Top schools honored at awards ceremony Schools and local educational agencies that have achieved statewide recognition within the last calendar year, including 408 California schools selected for the prestigious 2026 California Distinguished Schools Program, were honored during an awards ceremony April 24 at the Disneyland Hotel.

“These schools represent the very best of what public education can achieve,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, in a news release. “Their commitment to student success is inspiring, and it’s an honor to recognize their extraordinary impact.”

Report recommends expanding dual enrollment Expanding dual enrollment opportunities is among the recommendations in a new playbook on how to close the college degree attainment gap in California.

In order to maintain California’s economic prosperity, Gov. Gavin Newsom has set a goal of 70 percent postsecondary attainment by 2030. “Step Up to Succeed,” a new playbook from Complete College America and the Campaign for College Opportunity, outlines a simultaneous and intersectional approach to improving attainment rates to meet the state goal.

Among those strategies is to expand access to public postsecondary institutions through initiatives such as increasing dual enrollment, giving high school students the opportunity to get an early start on college.

Other key strategies include improving intersegmental collaboration and standardization, increasing affordability, and supporting workforce preparedness and high-demand career pipelines.

The report notes that California’s new Cradle-to-Career Data System will be a central source of information to measure progress on meeting goals. It recommends best practices to continue building on this data system.

“Ultimately, implementing these strategies and reaching the postsecondary attainment goal is about more than making sure a certain percentage of adults in the state have a credential or degree,” the report reads. “It is about ensuring that California residents have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace and to engage in civic life and democracy. It is about ensuring that businesses have the workforce they need to thrive and fuel the economy. And it is about ensuring that California continues to drive innovation and function as an economic powerhouse.”

Read the full report at https://completecollege.org/resource/set-up-to-succeed-meeting-californias-postsecondary-education-attainment-goal.

Green Schoolyards program has improved 215 campuses Since 2022, CAL FIRE’s Green Schoolyards Grant Program has invested more than $156 million to cool down school campuses across California by replacing heat-trapping asphalt with trees, plants, and green space that protect kids from extreme heat and give them better places to learn.

Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted the program in a recent news release celebrating the progress the program is making across California.

“Kids shouldn’t have to choose between going outside and staying safe from the heat. Every child deserves a healthy, safe place to learn,” Newsom said, in the news release. “We’re planting trees, creating shade, and transforming schoolyards that will protect our children for generations to come.”

For millions of kids — especially in low-income communities — the schoolyard is a barren, heat-trapping asphalt space that can exceed 150 degrees on a hot day. Since 2022, the Newsom administration — in partnership with the Legislature — has invested more than $156 million in Green Schoolyards projects through CAL FIRE — improving conditions at more than 215 school campuses statewide, reaching 94,000 children, and planting more than 6,000 trees to create safer, greener spaces to learn and play.

Statewide, more than 2.59 million students attend schools with less than five percent tree canopy, and the median canopy across campuses is just 6.4 percent. These conditions disproportionately impact low-income communities and underscore the need for greener, safer school environments. That’s why CAL FIRE’s program targets the schools that need it most: campuses in high-heat, underserved neighborhoods where shade is scarce, and asphalt is everywhere.

“With this new environment, our students are opened up to different facets and opportunities of learning,” said Raquel Shepard, early education principal of the Hawaiian Avenue Early Education Center, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, in the governor’s news release. “To see a whole school become vibrant and inviting and a service to the community and children this way tops off my career.”

The Green Schoolyards Grant Program is administered by CAL FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF). The UCF Program expands and manages trees and green spaces in communities statewide through grants, partnerships, and technical assistance. Focused on disadvantaged areas, the program supports tree planting, workforce development, and green infrastructure projects. These efforts help reduce extreme heat, improve air and water quality, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen community resilience while enhancing the health and quality of life for Californians where they live, work, and learn.

For more information about CAL FIRE’s UCF Program, visit urban-and-community-forestry-calfire-forestry.hub.arcgis.com.

CA State Parks Week has activities for students California State Parks Week is an exciting annual event that celebrates the amazing diversity of California’s State Park System and the people who visit and help protect these iconic places. Through special community events and in-person and virtual programming, State Parks, Save the Redwoods League, Parks California, and California State Parks Foundation invite Californians to celebrate the communities and cultures that make California special, explore new adventures and activities in our shared parks, and discover ways to deepen their relationships with parks and the landscapes they protect. California students in grades TK–12 can enter a poster contest with a chance to win a prize (deadline May 31). Find details for the contest at castateparksweek.org/poster-contest/#contest-guidelines. Register for California State Parks Week events via the California State Parks Week web page, castateparksweek.org/event-finder.