Creating the future of education by supporting the whole educator.

It’s official—ISTE and ASCD will unite and become divisions of a new education nonprofit organization. As one collective group, the two organizations will expand their influence to serve all educators throughout their careers and set a course to design the future of education by modernizing instructional practices that close access and equity gaps.

Uniting technology with pedagogy to design the future of education. 

Setting the pace for innovation in education.

Expanding support for the whole educator with evidenced-based learning.

Building a larger community of passionate, life-changing educators.
Leading with courage and conviction to reimagine education.

ASCD empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.  Contact ASCD.

Richard Culatta, ISTE CEO and recognized global education leader, will lead the newly formed organization. Prior to joining ISTE in 2017, he served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island and was the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology. Richard and family live in Virginia.

"Bringing together ISTE's leadership in innovation and technology with ASCD's expertise in inclusive pedagogy creates an organization uniquely positioned to reimagine learning."—Richard Culatta

Two California Principals  Receive  Award for Outstanding School Leadership from the U.S. Department of Education!

Two principals from the same district are recipients of the 2023 Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership from the U.S. Department of Education!

California Principals Pauline Cho of Wedgeworth Elementary School and Danielle M. Kenfield of Glen A. Wilson High School, both in Hacienda Heights, are recipients of the 2023 Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership from the U.S. Department of Education.

Nine school principals of National Blue Ribbon Schools were selected for the honor.  Two from California.

"Great principals play a pivotal role in building thriving school communities and empowering teachers to meet the diverse needs of every student," stated U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.  "As recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award, you have served as catalysts, fostering positive school cultures, and finding new ways to engage students, parents, families, educators, and staff.  You continue to raise the bar as school leaders, and your dedication inspires others to bring their best each day.  The prestigious Bell Award is our way of recognizing and celebrating your hard work and indispensable leadership."

The award was named for the second U.S. secretary of education, Terrel H. Bell.  It honors school leaders who are committed to education as a powerful and liberating force in people's lives, according to a news release from the Education Department.  Principals are nominated by their school communities during the final states of the National Blue Ribbon Schools application process.

We Want You!

Join a CASCD Committee! 

CASCD's committees are a great way to get involved.

More information here:  interest form.

Today, Children Now released the 2023 California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being, an interactive tool that delivers data on how kids are doing in each of California’s 58 counties, and tracks over 40 key indicators of children’s well-being – over time, by race/ethnicity and relative to other counties – from prenatal to the transition to adulthood.    This year, we’ve added 6 new indicators to provide a more comprehensive whole-child view, including the percent of low-income children reached by CalFresh, children with Medi-Cal who had a blood lead screening by age 2, and 5th graders in foster care who met or exceeded standards in science. To learn more about the Scorecard and how to use it to improve outcomes for kids in your community, please join this webinar: Tuesday, January 31st, 10:00am Register Today! Children Now Presenters:  Ted Lempert, President  Kelly Hardy, Senior Managing Director, Health & Research   Vincent Stewart, Vice President, Policy & Programs  Stacy Lee, Chief Learning Officer & Senior Managing Director, Early Childhood  Susanna Kniffen, Senior Managing Director, Child Welfare & Government Relations  Lishaun Francis, Director, Behavioral Health  Click here to access the 2023 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being.

Let's Stay in Touch!

CASCD is active on Twitter:   #cascd, @CA_ASCD, and Facebook:  California ASCD. We'd love to see what's happening out there, feel free to tag us!  #cascd or follow us!

For email updates contact cascd@cascd.org.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CORPORATE PARTNERS!

Leader in Me/Franklin Covey is a global company specializing in performance improvement, helping schools/districts achieve lasting change through leadership, culture and academics.  Our focus is to empower students and educators to transform their life and the lives of others!

Just Right Reader's Science of Reading decodables engage students in phonics practice in the classroom and at home.  Over 850 titles align to all phonics curriculums and include tools for classroom implementation, small group instruction, and home practice.  Just Right Reader decodables accelerate every student's journey to confident reading.

Age of Learning - Personalized and Adaptive Learning on a Whole New Level! Our personalized, adaptive math and reading programs are innovative, research-validated solutions designed to improve learning outcomes for pre-K through 2nd grade students.  

Greenfield Learning is a passionate team of educators and edTech specialists who provide superior quality educational consulting and professional learning services to support educators, and research-proven educational tools to support personalized instruction for students of all grades and abilities.  Our mission is to partner with schools and school districts to help all educators and learners achieve their greatest potential. We are in total alignment in our respective approaches and vision with California ASCD!

We invite you to visit our website at:

www.greenfieldlearning.com 

At Renaissance, our goal is to help teachers teach better, students learn better, and school administrators lead better.  Our interconnected solutions accurately assess learning and growth, provide insight-driven instruction and practice, and take a whole child approach to data-informed decisions. 

Our instructional ecosystem gives teachers and administrators the ability to see every student so they can help them fulfill their potential.  Our assessment tools give a complete, holistic picture of what students are excelling at and struggling with---and then equips teachers with engaging instructional materials to help all students succeed. 

We invite you to explore our website at https://www.renaissance.com/see-every-student/  

30 sec Brand Film- click here

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a learning technology company, delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators, and improve student outcomes.  As a leading provider of K-12 core curriculum, supplemental solutions, and professional learning services.  HMH partners with educators and school districts to unlock students' potential and extend teachers' capabilities.

https://www.hmhco.com/

EDUCATIONAL PARTNER:

General Universal Prekindergarten Guidance

This collection houses resources and guidance that local educational agencies and partners can use in preparation for the implementation of Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) in California. State and local implementers, leaders, and practitioners of UPK can find information on early learning and care programs, key local partners that can assist in UPK planning efforts, archived webinar materials, and more. Additional guidance will be added to this collection as they are developed.

KINDER L.I.G.H.T.S. podcast

It’s all about raising the profile of early learning and celebrating wonderful Kindergarten educators, as they share stories of their highs, lows and some of the wild fun in between!

You’ll hear unvarnished truths and advice about teaching in Kindergarten learning spaces, shared by educators, who are L.I.G.H.T.S. of hope, joy and love for their students.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k%C4%ADnder-l-i-g-h-t-s/id1588421800 

Preparing Young Children for School - Practice Guide 

Recent research has identified practices that have the potential to prepare young children to benefit from the learning opportunities they will encounter in school. 

In collaboration with expert panelists, the What Works ClearinghouseTM (WWC) distilled that research into practical recommendations for preschool educators to use to help prepare children for school.  The Preparing Young Children for School Practice Guide details seven evidence-based practices designed to be used by teachers; center and program directors; district or state personnel involved in adopting curricula for preschool programs; and parents and caregivers.

Please click the link below for more information.

Preparing Young Children for School.pdf

Announcements

California ASCD Congratulates our 2024 Outstanding Instructional Leader Award Recipient

Dr. Paul Gothold

Dr. Paul Gothold has been named the CASCD Outstanding Instructional Leader (OIL) Awardee - March 2024

The 2024 Award Winner, Dr. Paul Gothold was appointed as San Diego County Superintendent of Schools in 2017 after serving as Superintendent of the Lynwood Unified School District, where during his tenure, the district demonstrated the highest academic growth for two years in the state of California as measured by California Standards Test scores.  In the sever years he led Lynwood, graduation rates went from 58% to almost 90% with all historically underserved subgroups outperforming state averages in every academic marker.  In addition, Lynwood was awarded the college board AP District of the Year for simultaneously increasing Advanced Placement participation and test passage rates, an honor bestowed for only three districts in the entire country. 

Dr. Gothold has over 27 years of experience in K-12 education.  He previously served the Montebello Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.  He is a member of the San Diego Taxpayers Association, the Association of California School Administrators, and the California County Superintendents, among other organizations.

In his current role and under his leadership the past six years, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) has provided guidance and resources for close to 500,000 students, that not only include the 42 districts and 130 charter schools in San Diego County, but also schools throughout the state, nationally, and internationally.  SDCOE has been identified as the state leader in equity, cybersecurity, and bilingual education, and serves as a geographical lead, providing guidance and training for regional county offices.  Additionally, SDCOE also provides training and support statewide in the areas of mental health, drug prevention/intervention, American Indian studies, and others.

Dr. Gothold began his teaching career working with adjudicated youth; that passion and commitment continues today by supporting SDCOE's own schools, which are focused on doing whatever it takes to improve outcomes for students experiencing homelessness, those involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, pregnant/parenting teens, and students from other historically underserved populations.

With San Diego County touching the U.S.-Mexico border, SDCOE has served unaccompanied minors and transborder students, or those who cross the U.S.-Mexico border to attend school.  While the exact number of transborder students is unknown, it's estimated that the Tijuana-San Diego region has thousands.

One program that Gothold led to support unaccompanied minors was Futuro Brillante at the San Diego Convention Center, which served as a temporary shelter for them in 2021.  The ad hoc school ran classes twice a week for two hours a day, serving over 3,500 students for four months.  The effort drew employees from across SDCOE departments to create a curriculum, teach, and provide materials, technical needs and translation support for unaccompanied migrant students.

Dr. Gothold has been recognized and received numerous awards from community groups, legislators, parent groups, and educational organizations.  In January 2023, he was appointed by Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins to the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence governing board.  He has also been awarded the Executive Leadership Award by the California County Superintendents and Justus A. Prentice Award from the national Association of Educational Services Agencies for his work in developing programs and increasing education opportunities and outcomes.

Dr. Gothold, a mentor and advisor for sitting and aspiring superintendents throughout the state, received his Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California, where he had served as an adjunct professor.  He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Whittier College, where he has also seved as an adjunct professor.

The OIL Award is given annually to recognize an individual educator who has significantly contributed to education in California. 

Previous award winners include Dwight Bonds, Executive Director CAAASA (2023), Dr. Gina Potter, San Ysidro School District Superintendent (2022), and Cynthia "Cindy" Marten, Deputy Secretary of Education and former San Diego Superintendent (2021).