Advocating for our students and schools is rarely easy. Many policymakers are unfamiliar with the meaningful impact that innovative and personalized learning models can have on students with diverse needs.
That’s why consistent engagement with lawmakers and staff at the California Department of Education is so important. When families, educators and community leaders share their experiences throughout the year, policymakers gain a clearer understanding of what works—and why thoughtful decisions matter.
That reality was on full display this week when the California State Board of Education postponed a decision that could have significantly changed how alternative schools serving high-risk students qualify for special status.
State officials had proposed new eligibility rules for schools seeking Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS), a designation that gives flexibility in evaluating performance metrics such as graduation rates and academic progress. To qualify, at least 70 percent of students must meet high-risk criteria, including homelessness, foster care placement or prior expulsion.
One proposal would have required students to be enrolled for 30 days before counting toward that threshold. Another would shift the authority to determine whether students are “credit deficient” from school staff to the California Department of Education.
Charter school leaders and educators pushed back strongly, arguing the changes could unfairly penalize schools designed specifically to serve students who frequently transfer or face instability. Advocates submitted more than 1,000 letters urging the board to reconsider.
In response, the board chose to pause implementation and conduct further analysis while keeping the current criteria in place for this year. The decision reflects the power of engagement from families, educators, and community advocates—and represents an important win for California families who rely on these schools to support students facing the greatest challenges.
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