John Fensterwald
John Fensterwald, staff writer, joined EdSource in 2012. Before that, he was editor and co-writer for The Educated Guess website, a leading source of California education policy reporting and opinion, which he founded in 2009. For 11 years before then, John wrote editorials for the Mercury News in San Jose, with a focus on education. He worked as a reporter, news editor and opinion editor for three newspapers in New Hampshire before receiving a Knight Fellowship at Stanford University in 1997. His wife is a retired elementary school teacher, and his daughter is a neurology resident at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine.
All articles by John Fensterwald
New funding law creates disparity among low-income schools
High-need schools in wealthier districts receive less supplemental money.
John Fensterwald
March 18, 2015
State's choice of testing contractor disputed
Hiring teachers to score new Common Core tests is a priority.
John Fensterwald
March 15, 2015
State Board of Education suspends API for another year
Board buys time to create broader measures of school performance.
John Fensterwald
March 11, 2015
For parents, a new way to view test scores
State Board of Education gives preview of format for Smarter Balanced scores
John Fensterwald
March 10, 2015
Republicans' bills would change teacher tenure, layoff laws
Lawmakers say they need to respond now to Vergara ruling.
John Fensterwald
March 5, 2015
Bill would steer extra revenue to Common Core implementation
Districts would get $900 million if extra revenue comes through.
John Fensterwald
March 4, 2015
Moving beyond a single measure of a school
The state board envisions a very different system post-Academic Performance Index.
John Fensterwald
March 1, 2015
Khan Academy launches ambitious math 'challenge'
Over the past decade, the free instructional website Khan Academy has transformed how tens of millions of students across the globe perceive and approach math. Now, it’s pursuing a bigger aim: transforming how students perceive themselves.
John Fensterwald
February 9, 2015
State seeking No Child Left Behind exemption again
For the second straight year, California will ask the federal government to exempt it from using scores on the new assessments that students will take this spring to measure progress in math and English language arts, a key requirement under the No Child Left Behind law.
John Fensterwald
February 3, 2015
Districts seeking reimbursement for Common Core test costs
The state could be liable for as much as $1 billion per year in costs if a group of school districts succeeds in winning reimbursement for expenses associated with the implementation of computer-based tests in the Common Core and other new state standards.
John Fensterwald
January 29, 2015
Groups push for English learner advocate on state board
The leaders of 20 nonprofit organizations have called on Gov. Jerry Brown to name “an individual with a track record of advocating on behalf of English learners” to one of two vacancies on the State Board of Education.
John Fensterwald
January 29, 2015
Teachers ask high court to hear union dues case
Attorneys for teachers who are challenging the right of the California Teachers Association to force them to pay union dues petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to hear their case this year. There’s a good chance that it will.
John Fensterwald
January 28, 2015
PTA to award prizes for parents who do their homework
Paying kids to do homework is a controversial issue among parents. Paying parents to do homework – about critical issues affecting their kids’ schools – is a good deal from the California PTA.
John Fensterwald
January 23, 2015
LAO backs repealing cap on districts' reserves
The California School Boards Association’s campaign to persuade the Legislature to reverse a cap on school district reserves got a boost this week when the Legislative Analyst’s Office issued a report endorsing a repeal.
John Fensterwald
January 22, 2015
Brown, districts at odds over school construction bonds
Gov. Jerry Brown wants the state to cease issuing K-12 construction bonds, leaving school districts to pay the tab to build schools. A coalition of districts and the building industry says it will put a $9 billion bond before voters next year.