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Briefs


Brief
Elementary teacher working on a project with students
Brief
| In 2021, California committed to making transitional kindergarten (TK)—a school-based preschool program—available for all 4-year-olds by 2025–26. As TK becomes universal, California will need to expand the early learning workforce by recruiting educators and candidates and supporting them through various pathways into the profession. State policymakers can take six recommended actions to help stabilize, support, and expand the entire early childhood workforce.
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Group of adults talking in a conference room with a whiteboard.
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| Community schools have proved to be a successful approach to educate and support the whole child through family and community engagement, enriched and expanded learning, and integrated student supports. An important element for states to consider when investing in community schools is the provision of technical assistance, which can play a key role in supporting high-quality implementation.
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Pre-school teacher reading to students.
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| An additional 12,000 to 15,000 credentialed teachers are needed to support California’s expanded transitional kindergarten (TK). High-quality early childhood–focused residencies, such as Fresno’s Teacher Residency Program and UCLA’s IMPACT Program, can help districts strategically build TK teacher capacity. These programs encompass coursework, university–district partnerships, clinical experiences, and resident and mentor supports and can lead to a more fully prepared and diverse teacher workforce.
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Young man giving high fives to high school age youth.
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| Social Justice Humanitas Academy is a teacher-led community school that advances student learning and development through its mission to support students on their journeys toward self-actualization, social justice, and postsecondary success. It maintains a supportive and inclusive learning environment, engages students in social and emotional development and student-centered pedagogical strategies, and provides access to integrated systems of supports.
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US map
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| Wage indicators for public school teachers—such as average annual starting salary, average annual starting salary adjusted for cost-of-living, and average weekly wage competitiveness—can help contextualize how compensation aids efforts to attract and retain a strong and diverse teacher workforce across a state. In this brief, maps and tables show these three teacher wage indicators for each state and how they compare to national averages.
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Skyline view of Charlotte, North Carolina
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| In Leandro v. the State of North Carolina, the Supreme Court of North Carolina found that children have a right to high-quality educators. However, access to a supply of qualified teachers and administrators is increasingly limited and inequitably distributed across the state. Expanding high-quality teacher pipelines and training, updating preparation and professional development, and other strategies could help strengthen North Carolina’s teacher and principal workforce.
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Group of parents and children in a discussion.
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| The science of learning shows that addressing student behavior with restorative practices rather than zero-tolerance discipline is essential for students’ healthy development and academic success. Using examples from districts across the country, LPI researchers discuss key lessons on what is needed to successfully implement restorative approaches to create safe, inclusive schools that promote well-being and connectedness.
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Group of adults and children smiling and seated in a circle.
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| A historic $3 billion investment in the California Community Schools Partnership Program provides an opportunity to transform schools into community hubs that deliver whole child education. Examining key elements of the new law, LPI and Opportunity Institute researchers lay out evidence-based principles of high-quality community schools implementation that are aligned with the science of learning and development and discuss the need for technical assistance.
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Young adults wearing masks and seated in a classroom.
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| Schools across California have reopened for in-person learning, undertaking the challenging but crucial work of ensuring student safety. Examining multiple districts across the state, LPI researchers provide important models and key lessons for safe school reopening. As their work demonstrates, schools implementing multilayered mitigation strategies can stay open safely, minimize further disruptions to learning, and ensure that students can focus on their education and reconnecting to their school community.
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Student murals on the Mendez campus
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| Felicitas & Gonzalo Mendez High School, a community school located in East Los Angeles, provides its students with rigorous and engaging academics in a nurturing and inclusive environment. Driven by a shared commitment to educational justice and building strong, community-grounded partnerships, the school prioritizes student engagement and leadership, both on and off the campus.