EdSource Commentaries
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Marching band can change your college experience
Leadership, accountability, time management, confidence and patience are all skills that members of a marching band gain.
Ashley Bolter
March 18, 2024
Colleges and universities must step up to counteract financial aid form delays
Colleges should delay commitment and scholarship deadlines to June 1 to allow families time to compare financial aid packages and decide which university is right for them.
Darcel Sanders
March 18, 2024
Effective support is key to keeping new teachers in the profession
The California-based Center of Teacher Innovation suggests three effective strategies that should be incorporated into all prep and support programs
Andrew Kwok
March 13, 2024
Finding community at community college
Not only is the community college experience a real college experience, but for some students, it can be better than that at a four-year university.
Delilah Brumer
March 11, 2024
Data Science helps students of color opt in for more math
UC's decision to rescind high school courses in that area as satisfying a requirement for college admission is a mistake.
Jason Lee Morgan and Kagba Suaray
March 7, 2024
Advanced math in high school prepares students for STEM and data science careers
If introductory data science courses are taken at the exclusion of Algebra II, students won't be adequately prepared for STEM majors in college.
Jennifer Chayes and Jelani Nelson
March 5, 2024
California must invest in professional learning for arts teachers
Educators have a wide range of training and development needs that must be met if the state is to fulfill the promise of Proposition 28.
Letty Kraus and Patti Saraniero
March 4, 2024
Closing schools: How much money does it save, and is it worth it?
When a district has under-enrolled schools, closing 1 of every 15 schools saves about 4% of a district’s budget, mostly in labor.
Marguerite Roza and Aashish Dhammani
March 3, 2024
Teachers alone can’t address the literacy crisis
Early literacy tutors can provide critical support for beleaguered teachers, whose jobs have become ever more difficult coming out of the pandemic.
Ashley Jochim
February 27, 2024
California should follow Mississippi's lead on reading instruction
Mississippi's gains in reading achievement put its schools ahead of where they were before the pandemic. California's reading scores continue to fall.
David Wakelyn
February 26, 2024
Heed youth voices to improve school climate
The California Center for School Climate’s Youth Advisory Team provides important insights for schools seeking to better support their students.
Julian Berkowitz-Sklar
February 21, 2024
Parent engagement can make all the difference
School site councils give parents a powerful opportunity to shape their children's educational experience.
Amira Barger
February 19, 2024
Academic rigor versus cultural relevance is a false choice
By reframing them as mutually reinforcing rather than mutually exclusive, we can transform education for every child.
Chris Carr
February 14, 2024
Students deserve to learn with a sense of purpose
There are examples of California schools that build students' belief in themselves, but they're islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity.
Roman Stearns
February 13, 2024
Strategic, sustainable residencies can help solve the teacher shortage
If educator candidates are paid a living wage and receive plenty of support, they are more likely to remain in the profession.