Sydney Johnson
Follow @@sydneyfjohnsonSydney Johnson covers math and science, among other topics. Before joining EdSource, Sydney was an assistant editor at EdSurge where she covered higher education and technology. Her work has also appeared in Slate, The Huffington Post, the East Bay Express, San Francisco magazine and other outlets. She has a B.A. and a B.S. from UC Berkeley.
All articles by Sydney Johnson
Thousands of California students to get free Wi-Fi and Chromebooks for distance learning
About 20 percent of California students do not have access to the internet at home.
Sydney Johnson
April 1, 2020
List of California K-12 districts closed for in-person instruction due to coronavirus
EdSource is tracking schools in California that have closed due to the coronavirus.
Sydney Johnson
March 25, 2020
Rural California district stays open despite statewide stay-at-home order
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is urging the small district in Tulare County to close.
Sydney Johnson
March 24, 2020
Nearly all California K-12 districts closed to avoid spread of coronavirus while few in rural remain open
More than 99 percent of all K-12 students in California are affected by school closings.
Sydney Johnson
March 18, 2020
Coronavirus could delay standardized testing until later in school year for California students
School districts can't cancel testing without approval, but they can delay it to later in the school year.
Sydney Johnson
March 11, 2020
California K-12 schools prepare for coronavirus-related closures
Experts say lack of child care, limited access to internet and computers for some, and teacher training would hinder online learning for many schools.
Sydney Johnson
March 5, 2020
California’s largest district rolls out seal of approval for STEM schools
Los Angeles Unified is encouraging STEM schools to get a certificate indicating that the school meets high standards set by the district.
Sydney Johnson
March 3, 2020
Less than a third of California students met or exceeded standards on new science test
The results are the first set of scores for a new test aligned with California’s new science standards.
Sydney Johnson
February 7, 2020
California parents sharpen their computer science skills alongside students
Family coding events have spurred some districts to increase computer science offerings during the school day.
Sydney Johnson
February 5, 2020
New push in California to increase diversity among math and science teachers
For years the need for trained and qualified teachers has been growing in schools across California, especially in math and science.
Sydney Johnson
January 15, 2020
Disconnected: Internet stops once school ends for many rural California students
Only about a third of California households in rural areas are subscribed to internet service, compared with 78 percent in urban areas.
Sydney Johnson
December 6, 2019
U.S. math scores remain flat on international test of 15-year-olds
U.S. math scores have not budged significantly since 2003 on the worldwide assessment.
Sydney Johnson
December 3, 2019
Students talk through math in this California school. Now test scores are rising.
Math scores for Latino students have more than doubled at Robbins Elementary since 2014-15.
Sydney Johnson
November 18, 2019
As fires rage, pressure mounts to train California’s next generation of forest stewards
Similar to other STEM fields, employers in California’s natural resources industries are in need of a larger and more diverse pool of applicants.
Sydney Johnson
November 1, 2019
California parents and educators help students cope with fire trauma, again
Schools and colleges across the state have had to shut their doors this week due to smoke, power shutoffs or direct fire danger.