In 2021, California launched the Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) program (AB 130), requiring public schools with kindergarten to provide free, high-quality, inclusive pre-kindergarten to all four-year-olds regardless of birth date. Starting in 2022, it increased the original age-eligibility for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)--students turning five…

California's 2020 Master Plan for Early Learning and Care gives the state's families choice among programs and providers--private or public, subsidized or unsubsidized (if eligible), offered in schools, child care centers, and family child care homes. This landscape changed significantly with the introduction and subsequent expansion of Universal…

Yoga programs to enhance student well-being are being integrated into school settings at increasing rates. Addressing the issues and challenges of implementing yoga programs in schools is essential for effective program delivery and outcomes. Prior literature has identified the need for further qualitative research from major stakeholders that…

Although many studies make important contributions to understanding the process and outcomes of school-based parent involvement initiatives, more work needs to be done to measure parent perceptions of parent involvement practices, policies, and barriers in low SES schools serving minority students. This qualitative case study looked to identify…

In the fall of 2021, Redwood City School District (RCSD) placed a full-time, district-employed mental health counselor in each of its twelve schools in order to bolster district capacity to support student mental health and wellbeing. Stanford's John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities (Gardner Center) conducted a Year 1…

As districts and schools struggle with persistent teacher shortages, many states have attempted to bolster the supply of teachers by loosening credentialing requirements or implementing fast-track programs that quickly bring new teachers into the classroom, often without student teaching or robust coursework about how to teach. Some states,…

Teacher residencies represent important opportunities to address teacher shortages while improving teacher preparation. Viewed as highly effective pathways by program graduates and their employers, residencies also provide robust financial and educational support, enabling them to attract diverse candidates who stay in teaching. California has…

Although varying among and within the states, the percentage of students with 504 plans is steadily and significantly increasing as a national average. Although the professional literature addresses the legal standards for eligibility for 504 plans, it has not provided up-to-date information to practitioners as to the legal standard for the…

The "Forum Guide to Data Governance" highlights how data governance programs benefit education agencies and provide timely and useful best practices, examples, and resources for agencies implementing or updating their data governance programs. This resource is intended to address the needs of federal, state, and local agencies related…

In the past 20 years, both school choice policies and dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs have proliferated across the US. This project examines the intersection of the two trends, examining how school choice policies have shaped DLBE at the district, school, and program level, through the eyes of 22 public school administrators in…

The K-8 Early Implementers Initiative has found that careful planning is critical. With thin planning, unexpected detours or dead ends are likely. However, with solid planning, districts are more likely to achieve their implementation goals and may discover some express lanes for their implementation journey. This evaluation report documents…

Redwood City School District (RCSD) has a long history of attending to the needs of its students and their families, and it has responded to this moment of crisis by setting a goal that by June 2024, every student will receive "appropriate social-emotional supports designed to meet their needs." The plan for achieving this goal includes…

This study explores how six school leadership teams in a rural district in California responded to professional development (PD) designed to strengthen leadership practices and organizational conditions in schools for improving teaching and learning. Specifically, the PD was intended to address the problem of practice identified by the schools:…

This project was a dissertation of practice designed as a needs assessment of a specific program. Specifically, the project identified the needs of an After School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program in a Southern California School District (SCSD). The purpose was to provide recommendations to address the needs of…

This project was a dissertation of practice designed as a needs assessment of a specific program. Specifically, the project identified the needs of an After School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program in a Southern California School District (SCSD). The purpose was to provide recommendations to address the needs of…