California Department of Education

November 16, 2022

Voters reelected Tony Thurmond; now he needs to keep his promises on literacy

California needs to be screening all K-2 students for dyslexia and should also mandate that districts use literacy curriculum based on the science of reading.

October 7, 2022

Why EdSource pushed for the release of California test scores

My children, who were in 4th and 9th grade when the world shut down in March 2020, lost some ground over the last two years in key academic areas. How could they not?

September 27, 2022

California reverses course, will release Smarter Balanced test scores next month, official says

State test results that will reveal how students fared through the pandemic will be released in October, a state official now says. This is a reversal of of the state's position just last week in which it refused an EdSource public records request to release the data.

Thomas Peele

Student Well-Being

August 25, 2022

Beyond gender-neutral bathrooms: A guide to rights and protections for LGBTQ+ students

California laws protect LGBTQ+ students from harassment and support their right to identify as they wish

Carolyn Jones

Credentialing

August 4, 2022

Poorer students still get the least qualified teachers, but California has made progress

There are 40% more teachers in poor schools who lack the required qualifications than in the richest schools, an EdSource analysis found.

Diana Lambert, John Fensterwald, And Daniel J. Willis

Credentialing

June 30, 2022

Nearly 1 out of 5 classes in California taught by underprepared teachers

A new state database of teacher assignments shows that 17% of K-12 classes in 2020-21 were taught by teachers without the credential or training to teach the course.

Diana Lambert, Daniel J. Willis, And Yuxuan Xie

Analysis

April 14, 2022

Where are all of California's school librarians?

California has fewer credentialed teacher librarians in its school libraries per student than almost every state in the nation, a fact that research shows could be hurting students academically.

Diana Lambert

Coronavirus

February 9, 2022

Failing to enforce California's Covid-19 vaccine mandate may put school districts in financial peril

Districts that defy California vaccine mandates, set to begin in July, could face fines, lose liability insurance coverage and some state funding.

Diana Lambert And Ali Tadayon

College Readiness

January 28, 2022

California high school graduation rate held steady during pandemic

California's graduation rate held steady last school year, despite Zoom schooling. But the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Diana Lambert And Daniel J. Willis

Coping With Covid

January 7, 2022

High Covid rates, staff shortages and confusing legislation challenge schools' reopenings

School officials are struggling to keep schools open amid Covid outbreaks and staffing shortages. Conflicting messages from California state officials are making it even more difficult.

Diana Lambert, John Fensterwald, And Ali Tadayon

Quick Guides

January 5, 2022

New effort aims to count all California homeless students | Quick Guide

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 27 into law recently after researchers estimated the number of homeless students in California has increased during the pandemic.