GIA Education Report: 9/6/24

Welcome to the GIA Education Report. With the latest in Southern California education news, I’m Alyssa Silva. 

 The U.S. Department of Education is preparing to launch the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by introducing a series of beta tests starting on October 1, 2024. These tests aim to identify and fix potential issues with the FAFSA form before it becomes fully available by December 1, 2025. The beta testing will involve community-based organizations, schools, and a diverse group of students. The department will use these tests to enhance the user experience and will continue to provide updates on the progress leading up to the official rollout. 

The Educational Results Partnership (ERP), a nonprofit organization that applies data science to help improve student outcomes and career readiness, has recognized four San Bernardino City Unified School District campuses on its 2023 Honor Roll for their strong academic performance and efforts to close achievement gaps. The schools awarded include Hillside, Kimbark, and North Verdemont Elementary Schools, as well as Richardson PREP HI and Rodriguez PREP Academy Middle Schools. These schools have consistently demonstrated high levels of academic achievement and improvement over time.    

California’s Legislature has passed Assembly Bill 1947, which, if signed into law, will increase the number of annual staff training days required for state-subsidized preschools from two to six. The bill also mandates that preschools with at least 25% of students speaking a language other than English dedicate a third of those training days to supporting these students. The state superintendent has until August 2025 to develop regulations to implement these changes.  

Lucerne Valley Middle High School is expanding its Career Technical Education (CTE) program to offer students a combination of college preparation and workforce training. CTE pathways include sectors such as Agriculture and Natural Resources, Transportation, Hospitality, and Manufacturing. Students can take courses like Automotive Maintenance, Culinary Arts, and Product Design, with middle school students getting early exposure to these fields through electives.  

California lawmakers are moving forward with the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316), which would ban public schools from serving foods containing six synthetic dyes linked to behavioral and developmental issues in children. This legislation follows a California Environmental Protection Agency report that found these dyes, including Red 40 and Yellow 5, may cause hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children. The bill, which has bipartisan support, also targets the use of titanium dioxide in school meals. 

UC Riverside assistant professor Stephanie Moore will be honored with the 2024 Lightner Witmer Award by the American Psychological Association for her outstanding scholarship in school psychology. Moore, who joined UCR’s School of Education in 2020, focuses her research on supporting student mental health and promoting equity in mental health services.  

And that’s this week’s GIA Education Report, I’m Alyssa Silva.