OCDE Newsroom

A call for ‘purveyors of hope, champions of change’ at Santa Ana’s State of the District breakfast

Ian Hanigan November 6, 2015

The Santa Ana Unified School District continues to create new learning opportunities and educational options in alignment with the interests and aptitudes of its students. That was among the key takeaways from the Superintendent’s State of the District and Partners Breakfast, which was hosted Friday morning by the district’s Board of Education and the Santa Ana Public Schools Foundation. [...]

Irvine Unified School District formally dedicates its newest elementary campus

Ian Hanigan October 23, 2015

The Irvine Unified School District hosted a pair of dedication ceremonies for its newest campus this week. Parents and community members got a chance to tour the brand new facilities of Portola Springs Elementary School, which features a design and science lab, flexible-design classrooms, music and performing arts spaces, collaborative work environments, an innovation lab and more. [...]

Buena Park School District launches citywide literacy initiative with free ebooks, games

Staff reports October 23, 2015

The Buena Park School District, the City of Buena Park and the Buena Park Library have jointly unveiled an ambitious citywide reading initiative that will make digital books, games and resources free and accessible on local smartphones, tablets and computers. [...]

Chronic absenteeism is the focus of a new U.S. Department of Education initiative

Staff reports October 19, 2015

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new federal initiative, “Every Student, Every Day: A National Initiative to Address and Eliminate Chronic Absenteeism,” which calls on the nation to raise awareness and reduce chronic absenteeism by at least 10 percent each year. [...]

Nine questions (and answers) about public charter schools

Staff reports October 6, 2015

You may have read about charter schools in the news recently, and perhaps you’ve found yourself wondering, “What exactly are charter schools, and how do they differ from public or private schools?” Well, we’re here to help, with a list of frequently asked questions. [...]

Five tips for a successful parent-teacher conference

Staff reports September 21, 2015

It’s mid-September, and many of our schools are either in the thick of parent-teacher conferences or preparing for them. This is a great opportunity for schools and families to work together to ensure the best educational experience possible for your child. Here are five tips to help you make the most out of parent-teacher conference time. [...]

Anaheim district is first to make OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors program available to all students (video)

Ian Hanigan September 18, 2015

Marking a first for Orange County, the Anaheim City School District is giving every one of its students the opportunity to receive quality outdoor science education through OCDE’s long-running Inside the Outdoors program. You read that right -- every student at every grade level. For Anaheim City, that means approximately 20,000 kids in transitional kindergarten through grade six will receive hands-on lessons covering science and nature. [...]

Researchers find strong link between vocabulary at age two and later school success

Staff reports September 2, 2015

A recent study found that children with larger oral vocabularies at age two had better math and language skills and fewer behavioral problems when they entered kindergarten. The study was published in the journal Child Development. [...]

Attendance Awareness Month launches in September

Staff reports August 28, 2015

All schools in Orange County will be back in session in September, making it a great time to emphasize the importance of not missing school. It is critical that schools intervene early to identify and address the issues that contribute to chronic absenteeism. [...]

Free training to help teachers introduce computer science to elementary school students

Staff reports August 25, 2015

The Orange County Department of Education and Code.org are hosting a free workshop for K-5 educators interested in teaching computer science. The one-day workshop will take place on September 12 at the OCDE offices in Costa Mesa. [...]

Elementary schools