OCDE Education in the News

Thursday, April 25, 2024

OCDE NEWSROOM

NAMM Foundation awards schools for orchestrating student success through music education

The NAMM Foundation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Best Communities for Music Education Awards by honoring more than 1,000 districts and individual school sites that continue to embrace and support music education. Eight Orange County districts were recognized this year for their dedication to providing exceptional music programs, earning a spot on the 2024 Best Communities for Music Education list. Additionally, a handful of local campuses received the SupportMusic Merit Award.

https://newsroom.ocde.us/namm-foundation-awards-schools-for-orchestrating-student-success-through-music-education/

LOS ANGELES TIMES

DAILY PILOT

CAP OC, Westminster High celebrate Earth Day with fresh produce donated to OC Food Bank

Westminster High School students and volunteers picked strawberries at the school’s Giving Farm, which donated its one millionth pound of fresh produce on Tuesday.

https://bit.ly/3Ql63z4

DAILY PILOT

STEM-based program in Irvine fosters the next generation of med tech talent

When Erica Zhang heard about MIRE, a STEM-based program for high school students over the morning announcements at Valencia High School in Placentia, she perked up. “I have always had an interest in science, but it grew even more in middle school after I did Science Olympiad,” said Zhang.

https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2024-04-24/stem-based-program-in-irvine-fosters-the-next-generation-of-medtech-talent

SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

Delaine Eastin, first woman to serve as California’s superintendent of public instruction, dead at 76

Delaine Eastin, the first woman to serve as California’s superintendent of public instruction, has died. She was 76. Eastin was elected to the state office in 1994 and served two terms, overseeing 6 million students in more than 10,000 schools, her representatives said in a statement.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/04/24/delaine-eastin-first-woman-to-serve-as-californias-superintendent-of-public-instruction-dead-at-76/

PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Chino Valley’s revised parent notification policy targeted by attorney general

The state attorney general’s office is going to court to stop the Chino Valley Unified School District from enforcing its revised parent notification policy. On Wednesday, April 24, the office filed a motion asking the court to make a final decision in its lawsuit against the district’s parent notification policy and is trying to block a revised policy approved by the school board in March. “Today’s motion seeks to ensure no child becomes a target again by blocking Chino Valley Unified from ever adopting another forced outing policy,” California State Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release.

https://www.pressenterprise.com/2024/04/24/chino-valleys-revised-parent-notification-policy-targeted-by-attorney-general/

EDSOURCE

Why knowledge matters for literacy: A Q&A with Natalie Wexler

Amid a deepening literacy crisis, there’s been a focus on how to close the achievement gap, but Natalie Wexler sees the key problem undermining the American educational system a little differently. The education author maintains that we can’t truly reach equity in achievement unless we first close “The Knowledge Gap.”

https://edsource.org/2024/why-knowledge-matters-for-literacy-a-qa-with-natalie-wexler/710488

DAILY BREEZE

California schools may be required to provide kosher and halal meals

Schools with 5% of its population requesting kosher and halal diets would be required to provide those options.

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2024/04/25/california-schools-may-be-required-to-provide-kosher-and-halal-meals/

KPBS

Pilot program brings the farm to school to teach students about nutrition, gardening

A pilot program in North County is teaching students about nutrition and where their food comes from. The five-week Farm to School program is a partnership between Escondido Union School District and Farm to Institution Center, an initiative from the local nonprofit Community Health Improvement Partners. It encourages elementary school children to try vegetables they may not have tried before.

https://www.kpbs.org/news/education/2024/04/24/pilot-program-brings-the-farm-to-school-to-teach-students-about-nutrition-gardening

Quidditch meets Formula 1: Drone soccer inspires next generation of aerospace innovators

Students from all over the world are in San Diego to compete in the first-ever Academic Drone Soccer World Cup & Career Fair. “Drone soccer is a five-on-five competition, very similar to soccer in the positions. So you have a forward and a striker trying to score and then you have a keeper or a goalie,” said Sarah Hillard, the drone soccer coach at Millennial Tech Middle School. While it's mainly fun and games, drone soccer is preparing students for careers in aerospace careers in aerospace.

https://www.kpbs.org/videos/education/quidditch-meets-formula-1-drone-soccer-inspires-next-generation-of-aerospace-innovators

OTHER NEWS OUTLETS

California high school students may be required to take a personal finance class to graduate

To build a future of financially literate citizens, bill AB2927 would require students beginning with the class of 2029 to take at least one semester of a personal finance course to graduate high school.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/orange-county/education/2024/04/25/personal-finance-class-for-high-school-graduation-requirement-

School districts seeking applicants to fill board vacancies

The Cypress School District and the Orange Unified School District are searching for candidates to temporarily fill vacancies on their school boards.

https://www.spotlightschools.com/school-districts-filling-board-vacancies/

189 innovative school leaders: Teacher staffing, AI, mental health top ed issues

A common set of problems are keeping education leaders up at night: Will there be enough teachers to staff America’s schools? Can artificial intelligence enhance learning without deepening inequality? How can educators address the mental health crisis among young people? None of these have easy answers.

https://www.laschoolreport.com/__trashed/

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