Briefs

January 11, 2023 | Five U.S. school districts have been recognized for their efforts to provide high-quality services to students experiencing homelessness. The districts use multipronged approaches to identify these students, as well as fund and staff the programs that support them.

September 30, 2022 | Principal leadership can have a substantial influence on school conditions, teacher retention, and students’ learning. But how can principals learn to be good leaders? A study of California principals examines their professional learning experiences and sheds light on how high-quality, preservice and in-service principal learning can foster positive outcomes in schools.

September 12, 2022 | The school conditions and educational outcomes California students in foster care experience may be impacted by a range of challenges associated with multiple school moves and barriers to important supports at the school and state levels. Effective processes and policies that span the state’s education system and the foster care system can help create a coordinated web of supports to enhance student outcomes.

August 22, 2022 | Young people today must learn to think critically, solve complex problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and embrace lifelong learning. There is still a long road to travel to ensure all students have access to this type of “deeper learning”; however, policies that promote healthy environments, supportive learning conditions, well-resourced and inclusive schools, skillful teaching, and high-quality curriculum can help pave the path forward.

August 9, 2022 | 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.

August 9, 2022 | 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.

June 16, 2022 | 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.

June 1, 2022 | 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.

April 14, 2022 | 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.

January 14, 2022 | 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.