Author: Mary Ann Dewan (Mary Ann Dewan)

Last May, I wrote about the need to raise awareness and prevent fentanyl related deaths, especially among our youth. At that time, the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day was launched. An important goal of that campaign was to ensure communities knew about fentanyl and the dangers of illegally made counterfeit pills and other drugs...

The typical college costs including tuition, fees, room and board, transportation and supplies have increased over time. A recent report found the average cost of an undergraduate degree increased 169% between 1980 and 2020. Securing the necessary resources to pay for college and career training programs for children is a barrier for many families. It is...

National news stories continue to raise awareness about teacher shortages. According to a 2019 report by the Economic Policy Institute, “The teacher shortage is real, large and growing” not only in California, but at the national level. A study, published in 2016 by the Learning  Policy Institute, predicted that “by 2020, an estimated 300,000 new teachers will...

California has made a critical step forward in the expansion of early education. Transitional kindergarten (TK) has been available for children with fall birthdays since 2011. California is now expanding access to TK so that all California children can benefit. With the 2022-23 school year ahead, all children who turn five between Sept. 2 and...

In an effort to raise awareness and prevent fentanyl deaths, on May 10 communities across the country came together for National Fentanyl Awareness Day. Last year, overall drug overdose deaths among all ages increased to more than 100,000. An important goal of the campaign is to ensure communities know about fentanyl and the dangers of illegally made counterfeit...

With the current school year nearly over, many parents and community members have been asking about the status of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate announced last year for school children. The state of California had previously announced plans to require the COVID-19 vaccine for children to attend school sometime after the FDA fully approves the vaccine....

Growing evidence points to the need for an urgent response as the changing climate is having an observable impact on communities, students, educators and schools. Providing access to safe, healthy, sustainable and resilient learning environments is a focus of policy makers and school leaders. In 2020, the United States experienced a record-breaking 22 natural disasters...

Schools across Santa Clara County have seen a consistent decline in student enrollment over the past seven years. There were 21,323 fewer K-12 students enrolled last school year than in the 2015-16 school year. The California Department of Finance (DOF) is projecting the trend of declining enrollments will continue well into the next decade statewide....

Health and education experts maintain that the risks from the COVID-19 infection are outweighed by the known and well documented social and mental health harms of remote learning, even during the current omicron surge. California’s determination to use every available tool to keep schools safe during this pandemic is allowing us to keep classrooms open...

Schools across the country are bracing for the fourth wave of COVID-19 fueled by the omicron variant, while maintaining a commitment to keep school campuses open with in-person learning. Disruptions to student attendance and in-person learning have been increasing in recent years. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic was and continues to be a major reason for...