Orange County Department of Education

08/21/2026

Breakfast is now part of the school day at Pacific Drive Elementary.

This week's Orange County education roundup features the Fullerton School District's Breakfast in the Classroom program, which is helping more than 600 students across three elementary school campuses start their school day with a free, nutritious meal.

The roundup also highlights students heading back to school, e-bike safety efforts, County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean's call to come together for the year ahead and more from across Orange County.

For students at Pacific Drive Elementary School in Fullerton, the school day now begins with a side of breakfast. The Fullerton School District gives more than 600 students the opportunity to enjoy…

08/21/2026

Another year of learning and leadership is underway for OCDE’s Preliminary Administrative Services Credential candidates.

Welcome back to the PASC candidates continuing their journey toward educational leadership.

Interested in earning a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential? Learn more about the program, requirements and application process by visiting https://ocde.us/EducationalServices/sll/Leadership/Pages/PASC.aspx.

08/19/2026

School safety professionals gathered at OCDE on Aug. 11 for a full day of training focused on creating safer school environments.

Throughout the day, participants learned about California Safe School Plan requirements, effective school safety leadership and other topics aimed at strengthening preparedness and response across school communities.

➡️ Scroll through for scenes from the training.

08/19/2026

The 2026-27 National History Day-Orange County season is about to begin.

OCDE will host a free virtual kickoff Sept. 10 for new and returning coaches, teachers and administrators to learn about this year's theme, "Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change," along with contest updates, category rules and resources to support students throughout the competition season.

A separate virtual NHD-OC How To event for students, families and coaches will follow Sept. 24.

OCDE will launch the 2026-27 National History Day-Orange County season with a free virtual kickoff Sept. 10, giving new and returning coaches an introduction to the competition, this year’s &…

08/14/2026

This week's Orange County education roundup leads with Sailee Charlu, a 17-year-old Orange County School of the Arts student and recent OCDE summer intern whose passion for multilingual education has grown into an effort to expand bilingual learning opportunities across California.

In an Aug. 13 Orange County Register feature, reporting intern Lillian Ashworth profiled Charlu’s efforts to advance bilingual education in California, including her work on proposed legislat…

08/12/2026

Nearly 100 Orange County students launched a year of leadership, innovation and career exploration at the OC Pathways Student Leadership Summit. 🚀

The event — hosted by OCDE’s career education consortium — invited students to connect with STEM innovators from organizations including NASA, Blue Origin and Joby Aviation, gain advice from former student ambassadors and build skills in leadership, design, personal branding and problem solving with an entrepreneurial approach.

Throughout the upcoming school year, student ambassadors will explore their career interests, work alongside industry professionals and develop solutions to address needs in their communities.

Quick look: The OC Pathways Student Leadership Summit brought nearly 100 Orange County students together to connect with STEM professionals, learn from program alumni and build skills for future ca…

08/12/2026

Orange County’s 2026 Outstanding STEM Educators were celebrated Aug. 4 for expanding opportunities for students through science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Nine of the 11 honorees gathered at the OCDE Conference Center with family members, friends and colleagues to celebrate contributions ranging from classroom instruction and career exploration to expanded learning, community advocacy and STEM leadership.

Presented by OCDE in partnership with Inside the Outdoors Foundation, the annual awards recognize educators and community leaders creating engaging, hands-on opportunities for students.

Laughter, applause and plenty of proud supporters filled the Orange County Department of Education Conference Center on Aug. 4 as some of the county’s leading STEM educators and advocates ste…

08/11/2026

Generations of students will now encounter the names of Frank and Irene Palomino each day they arrive at school.

Garden Grove Unified School District officially renamed Rosita Elementary School as Frank and Irene Palomino Elementary School on Aug. 6, recognizing two local civil rights pioneers who were among the five plaintiff families in the landmark Mendez et al. v. Westminster school desegregation case.

The ceremony marked the district’s first school renaming since 1985 and brought together members of the Palomino family, students, staff, elected officials and community members.

Members of the Palomino family and local officials cut a ribbon to commemorate the renaming of the formerly Rosita Elementary to Frank and Irene Palomino ElementaryThe names of Frank and Irene Palo…

08/11/2026

After just two weeks of rehearsals, students from the Orange County Department of Education's ACCESS and Connections programs took the stage at Segerstrom Center for the Arts for Summer at the Center 2026.

Working alongside professional teaching artists, students developed their skills in singing, dancing and acting before presenting three performances at the Samueli Theater.

Now in its 35th year, Summer at the Center is a partnership between OCDE and Segerstrom Center for the Arts that uses the performing arts to build confidence, connection and new possibilities for students.

See highlights and learn more:

Students performed a series of numbers for OCDE staff in attendance at Summer at the Center 2026.One student sings a solo at Summer at the Center 2026.OCDE staff packed out the Samueli Theater at t…

08/11/2026

A sold-out crowd of 150 educators and education leaders gathered at the OCDE Conference Center for the AI Forward Summit, a day of learning focused on the opportunities and challenges artificial intelligence presents for schools.

Participants explored topics ranging from AI governance and cybersecurity to classroom applications, student wellness and workforce readiness.

Among the highlights were vibe coding with Google Gemini led by Dr. Sonal Patel; a keynote from Dr. Kip Glazer, principal of Mountain View High School and author of “Ready to Lead with AI”; and a session on AI innovation and workforce readiness featuring father-son presenters Steve Shapiro, founder of FineTune AI, and Lucas Shapiro, social media producer for the “All the Smoke” podcast.

Take a look at some scenes from the Aug. 3 summit.