EdSource Commentaries
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All articles by EdSource Commentaries
Too much talk, not enough action for Black students in California
California leaders need to be as bold with their actions as they are with their rhetoric.
Natalie Wheatfall-Lum
August 30, 2023
Newsom and DeSantis walk into a bar: How polarized education debates fail us all
The political rhetoric between the rival governors of California and Florida fails to shed real light on education.
Arun Ramanathan
August 29, 2023
A new resource provides trauma-informed training for educators
The Office of the California Surgeon General has launched free, self-paced training to help educators, school personnel and child care providers understand and respond to trauma and stress in children.
Diana Ramos and Linda Darling-Hammond
August 28, 2023
The trouble with labels: words become prophesy
Deemed "not college material," he took the tag to heart and soon wound up in prison. But behind bars, he learned who he truly was and graduated from college summa cum laude.
Dortell Williams
August 23, 2023
How we can make access to computer science education in California more equitable
Only 39% of California high schools offer at least one computer science class and, research shows, girls from every background as well as Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Pacific Islander students have fewer opportunities to take classes in computer science.
Paula Nazario
August 23, 2023
Raising salaries while increasing tuition shows CSU leaders' priorities are badly misplaced
The CSU trustees' current course of action threatens to overburden students while further enriching CSU executives.
Dominic Quan Treseler
August 22, 2023
California's new math framework has powerful potential to close students' knowledge gaps
Allowing teachers to teach based on grade bands rather than being restricted to grade levels provides more opportunities to help students catch up.
Joel Rose
August 21, 2023
Parents should get more involved with their local school board; here's how
In San Francisco, a grassroots parents group has focused on centering the education of students, not he political ambitions of school commissioners.
Gerald Kanapathy and Ericka Moreno
August 17, 2023
Democracy hangs in the balance in the battle over parental rights
The social controversies roiling public schools will profoundly affect the rights of children, the rights of parents and our obligation to educate children in a democratic society.
Carol Kocivar
August 16, 2023
College remains a sure path to success
Debates about student debt have led to a false narrative that college is unaffordable, and therefore not worth it.
Monica Martinez
August 16, 2023
Districts must empower teachers to lead the way for whole-child education
Anaheim Union High School District is jettisoning teach-to-test instruction, and creating opportunities for students to have choice and voice in their learning to ensure every graduate is career- and college-ready.
Barnett Berry, Marisa Saunders, Natalie Fensterstock and Peter Moyi
August 16, 2023
California should lower barriers for students receiving financial aid
Existing "satisfactory academic progress standards" are creating undue barriers for students that benefit the most from Cal Grant and Pell Grant funding.
Alexandra Lewandowski
August 15, 2023
To improve attendance, we must build connection, understanding and community
Only when kids feel engaged with their teachers and schools will they be motivated to miss as little time in class as they can.
Debra Duardo
August 14, 2023
Trading data access for researchers' silence is the wrong way forward for California education
Gatekeeping data and shutting out those who don’t comply with the agency’s politics is not the answer.
Paige Kowalski
August 14, 2023
Don't compromise student mental health to address other pressing problems
The governor's proposal to radically revise the Mental Health Services Act, a proposal that will have a dramatic impact on our youth, potentially reducing funding for mental health services for youth by millions of dollars.