View of the Week (W-End Edition): On The Education Scene in California

Please enjoy this "Snapshot" courtesy of the team at EdSource:

Inspired by Skid Row, educator opening charter to help LA's homeless children and families

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, EdSource As a college freshman, Hattie Mitchell visited L.A.’s notorious Skid Row neighborhood as part of a choir group and spotted a six-month old baby on the ground surrounded by trash and signs of prostitution and drug use. “And I just thought…this little girl has no idea…she may aspire to be something and the chances of that happening are slim to none just given her circumstances.” Mitchell soon found her life’s work: “The changing factor in my life was education, what will change her trajectory? Education.” Read more

What it means when a school district declares itself a 'safe haven' or 'sanctuary': a quick guide By Carolyn Jones, EdSource  Definitions of “sanctuary” vary from district to district, but in most cases it means that school staff will not allow federal immigration agents on campus without a warrant, subpoena or court order. Any request by immigration agents to enter a campus, or obtain information about students, would have to be approved by the superintendent or the school district’s legal staff.                                                                                                Read more

Our picks from other sources

A later start to the school day? Why California could delay the bell By Jessica Calefati, CALMatters, Aug. 10

First Vietnamese-American college president relies on refugee past to connect with students By Emily Deruy, East Bay Times, Aug. 11

When it comes to special education in California schools, ‘funding is very unequal’ By Maya Srikrishnan, Voice of San Diego, Aug. 10

Seeing hope for flagging economy, West Virginia revamps vocational track By Dana Goldstein, The New York Times, Aug. 11

Biggest for-profit college trade group isn't waiting for favorable outcome from Department of Education's rule-making process By Andrew Kreighbaum, Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 11

Also of Interest

Summit Public Schools explains its science of learning Redwood-city based Summit Public Schools, which operates 11 charter schools and shares its online personalized learning platform with dozens of schools and districts nationwide, has released “The Science of Summit.”  The  70-page paper explains the guiding principles and cognitive science behind the organization’s approach to learning and the skills, content knowledge and habits of learning it wants students to acquire. You can find the paper here.Summit plans other publications in coming months. Public invited to offer suggestions on school conditions and climate The California Department of Education will share the work of the School Conditions and Climate Work Group and seek feedback from the public at a meeting at the Sacramento County Office of Education, 3661 Whitehead Street, Suite 100, in Mather  from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22. The work group reported to the State Board of Education on its progress in a memo in June. The goal of the work group is to present recommendations for developing school conditions and climate measures and supports,  a priority required by the Local Control Funding Formula. To RSVP to the meeting, go here.  Designing a better LCAP Taking up the challenge of creating a more innovative, parent- and user-oriented Local Control and Accountability Plan, the nonprofit firm Pivot Learning Partners and the California Collaborative for District Reform explore the potential for a flexible, design-driven LCAP in a 12-page paper. The paper examines four options based on different design principles that will be the basis for creating prototypes in school districts  in 2017-18. Go here to read the paper.   New 50-state fact sheets on child care costs and quality Center for American Progress has released fact sheets for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on the cost and quality of childcare. State-by-state data includes costs as a percentage of income for families of color and families living in poverty, as well as percentages of child care providers participating in a state quality rating and improvement system. According to the California fact sheet, annual costs at a child care center in California average $22,460 for an infant and a 4-year-old -- 34 percent of the median income for families with children. To download the fact sheets, go here.

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