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.
Life Academy Oakland: Small school environment with built-in individualized student supports (Post 2 of 5)
At Life Academy students feel like family: “It’s a pretty small school so you know everyone. There’s a different type of connection here.
Life Academy Oakland – Preparing students for life (Post 1 of 5)
Life Academy of Health and Bioscience is a small district middle and high school in the Oakland Unified School District that serves 464 Latino students, of whom 78% are low-income.
Are students of color over-identified or under-identified as having a disability? The answer is both.
Research is conflicting — some studies suggest that students of color are over-identified for special needs, while others show they are under-identified. Either way, this misidentification can limit their achievement in school and beyond.
Finding hidden genius: the importance of STEM education for low-income students
Not all students are getting equal access to STEM education. During the 2015-2016 school year, low-income students and students of color were less likely to have opportunities to take advanced math and science classes. A study from the U.S. Department of Education showed that only 55 percent of high schools with high Black and Latino enrollment — compared to 65 percent of all high schools — offered advanced mathematics. For calculus, only 38 percent of high schools with high Black and Latino student enrollment offered advanced math, compared to 50 percent of all schools.
SF Approves Money for Schools
We are happy that the Supervisors voted to sign onto a deal that allocates $13.5 million to fund teacher salary increases and $52 million to a reserve fund for teacher wages in 2020-21. We continue to call on the school district to use any resources they can to support schools with large numbers of underserved students. In particular, we would like to see the funds go to the specific schools that Superintendent Vincent Matthews has identified as PITCH schools.
Windfall Money Should Go to San Francisco Schools
The school district and teachers’ union are calling on the Board of Supervisors to give $60 million of the city’s ERAF windfall money to the school district to pay for teacher raises under Proposition G (which was approved by the...
What Parents Need to Know about California’s New College / Career Indicator
Students have big goals for themselves, 94% want to attend college and 70% have career goals that require a college degree. In our 21st century economy, the reality is that preparing students for good careers generally means preparing them for college.
New Resource for Parents in Southeast LA
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools in Southeast Los Angeles serve over 60,000 students. Low-income Latino students make up the large majority of the student population and over a quarter are English learners. Out of 89 schools in Southeast Los Angeles, only nine reach the statewide average in English and math.
What is the California School Dashboard?
The California Dashboard shows how each school in California is doing to ensure that students can read and do math on grade-level as well as other important measures of school quality. It’s a great place to start when assessing whether your child’s high school does a good job of preparing students for college. You can learn more about each of the ratings in this report by Oakland Achieves.
Voices Opens New School in West Contra Costa
This September, founding principal Jose González welcomed 130 students from Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through second grade to Voices West Contra Costa. Gonzalez is one of 50+ alumni from Innovate’s Start-up Schools Fellowship, which trains and supports principals to start new schools or redesign existing schools.
Students of color are not achieving less — they are being given less.
Most students want to go to college and trust that their schools are helping them get there. They believe that if they show up, do what is asked of them, and earn good grades they will be ready for college. But the work they are given often does not hold them to a...
How can you make sure your child is ready for college?
How to make sure child is prepared for college. Want your child to go to college? Here’s what you need to know.
2018 CAASPP Scores: Little Improvement in Achievement Gap
CAASPP scores are out – here’s how local Bay Area districts did.
Advocate’s Guide: Believe in Me (What to ask and look for)
Before students with disabilities even begin learning in the classroom, they already face barriers against their success — namely, perceptions against their ability to succeed. Our Advocate’s Guide to Special Education explains why it’s so important for everyone, at...
Special Education Mythbuster #1
The majority of students with disabilities can meet the same grade-level standards as their peers with the right support and guidance.
How a Mountain View elementary school more than doubled student proficiency in three years
Struggling schools can turn around with determination and focus on putting the effective practices of world-class schools into action.
Gema Corrales Ruíz is Innovate’s East Palo Alto Community Organizer
Gema joined Innovate Public Schools in December of 2017 and is the community organizer in East Palo Alto.
Marissa Castañeda is Innovate’s Redwood City Community Organizer
Marissa joined Innovate Public Schools in May of 2018 and is the community organizer in Redwood City.
Promise Academy will open in Fall 2019
Although Promise Academy was approved unanimously by the California State Board of Education on January 19th, it will be forced to delay its start date by one year because of efforts by the San Jose Unified School District. Promise Academy will open in the fall of 2019.
Prepare Your Student for College Applications This Summer
To get a leg up on the college process, families can use the summer to plan ahead so students can make the most of each school year. Here are a few things you and your student can do each year to be ready for the college application process.