Margaret Fero

Youth who struggle with their mental health represent a growing and defining challenge for schools and communities across California and beyond. Rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, and social disconnection among children and teens are rising, while communities are simultaneously facing a critical shortage of qualified mental health professionals, particularly within K–12 schools. The Forum on the State of Youth Mental Health will convene leading voices to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead. Panelists will examine the far-reaching impacts that federal immigration enforcement actions have had on both children and adults. The forum will also explore strategies for preparing a school-and community-based mental health workforce that can respond to the most urgent needs of today’s communities. Through these conversations, participants will consider how to approach difficult topics such as division, injustice, and social conflict with care, while highlighting how collaboration among educators, school leaders, policymakers, and practitioners can strengthen essential systems of support. Attendees will include K–12 principals, educational leaders, policymakers, practitioners and clinicians, district and community partners, and other stakeholders invested in the mental health and well-being of young people. For questions or additional information, please contact [email protected]. 🗓️ Thursday, March 12th from 1:00 PM PT to 4:30 PM PT 🌟 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gdMi_jmA

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For years, this has been the default way for K-12 school districts across California to address serious educator misconduct. Experts often describe it as "the path of least resistance." Great reporting by Holly McDede highlighting the damage that can come from accepting the status quo: https://lnkd.in/gprm6e8e

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The State of California and the Child Mind Institute are setting a new standard for youth mental health—turning research and real-world experience into practical tools that actually make a difference for families, educators, and young people. With Real Solutions, Shared Purpose, we’re sharing how this partnership is making a real impact across California: - Private journaling apps and digital resources built for youth privacy and support - Classroom-ready mental health skills and resources for educators - Pathways to mental health careers for the next generation Swipe through to see what’s working—and why it matters. Explore all the details and stories on our web page: https://lnkd.in/ePTqzPW2 Thank you to the State of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and all our partners at the California Health & Human Services Agency for leading the way.

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A new study from Education grantee Attendance Works and Policy Analysis for California Education unpacks eight key facts about California’s chronic absence crisis in 2024-25. https://lnkd.in/dgeMBK8j Key findings from the study include: - The rate of chronic absence decreased only slightly, still 7 percentage points above prepandemic levels. - Nearly half of California schools have high or extreme levels of chronic absence. - Chronic absence is most pervasive in the highest poverty schools, where its consequences are also most severe. While the most affluent schools have almost recovered to prepandemic levels, two-thirds of the highest poverty schools still experience high or extreme chronic absences. - Chronic absence is highest in kindergarten and in high school, with high school rates being most difficult to improve. - The largest number of schools with high and extreme chronic absence served elementary students. 

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September is Attendance Awareness Month, a time when governance teams often look to re-examine policies and data related to school climate, chronic absenteeism, student wellness and more to address underlying causes of high absence rates among young people. For some local educational agencies — particularly those in Central California — district and county office of education leaders now have to take into consideration the impact of immigration enforcement on student attendance, according to a new report. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g9_QFXVM

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We are honored to fight beside such impactful organizations to help California teachers and students thrive. 🫶👇 California ranks 49th in the country in teacher-to-student ratio, which has led to an over-reliance on underprepared educators. California must ensure that every student is taught by supported and diverse teachers, and to achieve this, should establish credentialed educator apprenticeship programs and remove barriers that disproportionately exclude candidates of color. 💪 See how we're fighting to address California's teacher shortage and create a new pathway for teachers here 👉 https://lnkd.in/g4ury8GE #CaliforniaEducation #StudentSuccess #ProKidCA

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🎉 I’m thrilled that our K–12 RoboBlocky Math curriculum (https://lnkd.in/gyki5MX7) has been approved for adoption today by the California State Board of Education (SBE), in full alignment with the new California Math Framework! 📚 This milestone reflects over two decades of research and development focused on reimagining how students learn math to improve achievement, through collaboration with thousands of school and district administrators and TK–12 teachers. RoboBlocky Math is the first program in the nation to integrate coding and robotics across grades TK–12 while fully aligning with state math standards. It’s designed so that teachers with no prior coding or robotics experience can confidently guide their students — making math real, engaging, and accessible. 🚀 For at-promise, multilingual, special education, and advanced learners, the program has demonstrated significant gains in math achievement. In one successful implementation (https://lnkd.in/gkWSEK-S), the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards on the state math assessment jumped from 16% to 71% in a single year — a 344% improvement! Of the 31 students, 94% were Hispanic or Latino, and one special education student improved from Not Met Standards to Exceeded Standards. The program provides students with a life-changing learning experience. 🙏 I am deeply grateful for our dedicated staff and for the partnership of so many school and district leaders and their teachers. Working together, we are moving the needle and transforming K–12 math education — one classroom at a time! Mary Nicely, Katherine Goyette, Mauricio Arellano, Joey Adame, Tiffany Benson, Dr. Alfonso Jiménez, Ed.D., Rachel H. Monarrez, PhD, Reggie Thompkins, Ed.D., John Thompson, Rebeca Andrade, Ed.D.,Matt Turkie,Ramona Bishop, Juan J. Cabral, Caryn Lewis, Ed.D.,Angela Lin, PhD,Dr. Rosa P.,David Vujovich, Ed.D.,Jason Farrel,Deepika Srivastava,Kevin Dobson,John Pellman, Ed.D,Hernandez Rosa,Judianne G.,Lora Carey, Maria Parker,Joe Nguyen,Ashley Higuera-Oakes,Randy Kolset,Greg Miller,Randy Clyde, Ed.D.,Lori Guy,Stephanie Rice,Krysta Bradley,Lunden Duenas,Annette Roberts Webb,Marie Martin, PhD,Lisette Estrella-Henderson, M.Ed,Stephanie Morgado, Nikki Greminger, UC Davis College of Engineering

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