SECTIONS 51000-51009 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 51000-51009

51000. This chapter may be known as the George Miller, Jr.,
Education Act of 1968.

51002. The Legislature hereby recognizes that, because of the
common needs and interests of the citizens of this state and the
nation, there is a need to establish a common state curriculum for
the public schools, but that, because of economic, geographic,
physical, political and social diversity, there is a need for the
development of educational programs at the local level, with the
guidance of competent and experienced educators and citizens.
Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to set broad minimum
standards and guidelines for educational programs, and to encourage
local districts to develop programs that will best fit the needs and
interests of the pupils, pursuant to stated philosophy, goals, and
objectives.

51003. It is the intent of the Legislature that explicit, rigorous
statewide academic standards be adopted for all pupils enrolled in
public schools.

51004. The Legislature hereby recognizes that it is the policy of
the people of the State of California to provide an educational
opportunity to the end that every pupil leaving school shall have the
opportunity to be prepared to enter the world of work; that every
pupil who graduates from any state-supported educational institution
should have sufficient marketable skills for legitimate remunerative
employment; that every qualified and eligible adult citizen shall be
afforded an educational opportunity to become suitably employed in
some remunerative field of employment; and that these opportunities
are a right to be enjoyed without regard to economic status or the
characteristics listed in Section 220.
The Legislature further recognizes that all pupils need to be
provided with opportunities to explore and make career choices and to
seek appropriate instruction and training to support those choices.
The Legislature therefore finds that fairs as community resource and
youth leadership activities are integral to assisting and guiding
pupils in making choices and therefore encourage the further
expansion of cooperative activities between schools, youth leadership
activities, and community resources. Among community resources of
particular significance in providing information on various career
opportunities are vocational and occupational exhibits,
demonstrations and activities conducted at fairs.

51005. In order to carry out the intent of Section 51004, the
Department of Education shall annually encourage school districts to
plan programs and activities which utilize the resources of fairs and
youth leadership activities as an integral part of the vocational
instructional program and career decisionmaking.

51006. The Legislature finds that the increasing integration of
computers and computer technology into our economy has profound
implications for our society, and equally important implications for
state educational policy.
The Legislature also finds that the methods of distribution of
computer resources in the public schools will have a substantial
effect upon the state's ability to meet the economic, political, and
social challenges of the new technological era. Without adequate and
early exposure to a basic computer education and computer resources,
many students may be placed at a significant disadvantage in their
opportunities to secure success in academics and the job market in
the future. As females compose 51 percent of the student population
in the state's public elementary and secondary schools, and ethnic
minorities constitute over one-third of that population, it is
imperative that California adopt a policy to ensure equitable access
to technological education programs.

51007. (a) It is the policy of the State of California that all
students enrolled in the state's public elementary and secondary
schools, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, gender,
physical disability, geographic location, or socioeconomic
background, shall have equitable access to educational programs
designed to strengthen technological skills, including, but not
limited to, computer education programs.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that state appropriations
for educational programs designed to strengthen technological skills,
including, but not limited to, computer education programs, shall
have the goal of ensuring equitable access to those programs for all
students.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that this section shall
not be construed to preclude funding of programs designed to serve
certain categories of students as part of the state's efforts to
target areas of high need.

51008. The State Board of Education shall ensure that the state
curriculum and framework, where appropriate, include instruction on
Cesar Chavez and the history of the farm labor movement in the United
States, and that the state criteria for selecting textbooks include
information to guide the selection of textbooks that contain sections
that highlight the life and contributions of Cesar Chavez and the
history of the farm labor movement in the United States.

51009. The first week of April is hereby deemed to be Labor History
Week throughout the public schools, and school districts are
encouraged to commemorate this week with appropriate educational
exercises that make pupils aware of the role the labor movement has
played in shaping California and the United States.