UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools

Joe Bishop shares 3 takeaways for cellphone policy implementation. Our new brief explores how schools can balance technology use with focus, well-being, and equity. Read the report to explore thoughtful, community-centered policies for today’s classrooms at tinyurl.com/87tpe6nr

Our student homelessness research was recently featured in a Mercury News article about a state audit examining how CA’s public universities are addressing student housing.

Read the full article at tinyurl.com/3n4uu27u

Explore our student homelessness research at tinyurl.com/87tpe6nr

@uclaseis.bsky.social
@weareasca.bsky.social
@fresnoland.bsky.social
@edweek.org
@edsource.org

Meet Ms. Alma Lopez, lead counselor redefining student support in Livingston Union School District. Their counseling model shows how relational, student-centered practices can improve outcomes and transform rural schools.

🎥 tinyurl.com/mw49jb4
📑 tinyurl.com/34v5tutf

#SchoolCounselors

This month’s featured article in our Community Schools Research Library highlights insights from CA MTSS Phase II pilot on how integrated supports foster belonging, safety, and equity. These lessons remain vital for community schools.

Read the article at tinyurl.com/bd4pr8fk

@uclaseis.bsky.social

📱⚖️As schools wrestle to balance cellphones’ benefits with harms, our latest brief with the UC|CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity, and Learning offers evidence-based recommendations to help education leaders make informed, developmentally appropriate decisions: tinyurl.com/na2t39hh

Our student homelessness research was featured in a CalMatters article on CA’s proposed College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2026. The measure would fund building repairs and expand affordable student housing.

Read the article: tinyurl.com/7rdpc54m
Explore our research: tinyurl.com/tbxvaj62

This month’s featured article focuses on the Black high school boys' experience and how community schools can provide support, leadership, and culturally relevant instruction so that Black students’ full strengths are recognized and affirmed.
Explore the research library: tinyurl.com/ypy27esa

CTS research was cited in The Associated Press on the aftermath & impact of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. Our research shows this surge in housing instability is common after disasters and qualifies as homelessness under federal law.
Read the full AP story: tinyurl.com/3rey4sfj

Join the 21CSLA State Center Webinar on 10/16 with REACH Network (UCLA CTS + UC Berkeley CREEO).
We’ll explore how restorative leadership and equitable student discipline practices can transform school culture + advance equity, especially for Black students. Register at: tinyurl.com/3numau2s

What happens when dual-language immersion programs only provide enrichment for some students, instead of opportunity for all?

@edweek.org talked with CTS Faculty Co-Director and UCLA professor Lucrecia Santibañez about her recent research on dual-language immersion programs. tinyurl.com/ra5hdjnp

5 years after COVID, we are just beginning to understand its impact on students and the education system. A new @tcrecord.bsky.social issue explores equity, policy & student wellbeing featuring research from Tyrone Howard, Joseph Bishop, and Lucrecia Santibañez & Anna Markowitz. tinyurl.com/235765x6

Cuts to teacher education & DEI initiatives make every dollar count to promote a diverse educator workforce. Our CA Educator Diversity Funding Guide maps nearly $300M in opportunities to recruit, prepare & retain diverse educators—so classrooms reflect & uplift all students. 🔗 tinyurl.com/3ta5et9k

Deadline Extended!
CA PreK–12 schools can still apply to the GENIUS Initiative Coaching & Support Network
Key Dates
SOI Due: Oct 30, 2025 (11:59 PM PST)
Notification: Nov 2025
Virtual Orientation: Dec 2, 2025
Tier I Institute: Jan 12–14, 2025

Apply at tinyurl.com/3erx6d2k
Learn more at geniused.org

Federal cuts to teacher prep programs are shrinking teacher diversity + straining recruitment, especially in rural & high-poverty schools. Senior Project Scientist Stanley L. Johnson Jr. warns these rollbacks risk long-term inequities.
Read more: tinyurl.com/j9tajxpk
Our brief: tinyurl.com/yc8eedb2

“Youth Involvement in School Decision-Making during the Pandemic” traces a school’s move from surveys to youth-led activities, surfacing both promise & tensions of shared leadership. With the new school year underway, we’ll feature monthly articles to inspire your work. Explore: tinyurl.com/4r4k9d77

Federal rollbacks to teacher prep programs threaten progress as teacher shortages grow and student populations become more diverse. Our new policy brief explains why strengthening these pipelines is imperative and what can be done to protect these pathways.

Read here: tinyurl.com/2ba8s6mz

We’re proud to support Los Angeles community schools through our role in the Greater LA R-TAC! 🌟 Check out our first-ever Impact Report on 2023–24 community schools implementation—work that continues to guide our support today.

📥 Read our Impact Report: transformschools.ucla.edu/wp-content/u...

Tyrone Howard was recently featured in Spectrum News 1, highlighting LAUSD’s rising test scores & the challenges the district still faces as we head back to school, including declining enrollment and the expiration of COVID-19 relief funding.

Read the article at tinyurl.com/38kz3z6b

At CTS, we stand with the Consortium for Multilingual Learner Success in advancing policies & practices that ensure every learner can see their language as an asset & their voice as a source of power.

Download resources to support multilingual learners: tinyurl.com/MLL-resources

CTS Senior Project Scientist Stanley L. Johnson Jr. presented at the 5th Annual CABSE Institute in Napa alongside LACOE colleagues Kanika White and Pamela Gibbs. Their session explored how leadership and policy reform can transform juvenile court schools to better support vulnerable students.

🗳️ Vote for our proposed SXSW EDU 2026 panel featuring Stanley L. Johnson, Jr. The session, Tomorrow’s STEM Workforce Needs SEL Today, will highlight national efforts to build inclusive STEM pathways.

Vote now by clicking the link and tapping the heart in SXSW PanelPicker! bit.ly/3JjsyDS

Tyrone Howard delivered a powerful keynote at LACOE’s GENIUS Initiative Conference, centering his message on advancing equity for Black students. He calls out systemic barriers facing Black students & urges educators to create classrooms where they can thrive.

Learn more at tinyurl.com/5er9bpyr

Mayra Cazares-Minero was interviewed by Univision on the rise in student homelessness. In LA, 3 in 4 unhoused students are Latinx. Mayra stressed the need to remove the stigma & enforce the McKinney-Vento Act.

Watch the video & read our new brief on student homelessness at linktr.ee/Transformsch...

Joseph Bishop was featured in a CalMatters article on CA’s growing student homelessness crisis, where they saw a 9.3% increase. Bishop calls for sustained funding to keep students connected to school and support services.

Read the article and our new brief at linktr.ee/Transformsch...

Join Kathy Do and Joseph Bishop for a conversation on the neuroscience behind digital habits, self-regulation, and student well-being. Discover strategies and policies to support student attention, emotional regulation, and social connection.

Register at tinyurl.com/mv7zs37t

A new policy brief highlights how dual language immersion programs can promote equity, integration, and opportunity when access is inclusive and intentional. The brief draws on two decades of data from LAUSD and offers key strategies to ensure all students are served.

Read: tinyurl.com/uv6tfb72

The policy landscape around cell phone use in schools is shifting. Join me & @uclacts.bsky.social‬'s Joseph Bishop at the Aug 7th @uccsucollab.bsky.social webinar to learn how families, educators, & school systems can best support student learning & healthier digital habits! Register: bit.ly/455GEQL

We just launched the Community Schools Resource Repository 📚

Explore monthly research briefs aligned with the CA Community Schools Framework. Each brief offers actionable insights to support equity, coherence, and school transformation.

Explore the repository at tinyurl.com/4etabcur