In the Green
Learn about the Orange County public schools that are California Green Ribbon Schools award winners, and one school district awarded for environmental efforts
Empowering Communities Through Education
Start your search for the best public schools OC offers that will best fit your child's education needs.
Editor's Picks
A Guide to School Types
From private to online, we explore school options now available for families post-pandemic. Schools have no doubt changed since 2020 and its difficult to choose
Teacher Inspired
OC teachers reflect on what the past year has been like and what they expect from this new school year…
Recent Articles
In the Green
Learn about the Orange County public schools that are California Green Ribbon Schools award winners, and one school district awarded for environmental efforts
A Guide to School Types
From private to online, we explore school options now available for families post-pandemic. Schools have no doubt changed since 2020 and its difficult to choose
Eye for Education
Jimmy Bui melds’s photography with teaching to develop something new at Vibrant Minds Charter School. Jimmy Bui has always been passionate about teaching.
Where Are They Now?
(Phillip Chow and students at Beckman High School in Irvine) We sit down with past Top Teacher winners to find out what they’ve been up to since their big win. (Elizabeth Zoellner/Photo Courtesy of Ralph Palumbo) Elizabeth Zoellner Top Teacher 2022 Background: Zoellner is currently teaching a combination class with kindergarten and first grade. When winning the award, she was teaching first grade. She has spent her entire 27-year teaching career at Commonwealth Elementary School in Fullerton. Why She Won: Zoellner was known for really engaging her students and sparking excitement with the subject matter every day. She went above...
Q&A with Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares
(Q&A with Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares) The superintendent talks mental health, resources and the school year ahead. The new school year is upon us. How do you see the 2022/23 school year playing out? I think the last few years have presented us with valuable lessons about making predictions. Yet it is noteworthy that this will be the first new school year since 2019 that starts without strict requirements for face coverings or contact tracing, and that should bring us closer to a more traditional school experience for our students. Moving forward, we must continue to be...
Tustin Unified School District
Tustin Unified School District (TUSD), is committed to a tradition of excellence, ensuring that each student optimizes individual achievement through challenging and exciting learning environments. TUSD provides personalized and equitable learning experiences for all students and staff. Leveraging comprehensive social and emotional support, family and community engagement, technology, a dedicated and professional staff, and community and industry partnerships TUSD is truly a destination district. Visit www.tustin.k12.ca.us to learn more!
Teacher Inspired
OC teachers reflect on what the past year has been like and what they expect from this new school year…
Back-to-School Prep
(Photo Courtesy of CUSD Palisades) County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares answers Parenting OC’s questions about what families can expect for this fall’s return to campus. Parenting OC: What do you want all OC families to know about starting school this fall? Al Mijares: In many ways, I believe the last year and a half has made us stronger and in some ways more connected in that we are united in this shared experience. Together, we have come to understand both the extraordinary potential of interactive technologies and their limitations. Conversely, the pandemic has reinforced the true value of face-to-face...
STEM Survival
(Photo Courtesy of Bionerds) How STEM programs survived and continue to thrive in public schools and throughout the county. The massive, nationwide experiment that was the 2020-2021 school year is now essentially over. Whether parents, teachers or students liked it or not, every student got a taste of being home schooled. The ability to adapt — either financially, technologically or logistically — was often the key to success. As an entire school year operated on a makeshift plan, some subjects fared better than others. So while it was not a great time to be a P.E. teacher, others were seemingly...
Education Insights
It’s a new year, but things are still far from normal. We get some perspective from the Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares on what to expect in the year ahead. Parenting OC: What is the state of education in Orange County for 2021? Al Mijares: In many ways the state of education at the start of 2021 mirrors the end of 2020. We are continuing to grapple with the worst public health crisis of our generation. Yet I sense a budding optimism, with the recognition that vaccines are on the way and the worst is hopefully behind us....
Education Outlook Part Two -The Light at the End of the Tunnel
The Rise of Alternative Learning However, not all students returned to school. Some districts brought students back in phases, or chose to bring back elementary school students, but not middle and high school students. And if families were not sending their students back to school, they were seeking out learning alternatives. Learning pods — aka pandemic pods or micro-schools — was a trend that popped up in Orange County. Parents looked to pods as a way to keep their children from falling behind. The idea was to hold the pods in an outdoor setting with a small group of siblings,...
Education Outlook Part One – School Daze, Looking Back at the Chaos of 2020
With a new year comes hope for a better tomorrow. This has never been more true. Here, we reflect on 2020 and anticipate the year ahead in education. In mid-March, Orange County students were sent home for what many parents and teachers assumed would be a two-week period, just until this COVID thing got sorted out. Soon the stay-at-home order stretched ahead indefinitely as guidelines shifted and the word “pivot” became a regular part of our lexicon. “It is impossible to overstate the challenges our schools were presented with this year,” said Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares, Ph.D....
The New Back-to-School Normal
[caption id="attachment_36201" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Courtesy of Capistrano Unified[/caption] The fall school year will be like no other. What can families expect from OC public schools for the 2020-21 school year? Back to school is typically a time of preparing and planning. This academic year was unexpectedly interrupted when COVID-19 pushed Southern California schools into distance learning indefinitely. Now educators and parents alike are preparing and planning for a school year that contains many unknowns. “We want to resume a normal school environment as soon as possible,” said Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares. “But we don’t just want to...
Some OC Public Schools and Districts Working to Attract New Students
[caption id="attachment_32830" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Capistrano Unified School District - H2019 Honor Concert at Segerstrom Concert Hall[/caption] OC Schools up their game with quality programs as families have more education options than ever For Orange County parents considering their children’s educational future, it’s all about options. Whether it’s public schools, private schools, charter schools or even home schooling, families have many choices when it comes to where kids will be attending school. And school districts are taking note. “Over the past several years, public education has significantly changed,” said Brea Olinda Unified School District Communications Specialist Nichole Pichardo. “These days, ‘choice’...
Q&A with Al Mijares
The visionary public school leader discusses the challenges facing OC schools and the standout programs shaping their future The new school year is always an exciting time and we can always expect plenty of changes. To help walk us through it all, we posed some important questions to County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares, Ph.D., about local trends, innovative curriculum in schools and school safety, among many others. POC: What are some trends we’ll be seeing in the 2019-2020 school year on a county level? AM: Automation, artificial intelligence and other high-tech disruptions are dramatically reshaping how we think about...
Private School Versus Public School
When it comes to choosing the right school for your child, there are a lot of aspects to consider that parents may find difficult to sort through. With so many choices within public and private sectors, however, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Having the option to choose what works best for your individual child’s needs allows you to feel comfortable with your decision and the chance for your child to soar. With a growing volume of magnet schools, charter schools, open enrollment policies and alternative schools, public schools offer a large selection of educational options. Private schools also...