Charter task force continues work on principles
New law in effect to help prevent sudden cardiac arrests in students
Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators Volume 48 | Number 14 | December 4 , 2017
The Tilly ' s Life Center program is helping challenged students in Palos Verdes Peninsula USD .
Palos Verdes program helps students grow
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin has been instrumental in bringing some TLC to Rancho Del Mar High School : Tilly ’ s Life Center , that is , and the “ I Am Me ” program that ’ s teaching life skills , inspiring compassion and encouraging challenged teens to pursue their dreams .
Austin knew Tilly ’ s could work at Rancho Del Mar , since he helped bring it to Ocean View High School four years ago when he was assistant superintendent , educational services for Huntington Beach Union High School District . Ocean View was the first school to implement TLC into its bell schedule .
Austin and Tilly ’ s met during the summer to plan the new pilot program , which is already proving to be a huge success .
“ The program has been great ,” said Rancho del Mar High School Principal Micah Farrell . “ The group leaders are energetic , caring and understanding – exactly what students need who have been through challenges in life .”
TLC Executive Director Monica Utley said that “ I Am Me ” program teens must complete three phases in the program , consisting of 12 classes each . TLC ’ s classes are held once a week for 90 minutes , and the full program takes an academic school year to complete . Classes cover relevant topics such as overcoming fears , body image , communication , forgiving and giving , drugs and alcohol , bullying , stress , purpose and motivation , community involvement , kindness , meditation , happiness and more .
“ Our classes are not lectures but rather each lesson is taught through journal writing and also incorporates an activity to facilitate understanding through experiential learning and self-discovery ,” Utley said .
Farrell said students look forward to the weekly classes and have followed through with their commitments , which he called a “ feat , in and of itself .”
“ In our current society , young people face challenges that other generations haven ’ t – social media , easier access to drugs , etc .,” he said . “ On the back of that we have less and less access to mental health professionals . TLC supports students in tapping into interpersonal strengths that can be used for positive coping strategies . I believe this is key for young people .
“ I also appreciate the dynamics of the group and students learning from one another , respecting differences and cultures . Students who possess leadership qualities are given the chance to lead ; those who don ’ t feel safe enough to try because of the environment TLC has created .”
See
TILLY ' S , page 5
Charter task force continues work on principles
ACSA ’ s Charter School Task Force has defined principles and priorities that aim to focus advocacy and professional development efforts for members of the association .
The task force was appointed in late 2016-17 by the ACSA Board of Directors . It is staffed by Legislative Advocate Cathy McBride , and chaired by Debra Odom , manager of charter schools at Fresno USD , The charge was to develop a set of “ Charter School Principles and Priorities .” A number of county office , school district and charter school ACSA members were invited to join the 19-member task force .
The Board of Directors approved the following principles and priorities in October :
In order to meet the diverse needs of California students , ACSA supports a comprehensive and coherent public education system that includes quality options for all students . We believe that state , county , district and charter leaders need to work together to improve student learning through :
Equity and diversity :
• Charters reflect the demographics of the general population of the school district , including but not limited to : foster youth , students with moderate to severe disabilities , English learners and economically disadvantaged students .
• Charters implement nondiscriminatory enrollment practices .
Innovation :
• Collaboration between districts and charters to share evidence-based practices and resources that increase student achievement .
• Providing creative ways to deliver nontraditional instruction to students .
Public accountability and
transparency :
• Compliance with the Brown act .
• Student progress / outcomes are based on demographic criteria made available to the public and reported on a regular basis .
• Oversight for fiscal operations and educational accountability that is equal to that of district schools .
• Governance structures free from all possible conflicts of interest .
• Charter authorization requires board approval of the district in which it is located .
The Charter School Task Force also submitted a list of recommendations for next steps , including legislative advocacy to reduce restrictions on traditional public school districts in order to bring district and charter requirements to a more equal level , offering charter-like autonomy to districts . In addition , there should be efforts to promote collaboration between the two sectors .
See TASK FORCE , page 5
EdCal break . This is the last edition of EdCal for 2017 . Publication will resume Jan . 8 .
Kaminski honored . ACSA Vice President Linda Kaminski , superintendent of Azusa USD , is the recipient of Los Angeles County Office of Education ’ s new award for school district leadership . Kaminski was featured in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune , accepting the honor from County Superintendent Debra Duardo , who said the award “ pays tribute to the talent and vision of our district leadership .” Kaminski was nominated by Norma Camacho , principal of Clifford Murray Elementary School , for her “ incredible ability to lead our district toward improving student achievement .” Kaminski also received a $ 1,000 grant for use in her district .
Holiday giving . Students of the Pioneer Valley High School Culinary Arts Program were in the spirit of giving Nov . 30 , when they prepared chicken tortilla soup and rolls for more than 100 needy guests at the Good Samaritan Shelter in Santa Maria . The students said community service is an important part of their high school education . “ With the holidays coming up , I believe it ’ s important to give back , especially since , at our age , all we ’ ve experienced is receiving ,” said 12th-grader Sade Castellanos . “ Serving the Good Sam is a wholesome and humbling experience that will have an everlasting impression on us .”
Call for papers . CLEAR , the Center for Leadership , Equity and Research , along with its online peer-reviewed scholarly journal , the CLEARvoz Journal , is seeking submissions of manuscripts sharing scholarly knowledge in K-20 education . Authors are invited to submit an original manuscript of 15-20 pages , with a cover page , authors and their affiliations . References should be included on a separate page at the end and conform to current APA guidelines for citations . Deadline is Jan . 15 , with publication in March . Full submission details are at www . clearvoz . com . Submit papers to msuleiman @ csub . edu .
Periodicals Dated Material
New law in effect to help prevent sudden cardiac arrests in students
Assembly Bill 1639 ( Maienschein ) became law on Jan . 1 . This bill established the Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act .
Sadly , one student athlete dies every three days from a sudden cardiac arrest . SCA often has no warning signs yet a recent study revealed that 72 percent of students who suffered from SCA were reported by their parents to have at least one symptom prior to the SCA . Unfortunately , the parent / guardian or student did not recognize the symptom as life threatening .
The purpose of AB 1639 is to raise SCA awareness by requiring a student and their parent / guardian to annually sign an information sheet about SCA warning signs and risk factors before a student can participate in a California Interscholastic Federation ( CIF ) athletic activity or athletic event that is sponsored by the school ( cheerleading and club-sponsored sports ). Each school , charter school , or private school must annually collect and retain a copy of the signed SCA information sheet developed by the
See AB 1639 , page 5