Author: Sehrish Anjum

Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Attendance and Engagement in California

Posted on by Sehrish Anjum

On August 19, 2025, the California Department of Education (CDE) hosted a press conference at Williamson Elementary School in Folsom Cordova Unified to announce the release of the California Attendance Guide: Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Attendance and Engagement in California. This resource provides district, school, and county leaders with strategies and tools to reduce chronic absenteeism and strengthen student engagement.

The press conference brought together state and local leaders to spotlight the urgency of addressing chronic absence rates, which remain above pre-pandemic levels, and to highlight collaborative solutions. Speakers included Sujie Shin, Deputy Executive Director at CCEE and member of the Statewide Chronic Absenteeism Working Group, and Eric Swanson, Superintendent of Folsom Cordova Unified and former CCEE staff member.

Addressing California’s Attendance Crisis

Presenters: California Department of Education, Statewide Chronic Absenteeism Working Group

The guidance emphasizes that chronic absence in California doubled during the pandemic, peaking at 30 percent in 2021–22. Although rates have since dropped to 20.4 percent in 2023–24, over half of California schools still experience chronic absence rates above 20 percent. The guide sets an ambitious statewide goal: reduce chronic absence to 12.5 percent by 2030.
Why it matters: Chronic absence impacts academic performance, social–emotional development, and graduation rates. By naming both the challenge and the solution, this guidance provides a roadmap for schools and districts to take coordinated, data-driven action that prioritizes prevention, family engagement, and student connectedness.

Resources

Caliofrnia Attendance Guide
Chronic ABSeNTEEISM statewide Resources
Press Conference Archive video

Elevating Local Innovation Across California’s Education System

Posted on by Sehrish Anjum

Conference Spotlight: CCEE at the 2025 California MTSS Professional Learning Institute
July 22–24, 2025 | Anaheim Convention Center

The Orange County Department of Education and Butte County Office of Education convened  the 8th Annual California MTSS Professional Learning Institute (PLI), a dynamic convening of educators, leaders, and community partners focused on advancing academic excellence through inclusive, research-based practices. This year’s theme “Unite, Empower, Impact” centered on promoting equity and access for all learners through the California MTSS framework.

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence  is charged with  supporting local educational agencies (LEAs) in addressing high-priority needs aligned with their LCAP goals. We are proud to spotlight the following presentations delivered by our team and partners at this year’s PLI.

Strengthening Your System Through Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Presenters: James McKenna, Christine Olmstead, Dorcas Kong
Format: Pre-Conference Workshop
Slides | Padlet Resource Hub

This interactive session invited educators and system leaders to explore how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can serve as a driver for strengthening best first instruction. Participants engaged with actionable strategies and left with a customized UDL implementation plan tailored to their local context.

Rooted in the principles of the Statewide System of Support, the session emphasized inclusive design, student-centered planning, and the power of proactive systems. LEA leaders shared field-based examples, making the work immediately relatable and relevant to participants across roles.

The Throughline: Operationalizing the Statewide System of Support Resources

Presenters: Mindy Fattig (CCEE), Kristin Brooks, Ed.D. (CCEE), Christine Olmstead (CCEE), Angelica Hurtado, Ed.D. (CDE), Wendy Little, Ph.D. (CDE)
Focus Area: Administrative Leadership
Slides

This engaging, scenario-based session helped leaders navigate the SSOS Toolkit, a one-stop-shop of tools and resources from over 60 technical assistance projects statewide. Participants learned how to connect their problems of practice to curated solutions aligned with the California MTSS domains and features.

Real-world LEA examples and guided small group work allowed attendees to draw direct connections between systems challenges and resource-based solutions, offering both quick wins and long-term pathways for sustainable impact.
Key takeaway: Navigating resources becomes less overwhelming when grounded in local needs and shared frameworks.

Power Up Your CA MTSS: Unlock the Statewide System of Support Resource Hub for Instant Impact

Presenters: Mindy Fattig (CCEE), Kristin Brooks, Ed.D. (CCEE), Christine Olmstead (CCEE), Toby Espley (OCDE)
Focus Area: Inclusive Academic Instruction
Slides

This high-energy, collaborative session gave participants the chance to experience the SSOS Resource Hub in action, blending real-time problem-solving with AI-powered collaboration. Participants explored resources, shared ideas with peers, and developed ready-to-implement action plans they could bring back to their school and district teams.

Whether participants were new to the MTSS journey or refining mature systems, the message was clear: there are powerful tools at your fingertips, and using them well can spark real change.
Standout moment: Watching ideas evolve into tangible next steps for site and district leaders.

Why This Matters

Each of these sessions exemplifies what Frontline Voices is all about: surfacing emerging practices, lifting up practitioner expertise, and offering immediate tools to strengthen systems that support all learners. CCEE’s presence at the MTSS PLI underscores our commitment to helping LEAs navigate complexity, align strategies to LCAP priorities, and implement change that lasts.

Stay tuned for more insights from the field!

Hot Topics: Collaborating with Solano COE and Vallejo City USD for Sustainable Change

Posted on by Sehrish Anjum

In Spring 2025, Vallejo City Unified School District (VCUSD) regained full local control of its schools after more than two decades under state receivership, a milestone that marks the culmination of deep-rooted, sustained efforts led by the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE), the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), and VCUSD. Their shared goal: build systems that prioritize equity, transparency, and outcomes for students most in need.

This powerful partnership exemplifies what is possible when agencies align around student-centered values and a shared theory of action. Their journey showcases the core values of Collaboration, Clarity, and Courage, values that guided every step of their work to rebuild trust, shift mindsets, and strengthen systems from within.

Building a Foundation for Local Control

VCUSD’s journey from fiscal crisis to local governance began with a bold step in 2018, when SCOE referred the district for CCEE’s Direct Technical Assistance (DTA). This move catalyzed a transformative partnership, allowing for the creation of cross-functional teams, aligned leadership structures, and data practices that focused on inquiry and improvement.

Superintendent Lisette Estrella-Henderson, who is retiring after more than 40 years in education, played a pivotal role. Her leadership helped solidify a countywide vision for supporting Vallejo, one rooted in collective responsibility and a belief in the potential of every student.

A Culture Shift: From Data Gaps to Shared Accountability

With new leadership, including VCUSD Superintendent Rubén Aurelio came renewed efforts to build a culture of trust and learning. SCOE and CCEE supported the development of structures that empowered school leaders, elevated teacher voice, and reestablished data as a tool for equity rather than compliance.

Key efforts included aligning site leadership teams, investing in the capacity of central office staff, and expanding professional learning through CCEE’s Superintendent Professional Learning Network. As a result, leaders across the district began using data collaboratively to drive improvement and build shared accountability for student success.

IAM in Action: Transforming a School, Inspiring a District

One standout example of this work is Federal Terrace Elementary School, a participant in CCEE’s Intensive Assistance Model (IAM). By implementing the Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work framework, Federal Terrace fostered a culture of teacher leadership, targeted instruction, and student-centered decision-making.

The results speak for themselves: the school now has the highest kindergarten reading scores in the district. More importantly, the model created a replicable structure of success that VCUSD is working to scale districtwide.

Sustainable Change, Enduring Impact

VCUSD’s fiscal recovery required difficult decisions, including school closures and budget cuts but was anchored by a commitment to preserving the academic core. Through it all, the district’s partnership with SCOE and CCEE ensured that decisions were informed by data and aligned with long-term goals for equity and excellence. This collaboration will continue as the team supports the district’s ongoing efforts to improve student academic outcomes through continuous improvement.

As Superintendent Estrella-Henderson transitions into retirement, her legacy is visible in the systems, partnerships, and trust built throughout this journey. The collaborative work in Solano County stands as a beacon for what sustainable change can look like when state, county, and local agencies move together with shared purpose.

This collaboration will continue as the team supports the district’s ongoing efforts to improve student academic outcomes through continuous improvement.

Below is an AI-generated podcast version of this Hot Topic for those who prefer audio. Listen in for a quick, narrated overview of the story.

Listen Here

For additional updates, visit the CCEE website, events calendar, Resource Center, and the Statewide System of Support Website.

Hot Topics: Advocating for Equity Through Brave Leadership and Data-Informed Practice in the African American Student Success Network

Posted on by Sehrish Anjum

The African American Student Success Network (AASSN), a partnership between the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and the California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA), is entering its third year of supporting LEAs in advancing equity for Black students.

Through cross-district collaboration, evidence-based strategies, and the strategic use of data, AASSN empowers educational leaders to identify and dismantle systemic barriers that impact African American student outcomes. At the recent 2025 CAAASA Summit, participating districts showcased bold, equity-centered work, highlighting efforts to reduce disproportionality, improve engagement, and elevate student and family voice.

To support continued learning and impact, the network has released two new resources: a presentation slide deck featuring district case studies, and a session handout summarizing core strategies.

Together, we are building the capacity for transformational change, grounded in brave leadership and a commitment to student success. To learn more and access resources, visit the African American Student Success Network resource page.

For additional updates, visit the CCEE website, events calendar, Resource Center, and the Statewide System of Support Website.

Notice of Intention to Amend the Conflict of Interest Code for the CCEE

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Notice of Intention to Amend the Conflict of Interest Code of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (“CCEE”), pursuant to the authority vested in it by section 87306 of the Government Code, proposes amendment to its conflict of interest code. A comment period has been established commencing on February 14, 2025, and closing on March 31, 2025. All inquiries should be directed to the contact
listed below.


The CCEE proposes to amend its conflict of interest code to include employee positions that involve the making or participation in the making of decisions that may foreseeably have a material effect on any financial interest, as set forth in subdivision (a) of section 87302 of the Government Code. The amendment carries out the purposes of the law and no other alternative would do so and be less burdensome to affected persons.


Changes to the conflict of interest code include: (1) addition of two new positions–Executive Advisor and Senior Advisor positions each of which has disclosure categories 1, 2, 3, 4, (2) removal of the three Director positions which no longer exist, along with their disclosure categories–Director, Systems Improvement and Innovation; Director, Systems Improvement and Leadership Development; and Director, Continuous Improvement, and (3) revising the language defining “Administrative Agent” to be consistent with the relevant statute and requirements for selection and approval of the Administrative Agent.


The proposed amendment and explanation of the reasons can be obtained from the agency’s contact.


Any interested person may submit written comments relating to the proposed amendment by submitting them no later than March 31, 2025, or at the conclusion of the public hearing, if requested, whichever comes later. At this time, no public hearing is scheduled. A person may request a hearing
no later than March 16, 2025.

The CCEE has determined that the proposed amendments:

  1. Impose no mandate on local agencies or school districts.
    2. Impose no costs or savings on any state agency.
    3. Impose no costs on any local agency or school district that are required to be
    reimbursed under Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
    the Government Code.
    4. Will not result in any nondiscretionary costs or savings to local agencies.
    5. Will not result in any costs or savings in federal funding to the state.
    6. Will not have any potential cost impact on private persons, businesses or small businesses.

All inquiries concerning this proposed amendment and any communication required by this notice should be directed to: Leighann Nguyen, Executive Assistant, (916) 619-7488, [email protected].