January 2025
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Volume 25, No. 1
Why School Climate Matters for Teachers and Students
Teachers in strong climates get better faster, stay longer, and propel their students to greater heights.Centering School Connectedness
High schools are creating student success teams that prioritize relationships and leverage actionable data to reconnect students to school.Gauging School Climate
As school buildings reopen after weeks of pandemic-induced closures, school climate will matter more than ever. State policymakers and education leaders can plan now to create safe, supportive learning environments ready for the return of students and teachers to classrooms. The articles in The Standard provide a roadmap.School Climate and Measurement
All schools should be using climate data, which can be used statewide for accountability, too.California Ramps Up Support for Community Schools
The state bets big on a long-term strategy to marshal resources to help the neediest students and improve their schools.Getting Students Engaged in Learning
Targeted interventions and savvy classroom practices, coupled with supportive state policy, can draw disengaged students back in.Expanding Afterschool and Summer Learning to Boost Student Success
Too many young people miss out, while community programs struggle to stay afloat.
read moreCalifornia Ramps Up Support for Community Schools
The state bets big on a long-term strategy to marshal resources to help the neediest students and improve their schools.
read moreStudent Voice: Essential Ingredient to Decisions on School Start Times
Nevada’s avenues for student input succeed in changing the conversation.
read moreUnderstanding Who Is Missing and Why
The pandemic only magnified chronic absence among students with the greatest needs and made the problem harder to ignore.
read moreCentering School Connectedness
High schools are creating student success teams that prioritize relationships and leverage actionable data to reconnect students to school.
read moreGetting Students Engaged in Learning
Targeted interventions and savvy classroom practices, coupled with supportive state policy, can draw disengaged students back in.
read moreEducation Support Professionals are an Untapped Resource for Whole-Child Support
Alexandria, Va.—Making up a third of the public education workforce, education support professionals (ESPs) frequently step up to support and mentor students. But they typically lack sufficient recognition, training, compensation, and support for carrying out these tasks, according to a new policy update from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). ESPs include […]
read moreEducation Support Professionals as Partners in Improving School Climate
State boards of education should champion education support professionals as partners in improving school climate.
read moreCreating State Education Systems That Value Student Cultures
State boards can set the stage for learning environments that connect and engage all students.
read more