Two schools in the Walnut Valley Unified School District have earned the 2019-2020 Project Lead the Way Distinguished School Award. Walnut High School and Maple Hill Elementary have been recognized for providing broad access to transformative learning opportunities in computer science, engineering and biomedical science.  Walnut High is among only five schools in California to offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme/Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences Program.  “We are so incredibly proud of our PLTW and IBCP students who enthusiastically engage daily in hands-on activities and work together to find solutions to real-world challenges,” said teacher Chiara Morgan. “The biomedical pathway immerses students in activities that do not always have a clear solution such as finding better treatments for cancer, gene editing, and evaluating the safety of community water sources. Students innovate solutions to such problems and present them to their peers, teachers, and administration.”  Only 143 high schools across the country received the special recognition for increasing student access, engagement, and achievement.  Maple Hill Elementary has also been recognized as a distinguished School for having high participation in its PLTW Launch modules.  “PLTW Launch provides us the platform to empower the minds of our students so that they can be agents for change,” said Principal Kelly Morris. “The Maple Hill team takes great strides in providing our students with a rich STEAM program that promotes critical thinking, hands-on learning, meaningful collaboration, and fun!”  Kindergarten through fifth grade students participate in hands-on learning opportunities in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. Just 404 elementary schools across the country received the special recognition. 

The California Department of Education has received a $500,000 philanthropic grant to train all of CDE’s 2,500 employees in implicit bias and to create guidance for school districts across California to help them accelerate their efforts to dismantle systemic racism in education.  During a virtual media check-in June 4, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced this initiative as an important step to addressing the persistent inequities students of color have faced — including academic achievement gaps and disproportionate discipline — for decades in public education.  “Although this work was underway before the tragic deaths of George Floyd and others sparked the widespread unrest we see across the country, we know that we must accelerate the work of disrupting institutional racism with a sense of urgency,” said Thurmond, in a news release. “We are grateful to be the recipient of such a large statewide investment that will support educators closing achievement gaps and securing racial justice for our students.”  The $500,000 grant was awarded by the S. D.  Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and secured through a partnership with the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CDE. The grant will fund the California Implicit Bias Training Initiative, a multi-pronged, months-long plan to partner with implicit bias and racial justice experts who will not only train CDE employees across the state, but also help CDE develop resources and guidance for schools to infuse implicit bias training into existing professional development.  During his remarks, Thurmond also called for greater mental health and counseling support for students who are experiencing trauma. The emotional distress of processing the impacts of the pandemic and the tragic events and unrest sweeping across the country are having a cumulative impact on all students, especially black and brown students who are more likely to experience chronic trauma that impacts their academic achievement.