Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, August 24, 2020

New Tool to Strengthen Distance Learning + August 11, 2020 Tuesday at 2 Webinar - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

August 11, 2020 Tuesday at 2 Webinar - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

August 11, 2020 Tuesday at 2 Webinar




The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) hosted the seventh Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar on August 11, 2020 for school food service operators, chief business officials, and community partners to listen to questions and answers on transitioning back to school and moving forward in meal service amidst COVID-19.
The webinar opened with a state update by Kim Frinzell, Director of NSD. Panelists included multiple managers from the CDE NSD and Child Nutrition Fiscal Services Unit. Panelists answered questions submitted by sponsors regarding the state meal mandate, meal counting and claiming, meal pattern flexibilities, at-risk after school component of the Child and Adult Food Care Program, community eligibility provision, as well as Prop 98 COVID-19 disaster claims.


The next Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar will be held on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at 2 p.m. Join the Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall WebinarExternal link opens in new window or tab..
Password: 182792
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Julie BoarerPitchford, Nutrition Education Consultant, by phone at 916-322-1563 or by email at jboarerpitchford@cde.ca.gov.
August 11, 2020 Tuesday at 2 Webinar - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Additional Tools to Support Educators in Strengthening Distance Learning Instruction

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced today that the California Department of Education (CDE) has released a new tool—Guidance on Best Practices for Distance Learning Instructional Planning—to support educators that are implementing distance learning instruction.
“Distance learning will be with us in some form moving forward, even as schools may be allowed to begin reopening in various capacities. We are committed to offering real-time, actionable support to our educators as we all lean into this new reality,” Thurmond said. "Through continued investments in educator training—and increased, proactive family engagement—I am confident that our schools will reach and engage more students as we move through this challenging period together.”
The new guidance document offers suggestions in four key areas: clear definitions of instructional models and language, an overview of required daily minutes for the 2020-21 school year and considerations for instruction both with live interaction and without live interaction, research-based principles for school districts to consider as they prepare to re-open, and ideas for how educators may structure learning.
Other topic areas include digital platforms and assessments, along with ways to support families and staff when implementing distance learning
The Implementation Tool: Guidance on Best Practices for Distance Learning Instructional Planning is the latest update to the CDE’s Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California's Public Schools web page. More updates are expected during the upcoming school year. Distance learning program questions should be referred to distancelearning@cde.ca.gov.
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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100