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January 21, 2015

Child care costs featured in State of the Union speech

President Barack Obama, addressing the surging cost of child care that burdens most parents, proposed in his State of the Union speech to significantly expand child tax credits to help ease the costs to middle-class families.

Michael Collier

January 20, 2015

Report says LCAPs need tighter focus

Calling the new state-mandated local accountability plans “a daunting undertaking,” the Legislative Analyst’s Office called on the Legislature to allow school districts to write more focused annual plans for achievement.

John Fensterwald

January 20, 2015

Diverse field for community college bachelor's degrees

Programs in mortuary science, dental hygiene and automotive technology are among those selected to pilot bachelor’s degrees at California community colleges, officials announced Tuesday.

Michelle Maitre

January 19, 2015

California creates system for rating early childhood centers

For the first time in California, thousands of early-learning centers across the state, from preschools to licensed child-care centers and homes, are in the process of implementing a common system to rate the quality of their programs.

Michael Collier

January 15, 2015

Governor's proposed budget called "a gift" to adult education

The governor’s proposed budget, unveiled last week, allocates $500 million in an Adult Education Block Grant, with a provision that existing K-12 adult ed programs be funded for another year. The funding would restore the money many programs lost during the recession.

Susan Frey

January 14, 2015

How to report test scores to parents debated

With California students set to begin taking new Smarter Balanced tests in the Common Core State Standards this spring, state education officials are worried about how parents will view the results – especially if, as experts predict, their kids’ initial scores will be low.

John Fensterwald

January 14, 2015

Suspensions, expulsions down statewide

New state data show a steep drop in suspensions and expulsions of California students, continuing a downward trend. Altogether, 20 percent fewer students were expelled and 15 percent fewer students were suspended in 2013-14 than in the previous year.

Susan Frey

January 14, 2015

Anaheim parents move to force school reforms

A group of parents in the Anaheim City School District on Wednesday submitted petitions to force reforms at their children’s struggling elementary school – changes that may include turning the school into a charter.

Karla Scoon Reid

January 13, 2015

Teacher survey: Change tenure, layoff laws

Gov. Jerry Brown said last week he's open to changing tenure and other teacher employment laws at issue in the Vergara v. State of California lawsuit, and most teachers in a new survey say they want to change them, too.

John Fensterwald

January 13, 2015

San Francisco to expand preschool program

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced Tuesday that he will expand the city’s Preschool for All program after voters in November approved a ballot measure to help fund public education and children’s services for a quarter-century.

Michael Collier

January 12, 2015

Preschool advocates seek more funding

Advocates for expanding preschool to low-income 4-year-olds were disappointed with the 4,000 additional enrollment slots proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown in his 2015-16 budget released Friday. Some were hoping for at least 10,000 additional slots.

Susan Frey

January 9, 2015

Education funding surges in governor's budget

State money for K-12 schools and community colleges is projected to slow to a trickle, starting in two years, when temporary taxes from Proposition 30 start drying up. But for now, there’ll be buckets of money.

John Fensterwald

January 9, 2015

Gov. Brown targets teacher preparation

Gov. Jerry Brown ventured Friday for the first time during his governorship into the challenge of preparing -- and retaining -- teachers. The issue has received relatively short shrift in the raft of reforms being implemented in California schools.

Louis Freedberg

January 9, 2015

Education wins big in budget

Between Proposition 30 tax revenue and an improving economy, K-14 education in California is looking to win big in Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2015-16 budget.

EdSource staff

January 8, 2015

Digital Library's use, usefulness questioned

Midway through the school year, about half the state’s teachers have access to a new "Digital Library" the state purchased to help them teach the Common Core State Standards, but it’s unclear how many teachers are actually using it and how useful it is.

John Fensterwald