Parent and Family Engagement and ESSA

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), is a reauthorization of the educational standards set forth through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965. The ESSA puts into place provisions aimed at helping low-income and underprivileged children succeed in school and chief among this legislative groundwork is a sharp focus on the role of parent and family engagement in … Read More

What is Hispanic Heritage Month?

To kick-off this fun holiday that runs from September 15 through October 15, here are some awesome activities for Hispanic Heritage Month for communities, schools and families! The Scholastic literary resource organization suggests growing a heritage garden common to a lot of Spanish-speaking countries. Some of the staple crops can include peppers, squash, corn and beans. … Read More

Rural Poverty in the United States

Poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity are serious concerns throughout the country, but these rates are much higher in the rural regions of the United States than in urban sectors. The reasons are succinct and relentless, starting with lower education levels and higher rates of both unemployment and underemployment resulting in 17% of rural households unsure where their next meal is … Read More

How Bully Prevention Programs Can Impact Schools

Current statistics point to a dramatic increase in the number of students who are affected by bullying each day at schools all across America. One in every three children have either been the victim or the aggressor in a bullying incident, and over 150,000 students a day avoid come to school for fear of being victimized. Bringing awareness to this … Read More

How Oral Stories Foster Reading Development

Oral storytelling is a type of narrative dialogue that enables children to experience interpersonal sharing and relating while they improve their understanding of word choice, sentence structure, and fluent speech. Children who hear and tell stories gain critical practice in using and adopting a language that carries over into their ability to read and write in that language. In an … Read More

The Power of Story

We all like to tell stories. We learn how to do it from a very young age, and this ability is unlocked by hearing others do it first. It’s a skill that is best acquired through literacy. Reading inspires our imagination, transporting us to worlds old and new, far and near. It enables us to visit any time period and … Read More

Parental Involvement and the Impact on School Success

There is a little debate that a parent’s engagement in a child’s learning is highly beneficial. A number of studies have shown the extent of the positive impacts that healthy parental involvement can provide with marked improvements in attendance, behavioral patterns, and social skills, as well as better grades and test scores, resulting in higher graduation rates. But distinguishing the … Read More

5 Important Things to Know About Title I

Title I (Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA) provides funding specifically for local education agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or percentages of children from low-income families. In order to better understand how Title 1 affects schools and families, read on to learn five important things about Title 1. What is Parental Involvement under … Read More

Early Literacy for English Learners is Crucial

There have been a number of studies examining the effects of acquiring literacy skills at a very early age and the findings have shown that the earlier a child begins to learn the basics of reading and vocabulary, the far greater their odds for academic achievement later on. With these results demonstrating the benefits for success of all school children, … Read More

Understanding the Local Control Funding Formula

California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is a new body of legislation that seeks to simplify the vital process of funding kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) schools and to make it more efficient at helping schools support their student populations. This new methodology for the state’s complex school finance system was presented as part of the 2013-14 Budget Act. Where … Read More