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California Department of Education develops drought response best practices for schools

Staff reports
California is now in its fourth straight year of below average rainfall and this past winter was one of the warmest on record. The snow pack in the Sierra Nevada has a water content of only five percent of the historic average, the lowest since 1950. This has placed California firmly in one of the worst droughts in the state's recorded history. Everyone, including schools, are encouraged to do their part to conserve water. [...]
An image of Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares

Mijares: JPL internship exemplifies collaborative efforts to create college and career pathways

Al Mijares
A paid summer internship that has eight talented Santa Ana students working with JPL scientists and engineers is "precisely the type of experience that was envisioned when the state Department of Education awarded our own OC Pathways initiative a $15 million grant to expand career pathways for students from kindergarten through college," writes Dr. Al Mijares, Orange County superintendent of schools. Click through to read the superintendent’s latest column.
Basketball coach talking to team

Student spotlight: OCDE alum goes from college basketball coach to tenure-track professor

Ian Hanigan
Brendan Stern, a former student of OCDE’s Regional Deaf and Hard of Hearing program and a graduate of University High School in Irvine, recently resigned as head basketball coach at Washington, D.C.-based Gallaudet University -- but for a very good reason: He’s accepted a tenure-track position with Gallaudet’s Department of Government and Public Affairs. We reached out to Stern, 32, to talk about his work at Gallaudet, as well as his early days as an OC student.