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Take 5 - September 2026
Take 5! is a monthly spotlight of promising practices happening at county offices of education throughout the state, rotating the five that are featured and the focus areas covered. The map coordinates with the location of the stories featured this month from across our state.
You can view past bright spots by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
Shasta COE Partners with University to Launch Doctorate Cohort for Educators
The Shasta County Office of Education (SCOE) has teamed up with the University of Arkansas to offer a Northern California cohort for educators working toward a doctorate in educational leadership. The partnership is now on its second cohort, which began this year.
Two SCOE staff members from the first cohort, Tri Mountain Academy Principal Jill North and Shasta Leadership Academy Director Ryan Miller, described the program as high quality, affordable, and workable for people who hold full-time jobs. North explained that the local cohort was created mainly to improve access, since relatively few people in the region hold doctorates, particularly in education. The goal is to strengthen leadership in ways that ultimately benefit students in rural Northern California.
Miller emphasized that the program isn't isolated self-paced coursework. Participants meet with their cohort and an instructor once or twice weekly to discuss issues relevant to their area. Both argued that developing innovative local leaders encourages them to stay in the region and grow into bigger roles.
Napa COE Launches School Attendance Campaign to Help Students Shine!
The Napa County Office of Education and Napa County's school districts, as part of a shared commitment to improving attendance, have launched the "Start Strong. Show Up. Shine." campaign. The information is targeted at students, families, employers and the community because everyone can play a role in making sure Napa County students are able to attend school and be on time.
Napa County schools believe that every student has the potential to excel, but success starts with being in the classroom. School attendance is a shared community effort, and the Napa County Office of Education and neighboring districts are calling on families, employers, and educators to work together to ensure students are present and ready to learn every day. Missing just ten percent of the school year—which breaks down to only two days each month—can make it significantly harder for students to keep up with lessons and stay on track for graduation.
San Mateo County Collaboration
Purchases a Local Housing Development
to Provide Workforce Housing for Educators
The San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, the County Board of Education, and the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County (HEART) have jointly purchased an apartment building in San Mateo to provide workforce housing for educators. The goal is to ease the Bay Area's steep housing costs, which make it hard for schools to recruit and keep staff.
Under the deal, HEART bought the property, the County Office contributed a loan from a facilities-only fund, and HEART issued bonds to cover the rest. The 74-unit building, constructed in 2021, will serve teachers, paraeducators, counselors, and other staff working in County Office programs. Current tenants will stay, and as units open up, they'll be offered to eligible County Office and school district employees at below-market rents. HEART expects the building to be fully occupied by educators within a decade, with more units and deeper affordability becoming available as the bonds are paid down.
Superintendent Marco Chávez praised the Board and former Superintendent Nancy Magee for their leadership, while Board President Hugo Torres emphasized that retaining educators ultimately benefits students through greater stability and better learning outcomes.
Mono County Celebrates Student-Created Mural, Reflecting Local Pride and Optimism
A new mural at Mammoth High School is complete, and recently, the Mono County Office of Education (MCOE) marked the milestone with a celebration highlighting the partnerships behind it.
The mural grew out of MCOE's Student Mural Mentorship Project, developed with Mammoth Unified School District (MUSD) and volunteer artist Dave Titus, who also serves on the Mono County Board of Education. MCOE coordinated the project and supplied materials, MUSD provided the wall space, and Titus donated his time.
The mural connected to the broader County Strategic Arts Plan's goal to expand arts to students across the county developed through a partnership between MCOE, school districts and the Mono Arts Council. The event also featured the Mammoth High School cheer squad, live music, and refreshments prepared by Culinary Arts class.
Titus called the mural a reflection of students' pride in their Mammoth roots, and of the collaboration between the county office, the district and community that made it possible.
California Educators Convene in Kern County to Break Down Silos and Advance Math Instruction Across the State
The Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) recently hosted a three-day Math Professional Learning Partnership (MPLP) Statewide Convening in downtown Bakersfield. It brought together education leaders from 11 curriculum and instruction regions, including members of the California Mathematics Project and county office representatives, to rethink how math is taught and how teachers are trained.
The MPLP is funded by a six-year, $100 million California Department of Education grant awarded to KCSOS. It aims to build capacity among county offices, coaches, and administrators, who will then share what they learn with local educators. Six steering committee counties (Sonoma, Santa Clara, Merced, Kern, Los Angeles, and San Diego) help guide the work.
The effort centers on the California Math Framework, adopted in 2023, which pushes instruction beyond memorization toward critical thinking, discussion, and problem-solving. Attendees are reviewing five training modules covering assessment, instructional materials, big ideas, grade span investigations, and multilingual learners.
