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Quick Guides

EdSource’s quick guides make complex education issues easier to understand. These brief explanatory articles provide an introduction to key trends, systems, institutions and debates in California education and the context you need to go deeper. Have a suggestion for a topic that would benefit from a similar explainer? Let us know!

Quick Guides
August 11, 2022

Basic needs at the California community colleges | Quick Guide

California Community Colleges must now offer a basic needs center at all 115 of its physical campuses. Most centers will offer food and housing support to begin.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Quick Guides
March 29, 2022

Parents’ guide to 504 plans and IEPs: What they are and how they're different

With more students qualifying for special education, understanding the options is crucial for parents as they advocate for their children.

Carolyn Jones
Quick Guides
January 31, 2022

What are the best masks for children to wear at school during the omicron surge? | Quick Guide

Due to the omicron variant's higher transmissibility, medical experts are recommending avoiding cloth masks and surgical masks in favor of higher-quality KN95 or KF94 masks.

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.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Quick Guides
November 10, 2021

What California parents need to know about Covid vaccinations for children | Quick Guide

Children 5 and older are now eligible to get a Covid-19 vaccination, but widespread misinformation about it has left parents with questions.

Diana Lambert
Quick Guides
October 11, 2021

New state law puts California’s Juvenile Justice System at a crossroads | Quick Guide

Recent laws have spurred historic changes to the state's juvenile system, where hundreds of young people are incarcerated each year at one of the state's four facilities.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Quick Guides
August 26, 2021

What is independent study in California? | Quick Guide

Independent study is this year's at-home alternative to in-person instruction for parents worried about contracting Covid. How will it work?

John Fensterwald And Sydney Johnson
Quick Guides
August 17, 2021

Pandemic prompts grief support in schools | Quick Guide

An ACLU survey in March found that more than 30% of students said they’d lost someone close to them over the past year.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Quick Guides
July 23, 2021

California K-12 Covid safety practices for the new school year | Q&A

K-12 districts have guidance on how to safely reopen campuses when California schools resume in the fall. Here's what you need to know.

Ali Tadayon
Quick Guides
June 9, 2021

Quick Guide: Ethnic studies requirement coming to California community colleges

California's community colleges plan to require many students to take an ethnic studies class. Here's what you need to know.

Michael Burke
Quick Guides
June 4, 2021

Quick guide: How do college savings accounts work?

Learn more about college savings accounts and state and local proposals to start them for low-income youth.

Ali Tadayon And Betty Márquez Rosales
Coronavirus
May 18, 2021

Quick Guide: Where do things stand on in-person instruction in California?

This guide provides answers to frequently asked questions about how California is moving forward with plans for reopening the state’s K-12 schools for full in-person instructions.

EdSource staff
Quick Guides
April 4, 2021

Quick Guide: What California’s now defunct color-coded county tracking system meant for schools

Learn more about the state's tiered system of assessing coronavirus risk and how it relates to schools.

Ali Tadayon
Coronavirus
February 25, 2021

Quick Guide: California colleges and universities respond to the coronavirus

Get quick answers to common questions about California colleges and universities are responding to the pandemic and how students can access aid and support.

Ashley A. Smith, Michael Burke, And Larry Gordon
School Finance
September 30, 2020

Quick Guide: Proposition 15, the proposed ‘split-roll’ tax on commercial property, defeated

Big corporate property owners would pay the bulk of new taxes; opponents claim costs would be borne by small business renters.

John Fensterwald