Friday Lessons Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Friday Lessons Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss better education for all

Time for Democracy in the Public Schools of Philadelphia

1by dianeravitch / 20min

A reader responds to Lisa Haver’s post about the urgency of abolishing the authoritarian and unaccountable School Reform Commission, and also corrects my statement about “restoring democratic control.” An elected board could not do any worse than the appointed SRC, which has run the public schools into the ground and led the way to their demolition. “I used to teach in Philadelphia, before my mov

Cory Booker Joins Republicans* to Block Import of Cheaper Prescription Drugs from Canada

7by dianeravitch / 1h

Senator Bernie Sanders introduced legislation to allow Americans to buy prescription drugs from Canada, where they are cheaper even though some are made in America. Senator Cory Booker, the faux-progressive, voted with the 

Steve Zimmer’s Chief of Staff Speaks Out About the Complex Issues in LAUSD

1by dianeravitch / 13min

Claudia Vizcarra’s statement was posted as a comment. Steve Zimmer fought against the Billionaires Boy Club twice, and lost the second time. I strongly supported Steve. It was only after the election that I wrote that I wished he had fought harder against charters and drawn the lines more sharply against privatization. To Steve’s credit, he is a thoughtful, reasonable, open-minded person. If he h

Lisa Haver: It Is Time to Restore Democratic Control of Philadelphia’s Public Schools

4by dianeravitch / 1h

For many years, the public schools of Philadelphia have been drastically underfunded by the state of Pennsylvania. This created a series of fiscal crises, which should have produced equitable funding, but instead gave cause for a state takeover, thus blaming the city for the state’s failures. The state established the appointed School Reform Commission in 2001. The SRC appointed Paul Vallas to ru

Join Me at the Skinny Awards Dinner in NYC on June 20

3by dianeravitch / 2h

Please join me at the Skinny Awards to benefit Class Size Matters on June 20. https://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?etid=9954 Meet your fellow fighters for public schools! If you need partial aid to attend, let Leonie 

Indiana Okays Failing Private Schools to Receive Voucher Students

5by dianeravitch / 15min

The fraud of school choice continues. “The Indiana State Board of Education approved four private schools with a history of low performance and academic failure to accept publicly funded vouchers to cover tuition for incoming students during a meeting Wednesday. “The schools had lost their ability to enroll new students in the Choice Scholarship Program because they had been rated a D or F on the

Arkansas: State Board Renews Failing Charter School But Won’t RestoreLocal Control to Little Rock Public Schools

15by dianeravitch / 1h

This is a shocking story , by Max Brantley, one of the leading journalists in Arkansas and an outspoken critic of the Waltons, who use their billions to dominate the state and the University of Arkansas. Get this: the State Board of Education just renewed a charter school that has failed to meet standards for nine years in a row. But the state board refuses to relinquish its takeover of the Littl

The True Meaning of Kindergarten: The Children’s Garden

21by dianeravitch / 2h

The current absurd obsession with test scores is destroying schooling and childhood. Nowhere is the devastation more visible than in state and local policies turning kindergarten and nursery school into academically rigorous boot camps. Pre-K is supposed to get children ready for kindergarten. Kindergarten is a time to learn reading and writing and math. Kindergarten prepares the child for first

YESTERDAY

Ken Bernstein in Virginia Makes a Tough Choice in the Democratic Primary for Governor

2by dianeravitch / 16h

I feel better about supporting Ralph Northam for Governor after reading the views of Ken Bernstein, a teacher advocate whose judgment I trust. Ken has spent time with both men. He will vote for the winner. He is voting for Northam because of his commitment to public schools and his state and local experience. His wife, he adds, is voting for Periello. Whoever wins, I hope he keeps the privatizers

Karen Wolfe: Why the Billionaire Boys Club Won the Los Angeles Election

14by dianeravitch / 22h

Karen Wolfe is a parent activist and blogger in Los Angeles. She interviewed several of the leading figures in the recent school board elections and shares her thoughts about why the board president Steve Zimmer lost and his billionaire-backed challenger Nick Melvoin won. [Sorry for original error; Freudian slip.] Back in the distant past, a person could raise $30-50,000 and run for school board.

On June 13, Virginia Will Pick a Democrat to Run as Governor: Public Schools Matter

94by dianeravitch / 23h

Virginia is one of the few states that has held the line on charter schools. Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed efforts to loosen restrictions on new charters. The state has only 9 charters, and new ones can’t open without the endorsement of the local school board. Two Democrats will be in a run-off on June 13: Lt-Governor Ralph Northam and former Congressman Tom Periello. Northam, a physician, has

California Legislator: For-Profit Charters Are Ripping Off Taxpayers

8by dianeravitch / 1d

Kevin McCarthy, State Assemblyman from Sacramento, published a terrific article in the Sacramento Bee with Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, explaining what a rip-off for-profit charters are. The last time the Legislature tried to prohibit for-profit charters, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed it. Let’s hope that as more legislators understand the frauds in both for-

BREAKING: New Mexico Commissioner Skandera Resigns

5by dianeravitch / 1d

Mercedes Schneider has the story. Slanders is stepping down. https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2017/06/08/breaking-nm-ed-comm-hannah-skandera-gives-her-two-weeks-notice/ Will she join Betsy DeVos in D.C.? Skanndera is close to Jeb Bush and akin to DeVos in ideology.

Mike Petrilli and I Find Common Ground: Depersonalized Learning is Neither Nutritious nor Genuinely Educational

7by dianeravitch / 1d

After Mike Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute read my post yesterday, he wrote to say that it appears we have some common ground. He wonders whether the contrast between real teaching and machine teaching is comparable to organic food vs. processed food. Yes! Fortunately, Mike has two sons the same age as my grandsons, so children are not a theoretical construct to him. Pers

How the Trump Family Used a Fundraiser for Children with Cancer to Enrich Themselves

12by dianeravitch / 1d

Bill Moyers’ website pointed me to this shocking story by Dan Alexander in Forbes. As Moyers’ website asked, how low can you go? LIKE AUTUMN LEAVES, sponsored Cadillacs, Ferraris and Maseratis descend on the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, in September for the Eric Trump 

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Nick Melvoin has a lot of ideas for L.A.'s schools - LA Times

Nick Melvoin has a lot of ideas for L.A.'s schools - LA Times:

Nick Melvoin has a lot of ideas for L.A.'s schools

A special prosecutor for teacher sexual misconduct, a single-payer healthcare system for L.A. Unified, teacher evaluations based 40% on “measurable academic growth” — incoming school board member Nick Melvoin has ideas on how to improve schooling in Los Angeles.

Melvoin, 31, won a seat on the Los Angeles Board of Education after a historically expensive, hard-fought campaign marked by relentless mudslinging from outside groups, which contributed nearly $15 million. Much of that mudslinging was paid for by supporters of charter schools on behalf of Melvoin against school board President Steve Zimmer, a two-term incumbent.

The election of Melvoin in District 4, which stretches from the Westside to the west San Fernando Valley, and Kelly Gonez in District 6 gives charter supporters their first majority on the seven-member board of the nation’s second-largest school system.

Charter schools are publicly funded but privately operated, and are typically set up as nonprofits in L.A. Unified. They are free of many of the restrictions placed on traditional public schools.

Melvoin sat down with the Times education team to answer questions about what lies ahead. Some of his ideas might surprise the pro-charter forces that helped launch him into office. For one thing, Melvoin appeared to side with traditional campuses that object to the sharing of classroom space with charter schools.

---

The top 5 items on his to-do list

1. Financial transparency, as a prelude to tackling the long-term budget deficit.

2. A rebooted relationship between charter and district schools through which successful schools become models for struggling ones. He believes the competition for classroom space can be managed with less contention.

3. Universal enrollment. He wants to see a single system for enrolling in any public school, including charters. (The district has one in the works, but its plan right now doesn’t include charters.)

4. A reinvented system for recruiting, training, placing and evaluating teachers.

5. A process that would put all schools under an accountability system similar to charters, Nick Melvoin has a lot of ideas for L.A.'s schools - LA Times:

“Alternative” Climate Science Is Being Mailed to Teachers Nationwide

“Alternative” Climate Science Is Being Mailed to Teachers Nationwide:

“Alternative” Climate Science Is Being Mailed to Teachers Nationwide

The Heartland Institute has mailed books and DVDs claiming there is no scientific consensus on climate change to more than 300,000 teachers. Now four senators are warning that it’s false information.

Teachers nationwide are being targeted in a campaign to spread bogus information about climate change, four US senators warned the secretary of education in a letter sent on Wednesday and shared with BuzzFeed News.

Packages holding a cover letter, a 135-page book, and an 11-minute DVD, all falsely claiming that there is no scientific consensus on man-made climate change, started arriving in teacher mailboxes in March. The mailings were sent to more than 300,000 teachers, according to the group behind the campaign, the Heartland Institute. Based outside of Chicago, Heartland is a conservative think tank that lobbies against climate regulation, has received funding from fossil fuel-linked groups, and lauded President Donald Trump’s recent decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

“The Heartland Institute has disseminated 'alternative facts' and fake science at the behest of its industry funders for decades,” reads the letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, signed by Democratic senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Edward Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and Brian Schatz.

Heartland does not dispute that the purpose of the mailers, which included the organization’s book, Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming, was to encourage teachers to challenge mainstream climate science.

“The intent was to make sure teachers were aware that there was alternative scientific research,” Heartland spokesperson Jim Lakely told BuzzFeed News.

“There’s been a positive response to the mailings for sure,” Lakely said. Responding to requests from schools, Heartland staff visited some classrooms this spring, he added. “We have some invitations pending for the next school year when it begins.”

Earlier this week, Whitehouse, an outspoken advocate for action on climate change, sent a similar letter to a dozen science education and teacher associations, debunking the Heartland information. For some teachers, the mailers were already a source of frustration.

“I’m appalled at the Heartland Institute’s gall to think we are dumb enough to buy into this,” said Cheryl Manning, a science teacher at Evergreen High School in Colorado who, along “Alternative” Climate Science Is Being Mailed to Teachers Nationwide:

 

Kansas Legislature Overrides Brownback Veto: Raises Taxes, Passes New School Funding Formula | janresseger

Kansas Legislature Overrides Brownback Veto: Raises Taxes, Passes New School Funding Formula | janresseger:

Kansas Legislature Overrides Brownback Veto: Raises Taxes, Passes New School Funding Formula

Something stunning happened on Tuesday night in Topeka.  John Hanna of the Associated Press reports: “Kansas legislators Tuesday night repudiated the tax-cutting experiment that brought Gov. Sam Brownback national attention, with even fellow Republicans voting to override his veto of a plan reversing many of the income tax reductions he’s championed…. The state will increase its personal income tax rates and end an exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners. Legislators expect the changes to raise $1.2 billion in new revenue over two years to close projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million through June 2019…. Under the new tax laws, Kansas will return to having a third income tax rate for its wealthiest filers, something cuts in 2012 eliminated. The top rate will be 5.7 percent, as opposed to 4.6 percent now.”

Even before passing the tax hikes—in the wee hours of Tuesday morning—the Kansas legislature also addressed the school funding crisis, passing a new and more equitable funding distribution formula, and increasing revenue dedicated for all-day Kindergarten.  Legislators hope that the new plan, which will increase public school spending by $293 million over two years will be acceptable to the state’s supreme court that, in March, again found the system unconstitutional and demanded that the legislature correct school funding by June 30 or shut down the public schools. There is some worry that even the new plan won’t be enough: “The justices did not say exactly how much funding must increase when they set a June 30 deadline for lawmakers to pass a new school finance law.  But attorneys for four school districts that sued the state in 2010 have said the increase needs to be much larger, and Democrats have argued that the minimum is phasing in a $400 million increase over two years.”  We’ll have to watch for the  Supreme Court’s response.

There is also something else in the school funding plan that is objectionable to a number of legislators—an expansion of the state’s tuition tax credit voucher program.  John Hanna explains: “Democrats and many GOP moderates also object to a proposal in the school funding plan that would expand a program giving income tax credits to corporations that donate money to private-school scholarships for students in poorly performing public schools. GOP conservatives created the program in 2014, and this year’s proposal would allow individuals and partnerships to claim the tax credit as well.”

The Washington Post‘s Max Ehrenfreund, analyzing the Kansas legislature’s repudiation of Brownback’s stubborn dedication to tax-slashing, reminds readers that voters in last Kansas Legislature Overrides Brownback Veto: Raises Taxes, Passes New School Funding Formula | janresseger:

More on the Lawsuit That Could Oust La. Ed Supt. John White | deutsch29

More on the Lawsuit That Could Oust La. Ed Supt. John White | deutsch29:

More on the Lawsuit That Could Oust La. Ed Supt. John White

On May 30, 2017, Louisiana teacher Ganey Arsement and several other Louisiana residents filed a lawsuit against Louisiana education superintendent John White and White’s “boss,” the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), for failing to follow the necessary procedures mandated by law for the reappointment of White to a second term.

  

Ganey Arsement

In short, BESE was supposed to formally re-nominate White for a second term in time for the Louisiana Senate to hold a confirmation hearing by the end of the second regular legislative session following the election of the 2016-2019 BESE.

That second regular legislative session ended today, June 08, 2017. BESE failed to formally vote on White’s reappointment (and has not done so to date), thereby missing the deadline for a possible La. Senate confirmation.

Thus, the La. Senate is supposed to inform BESE that the position of Louisiana superintendent of education is officially vacated.

If the La. Senate sends BESE official notice of the vacancy, then Arsement et al.’s lawsuit becomes unnecessary. We’ll see.

Arsement sent me pictures of the 10-page lawsuit. (The only copy he has as of this writing is a paper copy.) I have included the 10 pictures, one of each lawsuit page, at More on the Lawsuit That Could Oust La. Ed Supt. John White | deutsch29:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Coming of Age in California

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Coming of Age in California:

Coming of Age in California

At Dodger Stadium

The Klonsky Bros. are winding up our Hitting Left listening tour, combing L.A. for current and future listeners. Our search has taken us from ocean-front Santa Monica and Venice, through Topanga Canyon to the Valley, and back west with a stop in our old Silverlake hood for lunch.

Yesterday we touched base with potential listeners at Dodger Stadium while watching one of the great pitching match ups of the century between the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. Dodgers won, of course, by a predictable 2-1 score.

Having come of age here in the '60s, I've had to come to grips with the reality that (for better or worse) this is not that California. Aesthetically it's so much worse. Politically, it's so much better. I grew up and went to college here in the Nixon/Reagan era when the state always went red in national elections and big ag and the defense industries ruled the roost. Republicans won the state in nearly every presidential election between 1952 and 1988.

But the expanding need for farm and service workers led to an explosion in California’s Latino and Asian populations which boomed in the 1990s and the GOP's racist and anti-immigrant stance became the party's achilles heel. It still is.

Since the party closely tied itself to Proposition 187, a ballot measure that denied public services to those without legal documents. Democratic candidates have won decisively in every election since 1992 by performing well in the most populous areas. Despite failing to win the presidencyMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Coming of Age in California:

CURMUDGUCATION: Data Overload

CURMUDGUCATION: Data Overload:

Data Overload

The last nine months have brought a shift in my view of data.

Despite my long and vocal opposition to the gathering in data in schools, to the use of standardized tests to generate data that is in turn used for everything from judging students tons of it every day in my classroom-- in fact, one of my criticisms of many reformer data programs is they involve far too little data. On top of that, you need to collect good data (the Big Standardized Tests generate crappy data) and you need to run it through something that produces useful, legitimate analysis (not something like the opaque, crappy VAM models).

But one thing I'd always felt is that you can't have too much data. Now I'm rethinking that position.

Twin pregnancies are considered high risk, and when the twins share one placenta there's a risk of something called Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (if you are pregnant with twins, I recommend the advice of one of our doctors which was "Whatever you do, don't look this up on the internet")-- all of that put together gets you a ticket to a veritable testapalooza. Ultrasound after ultrasound, with measurements and pictures; my wife's uterus was more thoroughly explored than the surface of the moon after the first telescope.

Measurements indicated a difference in size of 21%, and protocol called for anything over 20% to trigger a new series of tests, even though none of our doctors thought any of these tests would discover anything important. One wonky heart measurement triggered a trip to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh (where we took the grape elevator to the Hippo Ward) for some super-ultrasound; he confirmed what everyone already said, which is that there was nothing to care about. We had our regular doctors at home and a specialist in Erie watching over us. And all of our doctors agreed on one thing-- if you use all of the equipment available to modern medicine to gather tons and tons of data, you will manage to capture little human variations that will alarm you a lot and actually mean very little.

Part of the problem is that the protocols aren't really complex enough. It's like a protocol that says CURMUDGUCATION: Data Overload:

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why Does the District Let Good Schools Go Bad?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why Does the District Let Good Schools Go Bad?:

Why Does the District Let Good Schools Go Bad?

As a case study, Laurelhurst Elementary is a good one.

For those of you who don't know, Laurelhurst Elementary, in the past, has had a solid reputation as an elementary school.  Naturally, one reason is the tony neighborhood it sits in.  But the neighborhood has always embraced its elementary school.  They are one of the few Seattle Schools' elementary schools to have a foundation.

Laurelhurst has been feeling unease and discord for more than a year now.  From what I had found out, it started when Sarah Talbot was assigned to it as principal and then around the assignment of a Special Education program for support social and emotional services. It is a self-contained program.  (They also have an Access group - 10 students - and Resource group - 30 students.)  Here's the FAQ at the Laurelhurst Elementary webpage.

Last spring, there was a large meeting,complete with numerous senior management including Chief of Schools, Michael Starosky.  Director Geary, whose child is at that school, was in attendance and so was I. 

At that time, there seemed to be two chief issues.  One was space and the other was the number of students (about 20) in this Sped program.  The space issue was big because of the number of incidents where one of these students would be having an episode and the only place to handle it was out in the hallways where, of course, other students might be passing by.  One student had said he/she would jump off the roof and kill him/herself in front of other students. 

But the issues now seem to be more about leadership at the school and, now Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why Does the District Let Good Schools Go Bad?:

Heading to a Government Shut-Down Without Getting McCleary Done

by Melissa Westbrook / 14h

From a good article at Crosscut: Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration has again started to study shutdown procedures. When he began the current 30-day special session last month — the second of the year — Inslee was loath to even talk about calling a third special session if the budget agreement is not made b

Credit Recovery Farce Generates Spectacular Graduation Rates | tultican

Credit Recovery Farce Generates Spectacular Graduation Rates | tultican:

Credit Recovery Farce Generates Spectacular Graduation Rates

A miracle has occurred. America’s high school graduation rates peaked at about 77% in 1970 and then drifted down for almost four decades to 69% in 2007. Astoundingly, even with increased graduation requirements rates have shot up.

Many school districts in California now require all students to meet course requirements for entering the University of California system to graduate from high School. That is a dramatic increase in academic rigor. Yet, in 2016, over 83% of California’s freshman cohort graduated on time. In 2012, 81% of the freshman cohort in America graduated on time. These record setting numbers are the result of knuckleheaded political policy, cheating and credit recovery.

What is Credit Recovery and Where did it Come from?

In the 1990’s politicians like Bill Clinton and Jeb Bush were pushing for standards in education and accountability measures. Jeb Bush’s infamous school grading system called for 25% of a high school’s grade to be based on graduation rates. Bill Clinton wrote in 1998,

“We have worked to raise academic standards, promote accountability, and provide greater competition and choice within the public schools, including support for a dramatic increase in charter schools.”

“We know that all students can learn to high standards, and that every school can succeed if it has clear instructional goals and high expectations for all of its students; ….”

Donald T. Campbell’s 1976 paper presented a theory about social change that is now widely revered as Campbell’s Law: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.”

Exactly as the Social Scientist, Campbell, postulated, this national push to increase the standards of school rigor and to use social indicators (graduation Credit Recovery Farce Generates Spectacular Graduation Rates | tultican:

Youth Suicide Prevention - Mental Health (CA Dept of Education)

Youth Suicide Prevention - Mental Health (CA Dept of Education):

Youth Suicide Prevention

A listing of resources to help school districts address the need for youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, including a model youth suicide prevention policy for local educational agencies (LEAs).

Parents, educators, mental health professionals, and legislators are making a concerted effort to address the critical need to prevent youth suicides in California.

Assembly Bill 2246  (O’Donnell) addressed this issue by requiring LEAs to adopt suicide prevention policies before the beginning of the 2017–18 school year. Chaptered as California Education Code (EC) Section 215, AB 2246 mandates that the Governing Board of any LEA that serves pupils in grades seven to twelve, inclusive, adopt a policy on pupil suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. The policy shall specifically address the needs of high-risk groups, include consideration of suicide awareness and prevention training for teachers, and ensure that a school employee acts only within the authorization and scope of the employee’s credential or license.

While the mandate does not apply to private schools or schools with students below grade seven, we encourage private schools and schools with students below seventh grade to consider adopting a suicide prevention policy as a safety net for all of their students. This is particularly important since suicide is now the second leading cause of death for youth ages thirteen to eighteen and also is a leading cause of death among ten- to-twelve-year olds. Students in earlier grades also are known to consider, attempt, and die by suicide. Research demonstrates that ideation may start as early as pre-school (however, suicide deaths are very rare among children age nine years or younger).

The board policy must be developed in consultation with school and community stakeholders, school-employed mental health professionals, and suicide prevention experts. At a minimum, the board policy must address procedures relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.

To help LEAs develop their own model policies, the California Department of Education (CDE) has collaborated with mental health professionals, including the Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup, to provide a model. The model policy can be accessed at the link below:

Model Youth Suicide Prevention Policy (DOC)

To assist school districts with the concerns about youth suicide, the following resources and publications are available for dealing with suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention (sometimes referred to as "aftermath"). Some sites provide factual data and others contain programs. For more Web information, contact the coordinator for pupil services in your school district or county office of education. Counseling and student support specialists (school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses) and local mental health specialists should be consulted for individual student referrals.

Publications

Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Schools  (PDF; 14MB)
This toolkit, based on numerous national and state youth prevention toolkits, focuses on real-life application and was compiled for the Palo Alto Unified School District's Board Policy for suicide prevention.

Fact Sheets on Suicide: Adolescents and Young Adults  (PDF)
The National Adolescent Health Information Center, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, highlights some important research results on suicide. It provides information about the age adolescents are most likely to commit suicide, how gender and race impact adolescents in regard to suicide, and examines the suicide rate trends for adolescents. This Suicide Fact Sheet was published in 2006 and is based on the most current data available.

State Suicide Prevention Plans  
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has a listing of states that have suicide prevention plans.

Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide  (PDF; 5MB)
This resource serves as a guide for schools to use in developing suicide prevention materials, including a toolkit and an annotated bibliography that was used in developing the guide. Funding to support development of these materials was provided through a contract from the Florida Office of Drug Control.

Resources

Suicide Prevention Resources and Recommendations Letter SSPI letter with recommendations and resources to support suicide prevention.

American Association of Suicidology  
Provides general guidelines for a school-based suicide prevention program, outlining the necessary components of a comprehensive school-based program including a sample curriculum. This Web site also contains information about evidence-based programs for suicide prevention.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)  
The AFSP is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.

California Healthy Kids Resource Center  
Contains peer-reviewed research-based programs, videos, and books on suicide prevention and intervention. To access these materials, click on "Health Education Library" and use the key word "suicide." These materials can be borrowed from the resource center for four weeks with free delivery anywhere in California.

California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA)  
The CalMHSA is an independent administration and fiscal government agency focused on the efficient delivery of California mental health projects. Member counties work together to develop, fund and implement mental health services, projects and educational programs at the state, regional and local levels.

Center for Mental Health in Schools-Mental Health Project  
The Center for Mental Health in Schools-Mental Health Project at the University of California, Los Angeles is a thorough resource for school interventions aimed at preventing suicide. It includes training on causes of suicide, data and statistics, assessing suicide risk, intervention planning and training, suicide aftermath assistance and prevention of copycat suicides, as well as other resources and contacts.

Dougy Center  
The Dougy Center, National Center for Grieving Children and Families provides support and training locally, nationally, and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children and teens in grief from loss, including suicide.

Jason Foundation, Inc.  
The Jason Foundation, Inc. is a nationally recognized leader in youth suicide awareness and prevention. The Web site contains a wide range of informative, educational materials and programs available to parents, teachers, youth workers, and others who are concerned about youth suicide.

Know the Signs  
Know the Signs is a statewide suicide prevention social marketing campaign built on three key messages: Know the Signs. Find the Words. Reach Out. This campaign is intended to educate Californians on how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, how to find the words to have a direct conversation with someone in crisis and where to find professional help and resources.

Kognito  
At-Risk for Middle School Educators and At-Risk for High School Educators are research-proven online gatekeeper training simulations designed to prepare teachers, administrators and staff to recognize when a student is exhibiting signs of psychological distress, and manage a conversation with the student with the goal of connecting them to the appropriate support.

Mental Health Services Act  
The passage of Proposition 63 (now known as the Mental Health Services Act) provides the first opportunity in many years for the California Department of Mental Health to provide increased funding, personnel and other resources to support county mental health programs and monitor progress toward statewide goals for children, transition age youth, adults, older adults and families.

My3App  
My3App is a mobile application designed to help those who may be having thoughts of suicide, or who have a history of suicidal behavior stay safe when they are experiencing thoughts of suicide.

National Center for Suicide Prevention Training  
The National Center for Suicide Prevention Training provides educational resources to assist public officials, service providers, and community-based coalitions develop effective suicide prevention programs and policies. It includes facilitated and self-paced on-line workshops that provide training on suicide prevention.

National Strategy for Suicide Prevention  
The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention provides a framework for suicide prevention efforts across the county. Building on the work of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action, this resource provides data about suicide, as well as information about suicide prevention efforts throughout the nation. Information about California’s suicide prevention activities can be found by clicking on “Federal, State and private activities” and selecting from the drop down menu under "Prevention Programs."

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California  
NAMI California is a grass roots organization of families and individuals whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness. NAMI provides leadership in legislation, policy development, education and support throughout California.

National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)  
NIMH envisions a world in which mental illnesses are prevented and cured. The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.

Signs of Suicide (SOS) - Youth Programs  
The Screening for Mental Health's SOS Suicide Prevention Program is a school-based suicide prevention program targeting. The program educates teens in recognizing the signs of suicide and outlines action steps for dealing with this mental health emergency. The National Association of Schools Psychologists and many other national associations endorse SOS.

The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide  
This resource provides practical information about youth suicide prevention that is relevant to schools, parents, and students. This national, nonprofit organization increases awareness about both the problem of youth suicide and increases accessibility to user-friendly resources available to prevent it.

Surgeon General's Call to Action, 1999  
This report promotes awareness and intervention for suicide and its risk factor and includes a section dedicated to suicide issues and facts among young people.

Suicide Prevention Hotline  
This free and confidential telephone service is open 24 hours a day with counselors available to talk about thoughts of suicide or concerns about someone who may be suicidal.

Trevor Project - Ask for Help  
This public service announcement campaign features empowering, first-person accounts of youth reaching out to friends, parents or counselors to promote the idea that it's ok to ask for help when you need it.

Walk in Our Shoes  
This campaign utilizes real stories from teens and young adults to teach youth about mental health challenges and mental wellness. The multifaceted campaign uses positive, authentic, and appropriate stories told through an interactive Web site, school-based theatrical performance, and a statewide public education campaign.

Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program  
Part of the Light for Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to awareness, education, and collaboration for suicide prevention. There is a cost for Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Training and to form local chapters.

Youth Suicide Prevention Programs: A Resource Guide  
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's guide which includes eight different suicide prevention strategies including school gatekeeper training, community gatekeeper training, general suicide education, screening programs, peer support programs, crisis centers and hotlines, suicide restriction methods, and postvention. Although it was created in 1992, the site remains relevant.

Questions: Monica Nepomuceno | mnepomuceno@cde.ca.gov | 916-323-2212 

 Youth Suicide Prevention - Mental Health (CA Dept of Education):