The Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation (CDEF) recently took over management of the website Embrace the Core. Below, you can read the message that was sent out to subscribers of the weekly e-newsletter. A little over a year ago, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation launched EmbracetheCore.org to fill a key information gap among educators. The goal was to help teachers and administrators share ways to explain California’s new Common Core State Standards to parents and community members. With your support and feedback, Embrace the Core (EtC) has become a one-stop destination for CCSS news and resources among both funders and [...]

In the popular movie “The Martian,” astronaut Mark Watney’s remarkable scientific knowledge and ingenuity allow him to survive alone on the inhospitable, dusty Red Planet until he can be rescued. While fictional, the story is inspiring – and it illustrates the power of science, technology, engineering and math education. Do I expect the kids of today to grow up to be space travelers? A few, certainly. But more importantly, I expect all of California’s 6.3 million K-12 students to eventually finish school and compete for jobs and careers in a dynamic modern economy driven by those skills and disciplines. Today, [...]

Thanks to Sonoma State University, everyone can be a maker at the California STEM Symposium! Attendees will have the chance to tinker in a makerspace and experience with what it means to think with your hands and learn by doing. This new feature will give educators the opportunity to rethink their classrooms and create makerspaces that allow students to explore through play, inquiry, and iteration. The maker movement has found its way into the classroom by creating opportunities for students to address a challenge with their hands and collaborate with others. Through this method of learning, students focus on the process, work [...]

In September 2015, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson released a plan to improve instruction for students on the environment entitled, A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy. “Climate change, wildfires, and the drought are clear reminders of how important environmental issues are to our own lives and the health of planet Earth,” said Torlakson. “Students need to learn about the environment so they can make informed choices and help to maintain our clean water and air, and preserve our scenic resources. A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy provides recommendations that could help educate all students about how to create a sustainable [...]

This summer, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson unveiled a new action plan to guide California’s efforts as the state continues to transform its schools over the next four years. A Blueprint for Great Schools Version 2.0 builds on the groundbreaking 2011 report A Blueprint for Great Schools which helped usher in a new era in California schools that has included major increases in funding, more rigorous state academic standards, online student assessment testing, and greater support for the students and schools with the most needs.   “Blueprint 2.0 is the next stage of a rocket that is propelling California into [...]