In this difficult time, LACOE remains committed to improving the lives of students and our educational community through service, leadership and advocacy. Here, we share best practices, tips and success stories from the county’s 80 districts as we innovate and adapt together to ensure continuity of learning and safety of students, staff and families. |
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Supporting the safe return to classrooms |
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Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation supporting the effort to get students back into the classroom. State lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the plan offering financial incentives for reopening schools from transitional kindergarten through second grade before the beginning of April.
LACOE Supt. Debra Duardo welcomed this development as "great news for public schools," highlighting the need to address learning loss and social-emotional harm the pandemic has left in its wake. "We also need to be mindful that returning to in-person instruction is more challenging for our districts that serve communities hit hardest by the pandemic," Duardo says in a news release.
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Addressing learning loss, student well-being |
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As LA County begins to reopen schools, LACOE has released a report that aims to initiate informed action to address setbacks in student learning and well-being resulting from the pandemic. Rising from COVID-19: Recovery, Resilience and Acceleration calls for reimagining education with a focus on students who have been historically left behind.
The report compiles the views of LA County's school leaders and intends to create a path forward for the county’s 80 K-12 districts and more than 350 charter schools that serve 1.4 million students.
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Investing in teacher-led strategies for student success |
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LACOE and its philanthropic arm, the Greater LA Education Foundation today announced that 30 educator projects from 20 school districts are the first to receive new Teacher of the Year Equitable Innovation Grants. Ranging from intimate interventions for students with special needs to centralized districtwide training, the funded projects are estimated to benefit more than 12,000 students across the region.
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A peek into elementary school reopening
BHUSD welcomes back students to Hawthorne, Horace Mann
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Beverly Hills USD, one of several districts that reopened campuses last week, has welcomed students to Hawthorne Elementary and Horace Mann Elementary. "Please be assured that we are here for you every step of the way," says BHUSD's email to parents that includes a link to a video about reopening with a focus on students' safety and social-emotional wellness.
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Vaccination for educators
Strategy ensures equitable distribution
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Vaccination for education staff throughout the county’s 80 K-12 districts, as well as in charter and private schools, began March 1. LACOE has partnered with LA County Public Health to ensure equitable vaccine distribution to school employees. Vaccine doses are distributed weekly using a formula that considers poverty level, COVID case rate in the community and whether on-campus instruction or services are being provided.
This formula is being applied to the weekly dose allocations coming from both LACDPH and the State. Most school districts have created partnerships with certified providers that will receive and administer vaccines. School staff also will have the option of making vaccination appointments via My Turn website, through their health care providers or through their district.
The current phase of the vaccination rollout also covers those working in emergency services and food and agriculture. Know where you are in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout by visiting VaccinateLACounty.com. Access more vaccination resources:
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State Supt. Thurmond reads to Inglewood USD students |
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During National Read Across America Day on March 2, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond read to first graders at Kelso Elementary in Inglewood USD. On this day, students, teachers, parents and community members around the nation came together to read books and celebrate the joy of reading.
Thurmond also recently recorded a special message for the IUSD community, acknowledging the deep impact the pandemic has had on students, families and staff. He also stressed the importance of attending school every day.
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Honoring women in history and in our lives |
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March is Women's History Month and celebrations are in full swing. LACOE's Reading/Language Arts expert Leslie Zoroya Arts has compiled resources to give students the opportunity to honor the incredible women in history and in their own lives. The LA County Board of Education also has passed a resolution encouraging educators to provide instructional resources and promising practices to make a positive impact on the lives of girls and women.
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LACOE, Probation staff go the extra mile to help youth celebrate Black History Month |
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Black culture and the contributions of African Americans were on display Feb. 24 at the Kirby Center in Commerce where youth were treated to an interactive learning experience thanks to the efforts of LACOE and Probation staff.
“We wanted our students to have a special celebration and educational experience in honor of Black History Month, with the goal of creating an event that felt like a school field trip even though our students can’t leave the facility,” said Donna Baker, assistant principal of LACOE’s Juvenile Court School serving youth placed at Kirby.
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Arts Education Month
The arts are a powerful tool for change
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The LA County Board of Education has proclaimed March as Arts Education Month, a time to highlight arts learning that connects students to people and experiences beyond their own. The arts are a powerful tool for change, but only when every student sees a reflection of themselves.
Help create change today by following the steps on this Create CA page and using the arts advocacy toolkit. Create CA participants include LACOE, Arts For LA and the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
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Students exchange 'Couriers of Hope' |
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Four-hundred Long Beach USD students participated in “Couriers of Hope,” an art exchange program inspired by the mail art movement of the 1960s. The program connected art students from Jordan, Lakewood, Millikan, Poly, Renaissance and Wilson high schools with 80 professional artists by prompting both groups to create illustrations using an envelope as the canvas.
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Remembering the legacy of an anti-slavery icon |
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Crispus Attucks was gunned down by a British soldier during the 1770 Boston Massacre, a key event that led to the revolutionary war. He became a symbol of the oppression of Black Americans and an icon of the anti-slavery movement in the mid-19th century. Supporters of the abolition movement marked his death anniversary as Crispus Attucks Day, using the memory of his sacrifice to mobilize support for efforts to end slavery.
The LA County Board of Education last week proclaimed March 5 as Crispus Attucks Day and encouraged discussions on the legacy of Crispus Attucks, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Henry “Box” Brown and the extraordinary contributions of Black Americans in advocating for social justice and racial equity.
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Celebrating National Nutrition Month
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The LA County Board of Education has declared March as National Nutrition Month, recognizing the important role of nutrition professionals and educators for providing nutrition education and improving access to healthy local foods, while reducing food loss and waste. They also highlighted the importance of federal programs that address the nutritional needs of students.
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Equity-focused professional development |
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The Danger of the Single Story:
Exploring Implicit Bias in the Classroom
Presented by the Los Angeles County CLIC Team:
Barbara Doten, Sandra Line, Michael Sabin
Saturdays, March 13 & 20
10 am - 12 pm
This workshop will consist of four 2-hour training opportunities for teachers (the first two sessions were held last month) to explore how to address issues of implicit bias in the History-Social Studies classroom. Educators will identify specific opportunities in their curriculum to create a more anti-racist, inclusive narrative that will connect with more students and the communities they serve.
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Building Capacity of School and District Leaders to Advance Equity Series
(6-Day Event) 3/9/2021 - 6/15/2021
Event Dates: 3/9/2021 I 4/6/2021 I 4/20/2021I 5/4/2021 I 5/18/2021 I 6/15/2021
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
This professional learning series is designed to provide education leaders with knowledge, strategies and resources to lead for equity while maximizing opportunity for high-quality education and success for all students.
The Advancing Equity Leadership Series will include six synchronous modules facilitated by a Leadership Academy team member.
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In case you missed it
LA County student poets perform art of recitation
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Eight student poets from across LA County recently delivered compelling performances of the art of recitation, drawing their virtual audience into the language of the poems. They performed as part of the LACOE-hosted Poetry Out Loud, an annual recitation of classical poetry by high school students, on Feb. 25. The top winner, 10th grader Jonah Henry, advances to the California state contest to vie for a spot in the National Poetry Out Loud finals in May.
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Tips for effective teaching |
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Azusa USD teacher Maria Sims, one of the LA County Teachers of the Year, highlights the importance of collaborating with other teachers and learning from each other. "If you want to try something new, talk to someone who has already tried it," she says. "Bounce ideas off each other. If it didn't go so well, you can decide: how can we change this, how can we make it better?"
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LACOE and County Public Health recently announced a strategy aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to school employees as a step in supporting the safe return to in-person instruction in communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
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Scholarships awarded to LACOE students
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LACOE's African American Heritage Committee recently presented 10 scholarships to LACOE students who are rising to the challenge of these unprecedented times. The presentation was made during a virtual program celebrating Black History Month.
The event featured video clips of a PBS story on the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. Student speaker Alani Hodge shared insights about the tragic event and its lessons for this generation. The event also featured performances by LACHSA students and singer L. Young. “We are one…We are all in this together,” said Ethel Johnson who created the staff event 31 years ago. The committee is co-chaired by Martin Evans and Cheri Epps.
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Resources for Families & Schools |
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Don’t forget, LACOE is regularly updating several pages of resources:
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