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Race and Equity

Nationwide protests for racial justice have resulted in calls for the removal of police from school campuses and greater attention to education equity and closing achievement gaps. This section includes articles and commentaries that explore questions of equity and race in California’s public schools.

Bilingual Education
September 21, 2020

Spanish-language resources help parents deal with challenges of distance learning

Spanish-language resources help parents understand how to navigate distance learning.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Elections and Education
September 16, 2020

California ballot measure to lift ban on affirmative action widely opposed by surveyed voters

Prop. 16 appears in trouble, but voters narrowly support taxing commercial property to raise billions for schools and local governments.

John Fensterwald
Race and Equity
September 1, 2020

California to require ethnic studies to graduate high school under bill headed to Gov. Newsom

Assembly Bill 331 would take effect with the class of 2030; author Jose Medina accepts several amendments proposed by critics.

John Fensterwald
Race and Equity
August 18, 2020

San Diego State to pioneer race relations requirement in criminal justice program

Other universities in the CSU system and nationwide are turning to San Diego State to develop courses that explore racism and discrimination.

Will Simon
Race and Equity
August 14, 2020

Ethnic studies mandate for California K-12 students gaining momentum in Legislature

The debate continues on what should be in an ethnics studies curriculum; legislators must decide whether to be the first state to require it.

John Fensterwald
East Bay
August 5, 2020

West Contra Costa Unified to rethink student safety after ending police contracts

The district plans to take a more holistic approach to student safety by relying less on law enforcement for non-serious incidents.

Ali Tadayon
Race and Equity
August 5, 2020

Virtual learning hub led by Oakland parent group aims to continue in fall

Building on summer pilot program, nonprofit group wants to help Oakland students in a program that gives low-income parents a stipend to oversee their child's online learning.

Theresa Harrington
Student Wellbeing
July 28, 2020

Trump administration refuses to accept new applications for DACA program

Trump administration will continue limit DACA program, which provides temporary relief from deportation for undocumented students.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Teacher Voices
July 24, 2020

Cultural proficiency for teachers can no longer be an option

Teachers must learn to embrace diversity and recognize that cultural differences are assets, not barriers.

Tamra Simpson
College & Careers
July 22, 2020

California State University students required to take ethnic studies or social justice class under new policy

CSU trustees vote to approve policy while legislation with a stricter ethnic studies requirement makes its way through the Legislature.

Michael Burke
Teacher Voices
July 13, 2020

President of Newport-Mesa teachers’ union talks about race and education in Orange County

New president of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers shares what it has been like teach in a district where she is one of only a handful of Black teachers.

Interview by Sandra Asper/Costa Mesa Brief
Federal Education Policy
July 6, 2020

President Trump accuses schools of “extreme indoctrination” of children

President says children are being “taught to hate their own country,” while former vice president Joe Biden says teachers should have more authority in the classroom

Louis Freedberg
Commentary
July 6, 2020

We must reimagine public education — here’s how

Pandemic presents an opportunity to make public schools work better for all children.

Gloria Lee
College & Careers
July 1, 2020

California State University faculty call for reforms to improve racial justice across system

Faculty are demanding that CSU reform police, require students take ethnic studies classes and erase racial pay gaps, among other requests.

Michael Burke
Commentary
June 25, 2020

Now is the right moment to measure educational disparities

Schooling and student needs have changed, and we should be responsive to that.

Christopher Edley, Jr. and Maria Echaveste