May 15, 2019

‘Inconvenient truths’ missing from Oakland report on charter schools

Charter schools did not cause Oakland’s problems and preventing more students from choosing charter schools will not fix them, researchers say.

Robin Lake and Ashley Jochim

May 14, 2019

Putting a focus on Bay Area district: superintendent and union president team up

West Contra Costa Unified’s superintendent and teachers’ union president work together on videos to attract families to district schools.

Theresa Harrington

May 13, 2019

Saving Stege: What will it take to redesign this struggling California school?

The West Contra Costa Unified School District has embarked on an 18-month plan to redesign a struggling East Bay school. Will it succeed?

Zaidee Stavely

May 9, 2019

California approves new guidance for teaching sex education

The sex education recommendations are part of the state's overall health education framework approved by the board and have generated fierce opposition from conservative religious groups.

David Washburn

May 6, 2019

Oakland Unified committed to fixing fiscal problems, but state must also step up

As district recovers after strike, superintendent calls on state to provide more funding.

Kyla Johnson-Trammell

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

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 26, 2019

Despite education reforms, foster students in California lag far behind on multiple measures 

Some school districts emerge as models for serving foster youth, but others are doing little to target them with specific programs.

Rob Waters

April 24, 2019

For principals, biggest task is creating a school culture without the threat of gun violence

In survey, principals say more time is spent addressing problems associated with the threat of gun violence than any other challenge.

John Rogers

April 23, 2019

A ‘booster shot’ for California’s vaccine law?

Sen. Richard Pan is proposing a bill to curb medical exemptions for vaccinations of public school students.

Julie Patel Liss

April 22, 2019

We must embrace equity over elitism in higher education

College quality to should be measured by the number and diversity of the students they graduate, not by institutional wealth and high rejection rates, author says.

Kim A. Wilcox

April 19, 2019

As a candidate for president, Harris taking a softer stance on truancy than she did as a prosecutor

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris championed tough-on-truancy laws while serving as San Francisco’s district attorney and California attorney general. Now she's taking heat for it on the campaign trail.

David Washburn

April 18, 2019

Teach for America targeted as legislation seeks to limit inexperienced teachers in California

Assemblywoman has introduced a bill that would ban some inexperienced teachers from schools with a high percentage of low-income students.

Theresa Harrington

April 12, 2019

California plan for school construction bonds sparks debate for reform

Advocates for more equitable state funding of school facilities see proposals for multi-billion dollar state construction bonds in 2020 and 2022 as a chance to make a case for changing the state formula for distributing money.

John Fensterwald

April 4, 2019

Better data helps San Diego schools more effectively address chronic absenteeism

Effective use of data can help schools do more of what works and less of what doesn’t, authors say.

Debbie Lieberman and Tia Anzellotti