GreatSchools.org and Stockton Unified School District partner to equitably serve more than 40,000 students amid pandemic

The new partnership will deliver grade-based newsletters to parents, helping build community and support student success in kindergarten through high school graduation.

OAKLAND, CA (August 13, 2020) — GreatSchools.org, a national nonprofit providing parents with information to guide their children to great futures, and Stockton Unified School District announced today their new collaboration to help parents support their child’s learning by delivering weekly grade-based newsletters in English and in Spanish. This resource aims to extend the impact of the classroom, grow the connection between school and home, and help parents support their child’s academic, social, and emotional learning and well-being for the 2020-2021 school year.

First launched in 2016, these newsletters are tailored to a child’s grade and developmental stage, are delivered weekly through email, and are dedicated to helping families every step of the way. The newsletters include original, evidence-based articles, videos, parent stories, and free standards-aligned worksheets. Millions of parents, caregivers, grandparents, and teachers visit GreatSchools.org throughout the year for free resources and information — and now Stockton Unified’s 40,000 families will receive these essential resources in their inbox every week.

“Our District has made great strides in providing students with access to high-quality, standards-based material, as well as access to wrap around support services during this global pandemic,” said Brian Biedermann, Interim Superintendent of Stockton Unified Schools. “As we move forward, we shall remain dedicated to providing high-quality first instruction, rigorous curriculum, and to supporting academic achievement and social-emotional development. This incredible partnership will allow us to extend differentiated supports to our families during Distance Learning and beyond.”

“It is imperative that we work together to support parents and teachers, so that whether our children are learning in the classroom or virtually, they will thrive amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” said Carol Lloyd, VP Editorial Director at GreatSchools.org. “Our newsletters are here to meet all parents where they are and help with tough parenting moments, academic challenges, and supporting their child from learning how to read to preparing for college.”

As schools across the country start off the year with remote instruction, in-person learning, or both, school districts have an even greater need to safely build stronger communities and equitable outcomes for all students. In their most recent annual survey of 3,264 parents receiving GreatSchools.org’s grade-based newsletters, 94% reported that the newsletters helped them understand and support their child’s learning, 87% reported that the newsletters supported them during school closures, 84% of parents reported that the newsletters helped them to feel more confident communicating with the teacher, and 64% reported that their child is doing better in school academically, socially and/or emotionally, or both, since they began reading the newsletters.

GreatSchools.org team members are available for media interviews. For more information about their parenting resources visit www.greatschools.org/gk/grade-by-grade-newsletter/.

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About GreatSchools:
GreatSchools is the leading national nonprofit empowering parents with essential information to improve educational opportunities for their child. Using GreatSchools’ trusted ratings and school quality information, parents can find the right school for their family and take action to improve schools in their communities. Thousands of articles, tips and interactive tools offer parents easy-to-use resources to support their child’s learning and wellbeing every day. Families, community leaders and policymakers turn to GreatSchools for the school information they need to guide children to great futures.

About Stockton Unified School District: Stockton Unified School District (SUSD) began providing services to students in 1852 and is located in the heart of California’s Central Valley near the banks of the San Joaquin River. SUSD is the 17th largest school district in California, whereby 40,000 PK-12th grade students come to us to experience an academic journey that leads to high school graduation and success in college, careers, and as actively-engaged community members. The District also serves a number of adults through our Stockton School For Adults. SUSD is made up of thirty-seven Head Start classes, fifty-three state preschool classes, three First 5 preschool classes, forty-one K-8 schools, four comprehensive high schools, three small high schools, an alternative high school, a special education school, a school for adults, and five dependent charter schools. Our district mission is to graduate every single youth college, career, and community ready. Stockton Unified School District is dedicated to providing high quality first instruction, rigorous curriculum, and supporting academic achievement and social-emotional development supported by Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The District’s work is guided by three focal goals:

• • Every child by the end of third grade will read and comprehend at the proficient level.
  • Every child will have access to high quality, rigorous first instruction.
  • Every child, by the end of 12th grade, will graduate and be college, career, and community ready.