California Department of Education

October 11, 2019

Push to increase the number of teachers of color in California classrooms gains momentum

Increasing the number of teachers of color in California classrooms is a top priority for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Diana Lambert

September 19, 2019

California needs time to get ethnic studies curriculum right

The debate over whether ethnic studies is an appropriate and valuable course for high school students was settled long ago.

Linda Darling-Hammond

September 16, 2019

California’s widely criticized ethnic studies plan to be revised

Critics said the original proposal was politically biased and omitted the American experiences of some ethnic and religious groups.

Diana Lambert

May 20, 2019

Lawsuit challenges use of restraint, seclusion in California special education school

The guardians of four special education students claim their children were illegally put in restraint holds and secluded.

Diana Lambert

May 6, 2019

Conservative religious groups targeting California’s sex education guidance

With the State Board of Education set to vote on new teaching guidelines, groups have launched an aggressive effort to remove recommendations focused on LGBTQ inclusiveness and others they deem too explicit for young students.

David Washburn

March 19, 2019

New training for California preschool teachers to help bilingual children prepare for kindergarten

The trainings teach preschool teachers how to help children learn English and keep their home languages, so they can be more successful in kindergarten and beyond.

Zaidee Stavely

February 10, 2019

Kamala Harris’s stance on truancy resurfaces as she launches presidential campaign

A 2010 video clip of California senator and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris advocating the prosecution of parents for their children's truancy has re-ignited controversy as schools statewide face greater scrutiny for their rates of chronic absenteeism.

David Washburn

January 31, 2019

Chronic absenteeism in California schools up slightly, new data show

More than 1 in 10 students statewide were chronically absent from school in 2017-18. Rates for students in marginalized groups much higher than the state average.

David Washburn

January 15, 2019

Trauma in Paradise: A California school system focuses on mental health after devastating fire

As students and educators in and around the town of Paradise begin a new semester, just two months since the deadliest wildfire in California history, they are carrying with them levels of trauma that will certainly impact their ability to learn and teach, experts say.

David Washburn

November 28, 2018

California school districts to get ‘wake-up call’ with new absenteeism measures

At least 40 percent of California school districts and charter schools have rates of chronic absence in grades K-8 that are high or very high based on new performance measures that will be unveiled next month.

David Washburn

November 28, 2018

Plans come into focus for California schools ravaged by wildfires

Officials have identified three elementary schools that will take Paradise Unified students displaced by the deadly Camp Fire and are close to securing a site for middle and high schoolers.

David Washburn And Diana Lambert

November 21, 2018

Tony Thurmond names second in command at California Department of Education

Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, will return to the state's department of education where she held key positions for a dozen years.

John Fensterwald

November 20, 2018

Paradise educators find resilience amid fire's destruction

School officials throughout Butte County are working furiously to find classrooms for children who lost their schools in the Camp Fire, while also worrying about the emotional impact of the losses on students and teachers.

David Washburn And Diana Lambert

October 11, 2018

A future in flux: what next for the California Department of Education?

Without a lot more money, the next state superintendent of public instruction must clarify the department's role under local control.

John Fensterwald

September 13, 2018

Most districts complying with California’s sex ed law, but resistance remains

The vast majority of large urban districts statewide have implemented the 2015 California Healthy Youth Act. Yet uproar over the landmark law has garnered headlines in a few places, most notably Orange County.

David Washburn