Tony Thurmond

November 6, 2019

State audit finds education money not serving high-needs students, calls for changes in funding law

After examining three districts' spending, State Auditor Elaine Howle calls for tighter controls over Local Control Funding Formula.

November 5, 2019

California schools closed for unprecedented number of days due to fire, power outages

Hundreds of schools were closed for multiple days in October, leaving school districts worried about losing instruction days and state funds.

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.

October 10, 2019

How did students at your child’s school do on Smarter Balanced tests?

Readers can access results for California’s Smarter Balanced tests taken by students in the spring in nearly 10,000 school statewide.

October 4, 2019

Charter school reform in California: what state leaders had to say

Gov. Newsom, key legislators and charter school advocates and skeptics pledged to build on the collaboration that made compromise possible.

October 3, 2019

New era for charter schools: Newsom signs bill after intensive negotiations

For the first time, school districts will be able to consider a proposed charter school’s financial impact.

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.

August 23, 2019

Boosting California college graduations is governor panel's first task

Education leaders will privately advise Gov. Newsom on college access and success. Some experts want the group to have more authority.

August 15, 2019

Criticism of draft curriculum for ethnic studies in California intensifies

State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond join those calling for a major revision.

July 25, 2019

Dissent within statewide task force adds tension to California’s charter school debate

There's full agreement on 4 proposals but anger among some task force members over 7 proposals passed by a narrow majority as a package.

June 19, 2019

Charter school authorizers come under greater scrutiny in California

Most school districts oversee only a handful of charter schools, and lack the skills or resources to fully oversee them.

June 7, 2019

Gov. Newsom’s task force recommends more discretion to deny charter schools

The group reached a consensus on giving school districts the power to consider the “saturation” by and the academic need for charter schools.

May 3, 2019

First on new California state superintendent’s long agenda: getting more men of color in the classroom

Tony Thurmond is creating work groups to focus on critical education issues while building a relationship with Gavin Newsom and building confidence in a state education department that’s been understaffed and underfunded.

John Fensterwald

April 19, 2019

Outside public view, panel faces tight deadline to recommend reforms of California's charter school law

The Charter Task Force is taking on one of the most heated education reform issues in the state and is shooting to come up with recommendations to send to Gov. Newsom by July 1.

Louis Freedberg

March 8, 2019

California governor's new task force on charter schools convenes

The task force will examine the financial impact of charter schools and report back to Gov. Gavin Newsom.