County office unveils new Charter Schools webpage
In an effort to provide additional transparency and provide easy access to information regarding charter schools authorized by the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE), the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has unveiled an updated webpage for the Office of Innovative Schools.
Working in partnership with the SCCOE's Technology Services Branch, the Office of Innovative Schools revised its website to create a clearer and more informative resource for the SCCBOE, charter leaders, families and community members.
The new site features quick links to each of the 23 SCCBOE authorized charter schools, with readily accessible links to each school's homepage, Charter Management Organization homepage, charter petition, board meeting schedule, School Accountability Report Card (SARC), Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), admissions lottery process, parent and student handbooks, fiscal audit and other key resources.
"The County Office of Education has updated the Office of Innovative Schools website in an effort to provide the public with a user-friendly tool for accessing information on county authorized charter schools," said Jon R. Gundry, County Superintendent of Schools. "We believe this will continue to demonstrate our transparency around the authorization, monitoring and oversight processes for which the Board and staff are tasked."
The website also contains a section on charter school FAQs, while highlighting petitions and renewals that are currently under review.
Created in 2013, the Office of Innovative Schools coordinates the programmatic and fiscal oversight for charter schools approved by the Santa Clara County Board of Education. The office also serves as a resource for Santa Clara County's charter schools, school districts, state and local agencies, families and communities.
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SCCOE partnership leading nation in closing equity gaps
 When it comes to equity in student participation and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB), efforts by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), in collaboration with Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) are helping the county be among the nation's leaders.
A review of the AP/IB Equity & Excellence Project by EOS and the Educational Services Branch to the Santa Clara County Board of Education shows the focus of schools and districts on closing race and income AP/IB access gaps offers among the highest impact per dollar toward the goals of boosting college and career readiness and closing the achievement gap.
In partnership with the nonprofit organization (EOS), the SCCOE is working with six districts to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed in challenging high school courses. Together, these "missing" students - those who are clearly capable but not enrolled in AP and IB courses - are identified and barriers are removed for this traditionally under-represented group. More than 650 low-income and/or minority students were added to AP/IB just last year across EOS partnerships, with early positive student success data.
 Leading the way, the most current student-performance data from Ann Sobrato, Leigh, Mountain View, and Milpitas high schools puts them at the elite "Equitable 1%" status of U.S. high schools that fully reflect their diversity at the highest academic levels in AP & IB. For SCCOE partner schools, the number of students participating in AP and IB courses increased from just over 50 percent to nearly 90 percent in a single year with those increases also reflected in each of the eight measured race and income categories.
"We are committed to equally high AP and IB participation rates for Latino, African-American, and low-income students as compared to their peers," said Jon R. Gundry, County Superintendent of Schools. "While pockets of inequity remain, there is an opportunity to build on what we know is working well for continued progress with all county high schools. My vision for success is to create those strategies through joint learning conversations with our partnering district superintendents and EOS as we move forward."
To gather research for this project, EOS conducted interviews, surveys, and academic record analysis for partner schools at Milpitas Unified School District, East Side Union High School District, Campbell Union High School District, San Jose Unified School District, Mountain View-Los Altos Unified School District, and Morgan Hill Unified School District. In all, more than 90 percent of staff and students were surveyed to gauge the impact of equitable AP and IB participation and success.
One additional district and several more schools have joined this partnership this year. The County Superintendent of Schools, working with EOS will continue to develop a plan to support districts in this effort and create recommendations to address the challenges that have been identified to date.
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SCCOE to host parent symposium focusing on new state standards
 The Santa Clara County Office of Education's (SCCOE) Educational Services Branch and Curriculum & Instruction Department will be hosting the 1st Annual Parent-Led Guardian, Parent and Student (GPS) Symposium on May 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This first of its kind event will be presented in partnership with the 6th District PTA, SOMOS Mayfair, Program for Academic and Creative Talent (PACT) and other community organizations. The symposium is an opportunity for Santa Clara County parents of K-12 students and their children to experience the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards in action through parent led, hands-on workshops. Parent leaders from three school districts in Santa Clara County collaborated on the design and content of these workshops with coordinators from the SCCOE's Curriculum & Instruction Department. Parents will also have the option to attend workshops on the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) or Parent Leadership, the latter of which will be presented by Consuelo Kickbusch and Marisa Rivera. Counsuelo Kickbusch will open the day with an inspirational keynote. Supplemental experiential stations connected to art and technology will also be featured, and translation into Spanish and Vietnamese will be part of every activity. Parents are invited to take advantage of this unique opportunity to share fun, meaningful experiences with their children, all while gaining a deeper understanding of the content and strategies now happening in their schools. Register for this free event here.
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Asian American & Pacific Islander Educators Meeting, May 7
 The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) will host the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Educators Network Meeting on Thursday, May 7 from 4 to 7 p.m.
With the goal of providing professional networking opportunities for AAPI educators, the meeting will focus on trending topics related to AAPI students, specific challenges faced by AAPI students and educators and will encourage AAPI educators to aim for leadership roles within education.
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Board hears annual charter reports
Here's a summary of some of the actions taken by the Board at its April 1, 15, and 25 meetings:
- Heard annual reports from each of the SCCOE's county-authorized charter shools;
- Approved a charter renewal for Rocketship Mateo Sheedy;
- Approved a charter renewal for Rocketship Los Sueños;
- Heard presentations from the Migrant Education Department, the Office of Innovation Schools and Equal Opportunity Schools, ;
- Recognized Cathie Parshall, School Office Coordinator for the Gateway Special Education Cluster, as Employee of the Month for April; and
- Recognized Damian Hernandez and Isha Smith as part of the SCCOE's Student Recognition program.
The Board of Education is the elected governing body of the SCCOE. Its seven members serve four-year terms and are elected by different regions of the county. Learn more about the members, and view their meeting schedule, agendas and minutes.
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Since 1852, the Santa Clara County Office of Education has provided vital services and resources to the county's 32 K-12 public school districts and more than 250,000 students. The COE strives to provide advocacy and leadership on education issues, student programs that are models of excellence and indispensable services to schools and community partners. The COE is commited to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success.
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