State officials have released new guidelines on school closures and modified activities during wildfire smoke events. The toolkit Get Smart About Wildfire Smoke is now available on ACSA’s Resource Hub as a downloadable PDF.  Leaders from the education, air quality, and public health communities established a working group to develop the guidelines following the 2018 wildfire season and the resulting smoke that impacted the health of students. The guidelines are intended to advance local conversations between school districts, public health officers, air districts, and the community, and provide educational leaders with the data they need to make informed decisions. While the guidelines are not meant to supersede existing protocols, officials are encouraging districts that haven’t already addressed this issue to begin the conversation prior to the 2019-20 school year. Download the toolkit at . Find the air district serving your community at .

The national nonprofit American Student Assistance has announced a $1.2 million grant to fund 38 schools in three districts in the San Diego area to participate in the World of Work program. WoW was developed in the Cajon Valley Union School District, in partnership with University of San Diego, to provide students in grades K-12 with opportunities to identify their individual strengths, interests and values to explore their career options. Recipients of the three-year grants from ASA are Grossmont Union High School District, La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools and Vista Unified School District.  These San Diego-area schools will use the grant funding to implement the WoW program, helping students learn about a variety of career options through hands-on experiences integrated into their regular classroom curriculum.  “ASA’s mission to help students know themselves, know their options, and make informed decisions to achieve their education and career goals is exactly what the World of Work is designed to do,” said David Miyashiro, Ed.D., Superintendent, Cajon Valley Union School District. “We’ve seen a significant increase in student self-awareness and articulation of possible future selves in relation to career aspirations. This scale-up and research partnership is how we can reverse the trends of $1.5 trillion in student loan debt and the more than 50 percent college dropout rate.”

The California Department of Education has unveiled the first mobile app for the California School Dashboard. Parents and educators can use this mobile app to access information based on the Dashboard, providing critical information that empowers them in decisions to improve student learning. Through the Dashboard, California reports how districts, schools, and student groups are performing across state measures and local indicators. The app is also important for many parents who may not have access to a internet connection. The California School Dashboard app is available on the iOS App Store, the Google Play Store, and the Microsoft Store by searching “CA Dashboard.” 

California school districts need to understand the underlying causes of chronic absenteeism in order to develop systemic approaches to improving school attendance, according to a new PACE policy brief. “If teachers think their only job is to take attendance, not to welcome and engage kids, we’re in deep trouble,” said Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, who is quoted in the brief. According to PACE’s analysis of grades K-8, 12.3 percent of California districts are “in the red” for absenteeism on the California School Dashboard. The main causes of chronic absenteeism can include illness, school climate and misconceptions about the importance of attendance.  The brief also highlights five myths that could undercut the value of absenteeism reduction programs, as outlined in Michael Gottfried’s newly published book, “Absent From School: Understanding and Addressing Student Absenteeism.” Those myths include that parents already know missing school is bad and that measuring absenteeism is straightforward. This brief presents strategies for improving student attendance from a panel of experts at PACE’s annual conference held earlier this year. One example is Sacramento City USD’s Be Here Campaign, a student-led initiative that uses marketing and partnerships with local sports teams to get students excited to come to school. Other strategies come from Corona-Norco USD, whose efforts include setting up 100 percent attendance challenges and communicating those to families in order to raise awareness about attendance. The district targets specific dates such as the Friday before a long weekend. The brief is available at .

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has announced the appointment of Elisha Smith Arrillaga as the final Co-Chair of his statewide Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative. She will partner with Co-Chairs Ryan Smith, Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’i and Roseann Torres to lead work aligning with the initiative’s goals, which include addressing ways to close the achievement gap and improving outcomes for all California students. “Elisha’s approach to education and research embodies community-first thinking,” said Thurmond. “I know her perspective and expertise will be a huge asset in our work to close gaps faster, and increasing student and parent involvement in this important work.” Arrillaga currently serves as the Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, leading the organization’s work addressing education as a key racial and economic justice issue. Her leadership and expertise is tied to her commitment to actionable, student-centered, and community-centered research and engagement — a topic she has taught and presented on around the country. Raised in a family with deep roots in the Civil Rights Movement, she has a history of guiding initiatives to be transformative through developing solutions in partnership with the communities that are often overlooked. Arrillaga is the author of dozens of publications, including a chapter on alternative schools in a recent book from the Stanford University John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities. She holds a Ph.D. in public affairs from Princeton, an M.S. in survey methodology from the University of Maryland at College Park, and a B.A. in mathematics from Smith College. She is the proud mother of a kindergartener.