    • Conditional admission.
    • Dual enrollment opportunities.
    • Summer experience opportunities. 

    In 12th grade? 

    As high school seniors in the program, students receive on-the-spot acceptance once they submit their application if they’ve met the graduation requirements. 

    “That means they’re in,” Ward said. “There’s no waiting, no wondering. They’re a part of the Fresno State Bulldog family.” 

    Families will also receive early financial aid estimates to plan for the costs of attending. 

    What do students learn?

    Workshops and lessons, which happen each school year, include topics on:

    • The Bulldog Bound program and how to be involved.
    • Financial literacy, starting in 10th grade.
    • Applying for college, starting in 11th grade.
    • Scholarship opportunities, starting in 12th grade.
    • Building “college knowledge,” as Ward described it.

    The program opens the door for Fresno State to engage with and educate students on college and career readiness, many say. 

    Oftentimes, first-time students are unsure of what career they want to pursue, said Yang, Fresno State’s interim associate vice president for strategic enrollment. With Bulldog Bound, Fresno State will have the opportunity to engage students about their interests early in high school and inform them of the right classes they should take to pursue those interests. 

    Other than the workshops, admissions prep and campus tours, students will learn about college life from current students. Fresno State uses a team of student ambassadors, many of whom are from the local Fresno area, according to Yang. 

    “That is, by far, one of the most effective ways for students to see their potential in going to college because they see individuals like themselves coming from the neighborhood, coming back and sharing their experiences,” he said.

    What do students need to do? 

    Students sign a Fresno State agreement in ninth grade. In Fresno Unified, students are automatically a part of the program, but families can choose to opt out. 

    What are the graduation requirements to obtain guaranteed admission? 

    Students must meet the minimum California State University A-G course requirements. Once in the 12th grade, they apply for and are granted admission to Fresno State. 

    What could be the impact? 

    Not only does the program guarantee admission, but it also provides “knowledge for (even) a ninth grade student to know, to plan, to prepare” for that acceptance and admission, Ward said. 

    Claudia Cazares, a Fresno Unified board member, said, “I think it’s opening the eyes of many of our students who hadn’t considered that as an option.”





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  • Educational rights for youth in the child welfare system | Quick Guide

    Educational rights for youth in the child welfare system | Quick Guide


    Credit: Alison Yin / EdSource

    The story has been updated to clarify that the total number of children and youth in the child welfare system.

    Over 70,000 children and youth in California have an open case in the child welfare system, according to the most recent point-in-time count, with over 51,000 of them also in foster care.

    Many come under supervision of their county Department of Children and Family Services after a reported allegation of child neglect or maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation or emotional abuse; for others, it happens when a parent voluntarily requests support, often due to a child’s behavioral challenges.

    Children in an out-of-home placement in the child welfare system have access to particular educational rights. This is meant to ensure stability for them during a time of uncertainty.

    A child under the supervision of the Department of Children and Family Services often comes into contact with multiple individuals. Depending on the details of their case, this could include social workers, child advocates, police officers, detectives, attorneys, judges and others. If they are removed from their home, they might be placed in foster care. While not all youth in the child welfare system are in foster care, all foster youth are in the child welfare system.

    “When these rights were established, the purpose was to keep children in some kind of consistency, some kind of security, or something that felt just familiar to them,” said Jessica Gonzalez, youth justice program manager at CASA/LA, a national organization of court-appointed special advocates for youth in the child welfare system. CASA volunteers are sometimes appointed as educational rights holders for children. Even when they are not, they often advocate for education rights to be enforced, Gonzalez said.

    A child’s case might also enter the juvenile dependency court. While the primary goal for youth in dependency court is to “preserve the family” by keeping a child either in the home of their parent or a relative, they might be placed in foster care or adopted.

    Child welfare cases are complex, and outcomes depend on a multitude of factors, including the caretaking ability of a parent, whether a relative is able to take in the child, if an appeal is filed, and more.

    This story includes information on whom the educational rights apply to as well as general insight into some of these rights. Many were implemented with the enactment of AB 490 in 2003 yet remain difficult to understand for many families due to the complexity of the child welfare system.

    How many children are in the child welfare system?

    There were 51,339 children and youth with an open case and in foster care as of April 1. The count was published by the California Child Welfare Indicators Project, a data and technical assistance collaboration between the University of California at Berkeley and the California Department of Social Services.

    This point-in-time count includes those who are under the age of 1 up to age 21 and who have “an open child welfare or probation supervised placement episode” in California’s Child Welfare Services/Case Management System. The count peaked in 2016, with nearly 63,000 open cases. The lowest number of open cases occurred this year.

    Allegations of child maltreatment are much higher, however; between April 2022 and April 2023, there were more than 442,000 reported allegations.

    Which children in the system have access to particular educational rights?

    Youth in the child welfare system and in an out-of-home placement have access to specific educational rights. An out-of-home placement can include foster homes, group homes, shelters and hotels through the Department of Children and Family Services, and other similar placements.

    The purpose of these rights is to accommodate the child’s education as much as possible during a time of instability.

    What are some of the educational rights for those in the child welfare system?

    A child in the welfare system and in an out-of-home placement has access to the following rights, among others:

    • School stability. This includes the right to remain enrolled at their school of origin, which is the school they were enrolled in at the time their child welfare case began, and the right to be transported to that school.
    • Enrichment access. Youth have the right to access the same type of enrichment activities as their peers. This can include academic resources and extracurricular activities.
    • Placement in the least restrictive setting. Students have the right to be placed in the academic setting that’s least restrictive, or least strictly controlled, for them to be able to achieve academic progress and success.
    • Immediate enrollment. Regardless of whether a student has all the enrollment documents ready, or has had contact with the juvenile justice system, or has any outstanding fees — they have the right to be immediately enrolled in school.

    Each of the rights above are nuanced and dependent on each child’s case and the decisions of their educational rights holder.

    Additional information for families and children can be found by contacting the county Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (each county’s contact can be found here) or at the California Foster Youth Education Task Force.

    What does it mean to place a child in the ‘least restrictive’ academic setting?

    While a least restrictive academic setting depends on age and whether a student has disabilities, it’s often considered the academic environment that’s least strictly controlled.

    For a high school student, the least restrictive setting might be a traditional public school where students walk from one classroom to another on their own, with sports and special events such as prom and field trips. A more restrictive academic setting is often a nonpublic school that provides a more strictly controlled environment in an effort to assist students who have specific behavioral, emotional or academic needs.

    As Gonzalez described, students are often pushed out to a more restrictive setting if they exhibit ongoing behavioral challenges — which, she says, are often a result of trauma in that child’s life.

    But students “have the right to be in a setting they feel safe in, they feel comfortable in, and they’re able to learn in,” Gonzalez said. “And so, if the child has demonstrated that they’re able to do this in a very restrictive setting, we have to give that student the opportunity to then be able to practice those skills in a less restrictive setting.”

    Who holds the educational rights for youth in the child welfare system?

    Every child has an educational rights holder with decision-making authority regarding their education. A parent often continues having the right to make educational and developmental decisions for their child even if they lose physical custody. Biological parents lose educational decision-making power only if they are explicitly limited or restricted by the juvenile court, if parental rights have been terminated (i.e., the child is up for adoption), or if the child is in a legal guardianship.

    Parents “are not always encouraged to continue to be a part of their child’s educational journey, so a lot of times what we do as CASA when we’re appointed to a case is facilitate that engagement with a parent to preserve their involvement in the child’s education,” Gonzalez said.

    Most often, organizations like CASA encourage relatives to hold educational rights. This is because once a child welfare case is closed, CASA is no longer the rights holder. Advocating for the biological parents or other relatives to remain as educational rights holders helps provide continuity in the child’s life, according to Gonzalez.

    In the absence of parents or relatives, the educational rights holder role is often filled by a court-appointed special advocate, which is where CASA’s name comes from.

    The person assigned as the educational rights holder is entitled to have “all of the educational decision-making rights normally held by a parent or guardian,” according to a recent fact sheet compiled by the California Foster Youth Education Task Force.

    How are educational decisions made?

    All educational decisions should be made with the child’s best interest in mind.

    For example, a child can remain in their school of origin if they prefer to. But if they’ve been placed far from that school and they would need to spend hours on the road to reach it, then it may be in their best interest to be enrolled in a new school.

    The educational rights holder can request a best-interest determination meeting that would include school district personnel, such as the school psychologist, before finalizing any educational decisions.

    How can an educational rights holder avoid roadblocks in advocating for a child?

    While educational rights are outlined, the rights holder may experience roadblocks in enforcing them.

    For example, information about a child, like academic assessments and individualized education programs, might not have yet been finalized at their school of origin and a new educational rights holder might face pushback from the new school.

    In such cases, children, their families and educational rights holders can contact an education attorney through the Educational Advocacy Unit at the Children’s Law Center. If the child is also in the juvenile justice system, they can contact a juvenile resource attorney through the public defender’s office.

    A significant barrier is that while foster youth liaisons at schools are designated staff members who support students in the child welfare system, they are often overwhelmed by the number of students they serve.

    Gonzalez said, “It’s a lot of just constantly showing up to the school, advocating, contacting, emailing, you know, all of those follow-ups to make sure that we’re getting the right support for each child that we serve.”





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  • What you need to know about student loan debt and repayments | Quick Guide

    What you need to know about student loan debt and repayments | Quick Guide


    Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023, ahead of arguments over President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan.

    Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

    This month, payments on student loan debt for millions of borrowers across the country restarted after the three-year pandemic pause. California has some of the lowest tuition rates in the nation, but the state’s residents carry higher than average student debt balances, risky graduate school debt, and have a unique reliance on parent-held debt, according to a recently released report from The Century Foundation.

    Here’s what borrowers need to know if they already have student loans:

    When do repayments restart? 

    The pandemic-era pause on federal student loan payments has ended. Repayment for most borrowers resumed Oct. 1. Interest has already restarted accruing, as of September. However, if you’re currently enrolled in school or recently graduated, then for most federal student loan types, you have a six- to nine-month grace period from the moment you graduate, leave school or drop below half-time enrollment. And for most loans, interest accrues during your grace period. 

    The U.S. Department of Education is giving borrowers a one-year “on ramp” to repayment through September 30, 2024, that prevents people from falling into delinquency or default if they miss payments. Interest will still accrue, but any missed payments won’t lead to negative credit reporting.

    What repayment plans are available? 

    • Standard: Payments are a fixed amount that ensure your loans are paid off within 10 years, or 10 to 30 for consolidated loans.
    • Graduated: Payments are lower at first and then increase, usually every two years, and are for an amount that will ensure loans are paid off within 10 years or 10 to 30 years for consolidated loans. 
    • Extended: Borrower must have more than $30,000 in outstanding direct loans. Payments are fixed or graduated and will ensure loans are paid off within 25 years.
    • Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, formerly the REPAYE plan 
          • Monthly payments will be 10% of discretionary income, which the department defines as the difference between annual income and a percentage of the poverty guideline for a borrower’s family size and state of residence. 
          • Payments are recalculated each year based on updated income and family size.
          • Spousal income or debt is considered if the borrower files a joint tax return.
          • Any outstanding balance is forgiven if the loan isn’t repaid after 20 years for undergraduate study or 25 years for graduate or professional study.
    • Pay-as-you-earn repayment plan (PAYE) 
          • Must be a new borrower on or after Oct. 1, 2007, or received a loan on or after Oct. 1, 2011. 
          • Monthly payments will be 10% of discretionary income but never more than what you could pay under the 10-year standard repayment plan. 
          • Payments are recalculated each year based on updated income and family size.
    • Income-based repayment plan (IBR)
        • Must have high debt relative to income.
        • Monthly payments will be either 10% or 15% of discretionary income, but never more than what you could pay under the 10-year standard repayment plan. 
        • Payments are recalculated each year based on updated income and family size.
        • Spousal income or debt is considered if the borrower files joint tax returns.
        • Any outstanding balance.
    • Income-contingent Repayment Plan: Monthly payments are the lesser of what you would pay on a repayment plan with a fixed monthly payment over 12 years and adjusted based on income, or 20% of your discretionary income, divided by 12. Parent PLUS borrowers are eligible if they consolidated the debt into a direct loan.

    What about my interest rate? 

    Interest rates remain unchanged from what borrowers had prior to the pandemic pause. However, you may see a different rate if you chose to enter a new repayment plan or consolidated your loans.

    Interest rates are set by the Department of Education and tied to the 10-year Treasury note. Federal student loans borrowed after 2006 have fixed rates.

    Why does the government charge interest on student loans? 

    “One argument would be we want people to have incentive to pay back the loans, hence their interest rates,” said Peter Granville, a fellow at The Century Foundation studying federal and state policy efforts to improve college affordability. Other arguments include appealing to Congress to get rid of interest rates, or moving to debt-free college altogether, he said.

    “Having debt is an emotionally weighty circumstance to be in, and nobody wants to take on debt, but we do it to finance the education that people need,” Granville said.

    Does the federal government make money off student loans? 

    It’s unclear. Last year, a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the Department of Education miscalculated the cost of the federal student loan program. The department initially estimated that it would generate $114 billion from federal direct student loans; however, the GAO discovered that as of 2021, the program cost the government $197 billion. Part of the shortfall is due to the cost of the three-year pandemic pause, but most of it is because the department failed to consider the percentage of borrowers who would choose to enroll in income-driven repayment plans, the GAO concluded.

    The GAO further explained it’s difficult to estimate future costs because borrowers’ incomes, family sizes and payment decisions change over time. It’s also difficult to examine past costs because there is a lack of historical data when new changes are introduced to student loan programs.

    The Congressional Budget Office in 2022 projected that the only loan program the government would see revenue from is the Parent PLUS program. The government loses money or subsidizes undergraduates, graduates and Grad PLUS loans.

    Tiara Moultrie, a fellow at The Century Foundation focusing on higher education accountability, said there is concern among those analyzing student loans that the government will lose more money on student loans as more people enroll in income-driven repayment plans like the new SAVE plan. The CBO estimates that by 2027, the total percentage of borrowers in an income-driven plan would increase by about 12% annually. Typically, for every $1 invested in an income-driven covered loan, the government loses 17 cents.

    Currently, out of 43.4 million borrowers, 8.5 million are in an income-driven repayment plan.

    What if I have trouble repaying my loan?

    Contact your loan servicer to discuss options. You may choose to change repayment plans as a way to lower monthly costs, request deferments, or enter forbearance, which allows you to temporarily stop making payments.

    What is the department’s relationship to loan servicers? 

    Loan servicers like MOHELA, Nelnet, EdFinancial and ECSI are private contractors hired by the department to service loans. They are assigned to handle billing, payment plans, and advise and assist borrowers with their student loans at no cost to borrowers.

    Your servicer may have changed during the pandemic from one company to another because their contract with the department wasn’t renewed, or a new servicer was awarded a contract. These contracts typically last five years until renewal or cancellation. Sometimes a change happens when a borrower enters a new repayment or forgiveness program — for example, only one servicer handles Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

    The servicers should notify borrowers if there is a change.

    Can I discharge my loans in bankruptcy? Yes, but it depends on the terms of the bankruptcy court’s decision. Those terms may include full discharge, a partial discharge, or full repayment but with different terms like a lower interest rate. 

    How can I get my student loan forgiven, canceled or discharged? There are a variety of ways to get a federal student loan canceled. For example, teachers are eligible for up to $17,500 in forgiveness through the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program. Government employees, nurses, police officers, nonprofit workers and other people who work in public service may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For those with a disability, there is the Total and Permanent Disability Discharge program. Finally, borrowers who participate in income-driven repayment plans are eligible for loan forgiveness if they’ve been in repayment for 20 or 25 years. 

    Loans are also discharged or forgiven if your college or school closed while you were enrolled or shortly after you withdrew, or, if your college misled you or engaged in some other misconduct. Such forgiveness plans are known as closed-school discharge and borrower defense. 

    On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced $9 billion more in student debt relief for borrowers under Public Service Loan Forgiveness, disability forgiveness, and other income-driven repayment plans.

    What happens to my loans if I die?

    Loans will be discharged after the required proof of death is submitted. 

    What happens to my parent’s PLUS loan if my parent dies, or if I die?

    The loan will be discharged if your parent dies or you, the student, dies. 

    For students applying for loans

    How do I apply for student loans? 

    You may be offered student loans as part of your college’s financial aid offer. Loans can come from a variety of sources, such as private banks, organizations and the federal government. 

    What types of federal student loans exist? 

    Undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need can receive Direct Subsidized Loans. Direct Unsubsidized Loans do not require students to demonstrate need. They are available to eligible undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

    Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Your college will tell you how to accept all or part of the loan offered. However, before receiving money you are required to enter loan entrance counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note. 

    There are also Direct PLUS Loans:

    • Grad PLUS loans are given to graduate or professional students to help cover expenses. Borrowers do not need to demonstrate financial need, but they are subject to a credit check. People with poor credit histories must meet additional requirements. 
    • Parent PLUS loans are given to parents of dependent undergraduate students to cover expenses. Borrowers do not need to demonstrate financial need, but they are subject to a credit check. People with poor credit histories must meet additional requirements. 

    How much can I borrow? 

    Undergraduate students can receive direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans from $5,500 to $12,500 per year, depending on the year they are in school and their dependency status.

    Graduate and professional students can borrow up to $20,500 each year for unsubsidized loans. PLUS loans are uncapped and determined by the student’s school to cover any expenses not covered by other financial aid. 





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  • A refresher on the California School Dashboard | Quick Guide

    A refresher on the California School Dashboard | Quick Guide


    Children working together on Chromebooks

    Media arts classes can help children learn how to mix digital skills with the creative impulse.

    Credit: Mountain View Whisman Elementary School District

    The California School Dashboard is back in full color for the first time in four years.

    The dashboard, which the California Department of Education will release on Friday, is the state’s academic accountability and improvement tool designed for parents and educators. It rates the performance of every school, district and charter school, along with any of 13 student groups that attend them, with a color on seven indicators of performance, including math and English language arts test scores, chronic absence rates and graduation rates.

    First introduced in 2016-17, the dashboard was suspended because of the pandemic in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and resumed this year with the collection of two consecutive years of data needed to generate color ratings.

    Here’s a guide to the dashboard for first-time viewers and for those who need a brush-up course on how to read and interpret the colors and the data behind them.

    Why the dashboard?

    The Local Control Funding Formula, passed by the Legislature in 2013, required it — or something close to it. 

    Dissatisfied with the Academic Performance Index, which assigned a three-digit ranking to districts based exclusively on test scores, legislators mandated a broader look at school performance and conditions of learning through multiple measures. There would be no summative ranking; instead, there would be components, such as suspension rates, that would provide evidence for specific actions for improvement. The Legislature required that districts and schools highlight lowest-performing student groups, not just districtwide averages for all students that can shroud inequalities. The intent was to tie actions in a district’s three-year improvement strategy, the Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, to results in the dashboard.

    The dashboard also marks a shift away from the mindset of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Instead of punishment for low performance, the funding formula promises guidance and assistance to districts with low-performing student groups. As State Board of Education President Michael Kirst and then-state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson wrote in a 2017 commentary for EdSource, “We have a rare opportunity to turn data into direct action. The state is now able to identify specific challenges school districts are facing and is committed to providing assistance rather than the sanctions of the past.”

    Which are the 13 student groups?

    African American, American Indian, Asian, English learners, Filipino, foster youth, Hispanic, homeless, two or more races, Pacific Islander, socioeconomically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and white.

    What are the performance indicators?

    Chronic absenteeism measures students from kindergarten through eighth grade who were absent at least 10% of school days during the academic year, or at least 18 days.

    English learner progress indicator, which is new this year, measures progress toward English language proficiency by measuring English language learners’ results on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California from the current to the previous year.  

    Suspension rate measures the percentage of students who were suspended for a total of one full day anytime during the school year (multiple suspensions of the same student are not factored in).

    Graduation rate measures the percentage of students receiving a high school diploma within four or five years or who complete graduation requirements at an alternative school.

    College/career indicator measures the percentage of high school graduates who are prepared for college or a career. It looks at the number of students who completed or fulfilled one or some of the following metrics:  

    • Advanced Placement exams. 
    • A-G course requirements for a state university.
    • A career technical education pathway.
    • College credit through dual enrollment.
    • An International Baccalaureate exam.
    • Leadership/military science program.
    • A pre-apprenticeship.
    • A state and federal jobs program.
    • The State Seal of Biliteracy.
    • Work-based learning experiences.
    • Performance rates on the 11th-grade Smarter Balanced tests in English language arts and math. 

    Schools or districts where 55% of students meet the criteria are rated high performance; at 70%, they are rated very high.

    English language arts indicator measures the Smarter Balanced test results and the California Alternative Assessments for grades three to eight and grade 11. It is determined by students’ average distance in points below or above the score that indicates a student performs at standard for the grade. A school’s or district’s participation rate counts, too.

    Math indicator measures the Smarter Balanced test results and the California Alternative Assessments for grades three to eight and grade 11. It is determined by students’ average distance in points below or above the score that indicates a student performs at standard for the grade. A school’s or district’s participation rate counts, too.

    Why are there colors?

    Seeking to create a tool that encourages improvement, the state board concluded that the most constructive measure would include both the results for the current year and an indication of whether those scores increased or decreased from the year before. A color reflects the intersection between both variables: the current status and one-year change; both factors are given equal weight. Schools with previously very low math scores that show significant improvement the next year, for example, are rewarded by moving up from red to yellow or green. Schools that suspended lots of kids this year compared with the year before will see the color change from green to yellow or orange — a signal that it’s time to pay attention and ask why.

    How are colors determined?

    Source: California School Dashboard

    A look at a five-by-five grid provides the answer. For every indicator, the results for the current year are divided into five performance categories, listed from top to bottom: very high, high, medium, low and very low. Change in performance from the previous year is also divided into five categories, listed from left to right: declined significantly, declined, maintained, increased, increased significantly. As in bingo, mark your X on the intersection of vertical numbers on the left with the horizontal numbers at the top.  

    To illustrate, consider the graduation rate of Santa Ana Unified. Its 89.7% graduation rate in 2023 is 3.3 percentage points higher than the state average, but the decline of 2.8 percentage points from 2022 pushed it from what might have been green or yellow to orange.  

    You have to look at the underlying data to understand a color, especially yellow. It could indicate good news or bad, depending on the change from the year before. It doesn’t mean satisfactory.

    Have the cut scores defining the performance levels and change been reset to reflect learning setbacks resulting from Covid?

    No. The same criteria that determined a red or blue in 2017 applies to 2023. However, because of the suspension of the dashboard during the pandemic, the 2023 dashboard will reset the rating process. Test scores were higher and chronic absences were a lot lower pre-pandemic than in 2023. Color ratings in 2023 understate some of those disparities by comparing 2023 results with those of 2022, the first post-pandemic year.  An EdSource analysis, found in 2019, 82 districts scored very high in math and 47 districts scored very low. In 2023, 63 districts scored very high, and 137 scored very low.

    Why is there no color this year for the college and career indicator?

    The results of the Smarter Balanced tests in 11th grade in math and English are a metric used to determine that indicator. There need to be two years of test results to measure change on the dashboard. No test was given in spring 2021, so there was no score for the class of 2022 and therefore no way to compare it with the 11th grade results for the class of 2023. Next year, there will be a color for the 2024 dashboard, with the publication of 11th grade scores in 2023 for the class of 2024.

    What is the equity report?

    The equity report is what you turn to by clicking on any performance indicator on the home page for any district or school. It takes you to a color breakdown of all 13 student groups with enough students to be measured. Click further, and it will show the underlying data — scores and the change from the year before — for each student group. Comparing the groups reveals disparities and rates of improvement, evidence for setting goals in the Local Control Accountability Plan to close achievement gaps.

    How does the dashboard define what low-performing districts and charter schools qualify for extra help, called differentiated assistance?

    It’s complicated.

    In writing the funding formula, the Legislature said that districts, county offices of education and charter schools should be held accountable for performance in several priority areas. The state’s seven statewide performance indicators fall within them: school climate (suspension rates); pupil engagement (graduation rate and chronic absences) and pupil achievement (the English Learner Progress Indicator and the math and English language arts tests).

    Districts and charter schools are eligible for differentiated assistance when one or more student groups get a red rating in two or more priority areas. They will receive help from a county office of education; poor-performing county offices, which also run schools, will get help from the state.

    In 2023, 466 school districts and county offices of education will be eligible for differentiated assistance; they represent 47% of the total. That’s 151 fewer than in 2022; the biggest factor was a decline in the rate of chronic absenteeism. While still at historic levels, the 5.7 percentage point statewide drop from 30% pushed the state and most districts into yellow, from what would have been red.

    The Legislature also established priority areas for which there are no statewide measures: Basic school conditions, such as appropriately assigned credentialed teachers and clean and functional school facilities; implementation of state academic standards; parent and family engagement, and access to a broad course of study. Districts have local options on how to verify annually that the standards have been met. A failure to meet the standards in a local priority area for two consecutive years can also qualify a district for differentiated assistance.     

    This year, for the first time, districts must address in their Local Control Accountability Plans how they will address student groups performing in the red on any indicator in any school. This new mandate is intended to ensure funding from the Local Control Funding Formula is directed to the students with the most needs.





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  • What parents of English learners need to know | Quick Guide

    What parents of English learners need to know | Quick Guide


    Third grade teacher Patty Lopez helps a student at Frank Sparkes Elementary in Winton.

    Credit: Zaidee Stavely / EdSource

    Este artículo está disponible en Español. Léelo en español.

    When your child is an English learner, it can be confusing and difficult to understand whether they are progressing normally toward proficiency in the language and what they need to do to be reclassified as fluent and English proficient. Here’s a quick guide to how schools classify students as English learners, what they have to provide for students to help them learn English, what criteria they take into account in reclassifying them as proficient in English, and why reclassification matters.

    Why was my child classified as an English learner?

    When children are first enrolled in school, their parents or guardians are asked to fill out a survey about which language the child learned when they first began to talk, which language they most frequently speak at home and which language parents and guardians use most frequently when speaking with them. 

    If a language other than English is spoken in the home, the school is required to assess the student’s level of English within 30 days after enrollment by giving them a test called the English Language Proficiency Assessment of California.  The test measures students’ abilities in reading, writing, speaking and understanding spoken English.

    If the test results show the child speaks, listens, writes and reads English fluently, at an age-appropriate level, the school classifies them as “initial fluent English proficient.” If the test results show that they do not speak, listen, read and write English fluently, at an age-appropriate level, the school classifies them as an English learner.

    Students classified as English learners must retake the ELPAC each spring until the school determines that they have reached proficiency in English.

    You can read more about the ELPAC and take a practice test here: https://www.elpac.org/resources/practicetests/#practice-training-tests. 

    Students who have significant cognitive disabilities are given a different test, the Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessment of California.

    What kind of instruction must the school provide to English learners?

    Schools are required to provide English learners instruction to help them learn English, called English language development. 

    English language development must be provided both while teaching other subjects in the classroom (this is called integrated ELD) and during a specific time during the school day focused just on learning English (this is called designated ELD). The state does not mandate a specific number of minutes, instead expecting schools to decide that based on the student’s needs.

    You can watch some videos here of English language development for different grades, prepared by the California Department of Education.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UThKEg5Tdos

    How will the school decide when my child is proficient in English?

    Schools must use four reclassification criteria to decide whether a student is proficient in English. Students must achieve an overall score of 4 on the ELPAC, or, if they have significant cognitive disabilities, 3 on the Alternate ELPAC.

    In addition, the district or charter school must take into account both the teacher’s evaluation and parents’ opinion and look at how the student is doing in academic subjects such as math and English language arts, compared to English-speaking peers. Each district or charter school makes its own rules about how to measure these last three criteria.

    How long should it take for my child to learn English fluently?

    Research shows it normally takes students between four and seven years to learn academic English proficiently.

    What if it takes longer for my child to learn English?

    If it takes longer than six years for a student to be reclassified, they will be classified as a long-term English learner. Long-term English learners often struggle in school, because while they often know how to speak English, they have not yet mastered writing and reading academic English. 

    As long as a student remains classified as an English learner, the school is required to provide them with English language development classes. If they are in middle or high school, they may not have time in their schedule to enroll in elective classes like art and music or Advanced Placement courses.

    What will happen when my child is reclassified?

    When a student is reclassified as “fluent English proficient,” they are no longer considered an English learner and will no longer be required to take English language development classes. The child’s school must still monitor their academic progress for the next four years.

    My child is enrolled in a dual-language immersion program. How will that affect their English language development?

    Research has shown that dual-language immersion programs can be very effective at helping students learn English. Sometimes these programs take longer to teach students English, but by the end of elementary school, more students in these programs have achieved fluency than in English-only programs. 

    In addition, dual-language immersion programs help students keep their home language and learn to read and write academically in their home language, making them bilingual.

    What can I do as a parent to make sure my child is learning English?

    Look for your child’s ELPAC scores, which should be sent by mail to your home or can be found on an online district portal. Pay attention to all four parts (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

    Talk to your child’s teacher about how your child is doing with listening, speaking, writing and reading in English, which skills they should work on, and what kind of English language development they are receiving at school.

    Ask when the ELPAC will be given, and remind your child of the importance of trying their best on this test. Sometimes students get tired of taking the test, especially when they are older, and they don’t understand the importance of doing well on it so they can be reclassified as fluent in English.

    Keep reading, speaking and singing with your child in your home language. This will help them with skills they can transfer to English, and will help make them fully bilingual.





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  • What to know about the new FAFSA | Quick Guide

    What to know about the new FAFSA | Quick Guide


    Sacramento State students line up to pay bills and receive financial aid information.

    Larry Gordon/EdSource Today

    The 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, was delayed by months this year due to changes that created a new, simplified form. Typically the FAFSA is available to high school seniors and college students every Oct. 1, but this year the form was delayed to Jan. 1. 

    Here are some details about the new FAFSA that you should know: 

    When did the new FAFSA application become available? Where can college students and high school seniors apply?

    The U.S. Department of Education “soft launched” the new FAFSA on Dec. 31, which means the current form will be available for a limited amount of time as the agency monitors website performance. Sometimes the form may be unavailable, but families and students should try to access it at a different time. Students can apply by visiting studentaid.gov. 

    Once the soft launch ends, students do not need to reapply. 

    Was the deadline extended for California students applying for financial aid? 

    Yes, because of the application delay. The California Student Aid Commission extended the priority deadline for students applying to four-year institutions from March 2 to April 2, 2024. Students attending a California community college in 2024-25 should apply no later than Sept. 3, 2024. 

    What is different about the new FAFSA application?

    After many complaints from students and families over the years about the complexity of the old FAFSA, the department created a new application that reduced the number of questions, expanded Pell Grant eligibility, and integrates with the Internal Revenue Service so information is pre-populated into the online form. 

    The new form is expected to be quicker and more efficient for most families. It allows students to skip as many as 26 questions, depending on their circumstances. Some students could answer as few as 18 questions. 

    The new FAFSA also updated its formula calculations to insure more students get aid. The old FAFSA used Expected Family Contribution to show families how colleges would determine aid eligibility. For example, a family could be expected to contribute $0 or $500, and colleges and universities would build a financial aid package around those amounts. However, some families misinterpreted the number to mean they had to pay the university the amount directly.

     Under the new FAFSA, families will be assigned a number called the Student Aid Index. Families can learn more about how much aid they may be eligible for next year by using the Federal Student Aid Estimator. 

    What is the maximum Pell Grant award students can receive in 2024-25? 

    The maximum aid amount for 2024-25 hasn’t been set by Congress yet. However, the maximum award in 2023-24 was $7,395. 

    What about undocumented students? 

    The student aid commission is also debuting a new and improved California Dream Act Application, or CADAA. Undocumented students cannot apply for federal aid, but can receive state financial aid through the CADAA. 

    A report last year from the commission found that getting aid as an undocumented student had become more difficult in California for a variety of reasons. The new CADAA simplifies applying in a variety of ways, including integrating with the AB 540 affidavit students must file with their colleges explaining that they’ve been a California high school student for at least three years. With the updated application, the commission will now report to colleges that students completed the affidavit. 





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  • What you need to know about California’s Prop. 28 arts education initiative | Quick Guide

    What you need to know about California’s Prop. 28 arts education initiative | Quick Guide


    Preschool children learn to express themselves through painting.

    Credit: Courtesy of Daniel Mendoza

    Amid a national reckoning over learning loss and chronic absenteeism deepened by the pandemic, arts education may be one of the keys to boosting children’s engagement in school, research suggests. Like sports, the arts can spark the kind of excitement that makes students, and their families, look forward to coming to school. 

    Devotees of the arts have long argued that art transforms us, but in recent years, neuroscience has shown just how beneficial arts education can be for children. Music, for instance, can buttress the architecture of the growing brain. Theater classes teach empathy, history and literacy all by putting on a show. Creativity, storytelling and the spirit of play ignite learning, effortlessly building the memory and concentration that academic rigor demands.

    Low-income children often see the biggest gains. That’s why making arts education accessible to all is the thrust of Proposition 28, the state’s historic arts mandate, which voters approved in 2022. Spearheaded by former Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner, the initiative began doling out money to schools last year.

    However, the groundbreaking program has run into several significant hurdles during its rollout, including a deep teacher shortage, widespread confusion about spending rules and pointed disagreements about how to interpret the law. Arts advocates are scrutinizing district arts budgets, and some are pushing for a state audit of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which has been accused of misspending funds in an ongoing lawsuit filed by families and Beutner. 

    What do students learn from the arts?

    The lessons of arts education are vast, from creativity to cognitive boosts. That’s why it has always been part of a classical education. From the arts, children learn focus, discipline and teamwork in addition to how to sharpen their own sense of voice and ingenuity, vital skills in a future likely dominated by artificial intelligence (AI). Originality is essentially a human gift, one that machines can only imitate. 

    What is Prop. 28?

    Proposition 28, the Arts and Music in Schools — Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act, sets aside money, roughly $1 billion a year, for arts education programs in TK-12 public and charter schools. Schools must be state-funded to receive Prop. 28 funding: a windfall for arts education, a once-renowned field long eroded by budget cuts. 

    Who is in charge of Prop. 28?

    While each school has been tapped to choose the kind of arts education that best suits its community, the California Department of Education (CDE) is leading the implementation of the initiative. CDE has provided guidance in FAQs and webinars to help districts navigate the rules. Questions can be emailed to Prop28@cde.ca.gov. 

    How much money do schools get?

    Funding, which gets funneled through the district, is variable depending on the size of the school and the number of Title 1, low-income students there. The money is ongoing, and school districts have up to three years to spend each allocation. Disbursements began to land in February 2024.

    What is the money supposed to pay for?

    Arts disciplines are broadly defined, from dance to digital arts, and schools are encouraged to tailor the program to the shifting needs of students over time. However, most of the funding is intended to pay for arts teachers. In general, at least 80% of the funds are for school staffers, certified or classified employees, to provide arts education. Up to 20% is for arts education support, including training, supplies, materials and arts partnerships. No more than 1% of total funds may go to administrative costs.

    Is there a waiver from the spending rules?

    The CDE may provide a waiver to school districts for “good cause” if the 80/20 rule cannot be followed. Waiver requests must include a problem statement, framing the waiver as a proposed solution to the problem. Reasons for a waiver may include a need to purchase costly supplies or equipment, such as buying musical instruments for an orchestra, or the need to contract with an arts partner due to an inability to hire qualified staff. Thus far, 2.4% of school districts have requested a waiver for 2024-25 spending, according to the CDE, down from 8.2% for 2023-24. 

    Can you pay for existing arts programs with the new money?

    No. Prop. 28 money must “supplement” and not “supplant” funding for arts education. For example, if you spent $1 million on arts education in the 2022-23 school year, you were expected to spend $1 million plus your Prop. 28 money in the 2023-24 school year (the first year Prop. 28 funds were available). 

    However, allegations of supplanting funds have arisen across the state as arts teachers watch new Prop. 28 funds being used to pay for existing programs. There are also disagreements on whether the litmus test on spending applies to districts as a whole or school by school. 

    What are the main issues in the Los Angeles Unified lawsuit?

    The core issue is paying for old programs with new money. Beutner, the author of the law, maintains that each individual school should offer more arts than before, while Los Angeles Unified officials have argued that spending is measured at the district level. Student plaintiffs and Beutner have filed a lawsuit against LAUSD, alleging misuse of funds. State education officials have avoided taking sides in the matter, but CDE auditing rules suggest that compliance is determined at the district level. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, has called for a state audit of LAUSD’s use of Prop. 28 funds. 

    What are the biggest challenges facing Prop. 28?

    The challenges of this rollout are myriad. Thorny issues include finding staff amid a teacher shortage, interpreting complicated rules and finding the time and space to hold extra classes. Schools without a Visual and Performing Arts coordinator often struggle with planning, experts say, and many have put off spending the money due to a lack of clarity on the spending rules and a lack of knowledge about the arts in general. While many school districts have reported they did not use the funds in the first year of Prop. 28 funding, according to some estimates, the window to tap into the funds is three years. Next year will be crunch time on assessing how comprehensively California schools are able to expand arts education. 

    What should parents know?

    Ask your principal how the Prop. 28 money is being spent and share your ideas on what artistic disciplines would best fit your community. Remember that arts education is a very broad landscape, from dance to digital arts. If there has been no increased access to arts education, that could be a red flag.

    Are adults shaped by childhood exposure to arts education?

    Early music training may impart a lifelong neuroplasticity that helps keep the brain sharp even as it ages. A 65-year-old musician has the neural activity of a 25-year-old non-musician, experts say. A 65-year-old who played music as a child but hasn’t touched an instrument in ages has neural responses faster than a peer who never played music.





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  • How to help kids cope with ongoing ICE raids, deportations | Quick Guide

    How to help kids cope with ongoing ICE raids, deportations | Quick Guide


    Los estudiantes de Las Positas College en Livermore participaron en una huelga en el campus en protesta por las políticas de inmigración de la administración actual.

    Crédito: Ian Kapsalis/The Express

    Este artículo está disponible en Español. Léelo en español.

    Top Takeaways
    • Families should have truthful conversations with children to help process feelings related to ongoing immigration raids.
    • Students who are afraid to go outside due to encounters with immigration agents can use remote, free mental health services in California.
    • During the summer, unstructured routine, social isolation and increased social media use can exacerbate feelings of sadness and fear.

    With school out for the summer, some students may no longer have access to crucial support and services available during the academic school year, as fear and anxiety rise in their communities from ongoing immigration raids.

    California schools are still safe havens for students attending summer school, meaning federal immigration officers are prohibited from entering them and child care facilities without proper legal authorization. But fears remain unabated for both children of immigrants and their friends, as federal immigration agents in California continue to detain, arrest and deport residents, in what community members say has become an indefinite fixture of the Trump administration. 

    Research shows that students are six times more likely to access mental health care during the school year than in the summer months, and that the absence of school-based services often leads to worsening mental health for students during the summer.

    School social workers are unable to offer routine check-ins and on-campus counseling for students during the summer break, but families can take steps to support their child’s mental health and prepare for what experts are calling a child welfare and human rights crisis. 

    Talk through your child’s feelings

    During the summer, children are much more likely to internalize traumatic events like raids on social media or outside of school, often in isolation and lacking the safe environment of a classroom to talk through their feelings about the day’s news.  

    To help them feel safe, school counselors and child psychologists recommend that families have truthful, open conversations about sweeps, rather than trying to shield them. Ahmanise Sanati, a school social worker in Los Angeles who works with children from immigrant communities as well as those unhoused, said families should start by asking children: “What have you heard?” and “How are you feeling?” They should then validate their child’s feelings of confusion, anxiety, grief or concern in developmentally appropriate ways, she said. 

    Both young and older children should understand their family’s risk profile — whether a family member could realistically be detained or deported by ICE, or whether they can be exposed to ICE agents in public spaces, for example. Families should spare younger children graphic or unnecessary details and limit or schedule older children’s social media use, Sanati said. Parents can assure their children that they’ll be OK, but not by telling them, “don’t be afraid” — because fear is a natural reaction. 

    Sanati says parents should center a child’s feelings, regardless of age, and that when feelings are repressed or minimized, witnessing raids, detentions and deportations, especially in childhood, can exacerbate risks of long-term mental illness.

    “Children are already seeing masked individuals with weapons coming into the communities, tackling people and taking them away and putting them into vehicles,” Sanati said. “We have to acknowledge that some very scary things are happening in all of our communities — by lying about the magnitude of this, we may be risking our trust with our children in the future.” 

    Prepare for emergencies 

    If a loved one is at risk of being detained or deported, families should prepare and rehearse a step-by-step emergency plan with their child. 

    Students age 12 and over can role-play scenarios in which they might have to call for legal assistance or help build their legal defense, such as by taking pictures and recording names, badge numbers and descriptions of encounters with immigration agents, if possible. If a family member is detained by ICE, they should ensure other family members, including children, and emergency contacts have a copy of their A-Number, which is assigned to an undocumented person by the Department of Homeland Security, if they have one. Older children and family members should also know how to use the ICE detainee locator to find someone in custody. 

    “One way to validate a child who is afraid is by letting them know that their family will be ready for a worst-case scenario,” said Marta Melendez, a social worker with LAUSD. “If you don’t feel safe picking up groceries, for example, we have volunteers doing that for families. It’s OK for parents to feel afraid — that should not keep them from seeking support.”

    Create a child care plan

    Since children are spending more time at home and less time on protected school grounds during the summer, families should also create a child care plan in case a child is left unsupervised due to detention or deportation. 

    They can arrange for their child to be under the care of another trusted adult, such as a relative, family friend or neighbor, through a verbal agreement. Since this option is an informal arrangement, families should note that the chosen caregiver will not have legal authority to make medical or school-related decisions for their child. 

    Alternatively, families can have a trusted caregiver complete a Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit, which would give them legal authority to make medical and school-related decisions on their child’s behalf. The CAA can only be used in California. It does not affect existing custody or parental rights. 

    Families can also have a state court appoint a guardian for their child, which, unlike a CAA, would grant the new guardian full legal and physical custody of the child. While guardianship does not terminate parental rights, it temporarily suspends them while the guardianship is in place. Families should seek legal counsel before considering this route.

    If a child is a U.S. citizen, they should have their passports with them. They should also have important medical documents on file, including a list of medical conditions and medications, when applicable. Importantly, families should walk children through their child care plan and assure them that they will be cared for. 

    If families are unable to create a child care plan in case of an emergency, or if they become unhoused, they can go to any school that is open during the summer and ask to speak with their Pupil Services and Attendance counselor. Even if a child is not enrolled in summer school or programming, they have a right to stay on campus if there is no other safe location for them to go. PSA counselors can help families find long-term care for their child if necessary. 

    Families can follow Informed Immigrant steps, which provide guidance on protecting children and how to explain an emergency plan to them. 

    Find remote mental health support for your child 

    Families with undocumented or legal status have become increasingly afraid of stepping out — even for doctor’s appointments.

    With the risks of seeking in-person care, combined with a lack of on-campus counseling during the summer, students can utilize various remote mental health services and asynchronous resources available for free. 

    BrightLife Kids, a part of California’s CalHOPE program, provides online behavioral health support through one-on-one coaching with licensed wellness coaches, educational and self-help tools and peer communities. Children age 0 to 12, parents and caregivers can use the program’s remote services to help kids manage worries, express feelings like sadness, anger and frustration, and learn resilience, problem-solving and communication. Coaching services are offered in both English and Spanish. Kids, parents or caregivers do not need to be U.S. citizens, nor do they have to have health insurance. Families can sign up on the BrightLife Kids website here.  

    Soluna, which is also a part of the CalHOPE program, offers free, confidential mental health support for people 13–25 years old in California. The app allows young Californians to select coaches based on 30 areas of focus, including anxiety, loneliness, substance misuse and demographic preferences such as ethnicity and gender. Users can also join peer support groups in carefully moderated, confidential environments. The app download is available on the Soluna website here. 

    School-based wellness centers often have year-round mental health intervention and support services available for students. Many offer psychiatric social workers who provide services like trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and programs for children and families who have experienced adverse events or traumatic stress. A full list of wellness centers in California is available here. 

    Los Angeles Unified students and families can call 213-241-3840 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to get access to mental health services. Families can also directly refer their children to in-person or telehealth counseling through a referral form for the School Mental Health Clinics and Wellness Centers.  

    Practice healthy coping skills as a family 

    According to Melendez, families can prepare for scenarios like an ICE raid, detention or deportation by preemptively building their and their child’s mental health tool kit, similar to an emergency plan. Research shows that even basic mindfulness interventions can mitigate the short- and long-term negative effects of stress and trauma, and these techniques, when taught bilingually, are especially effective for populations such as the Latino community. 

    To start, Melendez recommends learning mindfulness practices such as box breathing, butterfly hug, guided meditation and positive affirmation, which are common techniques known to help children regulate their nervous system, cope with symptoms of anxiety or depression and perform better in school. Parents and caregivers should practice these techniques with their child to model calming rituals and build emotional resilience as a family unit, Melendez said. 

    “You should also prioritize something that is a positive outlet for the child,” Melendez said. “Whether they like to play sports, to write about their feelings, draw about their feelings, sing about their feelings, if they want to dance about their feelings — make sure that they have a way of processing all the emotions that they are experiencing.” 

    Data indicate a spike in both substance use and feelings of sadness among adolescents during the summer, which worsens in part due to unstructured routine, increased isolation and increased social media use. 

    To create a sense of normalcy for children, Melendez said families should do their best to maintain healthy routines and hobbies during the summer, especially those that promote social connection with their peers.





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  • Be the guide every graduate deserves

    Be the guide every graduate deserves


    College Advising Corps recruits graduating college seniors to serve as full-time college advisers in high-need high schools nationwide.

    Credit: Courtesy of College Advising Corps

    Every June, California celebrates a powerful milestone: high school graduation. Students in caps and gowns cross the stage, cheered on by families and communities who see in them hope, pride and possibility.

    However, for too many students, especially those from under-resourced schools, the question of what comes next is murky. Some walk off the stage with no clear plan. Others find themselves in programs that don’t align with their goals — or worse, in ones that exploit their hopes without delivering on promised outcomes.

    Only 47% of Gen Z say they had enough information to make decisions about life after high school, according to research from Jobs for the Future. That means more than half of today’s graduates are stepping into adulthood without a clear understanding of their options. This isn’t just a failure of information — it’s a failure of connection and support.

    And it’s not because young people lack talent or ambition. Too often, we as adults — educators, parents, counselors, mentors and community members — fail to slow down and listen. We’re quick to ask, “What’s next?” but not “What do you want for your future?” or “What support do you need to get there?”

    If we want young people to thrive after high school, we need to offer more than a diploma. We need to offer real guidance, grounded in partnership and trust.

    Effective advising doesn’t just happen in a counselor’s office. It can take place at the dinner table, on a lunch break, or in a conversation with a trusted adult. Whether you’re a parent talking to your child, a teacher checking in with a student, or a colleague offering advice to a teen in your life, we can all be advisers. And guidance starts with questions, not answers: What are you interested in? What kind of life do you want? What makes you excited about the future? These conversations create space for young people to reflect and be heard.

    As adults, we often worry that young people spend too much time on screens and not enough on building real connections. But we’re just as guilty. We answer questions with links, send them to websites, or expect an app to do the listening for us. Meanwhile, we miss chances to engage meaningfully. If we truly want to connect, we have to step away from our own screens, carve out time, and show up with our full attention.

    That might mean grabbing coffee, going for a walk, or just asking how a young person is really doing. A meaningful path forward doesn’t start with a form — it starts with a conversation.

    We answer questions with links, send them to websites, or expect an app to do the listening for us. Meanwhile, we miss chances to engage meaningfully.

    From there, we can help them explore their options — whether that’s a four-year university, community college, trade certification or starting work with a plan for what comes next. Don’t stop at encouragement. Help them complete financial aid forms. Review applications. Connect them with someone in the field they’re curious about. Drive them to a college tour or career fair. Small, consistent gestures often make the biggest difference. You don’t have to have all the answers — you just need to be present and willing to help.

    California has made important strides to support students, including new investments in school-based counseling and digital tools for academic and mental health services. These efforts are necessary. But they’re not enough.

    The student-to-counselor ratio in California is still more than double the national recommendation. In too many schools, one counselor handles everything from schedules to crisis response to postsecondary advising. That isn’t sustainable if we want students to graduate with a supported path forward.

    And while we believe deeply in the power of higher education — a bachelor’s degree remains one of the strongest levers for economic mobility — it’s not the only route to a meaningful life. Students shouldn’t be pressured into one definition of success. They need trusted adults who will walk alongside them, help them weigh options and support them in choosing paths that reflect their goals and strengths.

    Before I led a college access organization, I worked in human resources. I hired people with all kinds of backgrounds — elite university grads, community college starters, GED holders, certified technicians. I learned that talent, adaptability and drive don’t always come in the packaging we expect. That experience shaped how I lead today: with a commitment to helping students recognize their potential, no matter their starting point, and supporting them in building futures that make sense for them.

    A high school diploma is worth celebrating. But it should come with more than applause. It should come with a map — built in partnership with students and grounded in the belief that every young person deserves a future they can see, shape and own.

    Let’s help them build it.

    •••

    Ekaterina Struett is the CEO of College Advising Corps, a national nonprofit that has helped over 1 million students from low-income, first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds navigate their path to higher education and career success.

    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 commentary guidelines and contact us.





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  • Two types of housing vouchers for foster youth | Quick Guide

    Two types of housing vouchers for foster youth | Quick Guide


    Credit: Lisa Fotios/Pexels

    In California, where affordable housing is increasingly difficult to find, youth exiting the foster care system disproportionately face higher rates of homelessness, according to CalYOUTH, a study on foster youth conducted from 2012 to 2022.

    Two federal programs, the Family Unification Program (FUP) and the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI), work to reduce these rates of homelessness by providing targeted housing vouchers commonly referred to as Section 8.

    But FUP and FYI vouchers go largely underutilized in California, according to a recent report from John Burton Advocates for Youth, or JBAY, a nonprofit focused on supporting California foster and homeless youth.

    According to the authors of the report, child welfare agency representatives from 37 of the state’s 58 counties responded to the survey, and the counties that responded are in charge of 93% of the state’s FUP and FYI vouchers for eligible young people.

    The results from the survey provide critical insight into these two housing vouchers for former foster youth, such as how often they are being distributed and various challenges with more widespread issuance. Some of those challenges include a lack of awareness regarding recent policy changes that simplify the voucher distribution process and insufficient funding for the supportive services offered in coordination with the voucher.

    This quick guide provides insight into what the FUP and FYI programs are, how the housing vouchers can be accessed, the challenge of California’s current housing climate, and where additional information can be found.

    What do the FUP and FYI housing vouchers provide?
    Both the Family Unification Program and the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative vouchers provide eligible youth with up to three years of housing assistance, plus additional support such as locating available housing and covering some move-in costs. The housing vouchers, known commonly as Section 8, pay for all or part of the youth’s rent.

    A three-year voucher can be extended for an additional two years if the youth meets certain criteria. Those criteria include opting into a Family Self-Sufficiency program if one is offered by the local public housing authority issuing their voucher. In an FSS program, these youth can receive additional support services, including child care, job training and transportation. If a family self-sufficiency program is not offered, or if it’s impacted, youth can also meet the criteria by fulfilling education or employment conditions.

    More detailed information regarding those education or employment conditions can be found on Page 9 of this report.

    Who is eligible for the FUP and FYI?
    The Family Unification Program, or FUP, was established in 1992 and provides housing vouchers for families involved in the child welfare system and for transition-age former foster youth.

    The Foster Youth to Independence Initiative, or FYI, launched nearly three decades later in 2019, is specific to transition-age youth leaving the foster care system.

    In order to qualify for both programs, transition-age foster youth must be between the ages of 18 and 24 and cannot have reached their 25th birthday. Additional eligibility requirements include having exited the foster care system or being about to do so within 90 days and being homeless or at risk of homelessness at age 16 or above.

    It should be noted that transition-age foster youth age ranges might be different for other services, depending on the specific resource and the person’s location. In Santa Clara County, for example, some foster care transition services are available for 15-year-olds, while the city of San Francisco offers support for some former foster youth up to age 27.

    How many youth have been administered housing voucher?
    There has been a 54% increase in vouchers administered in the past two years: from 870 in 2021 to 1,341 as of Oct. 1, according to the JBAY report.

    Why don’t more eligible California youth have a housing voucher?
    There are multiple reasons for these housing vouchers being largely underutilized in California.

    One key challenge is that not every county chooses to participate in the FUP and FYI voucher programs. While those youth may likely still be eligible for other state or county-funded housing support, such programs are hard to get because they are utilized at higher rates.

    Additionally, the FUP and FYI vouchers are linked with offering supportive services and, despite new designated allocations to cover those supportive services, the costs remain prohibitive.

    Some county representatives are also unaware of key details that would facilitate the issuing of more vouchers. For example, about 65% of county child welfare agencies remained unaware that vouchers can be extended from three to five years for all youth with a voucher. Plus, recent federal policy changes have simplified the process that county agencies must follow when requesting certain vouchers, but many of the county representatives interviewed in the JBAY survey were unaware of those changes.

    How long does it take for youth to find adequate housing if they are administered a FUP or FYI voucher?

    The length of time for identifying housing ranges from less than one month to over six months, with 45% of California counties that responded to the survey indicating that the average search was one to two months. The range includes the beginning of the housing search to the moment the housing is secured.

    Finding adequate and affordable housing in California is increasingly one of the most significant barriers to using or even issuing the vouchers. Transition-age foster youth are particularly susceptible to this challenge, as they often have little to no income to rely on, no rental history and are less likely to have a co-signer to rely on.

    How can transition-age foster youth apply for FUP and FYI housing vouchers?
    If a transition-aged former foster youth thinks they might be eligible for a FUP or FYI voucher, they should connect with their child welfare or independent living worker. A direct point-of-contact for their county, if they offer vouchers, can be found at this link.

    Their local public child welfare agency makes the referral to the public housing authority and certifies whether the youth is eligible, based on their history in the foster care system.

    If the youth is eligible and the housing authority has FUP vouchers, that’s the type of voucher offered to the young person. Otherwise, an FYI voucher is requested from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Once housing is secured, the FYI voucher is administered to the landlord.

    Where can additional resources and information be found regarding housing vouchers for transition-age foster youth?

    Those potentially eligible for a FUP or FYI housing voucher can find contact information for their county on this spreadsheet compiled by JBAY.

    This fact sheet by the Youth Law Center provides an overview of the housing resources available in California for current and former foster youth.





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