Ali Tadayon
Ali Tadayon covers West Contra Costa Unified School District and other K-12 issues for EdSource. Prior to joining EdSource at the start of 2020 as a Journalism Resident, he covered the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Emeryville, El Cerrito and San Pablo for the Bay Area News Group. Tadayon cut his teeth as a crime reporter at the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, CA and the Post Register in Idaho Falls, Idaho. His work has earned several awards, including two John Swett Awards from the California Teachers Association for coverage of the Oakland Unified School District. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
All articles by Ali Tadayon
El Cerrito High School students run their own radio shows as part of class
El Cerrito High School's radio class allows students to host their own radio shows, which they say allows their voices to be heard by a wider audience.
Ali Tadayon
May 25, 2023
Roundtable: Best practices for teaching English learners how to read
A panel of experts told EdSource on Tuesday that for English Language learners, it’s important to balance phonics and other reading skills all students need with opportunities to grow students’ understanding of the language they are learning.
Ali Tadayon
May 24, 2023
Students, families celebrate at West Contra Costa Unified’s first prom for students with special needs
The event was the first of its kind at West Contra Costa Unified and was planned for students with extensive support needs.
Ali Tadayon
May 2, 2023
California districts see more chronic absenteeism than before pandemic
While districts have seen some improvement from last year on reducing chronic absenteeism, the rates are still much higher than before the pandemic.
Ali Tadayon
April 17, 2023
West Contra Costa Unified school board rejects layoff proposal
The West Contra Costa Unified school board rejected proposals to reduce hours and cut dozens of school worker positions.
Ali Tadayon
March 16, 2023
Layoffs for next year up for vote by West Contra Costa Unified school board
The district is proposing to lay off a yet-to-be-determined number of school workers next year, leaving union leaders confused.
Ali Tadayon
March 10, 2023
West Contra Costa Unified braces for more major budget cuts
West Contra Costa Unified will have to cut almost $20 million from its 2024-25 budget in order to remain fiscally solvent, according to a plan approved Wednesday.
Ali Tadayon
March 2, 2023
Astronaut-in-training infuses space science into West Contra Costa Unified middle school classes
Tobi Thomas incorporates the knowledge and research from his astronaut training into his middle school science lessons.
Ali Tadayon
February 23, 2023
Contract agreement between West Contra Costa Unified and teachers union avoids potential strike and immediate layoffs
United Teachers of Richmond will vote this week to ratify the contract
Ali Tadayon
February 13, 2023
Budget plan, possible cuts, required for West Contra Costa Unified to settle contract talks with teachers union
The Contra Costa County Office of Education downgraded West Contra Costa Unified's budget certification, requiring the district to develop a plan to cut costs
Ali Tadayon
February 9, 2023
California teachers call on their districts for contractual commitment to community schools
Local teachers unions in the middle of bargaining with their districts want to see community schools included in their contracts.
Ali Tadayon
January 27, 2023
Late-in-term shuffling of teachers harms classes, say faculty and officials
Los Angeles Unified and West Contra Costa Unified hope to move teachers earlier in future years if needed.
Ali Tadayon
October 21, 2022
Stanford admits to anti-Semitic admission practices in the 1950s
Stanford has apologized to the Jewish community and pledges to improve campus life for Jewish students going forward.
Ali Tadayon
October 13, 2022
Coalition says 'science of reading-aligned' core curricula barely used in California
Most districts used the same three core reading programs from the State Board of Education’s 2015 list of pre-approved curricula
Ali Tadayon
October 11, 2022
Healthier options on the menu as California begins providing free meals for all students
California districts are using increased state and local funding to improve the free school meals offered to all students