LPI Blog

During the COVID-19 crisis, millions of children who are homeless and food insecure can't access essential services or learning. But people are coming together to provide learning opportunities and to care for our students. 

A positive school climate can be an effective counter to harassment, bullying, and other forms of social identity threat that many students experience. This blog explores how strong, trust-based relationships and other “whole child” strategies can facilitate a student’s sense of belonging. This improves learning, development, and wellness among students, especially for those who are harassed or marginalized because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual identity.

Recently released research studies have revisited the question, "Does preschool make a long-term difference in the academic and life-long success of participants?" While these studies underscore the importance of context when assessing the impact of preschool, they don’t change a fundamental finding: Attending a high-quality preschool leaves children better prepared for kindergarten and has lasting impacts on child outcomes, especially when it is followed by high-quality elementary school instruction.

In an era of landmark education reforms and investments, a number of California school districts are achieving extraordinary results with students across racial and socioeconomic groups. These districts used complex, systematic approaches that were closely tailored to their communities’ needs and promoted opportunities for all young people to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication competencies—often referred to as “deeper learning” skills.

"Brain breaks" and other tools and strategies to promote students’ awareness of their emotions and help them to learn important self-regulation skills are part of Lakewood Elementary School’s comprehensive approach to integrating social and emotional learning alongside academic instruction. Throughout the school year, and especially in the first six weeks of school, teachers spend time directly teaching social-emotional skills using separate lessons. These strategies are then reinforced throughout the day and year.

Both students' learning and their overall health and well-being are improved when schools adopt "whole child" supports and practices. Multi-disciplinary research identifies four main ingredients of school success that allow us to care for and nurture the potential in all children: a positive school climate, productive instructional strategies, social-emotional development, and individualized supports. In this post, LPI Senior Researcher Lisa Flook identifies the steps schools and school systems can take to foster students’ social and emotional well-being.

In 2013, California enacted far-reaching education reform. It included a bold, new approach to equitable funding, a more holistic vision of student and school success, and community engagement in decision-making. Although its size and scale put California in a league of its own, the lessons from this decade-plus effort to reimagine, enact, and implement a better system offer guidance for all those looking to make—or influence—education policy. 

The report, California’s Positive Outliers: Districts Beating the Odds, provides insight into the California districts that are most successful at advancing the academic achievement of African American, Latino/a, and White students, as measured by standardized tests. Lead author Anne Podolsky discusses the study's key findings and their implications for local and state policymakers.

What is the place of technology in the classroom? Some would say it doesn't belong. But a number of states, including California, are investing in technology—and for good reason.

California has an opportunity to invest in its children by investing in its educators. To do so effectively, the state should consider a multi-dimensional approach that includes a true infrastructure of support, higher professional standards, and competitive compensation. With these investments and holistic approach, California will be one step closer to setting its youngest learners on a path to good health, academic success, and economic security later in life.