News & Resources
How can we improve our schools? What will help our children learn? Read about innovations in education and what they mean for your school, your children and your community.
Latest Redwood City Test Scores Show Early Gap for Latino, Low-income Students
In today’s economy, most good jobs require a college education. However, the majority of Latino and low-income students in Redwood City currently aren’t on track to graduate high school eligible for college.
EPA Parents for Excellent Education Community Action Forum
Right now, over 1,000 families leave East Palo Alto every morning to get their kids a good education. Come join concerned parents for a community action forum.
Parents Celebrate Opening of New Schools in Redwood City
This fall, Innovate parent leaders saw a dream come true with the opening of two new schools in Redwood City. Parents have been working for several years to bring new high-quality school options to their community, engaging dozens of elected officials and 1,000 parents to ultimately win the the approval of two new charter schools – one run by Rocketship Education and one run by KIPP Bay Area Schools.
Only 53% of Bay Area Graduates Are Ready for College
In our 21st century economy, the vast majority of middle-class jobs require education beyond high school. However, in 2014, only about five out of every 10 Bay Area seniors graduated eligible for college, and just three out of every 10 Latino or African American students.
Start-up Schools Fellows Launch New Schools
This fall, several Fellows from Innovate Public Schools’ Fellowship program launched new public schools across the Bay Area.
Redwood City Candidates Forum on Education
Here in the heart of Silicon Valley, we want to make sure all Redwood City students get an excellent education and are prepared for 21st century careers. Many people are following the 2016 presidential election, but do you know who makes most decisions that directly impact schools and youth in our community? Our local elected officials!
Learning in Two Languages at Voices College-Bound Language Academy
At Voices College-Bound Language Academy in south San Jose, students are expected to master not only the California state standards, but also two languages. They’re rising to that high bar – Voices is one of a small number of schools across Silicon Valley that are beating the odds for low-income students.
California’s API is Going Away. What Will Replace It?
A major battle looms for school accountability in California. Columnist Dan Walters wrote a great piece this past week outlining what’s at stake as state officials make decisions on how to hold schools accountable. It’s clear that the API is going away, but far less clear is what will replace it.
How to Read Your Child’s Test Results: Interpreting California’s CAASP Report
In early fall, you will receive a letter with your child’s results on California’s new state standardized tests. Trying to interpret them might feel like a test for you!
What’s important to focus on and what do these results tell you about your child’s academic progress?
The Road to College
In our 21st century economy, the vast majority of middle-class jobs require education beyond high school. In 2015, only about 5 out of every 10 Bay Area seniors graduated eligible for college – and just 3 out of every 10 Latino and African American students. That means helping kids from very early on
– it’s much easier to stay on track than to catch up later.
Parent Guide: Teacher Tenure and the Vergara Case
In May 2012, nine public school children, supported by the group Students Matter, filed a lawsuit against the state of California challenging provisions of state law that they said interfere with their right to a quality education.
Middle School: What Parents Should Focus On
As its very name suggests, middle school is a transitional period, a time when students begin adjusting to new ways of learning and some of the more challenging material they’ll face in high school.
More Education = Better Health
So many studies have shown the positive benefits of education that we don’t need to cite statistics to convince people it’s an important investment — not only for our own kids, but for our entire society. For instance, people with more education generally have higher lifetime earnings.
Summer isn’t Down Time for Teachers
School may still be out for students, but many principals and teachers are hard at work learning this July and August. The summer is a time many schools are using to focus on adjusting their practice to the new Common Core standards and collaboratively plan.
Millard McCollam Elementary: “It’s the Teachers”
Millard McCollam Elementary is a neighborhood public school in East San Jose’s Alum Rock School District serving primarily low-income students. It might look like a typical school. However, its academic results are far from typical: 82 percent of its students were proficient in English and 87 percent in math in 2013-14. What’s the secret?
The Path to College Starts Early: A Milestones Map for Parents
It’s more important than ever that students graduate with the knowledge and skills to attend college. But what does it mean to be ready for college? That’s the question we’ll be exploring in this series for parents.
Elementary School: Building a Strong Foundation
Elementary school learning is like building a house—the concepts your child learns early on will serve as the foundation for everything that comes after. Catching up later is a lot harder than keeping up. So what should parents of young children focus on?
Innovate Holds its First-ever National Parent Leader Institute
In July 2015, Innovate Public Schools led the first-ever National Parent Leader Institute. For three days, more than 70 incredible parents from across the Bay Area, Nashville and Washington D.C. came together to learn how to build powerful, parent-led organizations in their communities that can effectively advocate for great public schools.
EPA Parents for Education Host Family Community Fair on July 25
Are you looking for an excellent public school for your child? EPA Parents for Education invite the community to a free family event on July 25 at Bell Street Park starting at 10 a.m. Enjoy food and activities and learn how to get your child a great education....
New Website Helps Parents Foster Their Children’s Emotional Intelligence
GreatSchools and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence have launched a new set of articles and tools to help parents foster emotional intelligence in their kids.