Earlier this month, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced the formation of a working group to address staff shortages being experienced in California schools. Schools across the country are seeing workforce shortages as is the case in every sector in the country due to the pandemic. California schools are struggling to find teachers, substitute teachers, bus drivers and other staff during this period.

The workgroup will bring together school district leaders and representatives of associations that represent schools and staff including certificated staff, classified staff and administrators. Representatives from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing will also work with the group. The goal of the group will be to brainstorm strategies that can help schools increase staff size. Workgroup members may focus on several topics including:

Thurmond has recently announced plans to focus on workforce strategies that will help to recruit 10,000 mental health clinicians in schools and to retain 15,000 teachers who are currently working in classrooms but need assistance in completing induction requirements. There are also efforts to use scholarships and residency programs to attract new staff to California schools.

Thurmond also plans to convene a meeting of representatives in the next few weeks to develop strategies to attract new staff to California schools. Anyone with ideas or experience in recruiting school staff who wish to participate in workgroup meetings should email workforcerecruitment@cde.ca.gov.

The Cahn Fellows Programs has announced its inaugural Los Angeles cohort for the Distinguished Principals Program as it expands into the second largest school district in the country.

Six high-performing principals representing each of LAUSD’s local districts make up the inaugural cohort, which was announced in October. During the fellowship, principals will experience professional, intellectual and personal growth through a curriculum featuring faculty from Teachers College, Columbia University and renowned experts in the field, that is designed to increase leadership skills, retention in education and student outcomes.

Cahn Fellow nominees to the 2021-22 Los Angeles cohort class for the CFP Distinguished Principals Program include:

As part of the yearlong program, Cahn Fellows and their respective Allies (aspiring school leaders chosen by each Fellow) are asked to identify a leadership challenge they are facing in their school that will have a positive impact on student achievement when addressed effectively. This focus on real challenges with measurable results allows Cahn principals to more readily apply academic research to practice and take an active approach to their learning.

Throughout the year, Fellows and Allies study a core leadership curriculum designed to address issues urban school leaders face today, including the impacts of racism and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the course of study Fellows will learn from leadership experts and Cahn Alumni Advisors while studying topics that include school culture and climate, data inquiry, neuroscience of leadership, 360 assessment, effective communication, wellness for leaders, organizational change, and diversity, equity & inclusion.

“This is an exciting and innovative learning opportunity for our participating school leaders and our district would not be able to create this unique learning experience on its own,” said Marco A. Nava, administrator, Induction & Credentialing Programs, LAUSD.

New guide identifies funding for ‘principal pipelines’ A new tool aims to help districts identify federal funding sources to support “principal pipelines.” “Strong Principals, Strong Pipelines: A Guide for Leveraging Federal Sources to Fund Principal Pipelines” was developed by the Wallace Foundation, Policy Studies Associates and Education Counsel and focuses on financing for principal pipelines — a comprehensive and aligned set of policies and procedures for preparing, placing, supporting and evaluating school site leaders. Research has shown districts with strong principal pipelines see improvements in student achievement. The guide describes seven “domains” of activities related to principal talent management and specifies federal funding sources (e.g., IDEA, AMER) that may be most promising for each one. Funding information for activities in all seven domains is also compiled into a single “at-a-glance” table. Part 2 of the guide provides details about each funding stream, including its purpose and core allowable uses; how it is allocated (e.g., by formula or in the form of competitive or discretionary grants); and the primary recipients. The authors recommend staff members who lead pipeline development efforts use the guide in consultation with district federal program officers.

Students from the broadcast journalism class at El Camino High School in Oceanside won first place at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City. In October, the students traveled to the festival, where their film “The Masked Robber” picked up first place in the PSA category. Their submission, which was about COVID-19 mask-wearing etiquette, was one of more than 40 films out of 1,500 submitted from around the country in their category.