OCDE Education in the News

Friday, April 30, 2021

OCDE NEWSROOM

OCDE announces the 2022 Orange County Teachers of the Year

Six educators who enlightened, encouraged and uplifted students during one of the most challenging years in a century learned Thursday that they’re the 2022 Orange County Teachers of the Year. For the second straight spring, the announcements were made virtually through a series of Zoom calls rather than surprise visits to local campuses. But the winners were no less elated to learn they had earned the county’s highest honor for those who have found their calling in the teaching profession.

https://newsroom.ocde.us/ocde-announces-the-2022-orange-county-teachers-of-the-year/

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Orange County’s Teachers of the Year talk about connecting with their students

Orange County educators who logged onto a Zoom call Thursday, April 29, thought they were dialing in to put some final touches on their application for the county’s teacher of the year award. But instead, they entered a call surrounded by familiar faces and were surprised with the news they’d already been selected.

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/04/29/orange-countys-teachers-of-the-year-talk-about-connecting-with-their-students/

CAPISTRANO DISPATCH

Esencia School Continues Educating Kids During Tumultuous Times

Shortly after it opened, Esencia School had to figure out how to keep instructing students while daily life was upended. The school in Rancho Mission Viejo, which opened in 2018, currently educates students in grades pre-kindergarten through the seventh grade. But everything changed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced people to maintain physical distance from one another and wear face masks when they couldn’t.

https://www.thecapistranodispatch.com/esencia-school-continues-educating-kids-during-tumultuous-times/

DAILY NEWS LOS ANGELES

UTLA president: campus reopenings have generally gone well, exhaustion 'real'

The reopening of schools for Los Angeles Unified has generally gone well, although the reality of what students and their families are dealing with when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic continues to weigh on educators, the president of the local teachers union said Thursday, April 29. “People are genuinely exhausted,” Myart-Cruz said during an interview at Playa Vista Elementary, where she joined Superintendent Austin Beutner for a school-reopening campus tour.

https://www.dailynews.com/2021/04/29/utla-president-lausd-campus-reopenings-have-generally-gone-well-but-the-exhaustion-is-real/

PRESS-TELEGRAM LONG BEACH

Long Beach Unified school board OKs retroactive salary increases for teachers, non-represented employees

The Board of Education for the Long Beach Unified School District unanimously approved contract agreements with the Teachers Association of Long Beach that provide both ongoing and one-time salary increases, retroactive to the current school year and the year before.

https://www.presstelegram.com/2021/04/29/long-beach-unified-school-board-oks-retroactive-salary-increases-for-teachers-non-represented-employees/

EDSOURCE

Poll: Most Californians worry schools won't reopen fully next fall

More than 4 in 5 California adults, including public school parents, believe that the pandemic has caused children, especially low-income children and English learners, to fall academically behind. Six in 10 Californians are concerned that schools in the fall will not be open for full-time, in-person instruction in the fall, according to a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California released on Wednesday.

https://edsource.org/2021/poll-most-californians-worry-schools-wont-reopen-fully-next-fall/653973

BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

Bakersfield City SD to hold in-person eighth-grade graduation ceremonies

In a news release, BCSD said it will also offer drive-thru ceremonies for eighth-grade students and families interested in an alternative celebration.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bcsd-to-hold-in-person-eighth-grade-graduation-ceremonies/article_424d14e4-a931-11eb-a049-d34f56373062.html

KPBS

San Diego County Sees Big Drop In English Learner Enrollment

According to new state data, public school enrollment is down across the state, but the number of English Learner students has dropped even more this school year in both the state and county. The number of English Learners enrolled in public schools statewide dropped by about 8% this school year, which is the largest drop in the past five years. In San Diego County, the drop was even more dramatic at 12%, according to the data released by the California Department of Education.

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/apr/30/san-diego-county-sees-big-drop-english-learner-enr/

WHITTIER DAILY NEWS

With graduation on horizon, Pasadena pushes for high-schoolers to get vaccinated against coronavirus

Officials hope young people who get the vaccine can become ambassadors for those who remain hesitant.

https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2021/04/29/with-graduation-on-horizon-pasadena-pushes-for-high-schoolers-to-get-vaccinated-against-coronavirus/

OTHER NEWS OUTLETS

Learning PODS adapt to hybrid learning as LAUSD makes switch

When schools shut down, some parents formed PODS where students could navigate virtual learning together. Now that the Los Angeles Unified School District has switched over to hybrid learning, the PODS have changed. In Studio City, Cynthia Ceballos leads a POD of four first graders. The time these children spend in their POD is shorter, going from six hours a day while virtual learning to three hours a day. The students meet in the morning and attend Carpenter Community Charter School in the afternoon. All four are on the same schedule.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/orange-county/education/2021/04/29/learning-pods-adapt-to-hybrid-learning-as-lausd-makes-switch

SLO County schools to hold in-person proms, graduations: ‘This is so, so important’

This year, all local schools will hold in-person graduations that look much like they would in non-pandemic years. Most high schools will also host in-person prom dances for upperclass students.

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/article251010094.html

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