News & Resources
How can we improve our schools? What will help our children learn? Read about innovations in education and what they mean for your school, your children and your community.
Start-up Schools Fellows Launch New Schools
This fall, several Fellows from Innovate Public Schools’ Fellowship program launched new public schools across the Bay Area.
Redwood City Candidates Forum on Education
Here in the heart of Silicon Valley, we want to make sure all Redwood City students get an excellent education and are prepared for 21st century careers. Many people are following the 2016 presidential election, but do you know who makes most decisions that directly impact schools and youth in our community? Our local elected officials!
Learning in Two Languages at Voices College-Bound Language Academy
At Voices College-Bound Language Academy in south San Jose, students are expected to master not only the California state standards, but also two languages. They’re rising to that high bar – Voices is one of a small number of schools across Silicon Valley that are beating the odds for low-income students.
California’s API is Going Away. What Will Replace It?
A major battle looms for school accountability in California. Columnist Dan Walters wrote a great piece this past week outlining what’s at stake as state officials make decisions on how to hold schools accountable. It’s clear that the API is going away, but far less clear is what will replace it.
How to Read Your Child’s Test Results: Interpreting California’s CAASP Report
In early fall, you will receive a letter with your child’s results on California’s new state standardized tests. Trying to interpret them might feel like a test for you!
What’s important to focus on and what do these results tell you about your child’s academic progress?
The Road to College
In our 21st century economy, the vast majority of middle-class jobs require education beyond high school. In 2015, only about 5 out of every 10 Bay Area seniors graduated eligible for college – and just 3 out of every 10 Latino and African American students. That means helping kids from very early on
– it’s much easier to stay on track than to catch up later.
Parent Guide: Teacher Tenure and the Vergara Case
In May 2012, nine public school children, supported by the group Students Matter, filed a lawsuit against the state of California challenging provisions of state law that they said interfere with their right to a quality education.
Middle School: What Parents Should Focus On
As its very name suggests, middle school is a transitional period, a time when students begin adjusting to new ways of learning and some of the more challenging material they’ll face in high school.
More Education = Better Health
So many studies have shown the positive benefits of education that we don’t need to cite statistics to convince people it’s an important investment — not only for our own kids, but for our entire society. For instance, people with more education generally have higher lifetime earnings.
Summer isn’t Down Time for Teachers
School may still be out for students, but many principals and teachers are hard at work learning this July and August. The summer is a time many schools are using to focus on adjusting their practice to the new Common Core standards and collaboratively plan.
Millard McCollam Elementary: “It’s the Teachers”
Millard McCollam Elementary is a neighborhood public school in East San Jose’s Alum Rock School District serving primarily low-income students. It might look like a typical school. However, its academic results are far from typical: 82 percent of its students were proficient in English and 87 percent in math in 2013-14. What’s the secret?
The Path to College Starts Early: A Milestones Map for Parents
It’s more important than ever that students graduate with the knowledge and skills to attend college. But what does it mean to be ready for college? That’s the question we’ll be exploring in this series for parents.
Elementary School: Building a Strong Foundation
Elementary school learning is like building a house—the concepts your child learns early on will serve as the foundation for everything that comes after. Catching up later is a lot harder than keeping up. So what should parents of young children focus on?
Innovate Holds its First-ever National Parent Leader Institute
In July 2015, Innovate Public Schools led the first-ever National Parent Leader Institute. For three days, more than 70 incredible parents from across the Bay Area, Nashville and Washington D.C. came together to learn how to build powerful, parent-led organizations in their communities that can effectively advocate for great public schools.
EPA Parents for Education Host Family Community Fair on July 25
Are you looking for an excellent public school for your child? EPA Parents for Education invite the community to a free family event on July 25 at Bell Street Park starting at 10 a.m. Enjoy food and activities and learn how to get your child a great education....
New Website Helps Parents Foster Their Children’s Emotional Intelligence
GreatSchools and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence have launched a new set of articles and tools to help parents foster emotional intelligence in their kids.
KIPP Collegiate: Supporting First Generation Students to College and Beyond
One of the nation’s most challenging high schools is located in a cluster of portables in East San Jose. KIPP San Jose Collegiate, where 70 percent of students come from low-income families, ranks with high schools in wealthy Silicon Valley communities on the Washington Post’s Challenge Index, which looks at the number of college-level tests taken by students.
Inspired Middle School teachers
My son is in middle school, so this short article by a middle school teacher grabbed my attention. Ryan Tahmaseb writes about how he found an interesting and appropriate way to teach his students an essay by Junot Diaz, one of his favorite writers, but one who generally writes about adult themes.
LUCHA: A School with Parent Engagement at its Heart
At LUCHA elementary, a small public school in east San Jose, parents are not just welcome – they are deeply engaged in supporting their children’s education. That is little surprise given that it was parents who fought for the creation of the school 11 years ago. Those efforts paid off – as of 2012-13, LUCHA was identified as a “rising star,” one of a small number of Silicon Valley schools that are beating the odds for low-income students.
“Parents feel they have a voice here. They’re held accountable for doing their part to help their children succeed.” – Principal Kristin Burt, LUCHA school in San Jose
Cornerstone Academy: Pushing to Do More
“Excellent teachers” and a culture of high expectations are the keys to success at Cornerstone Academy Preparatory School in east San Jose, says the school’s founder. Cornerstone is a Silicon Valley school that is beating the odds for low-income students – serving a majority of high-need students and achieving high levels of academic performance. Learn how they do it!