OCDE Education in the News

Thursday, April 5, 2018

LOS ANGELES TIMES

DAILY PILOT

Newport-Mesa’s 6,000-item warehouse is like a city within the school district

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District's warehouse stores 6,000 items such as furniture and school, electrical and maintenance supplies. Its 10 workers deliver items to school sites every day.

http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-nmusd-warehouse-20180404-story.html

NEW YORK TIMES

Here’s What You Need to Know About Online Testing for the ACT and SAT

Lots of confusion surrounds the progress of online testing. Here are the answers to some questions about the computerized versions of the exam.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/education/learning/tests-act-sat.html

Building Skills Outside the Classroom With New Ways of Learning

What differentiates the Mayfield Innovation Center from traditional classrooms is evident not just in the virtual reality technology, the 3-D printers or the open architecture that make the two-floor, 30,000-square-foot building seem less of a secondary school than a Google satellite office.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/education/learning/project-based-learning.html

EDSOURCE

Facing unprepared kindergartners, a rural school district restores preschool for all

In 2016, heading into her 15th year as a kindergarten teacher, Kristy Caesar knew what to expect from a room full of 5-year-olds. But what greeted her on that first day of school last year was an eye opener — she had 21 kindergartners and only four had attended preschool. Eighteen students couldn’t recognize a single phonetic letter sound, such as the sound “A” makes.

https://edsource.org/2018/facing-unprepared-kindergartners-a-rural-school-district-restores-preschool-for-all/595667

KPCC

A new bill could increase access to arts education, but some fear it won’t guarantee quality

The California education code actually requires that all public school students have access to arts education, but in practice, not all kids get it. Santa Monica-area state senator Ben Allen has proposed a creative solution: SB 933. Rather than enforcing the education code through policy, if passed, it would use money to incentivize districts to find ways to provide arts for their students.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2018/04/04/82068/a-new-bill-could-increase-access-to-arts-education/

SACRAMENTO BEE

OCDE website offers educators a one-stop shop for workshops, trainings and more

Are you a local educator looking for professional development opportunities? You might want to bookmark the following site: www.ocde.us/PLO The Orange County Department of Education has been building this web resource for a couple years now, separating trainings and workshops by subject. Think of it as your one-stop shop for all the professional learning opportunities offered by OCDE.

http://newsroom.ocde.us/ocde-website-offers-educators-a-one-stop-shop-for-workshops-trainings-and-more/

NPR

Disparities Persist In School Discipline, Says Government Watchdog

Black students, boys, and students with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined in K-12 schools across the country. That's according to a new report, out Wednesday, from the non-partisan federal watchdog, the Government Accountability Office.

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/04/590887226/persistent-disparities-in-school-discipline-says-government-watchdog

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