Education Beat

Ethnic studies requirement sparks debate in Palo Alto Jan 30, 2025

A school board meeting in Palo Alto Unified offers a peek into an argument brewing in some school districts statewide over whether ethnic studies should be a requirement for all high school students, and what the course should — or shouldn’t — teach.

Students say the courses opened their eyes to inequities in their own communities and taught them history about African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans that they hadn't learned in other classes.

Some parents and school board members in the community argue that courses in some districts take a one-sided view that stresses white supremacy, colonialism and capitalism are the obstacles to racial justice.

Guest:

John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

This episode also includes voices from students, parents, teachers and school board members, from a school board meeting held on Jan. 23, 2025.

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

California is preparing more Latino teachers than before Jan 23, 2025

The majority of students in California schools are Latino, while the teachers are mostly white. But that could now be changing, as more people of Latino heritage enroll in teacher preparation programs in the state.

How can more Latino teachers change California education?

Guests:

Zulya Nunez, Teacher candidate, San Diego State University
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Teachers, students reel from Los Angeles fires Jan 16, 2025

The firestorms in Los Angeles have destroyed at least nine schools and displaced hundreds of teachers and students.

A teacher shares the story of her family's escape, and a reporter describes the physical and emotional damage to schools and communities.

Guests:

Tanya Reyes, teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District and parent in Pasadena Unified School District
Mallika Seshadri, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: Los Angeles schools close, brace for more fire, wind and ash

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What to watch for in California education in 2025 Jan 09, 2025

The new year is a time of rituals and traditions. Some people swear by eating black-eyed peas or lentils every January 1st to bring good luck. Others eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. At EdSource, we turn to John Fensterwald and his annual predictions column.

Every year, John tells us what he thinks might or might not happen in California education this year. Sometimes he's wrong. But he often gets more than a few things right. Listen in to find out what he foresees for 2025.

Guest:

John Fensterwald, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Bachelor’s degrees in prison offer incarcerated students a second chance (Re-broadcast) Jan 02, 2025

This week we’re re-running a special episode from 2023 that recently won 1st place for best longform storytelling in audio from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California.

The last couple of years have seen an expansion of bachelor’s degree programs in prison.

Inside the first women’s program at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, incarcerated women are working to rebuild their lives by pursuing these higher degrees.

Guests:

Melanie Gandara, formerly incarcerated student
Canesha Sherron Sinclair, incarcerated student
Kelsey Morasci, incarcerated student
Professor Tad Bellew, anthropology professor, Fresno State University
Professor Keramet Reiter, criminology and law professor, University of California, Irvine
Allen Burnett, formerly incarcerated student

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

Family reunited after four years separated by immigration policy (Re-broadcast) Dec 26, 2024

This week we’re re-running an episode from 2023, that won several awards this year, including a 1st place in immigration reporting and one of the best podcasts in the state from the California News Publishers Association, and 3rd place in immigration and border reporting from Best of the West.

About 1 in 10 children in California have at least one undocumented immigrant parent. The immigration struggles of parents have real impacts on children, including on their education.

This is the story of a Central Valley dad who had been undocumented but went to apply for his green card and ended up separated from his wife and four kids, because of a change in immigration policy under the first Trump administration. His forced absence created emotional and financial burdens for his entire family and derailed some of his children’s college plans.

Voices:

José Luis Ruiz Arévalos
Armanda Ruiz
Elena Gutiérrez Ramírez
Nathan Gutiérrez Ramírez
Ignacio Gutiérrez Ramírez
Priscila Ruiz Ramírez
Erin Quinn, Senior managing attorney, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Jennifer Molina contributed to the reporting for this episode.

How a ballet scholarship inspired a student to pursue her dreams Dec 19, 2024

When Gabriela Rodriguez was in third grade in San Jose Unified, her teacher recommended her for a scholarship to join the New Ballet school. Now, at 19, she is starring in The San Jose Nutcracker and dreams of teaching others the joy of dance.

How can dance and other arts inspire and impact students' education and life trajectories?

Guests:

Gabriela Rodriguez, ballet student and dancer, New Ballet
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: Ballet opens doors for children to chase the joy of dance

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Should colleges give credit for learning outside the classroom? Dec 12, 2024

Alice Keeney had to study for months in the Navy to learn how to operate nuclear reactors that power submarines and aircraft carriers. But when she tried to transfer her classes over to Cal Poly Pomona, they wouldn't give her credit.

Why is credit for learning outside the classroom important? And how did Alice — and her allies — eventually change how CSUs evaluate transcripts?

Guests:

Alice Keeney, Former machinist mate in the Navy and former student at Cal Poly Pomona
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How one rural county is putting more social workers in schools Dec 05, 2024

Tulare County, in California's Central Valley, struggles with very high poverty rates and youth mental health issues that were exacerbated by the pandemic. It also has one of the lowest numbers of school mental health workers in the state.

So now the county is giving internships to graduate students in social work and placing them in schools, in an effort to tackle the shortage.

How can this strategy help students? What challenges do school social workers face in counties like Tulare?

Guests:

Greg Salcedo, School social worker, Tulare Joint Union High School District
Vani Sanganeria, Local News Fellow, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A teacher removed, a play censored, and the chilling effect that followed (Re-broadcast) Nov 27, 2024

This week we are re-airing an episode from 2023 that won an Excellence in Journalism Award for Education Reporting in the Radio/Audio/Podcast category, from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California.

A high school drama teacher was removed from the classroom in Temecula Valley Unified, after a parent complained students were reading the Pulitzer-prize-winning play, “Angels in America,” about the AIDS epidemic in New York during the 1980s.

What happened in the months after the teacher’s removal? And how did it affect other teachers and students?

Guests:

Greg Bailey, Drama teacher, Temecula Valley High School
Mallika Seshadri, Journalism resident, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why California is changing the way community college students approach calculus Nov 21, 2024

Students who graduate with a college degree in a STEM field are well-positioned for careers where they will make high wages.

But community college students can’t get a STEM degree or even transfer to a university without first passing calculus. That’s been a huge hurdle for many students, especially Black, Latino and Pell Grant students.

Some studies have shown that students who start college with calculus, rather than preparatory courses, are more likely to pass the course. The California Community College system, spurred by AB 1705, a new law that takes effect in 2025, is pushing its 116 campuses to place more STEM students directly into Calculus.

Some community college students and math faculty are concerned that this push will leave students unprepared for the advanced math they need for their STEM majors. But other math professors who are early adopters say that they’re optimistic that this law is exactly what California students need to get on track for success in STEM fields.

Guests:

Rena Weiss, Math Professor, Moorpark College
Amy DiPierro, Reporter, EdSource
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource's Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.

What the new Trump presidency could mean for California students and schools Nov 14, 2024

Many California children and their families, including immigrants, transgender students and others, are feeling fear and uncertainty after the election. During and after his campaign, Trump has promised numerous actions that, if followed through on, could impact California’s schools, students, and educators.

For example he’s threatened to eliminate the department of education, to deport undocumented immigrants en masse, and to cut school funding to states that protect transgender students and promote diversity, equity and inclusion in their schools.

How could these threats impact California? How does California plan to respond?

Guests:

Alejandra Lopez, Student, Cal Poly Pomona
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

When nobody runs for school board Nov 07, 2024

Millions of California voters found a blank spot on their ballot where they might normally see candidates for school board.

EdSource analyzed data from 1,510 school board races in 49 California counties and found that 56% did not appear on ballots because either no one ran for the seat or a single candidate ran unopposed, making that person an instant winner.

What's keeping people from running for school board? What's lost when school board members are appointed rather than elected? Are there any upsides?

Guests:

Allan Carver, Superintendent of schools, Siskiyou County Office of Education
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

16 and 17-year-olds make history by voting in school board elections in two California cities Oct 31, 2024

This November for the first time ever in California, some 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote.

Voters in Oakland and Berkeley both passed measures years ago to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections, but it took four and eight years, respectively, for the Alameda County Registrar of Voters to implement the law.

A high school junior reflects on the significance of this moment and the importance of civic engagement for teenagers.

Guests:

Sophie Mehoulley, high school junior and member of Oakland Youth Vote Coalition
Emily Hamill and Kelcie Lee, college student journalists, California Student Journalism Corps

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What is California doing — or not doing — about lead in school drinking water? Oct 24, 2024

Oakland Unified School District began this school year with some unsettling news: the drinking water in the district’s schools had tested positive for dangerously high levels of lead.

The district had found high levels of lead in the water during tests conducted over spring and summer, but it didn’t share those results with parents and staff until this August.

Lead testing hasn’t been required in California schools for the last five years. That means Oakland Unified is unusual among California school districts in that it knows that there’s a lead problem at all.

Guests:

Hannah Lau, student at Life Academy in Oakland Unified School District
Nate Landry, parent of Edna Brewer Middle School student
Monica Velez, EdSource reporter

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource's Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.

Can Prop 2 fix California’s most neglected school buildings? Oct 17, 2024

Many school buildings in California are in dilapidated conditions, with leaky roofs, broken concrete, moldy walls or crumbling foundations. Some students suffer without air conditioning even as temperatures soar.

This year, school districts and community colleges are putting an unprecedented $50 billion in construction bonds on local ballots. A $10 billion statewide bond to supplement that money is on the ballot, too.

What's at stake? What do voters need to know about school bonds?

Guests:

Brie Fraley, Parent, Del Norte Unified School District
Daryl Camp, Superintendent, San Lorenzo Unified School District
Hallie Lozano, Literacy coach, San Juan Unified School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What’s drawing new teachers to the profession amid a shortage? Oct 10, 2024

California made strides attracting new teachers before the pandemic, but the number of new teaching credentials went down 16% in 2021-22 and 14% in 2022-23.

In a 2022 UCLA study, one in five California teachers said they would probably or definitely leave the profession in the next three years — because of burnout, low pay, student apathy and behavioral issues.

Still, thousands of people earn their credentials each year, and thousands of students are passionate about becoming teachers and are working toward that goal. Student journalist Clara Brownstein set out to find out what motivates them to enter the profession.

Guests:

Susana Espinoza, Student minoring in education, UC Berkeley
Clara Brownstein, California Student Journalism Corps

Read more from EdSource:

Teachers are still leaving, but these aspiring educators are excited to join the profession

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Restrictions on campus protests spark concerns about free speech Oct 03, 2024

California State University and the University of California are revamping protest rules and banning encampments, barriers and, under certain circumstances, the wearing of face masks.

They join a wave of other colleges across the country that have revisited rules about how and where people can demonstrate on their campuses in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests last spring.

The changes have sparked criticism and protest from many students and faculty, who say some of the new restrictions could limit free speech rights.

Guest: Amy DiPierro, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Can more freedom and less parental hovering help kids thrive? Sep 26, 2024

When Lenore Skenazy let her nine-year-old son Izzy find his own way home by subway in New York City, she was reviled by some as "America's Worst Mom." But Lenore feels that as a society, adults have taken away freedom and autonomy from children, leaving in their place anxiety and passivity. The organization she co-founded, Let Grow, encourages parents to give their children the kind of small freedoms their generation had enjoyed as children, such as walking alone to school or to the park, and playing freely with other children, without being directed by adults.

How can schools and parents give children more free play, independence and responsibility? Is there evidence this can boost mental health and wellbeing?

Guests:

Lenore Skenazy, Co-founder, Let Grow
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: Free-range parenting: A chat with Lenore Skenazy Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Mental health is key to getting students back in class Sep 19, 2024

If Jennifer Hwang’s son made it to his first grade classroom, it was rarely without a fight. He was having violent outbursts and refusing to go to school many mornings.

University of Southern California researchers recently found that students who are chronically absent from school are much more likely to struggle with mental health challenges.

What can schools do to get these students back in class?

Guests:

Jennifer Hwang, parent, Los Angeles Unified School District
Amie Rapaport, research scientist, University of Southern California
Jessica Hull, executive director of communication and community engagement, Roseville City School District
Zaia Vera, education consultant and former head of social emotional learning, Oakland Unified School District
Betty Márquez Rosales, reporter, EdSource
Mallika Seshadri, reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Music education sets up low-income youth for success Sep 12, 2024

Rigoberto Sánchez-Mejía has been taking music lessons with Harmony Project, a nonprofit music education organization in Los Angeles, for 12 years, since he was 5 years old. He credits them with putting him on a path to college and giving him a tool to calm down when life is too stressful.

Harmony Project serves about 4,000 kids from low-income communities across Los Angeles and Orange County, giving them free music lessons, instruments and the opportunity to play in orchestras, big band, mariachi groups and more. A staggering 97% of participants graduate high school, and close to 80% go on to college.

What's their secret? How does music education like Harmony's help students in school and life?

Guests:

Rigoberto Sánchez-Mejía, Graduate, Harmony Project
Natalie Jackson, Executive director, Harmony Project
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Should cell phones be banned from all California schools? Aug 29, 2024

Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom urged school districts to take steps to restrict cellphone use, and state lawmakers are considering a bill that would restrict student cellphone use at all public schools statewide.

What's it like in school districts that have already taken steps to ban or restrict cell phones and smart watches in the classroom? How do these policies curb bullying, classroom distractions and addiction to mobile devices? What do parents think?

Guests:

Andrea Blair-Simon, Parent, Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

New school year brings new education laws Aug 22, 2024

As students and teachers head back to school across California, they might notice some changes because of a number of new laws that go into effect for the 2024-25 school year. Students will have easier access to mental health care and free menstrual products.

All students will be learning about climate change, beginning in first grade. College students will get more transparency about the cost of books and other materials they need to buy for their classes.

What do these and other laws that go into effect this school year do and why were they enacted? How will students, teachers and parents be affected?

Guests:

Diana Lambert, Emma Gallegos, Mallika Seshadri and Amy DiPierro, Reporters, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How courts can help, not punish parents of habitually absent students Aug 15, 2024

August 15, 2024

When a parent meets Alisha Schoen in court, it is always a last resort. Schoen is a Santa Clara County prosecutor tasked with bringing the parents of habitually truant students to court. At this point, both the school and district have tried and failed to improve a students’ attendance.

Parents of habitually truant students risk criminal charges under a 2010 law championed by Kamala Harris, then the San Francisco District Attorney.

But most prosecutors, like Schoen, are not interested in getting a conviction and punishing parents. Instead, Schoen said, they want to find out why a student is missing school and what kind of support or government services might actually help improve their attendance.

Guests:

Alisha Schoen, Community Prosecutor for Santa Clara’s District Attorney’s Office
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.

Can training high school students help address the teacher shortage? Aug 08, 2024

After participating in Fresno Unified’s Teacher Academy program in high school, recent graduate Aly Ortiz knows she wants to be a teacher and is passionate about teaching in a dual language immersion school.

A growing number of districts are hoping to address the teacher shortage by introducing students to the teaching field when they're still in high school. What do students learn from these programs? How can districts make the most of them?

Guests:

Aly Ortiz, High school graduate, Fresno Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

School district sued over broken windows, mold, overheating classrooms and missing teachers Aug 01, 2024

The West Contra Costa Unified School District promised back in 2019 that Stege Elementary School would get a complete redesign to attract more students and more experienced teachers and turn around low test scores, high suspension rates and chronic absenteeism. The school building itself was supposed to be remodeled by the 2020-21 school year.

But now, a group of teachers, staff and parents are suing the district, alleging that it failed to address severely poor building conditions and teacher vacancies, violating the rights of students, the majority of whom are Black, Latino, low-income and English learners.

What happened? And what is the significance of this lawsuit statewide?

Guests:

Sam Cleare, Teacher, Stege Elementary School
Karissa Provenza, Attorney, Public Advocates
Monica Velez, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Washington State offers teaching bachelor’s degrees at community colleges. Why doesn’t California? Jul 25, 2024

Districts across California are struggling to hire teachers, but California doesn’t offer teacher preparation programs at community colleges, which is a barrier for those who live far away from four-year colleges.

In contrast, Washington State is preparing hundreds of teachers with bachelor’s degrees at community colleges.

What's the difference between these states and what can California learn from Washington?

Guests:

Saray Preciado and Jannet Zavala, Graduates, Yakima Valley College
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

From English learner to Fresno Unified superintendent Jul 18, 2024

Misty Her first entered Fresno Unified as a first grader, learning English as a second language. Her family was among hundreds of thousands of Hmong refugees who came to the U.S. after the Vietnam War.

She’s dedicated her career to giving back to the district where she grew up, starting as a bilingual instructional aide, then a teacher, principal, and deputy superintendent. In May, the school board appointed her as the new interim superintendent of Fresno Unified. She is the first woman to lead the district since its inception in 1873, and the first Hmong person, in a district where 10% of English learners speak Hmong at home.

What challenges does Her face in leading the third-largest school district in California? Why does her appointment as interim superintendent matter?

Guests:

Bob Nelson, Outgoing superintendent, Fresno Unified School District
Misty Her, Interim superintendent, Fresno Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How puppets can help kids learn to make believe Jul 11, 2024

When teachers noticed that children in Oakland preschool and kindergarten classrooms were not engaging in imaginative play or interacting with each other as much after the pandemic, staff at Children's Fairyland, a local theme park, turned to an old favorite — puppets.

Children and adults have been enthralled by Fairyland's handmade puppets and original puppet shows for decades. Now, they can try their own hand at puppetry and bring their own stories to life.

How does puppetry and other imaginative play help children learn and grow? And how can schools use this type of arts education in the classroom?

Guests:

Jacqui June Whitlock, Puppet education specialist, Children's Fairyland
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Fighting for fair school construction funding in California Jun 27, 2024

Santa Rita Union School District, in Monterey County, is constantly patching up rotting floors and leaking roofs. Wealthier districts in the same county have state-of-the-art theaters, gymnasiums and science classrooms.

That’s partly due to a decades-old method for funding school construction in California that many say has exacerbated inequalities.

How did California's funding formula for school facilities become so unequal? And what are advocates proposing to do about it?

Guests:

Melissa Alderman, Superintendent, Santa Rita Union School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What can colleges learn from the pro-Palestinian protesters’ deal at a UC campus? Jun 20, 2024

University campuses have been roiled by turmoil over the latest war between Israel and Hamas. Pro-Palestinian protesters made little progress in finding common ground with administrators on many University of California campuses. Encampments came down not through mutual agreements but when administrators called in police.

But what happened at UC Riverside, a campus with a reputation for being welcoming to Middle Eastern students, was different. Protesters were able to forge a deal with administrators without the arrests or violent clashes with police. What can other universities learn from the deal reached on the Riverside campus?

Guests:

Samia Alkam,UC Riverside doctoral student and lead negotiator for pro-Palestinian students
Michael Burke, higher education reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why California schools call the police Jun 13, 2024

On any given day, thousands of calls go out from California schools to the police. But there isn't a lot of public data about why police are called to schools, or what they do when they get there.

As part of a sweeping statewide investigation into school policing, EdSource obtained nearly 46,000 incident logs documenting calls to police from and about 852 schools in almost every California county. The data offers a first, raw look at why school staff summon police. Why does this data matter and what can it tell school administrators, police, parents and students?

Guests:

Rose Ciotta, Investigations and Projects Editor, EdSource
Thomas Peele, Investigative Reporter, EdSource
Daniel J. Willis, Data Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

The magic of mariachi music in school Jun 06, 2024

In San Jose’s Alum Rock Union School District, students from third to eighth grade gather after school to learn how to play guitar, trumpet, violin, guitarrón, and vihuela, and to sing mariachi music.

What is the impact of a bilingual music program like this one? With new funding available from California's Prop 28, can districts expand programs like this one or will they have to do something new?

Guests:

Zaida Ramos, Program Director, Alum Rock Union School District Mariachi Program
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Staffing shortages undermine transitional kindergarten rollout May 30, 2024

California lawmakers set the average class size for transitional kindergarten, a new grade for four-year-olds, at 24 kids, with 1 adult for every 12 students.

It’s generally agreed upon in early education field that smaller class sizes and more adults make for higher quality preschool, with more one-on-one attention and better supervision. In many preschools licensed by the state, one adult is required for every 8 children.

But some districts are not staffing their TK classrooms to meet the 1:12 ratio, or they’re going over the class size. Some teachers say it's a safety issue.

Guests:

David Hunter, Transitional kindergarten teacher, Fresno Unified
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Student journalists on the frontlines of protest coverage May 16, 2024

As a wave of protests on university campuses call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for universities to divest from companies with military ties to Israel, student journalists have emerged as crucial sources of information.

At some schools, student journalists are the only regular source of news on campus grounds, especially when campuses have shut down to non-students. In some cases, they’ve scooped mainstream media, with the most accurate, up-to-date coverage.

Increasingly, student journalists are doing this work under threats of arrest and violence.

Guests:

Chris Woodard, Managing editor, The State Hornet
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Mallika Seshadri, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How can California teach more adults to read in English? May 09, 2024

California has one of the lowest rates of English literacy in the U.S. Almost one third of adults in the state can do little more than fill out a basic form or read a very simple piece of writing in English. Many of them are immigrants.

Experts say programs aimed at addressing poor literacy reach only a fraction of adults who need help. One way to reach them is to bring classes directly to the workplace.

Guests:

Marcelina Chamu, Janitor
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Hundreds of teachers in limbo after spike in pink slips May 02, 2024

Almost 2,000 teachers across California received notices they might be laid off this year, a huge increase compared to last year. School districts are facing budget cuts, with federal Covid relief funding expiring, enrollment declining and state funding leveling off.

Although some who got these "pink slips" will ultimately be asked to stay on, teachers say the threat of being laid off is demoralizing and layoffs affect the ability of districts to recruit new teachers.

With California experiencing an ongoing teacher shortage, what is the impact of this flood of pink slips on schools and teachers?

Guests:

Jacob Willis, Second grade teacher, San Diego Unified School District
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Beyond a bed: What this L.A. home offers young adults experiencing homelessness Apr 25, 2024

Sam Prater knows what it feels like to be homeless. After he dropped out of high school, he was evicted twice in his hometown of Detroit. So when he saw homeless students being offered just 14 days in college dorms in California, he knew he had to try something different.

Prater's organization now has four homes in L.A. that offer wraparound services to young people experiencing homelessness, to help them jump-start their lives and their college education. A visit offers a peek at what these homes offer.

Guests:

Sam Prater, Founder, Los Angeles Room & Board
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Plagued by delays and errors, California’s colleges navigate FAFSA fiasco Apr 18, 2024

Financial aid and admissions officers across California's colleges and universities are navigating longer hours and more stress, as they deal with unprecedented havoc in this year's rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.

Hear from financial aid workers as they help students and their families navigate the application morass.

Why has California seen heavier impacts from the FAFSA delays? And what is the state doing to mitigate the fallout?

Guests:

Kamila Juarez, graduating senior, Grace Davis High School
Sonia Jethani, director of financial aid and scholarships at CSU East Bay
Jeanette Phillips, director of financial aid and scholarships at Cal Poly Pomona
Jessica Wagoner, senior associate vice president for enrollment management and services at Cal Poly Pomona

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

How Fresno Unified is getting missing students back in class Apr 11, 2024

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, many California students have struggled to attend class regularly. Recent data shows that even last school year, when kids were back in person and there were fewer Covid regulations, nearly a quarter of students statewide missed more than 10% of the school year.

But some school districts, like Fresno Unified, have managed to bring many of their missing students back to class. What's their secret?

Guests:

Abigail Arii, Director of Student Support Services, Fresno Unified School District
Noreida Pérez, Attendance Manager, Fresno Unified School District
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How can we get more Black teachers in the classroom? Apr 04, 2024

A growing body of research shows that having a Black teacher increases students' scores on math and reading tests and increases the chance that they will graduate from college.

California has been trying to recruit and retain Black teachers for years, but the percentage of Black teachers still lags behind the percentage of Black students.

What’s keeping Black teachers from getting to and staying in the classroom? And how can we do more to support them?

Guests:

Alicia Simba, Teacher, Oakland Unified School District
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

California college savings accounts aren’t getting to all the kids who need them Mar 28, 2024

If you or your child were enrolled in a California public school in first grade through high school in 2021-22, you might have money for college waiting for you.

More than a year and a half ago, California launched a big initiative to help children from low income families save money for college. It’s called the California Kids Investment and Development Savings program, or just CalKIDS.

The program has the potential to serve 3.6 million kids, but only a tiny fraction of those have signed up to activate their accounts.

Who’s eligible for CalKIDS? And what needs to happen to get the word out to more families?

Guests:

Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, Board trustee, Fresno Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How improv theater class can help kids heal from trauma Mar 21, 2024

A catastrophic forest fire roared through Northern California’s Butte County in 2018, taking 86 lives and destroying countless homes in the town of Paradise.

To help kids cope with their fear, grief and loss, the county office of education sent a team of artists into the schools. One of those teaching artists shares how he's seen theater help children heal from trauma.

Guests:

Chris Murphy, Trauma-informed teaching artist, Butte County Office of Education
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

EdSource Roundtable: Raising the curtain on Prop 28: Can arts education help transform California schools?

Read more from EdSource: Can arts education help children heal from trauma?

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

50 years later: How Lau v. Nichols changed education for English learners Mar 14, 2024

Fifty years ago, the United States Supreme Court decided a case that would forever change education for English learners in this country.

In the 1974case Lau v. Nichols, the Court decided that students who do not yet speak fluent English have a right to fully understand what is being taught in their classrooms, and that schools must take steps to make sure students can understand, whether through additional instruction in English as a second language or bilingual education.

On this episode of Education Beat, we bring you the story of how this case began and how it changed education, from the perspective of a teacher.

Guest:

Lucinda Lee Katz, Retired teacher and administrator

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What do students think of online classes? Mar 07, 2024

The pandemic forced colleges and universities to move most courses online. But even today, many colleges and universities continue to offer online classes, and more than half of students nationwide are taking them.

These courses offer more flexibility and the possibility of enrolling more students. But what do students think of them? EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps asked students on seven campuses across the state.

Guests:

Ally Valiente, Student at Sonoma State University and Member of California Student Journalism Corps
Kelcie Lee, Student at UC Berkeley and Member of California Student Journalism Corps
Also featuring the voices of students Eli Baker, Stephen Chase, and Isabella Uhlik.

Read more from EdSource: What California college students think about online classes

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Jobs Corps helps formerly incarcerated people land on their feet Feb 29, 2024

For young people who have been incarcerated, it can be hard to find a job or get the training they might need to start a career or go to college.

California is trying to change that, with a program called #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps, which places people ages 16 to 30 in jobs for a few months or up to a year and helps them prepare for careers that they might not otherwise be able to access.

Guests:

Kaelyn Carter, Member, #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps
Ebony Richardson, Re-entry Coach, Rubicon Landscape Group
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Should California mandate that all schools adopt the science of reading? Feb 22, 2024

As a child, Blanca Rubio was given coloring books rather than reading lessons, because she didn't speak English fluently. Now, she is spearheading an effort to require California school districts to teach all the basic skills needed for children to learn to read, based on research.

How will reading instruction change if a new bill authored by Rubio becomes law? What obstacles might it face?

Guests:

Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), California State Assembly
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Most high schoolers lack classes needed for college. What one school district is doing about it Feb 15, 2024

The vast majority of students in California graduate from high school, but most don't complete the classes needed for admission into the state’s public universities.

Black and Latino students are the least likely to finish these courses, known as A through G requirements.

Victor Valley Union High School District is determined to change that.

Guests:

Aleka Jackson-Jarrell, Coordinator of the Heritage Program, Victor Valley Union High School District
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.

Parents sued California. Now money for learning loss will go to students who need it most Feb 08, 2024

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Maria O's daughters were in kindergarten and third grade in Los Angeles Unified.

They didn't get a working computer from the district and had to connect to Zoom classes on their parents' phones. But Maria was even more concerned about the other children in their classes, who she noticed were not showing up at all or were not interacting with their teachers.

So Maria decided to fight for them. Her children are two of 15 students in Oakland and Los Angeles who sued the state of California over unequal educational opportunities provided during the pandemic. Now, the state has settled, bringing billions to schools to focus on students who were most affected.

Guests:

Maria O., Plaintiff, Cayla J. vs. California
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.

Jazzing up the classroom with music Feb 01, 2024

As California schools ramp up arts education, they may need 15,000 new teachers who are passionate about both the arts and teaching the next generation.

One person with both those passions is Guillermo Tejeda. He's a jazz musician and former classroom teacher who's currently developing music production curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Guests:

Guillermo Tejeda, Musician and teacher, The Neighborhood Orchestra Collective
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.

What did Cal State faculty win after their one-day strike? Jan 25, 2024

California State University faculty announced a historic week-long strike, after months of negotiations. So students braced for a week of missed classes.

Then, something surprising happened. After one day, a deal was reached.

The strike did what months of back-and-forth discussions couldn’t — improve faculty wages and working conditions.

How significant was this strike? What did faculty win?

Guest:

Aimee Escalante, Lecturer, Cal State Monterey Bay

Other voices:

Leora Freedman, Chancellor for human resources, California State University
Kate Ozment, Professor, Cal Poly Pomona

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Jennifer Molina.

Helping teen parents finish high school Jan 18, 2024

When Giselle Meza found out she was pregnant, she was worried her classmates would judge her, and she had no idea when or if she would finish high school. But now, after joining a teen parent program, she's committed to graduating and going on to community college to become an ultrasound technician.

How do teen parent programs help students finish high school and go on to college or careers? And how do they help the babies they are raising?

Guests:

Giselle Meza, Student, Helping Our Parenting Students Excel (HOPE), Kings Valley Academy
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode is produced by Jennifer Molina.

What’s in store for California education in 2024? Jan 11, 2024

Every January, we turn to our resident fortuneteller, John Fensterwald, for his predictions of what will transpire in California education in the coming year.

This year, he predicts a state budget deficit will create financial stress for schools and contentious statewide ballot issues will create stress for voters.

Guest:

John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode is produced by Jennifer Molina.

A principal at the heart of her school and her community Dec 21, 2023

Estela López grew up in South Central Los Angeles, and she still lives and works just minutes from her childhood home. She has served in neighborhood schools for 30 years, first as a teacher and now as the principal of Dolores Huerta Elementary School.

She has made it her mission to make sure her school is a refuge for children in the neighborhood, and her reach extends far beyond the walls of her school to help families secure housing, healthcare, and food.

When she was grieving the loss of her oldest son, the children at her school helped her heal.

Guests:

Estela López, Principal, Dolores Huerta Elementary School, Los Angeles Unified School District
Mallika Seshadri, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Parents fight for special education documents in their own languages Dec 14, 2023

It can be overwhelming for any parent to advocate for support in school for a child with a disability. But parents who don't speak much English face another major hurdle: getting accurate and timely translations of the documents and meetings so they can understand them.

Some parents report waiting months or even a year for translations of their children's special education documents. A bill in the California legislature could help, but its future is uncertain.

Guests:

Carmen Rodríguez, Parent, San Francisco Unified School District
Zaidee Stavely, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource's Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.

Covid stress and violent threats driving school superintendents to leave Dec 07, 2023

More California superintendents are leaving to go to other jobs, or retiring, than ever before. The stress of the pandemic, politics and even violent threats all play into superintendent turnover.

Why are superintendents leaving? And what are districts doing to try to retain and attract them?

Guests:

Chris Evans, former superintendent, Natomas Unified School District
Diana Lambert, reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Cultivating a sense of belonging to spark students’ enthusiasm for learning Nov 30, 2023

Two years after schools returned to in-person learning, students are struggling to meet math and English standards on statewide tests. Their mental health is also suffering and they're missing lots of days of school.

EdSource brought together a panel of experts to discuss what schools and districts can do to re-engage students, and how teachers can energize and learn from each other. There was one very strong theme — the need for students to feel like they belong at school.

Guests:

Adalberto Hernández, Principal, George Washington Elementary School, Madera Unified School District
Chris Collins, Data and assessment coordinator, Cajon Valley Union School District
Yolie Flores, President and CEO, Families in Schools
Heather Hough, executive director, Policy Analysis for California Education
John Malloy, Superintendent, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource and watch the roundtable:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How a California professor once coded secrets in music Nov 16, 2023

As a saxophonist in Boston's Klezmer Conservatory Band in 1985, Merryl Goldberg traveled to the Soviet Union to meet up with another group of musicians, The Phantom Orchestra.

The Phantom Orchestra would be sharing more than good tunes with Merryl. They’d also pass along information, including the names of people who wanted to escape the Soviet Union, which Merryl and her friends would then smuggle back to the United States.

To do this, Merryl made up a secret code, hidden in sheet music.

Now Merryl's spy days are long behind her. But she is still passionate about how music and other arts can enrich other fields, including cybersecurity.

Guests:

Merryl Goldberg, Professor, California State University San Marcos
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How classes in Spanish are attracting nannies to community college Nov 09, 2023

Bonnie Pérez took child development classes at night while working as a nanny during the day. But she didn’t see a lot of other nannies in her classes, largely because the classes were all in English.

Bonnie saw an untapped group of people with lots of hands-on experience working with kids and who could help fill a shortage of preschool teachers in the state.

A new California law removes barriers to allow more students to enroll in courses taught in Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Korean and other languages.

Guests:

Bonnie Pérez, Professor of child development, West Los Angeles College
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How can California help teachers educate recent immigrants? Nov 02, 2023

Students new to the country often find themselves in the classrooms of teachers with very little training or support in how to meet their unique needs.

Listen to veteran teacher Jenna Hewitt King describe how her first day teaching newcomers made her feel like a new teacher all over again — and how a new law, Assembly Bill 714, could begin to provide guidance and data for teachers like her.

Guests:

Jenna Hewitt King, Teacher, San Leandro High School
Zaidee Stavely, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.

Could the Cal State tuition hike affect student enrollment, graduation rates? Oct 26, 2023

The California State University board of trustees voted last month to increase tuition 6 percent every year for five years, beginning in the fall of 2024.

The rate increase will affect both undergraduate and graduate students, and there’s been vocal opposition from students, faculty and staff.

EdSource’s California Journalism Corps fanned out to ask students how they think the tuition hike could affect decisions to enroll at Cal State.

Guests:

Olivia Keeler, Journalism student and member, California Student Journalism Corps
Arabel Meyer, Journalism student and member, California Student Journalism Corps
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What a Fresno teachers’ strike 45 years ago can teach us today Oct 18, 2023

Fresno teachers are voting this Wednesday on whether or not to strike, if the union and the district can’t come to an agreement on class size, teacher pay and benefits.

The first and only time Fresno teachers have been on strike before was 45 years ago, in 1978.

What can we learn from those who were involved in both sides of that strike?

Guests:

Barbara Mendes, retired teacher, Fresno Unified School District
Nancy Richardson, former school board president, Fresno Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A teacher removed, a play censored, and the chilling effect that followed Oct 12, 2023

A high school drama teacher was removed from the classroom in Temecula Valley Unified, after a parent complained students were reading the Pulitzer-prize-winning play, “Angels in America,” about the AIDS epidemic in New York during the 1980s.

It’s the latest in a series of efforts by newly elected conservative school board members to change curriculum in the district. What happened in the months after the teacher’s removal? And how is it affecting other teachers and students?

Guests:

Greg Bailey, Drama teacher, Temecula Valley High School
Mallika Seshadri, Journalism resident, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Incarcerated for decades, this UC Irvine student transformed his life with education Oct 05, 2023

Patrick Acuña spent 30 years behind bars advocating for higher education. Despite having several learning disabilities, he found that education was the path forward to repairing his life and helping his community.

Guests:

Patrick Acuña, senior at UC Irvine
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

Meet the turtle pond whistler: How nature benefits student mental health Sep 28, 2023

When Natale Canepa was stuck at home to take college classes online in 2020, he was miserable. He couldn’t get outside as much to see nature, and he couldn’t whistle, his favorite pastime.

So when in-person classes returned to San Diego State, Natale celebrated by whistling at his favorite pocket of nature on campus — the turtle pond.

Now known as the Turtle Pond Whistler, Natale spreads joy and has attracted more students to the turtle pond.

How can green spaces like the turtle pond raise students’ spirits and improve mental health?

Guests:

Natale Canepa, Student and turtle pond whistler, San Diego State University
Noah Lyons, Journalism student and member, California Student Journalism Corps

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why are so many kids missing school? Sep 21, 2023

There’s a glaring problem since schools reopened for in-person instruction post-pandemic — lots of kids are missing class.

The number of students in California absent for 10% or more of the school year has more than doubled since before the pandemic. Almost 2 million California students were chronically absent in 2021-22, the most recent year for which data is available.

What are the root causes of students missing school? And how are school districts addressing this problem? Hear from a parent, school leaders and researchers from around the state.

Guests:

Hedy Chang, Founder and executive director, Attendance Works
Tom O’Malley, Superintendent, Modoc Joint Unified School District
Erica Peterson, Director of education and engagement, School Innovations and Achievement
Ofelia Sofía Ryan, President of the Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors, Los Angeles Unified School District
Renee Slater, Mother and teacher, Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Painting, music, dance, theater — coming to a school near you Sep 14, 2023

Arts and music have long been slashed from many school budgets, but all California schools are about to see new, ongoing investment in the arts — equal to about $1 billion this year.

Listen to the story of one arts teacher and hear from our reporter about how art can help students grow, and what students and parents can expect to see at their schools.

Guests:

Allison Gamlen, Visual and performing arts coordinator, San Mateo County Office of Education
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Korean American studies class aims to build empathy in wake of anti-Asian hate Sep 07, 2023

When anti-Asian hate crimes began to spike in 2020, world history teacher Jeff Kim searched for a way to respond “with love and wisdom.” His answer: to help students to know and tell their own stories of resilience through a Korean American studies course.

Listen to how this course — the first of its kind — began at Anaheim Union High School District, and what it aims to teach students.

Guests:

Jeff Kim, World history and Korean American studies teacher, Anaheim Union High School District
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Bachelor’s degrees in prison promise incarcerated students a second chance Aug 24, 2023

The last couple of years have seen an expansion of bachelor’s degree programs in prison.

Inside the first women’s program at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, incarcerated women are working to rebuild their lives by pursuing these higher degrees.

Guests:

Melanie Gandara, formerly incarcerated student
Canesha Sherron Sinclair, incarcerated student
Kelsey Morasci, incarcerated student
Professor Tad Bellew, anthropology professor, Fresno State University
Professor Keramet Reiter, criminology and law professor, University of California, Irvine
Allen Burnett, formerly incarcerated student

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

This program turns parents into preschool teachers Aug 17, 2023

A new program in Los Angeles County helps low-income parents take the early childhood education classes they need to become preschool teachers. The program aims to both help fill a shortage of early educators and help parents build their careers.

Listen to how one mom fulfills a childhood dream to become a teacher, even joining classes from a hospital bed.

Guests:

Georgina Perez, Participant, Universal Pre-Kindergarten Career Development Initiative
Mallika Seshadri, Journalism resident, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Homegrown teachers make big differences in rural school districts Aug 10, 2023

When teachers and administrators return to their rural hometowns to work in the schools, they can make a huge impact. They understand what it’s like to live in remote areas, everybody in the community knows them and they often stick around.

In one superintendent’s case, he’s increased the number of high school graduates and students who attend college.

Guests:

Tom O’Malley, Superintendent, Modoc Joint Unified School District
Cara Nixon, Journalism intern, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Class of 2022 overcomes obstacles to get the most out of college Aug 03, 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic shaped the graduating class of 2022 in many ways. They’re adaptable, able to learn online or change their college or career paths when needed.

EdSource followed 12 graduates from the Class of 2022 through their first year after high school. In this episode, three of them share how the pandemic helped them learn how to make the most out of life, and strive for their goals.

Guests:

Gannon Peebles, Student, Columbia University
Tatiana Torres, Graduate of Los Medanos College; Transfer student, UC Berkeley
Jennifer Tran, Student, UC Berkeley
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Cal State faces scrutiny for handling of sexual harassment complaints Jul 27, 2023

The California State University system’s handling of sexual and gender misconduct complaints has been under the spotlight for more than a year.

In this episode, EdSource reporters Thomas Peele and Ashley A. Smith discuss their reporting examining the outcomes of sexual harassment and misconduct complaints at CSU. They also discuss a new report from an independent law firm and a state audit of CSU’s handling of Title IX complaints.

What do those reports reveal and what might come of them?

Guests:

Thomas Peele, Investigative reporter, EdSource
Ashley A. Smith, Higher education reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A new way to teach math in California Jul 20, 2023

California has a new math framework that stresses making math relevant to all students’ lives and teaching big ideas and concepts.

Critics say it will cause more students to fail, by de-emphasizing math operations, discouraging districts from giving advanced students algebra in eighth grade, and for its approach to data science in high school.

Listen to how one teacher thinks the framework will bring math alive for her students, and to our reporter on the controversies surrounding it.

Guests:

Rebecca Pariso, 7th grade math teacher, Hueneme Elementary School District; Member, Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How recent Supreme Court rulings affect California students Jul 13, 2023

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a plan to eliminate a large part of student debt and banned colleges and universities from considering race in admissions. Both decisions will have a disproportionate effect on Black and Latino students.

An advocate for youth and a reporter discuss the rulings and what they mean for Californians.

Guests:

Kristin McGuire, Executive director, Young Invincibles
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How home languages enhanced preschool curriculum in Fresno Jun 29, 2023

California State Preschools are asking new questions of families about the languages their children speak at home.

Fresno Unified has been doing this kind of family interview for almost a decade. Preschool teachers use the information to help plan curriculum and incorporate songs and books in children’s home languages, including Spanish and Hmong.

How does including home languages enrich preschool classrooms and help children become bilingual?

Guest:

Jessica Gutiérrez, Program manager for early learning, Fresno Unified School District

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Long after wildfires, rural schools face frustration, homelessness, and mental trauma Jun 22, 2023

Nearly three years ago, the Creek fire devastated the community of Big Creek and the town’s only elementary school.

Since then, rebuilding has been a long, arduous and frustrating process as some families remain homeless, cope with their mental health and face barriers to seeing their community rebuilt.

Guests:

Jimmie Eggers, superintendent-principal of Big Creek Elementary
Carolyn Jones, EdSource reporter

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

Schools are counting – and helping – more homeless students Jun 15, 2023

When Ana Franquis’ family was evicted, they had nowhere to turn. Their local school district helped them out, with food, diapers, even hotel vouchers.

How are school districts using pandemic funds to find and support homeless students? And what will happen when the funds run out?

Guests:

Ana Franquis, Mother, Monterey Peninsula Unified District
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How dogs help bring kids to therapy at this Central Valley school district Jun 08, 2023

In Selma Unified School District in the Central Valley, two therapy dogs are helping destigmatize mental health services. Jeter and Scout help identify students who need help, and they give students a soft, cuddly entry to therapy.

Guests:

Kristy Rangel, Lead mental health clinician, Selma Unified School District
Ronnie, Student, Selma Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, Journalism resident, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How a school lunch lady sparked better trauma response for schools Jun 01, 2023

A school lunch lady’s response after the Oklahoma City bombing sparked a new understanding of how teachers and school staff can help students recover from traumatic events, from wildfires and floods to school shootings.

As wildfire and flood season approaches in California, leading experts in childhood trauma and school crisis and disaster recovery discuss how schools can best prepare for natural disasters and other traumatic events, and what happens if they don’t.

Guests:

Marleen Wong, Co-founder, Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces
Pamela Vona, Co-founder, Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Want to know what high schoolers really think? Tune in to this radio station May 25, 2023

At El Cerrito High School, in West Contra Costa Unified, students produce and host their own radio shows. Some DJ their own music shows, while others host talk radio programs, with topics ranging from political affairs to chess to dating advice. There’s even an old-time radio drama, based on original scripts from the 1950s.

What does it take to produce high school radio? And what are students getting out of it?

Voices:

Ace Lackey, Senior, El Cerrito High School
Xavier Ramos, Senior, El Cerrito High School
Jeanne Marie Acceturo, Radio teacher, El Cerrito High School
Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource

With clips from radio shows, including “Confused Chess,” “Insert Title Here,” “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar,” “Togomexsalvi,” and “EC Talk Show.”

Read more from EdSource:

El Cerrito High School students run their own radio shows as part of class

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Should UC hire undocumented students for campus jobs? May 18, 2023

The University of California is considering a proposal this week to allow hiring undocumented students for jobs at any of its 10 campuses. The proposal is based on a legal theory that a federal ban on hiring undocumented immigrants does not apply to states.

Proponents say it would allow undocumented students to have the same access as other students to research and other campus jobs. Critics say it would encourage unauthorized immigration.

What’s motivating this UC proposal?

Guests:

Jeffry Umaña Muñoz, Student, UCLA
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Schools face disastrous risk of flooding May 11, 2023

California schools in communities from Pajaro in Monterey County to Planada in Merced County were flooded earlier this year by torrential rains, causing major damage.

The flooding isn’t over yet. A record snowpack is poised to melt and send rivers surging over their banks. And according to an EdSource analysis of federal data, more than a fifth of the state’s K-12 schools are at a high or moderate risk of flooding.

What can school districts and state government do to prepare, and to help reduce the risk of flooding?

Guests:

José González, Superintendent, Planada Elementary School District
Thomas Peele, Investigative reporter, EdSource
Emma Gallegos, Equity reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How reading aloud can help older kids, too May 04, 2023

Parents and teachers often stop reading aloud to children as they get older and can read on their own. But reading aloud actually helps students with fluency and vocabulary and boosts their own reading skills. Hear from a teacher who reads aloud to her fifth graders and from our reporter who wrote about the power of reading aloud.

Guests:

Michelle Talbot, Fifth grade teacher, Marguerite Hahn Elementary School, Rohnert Park
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Marie’Sa Rumsey, member of the EdSource California Student Journalism Corps, contributed to this episode.

Why are students starting their own businesses right out of high school? Apr 27, 2023

As EdSource reporter Diana Lambert followed the Class of 2022, she found many of them had started their own businesses, selling everything from beauty products to photography sessions. It turns out it’s a trend among recent high school and college graduates. What’s fueling this new surge in student entrepreneurship?

Guests:

Tamiya Williams, student, American River College, and Entrepreneur, Sydnis Serenity
Diana Lambert, reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: Covid inspired students to grow their own businesses

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How to teach English learners to read? Here’s how one school does it Apr 20, 2023

EdSource reporter and Education Beat host Zaidee Stavely visits a school that’s had an uncommonly high degree of success with teaching English learners to read: Frank Sparkes Elementary, in Winton, about 10 miles from Merced, in California’s Central Valley.

Voices:

Ka Vang, Principal, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Jennifer Pursley, Kindergarten teacher, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Sandra Morales, First grade teacher, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Patty Lopez, Third grade teacher, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Acela Middleton, Third grade teacher, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Patricia Espinola, Third grade teacher, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Students, Frank Sparkes Elementary, Winton School District
Randall Heller, Superintendent, Winton School District

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What Albania taught our reporter about media literacy Apr 06, 2023

What’s the best way to teach media literacy? How does a society build and maintain a free press that can earn and keep the people’s trust?

EdSource reporter, Carolyn Jones, recently visited Albania on a mission to help develop the country’s K-12 media literacy guidelines. Her experience there highlighted challenges both in that country and back here at home.

Guests:

Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

This episode of Education Beat is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A, Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

How schools can help formerly incarcerated students succeed Mar 30, 2023

When a young person leaves juvenile detention, studies have shown that how they do in school can influence whether or not they end up back in detention.

But succeeding in school after detention isn’t easy.

In Oakland, Hattie Tate has found some innovative ways to give these students the best possible shot following release from detention.

Guests:

Hattie Tate, Administrator and program coordinator, Oakland Unified School District
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Family reunited after four years separated by immigration policy Mar 23, 2023

Almost half of California children have at least one immigrant parent, and about a fifth of immigrants in California are undocumented. The immigration struggles of parents have real impacts on children, including on their education.

In this episode, we bring you the story of a Central Valley dad who was finally able to return to the U.S. last month, after almost four years separated from his family by a Trump-era immigration policy. His return allows his children to work toward college degrees.

Voices:

José Luis Ruiz Arévalos
Armanda Ruiz
Elena Gutiérrez Ramírez
Nathan Gutiérrez Ramírez
Ignacio Gutiérrez Ramírez
Priscila Ruiz Ramírez
Erin Quinn, Senior managing attorney, Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Jennifer Molina contributed to the reporting for this episode.

Can this new bachelor’s program help bring a fire-devastated region back to life? Mar 16, 2023

Some community colleges in California are starting to offer their own bachelor’s degrees. One newly approved program is in ecosystem restoration and applied fire management at Feather River College, in Plumas County in northeast California. Can this program help more students get bachelor’s degrees and at the same time help restore a region devastated by wildfires?

Guests:

Hayden Lampe, Prospective student, Feather River College
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Can work-study propel students forward in their careers? Mar 09, 2023

Do you remember your work-study job in college? Many students work in jobs such as serving food in the dining hall or shelving books in the library. But those jobs don’t often have much to do with what they’re studying or are interested in doing later in life.

A new program seeks to give students both an income and a leg up in their careers. How can this benefit both students and employers?

Guests:

Karina Mendez, Student, City College of San Francisco
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Great training with little pay — new teachers weigh residency programs Mar 02, 2023

In an effort to end the teacher shortage, California has invested hundreds of millions in recent years to fund teacher residency programs, in which residents work alongside veteran teacher mentors while they finish their credentials.

Proponents say the programs improve the quality of teaching. But many student teachers are unwilling to sign up because the stipends are small, or nonexistent. Listen to one teacher resident’s experience, and why she’s not sure it was the best decision.

Guests:

Risty Begum, Teacher Resident, Yolo Teacher Residency Program
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How a teachers’ passion for space takes learning to new heights Feb 23, 2023

Have you ever thought about launching into space? One West Contra Costa Unified science teacher has done more than think about it. He’s preparing to become an astronaut.

How does a budding astronaut engage his middle school students and involve them in his journey? And how does that help them get interested in science?

Guests:

Olaoluwalotobi Thomas, Teacher, Vista Virtual Academy, West Contra Costa Unified
Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How a Hmong immersion program revitalizes language and cross-cultural understanding Feb 16, 2023

California is expanding dual immersion programs statewide, after repealing a law that limited bilingual education. A Hmong-English dual language immersion program in Fresno Unified helps children learn their grandparents’ language and culture, and it promotes cross-cultural understanding. This episode includes a visit to Vang Pao Elementary School in Fresno Unified and audio from a teacher, a student and the principal.

Guests:

Sharon Vang, fourth grade teacher, Vang Pao Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Yua Lee, principal, Vang Pao Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Irene Her, student, Vang Pao Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Ashleigh Panoo, reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How parent tutors can unlock reading for kids Feb 09, 2023

About 3 in 5 third graders in California don’t meet state standards in reading and writing. To try to help more kids learn to read, some districts are shifting their strategies. In Oakland, parents and other family members have taken a frontline position as literacy tutors. What’s the advantage of using family members as tutors? And how can they help boost children’s reading skills?

Guests:

Ruelvis Alonga, Uncle and early literacy tutor, Oakland Unified School District

Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Peer power: How a Black student group helps youth thrive Feb 02, 2023

Black students face ever-increasing rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. But one group of young people in California is working hard to reverse that – one personal connection at a time.

Bennie Williams was one of only a handful of Black students at his high school in Stockton. This statewide coalition of Black students gave him a place to share experiences, learn about Black history and advocate for improved mental health and educational opportunities.

Guests:

Bennie Williams, Senior, Morehouse College
Angie Barfield, Interim executive director, Black Students of California United
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Will Newsom’s equity proposal reach Black kids? Jan 26, 2023

A coalition of Black education and civil rights organizations have pressed for extra state funding to help Black students, because they’re the lowest performing students in California. But a long-awaited proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t target Black students, instead focusing additional money on schools with the highest concentration of poverty and increasing oversight of services for all low-performing student groups. Would the new program benefit Black kids?

Guests:

Debra Watkins, founder and executive director, A Black Education Network
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Special education student becomes school board member Jan 19, 2023

Joshua Brown is prioritizing special education in his rural Northern California district. But his perspective is unusual: He has firsthand experience with the district’s special education program — as a student. Brown has autism and is one of only a handful of people known to have autism nationwide to serve in public office. Can schools benefit from having neurodivergent members on school boards?

Guests:

Joshua Brown, Board Member, Shasta Union Elementary School District
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: Former special education student joins school board in Shasta

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How significant is the UC’s new contract with graduate student workers? Jan 12, 2023

The largest academic strike in U.S. history ended last month with a landmark agreement between the University of California and graduate student teaching assistants and graduate student researchers.

How significant is this agreement? What might it mean for students and colleges outside of the UC?

Guests:

Emily Weintraut, Graduate student teaching assistant and researcher, UC Davis
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Predictions for California education in 2023 Jan 05, 2023

It’s January, time to reflect on the past months and look ahead at the coming year. At EdSource that means veteran reporter John Fensterwald is making predictions. Every year, John gets out his crystal ball and tells us a fortune – what he thinks might or might not happen in California education in the new year. We also check in with some other reporters about what stories they will cover this year.

Guests:

John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

The community college student exodus Dec 22, 2022

David Tellez had to make a tough decision — continue attending community college full-time, or focus on making money at work for his family. Like thousands of others in the last few years, he chose the latter. Just how many students left California’s community college system? And what are those colleges doing to win them back?

Guests:

David Tellez, Student, Citrus Community College
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week’s episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

College freshmen struggle with math Dec 15, 2022

Victor Contreras is not looking forward to his first college math course. After distance learning, his high school math grades tumbled from A’s and B’s to C’s and D’s. And he’s not alone. Many college freshmen are struggling with math. What are colleges doing to help?

Guests:

Victor Contreras, Student, San Diego State University
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Parcel taxes by simple majority: a game changer? Dec 08, 2022

Some school districts raise extra money through parcel taxes for highly qualified teachers and for enrichment classes like art, music and technology. But parcel taxes — which require approval by a two-thirds “supermajority” of voters — are hard to pass, and only a handful of school districts, most of them small, high-income districts, have ever passed one.

A little-known court decision from last year lowered the threshold to pass parcel taxes to a simple majority, as long as citizens put the measure on the ballot and not the government. Could this be a game-changer for low-income school districts?

Guests:

Yolanda Valdez, superintendent, Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District
John Fensterwald, editor-at-large, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A home that smooths the college path for former prisoners Dec 01, 2022

For students who have spent time in jail, it’s extra difficult to secure housing. Yet having a home, with space to study and supportive roommates, can make it a lot easier for these students to succeed.

We talk with a student whose college path was transformed by a house for formerly incarcerated students and with a reporter about how this program came about.

Guests:

Jimmie Conner, Student, CSU Fullerton
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What teachers need to support English learners Nov 17, 2022

Two out of five students in California schools speak a language other than English at home. Teachers need more training to bring all of those students to proficiency in English and help them succeed in other subjects.

What makes professional development for teachers of English learners effective? We hear from teachers, parents and professors about workshops that gave them tools to work with students who are learning English, and about what their own childhood experiences as English learners taught them.

Guests:

Elvira Armas, director of the Center for Equity for English Learners, and affiliated faculty, School of Education at Loyola Marymount University
Laura Barbosa, vice president of the District English Learner Advisory Committee, San Leandro Unified School District
Marina Berry, First grade teacher, Lodi Unified School District
Nicole Thompson, Fourth grade teacher, Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Natalie Tran, professor of education, California State University Fullerton, and director, National Resource Center for Asian Languages.

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why can’t more students take college courses in high school? Nov 10, 2022

A student shares how taking college courses while still in high school helped her get ahead in college and save on tuition. But access to these courses, known as dual enrollment, remains uneven across California. In many areas, Latino and Black students are disproportionately under-enrolled in dual enrollment classes.

Guests:

Aliha Vega, Student, UC Berkeley
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How counselors are tracking down missing students Nov 03, 2022

Half of all students in California’s largest district, Los Angeles Unified, missed 15 or more days of school last year. This week we hear from an attendance counselor who tracks down those missing students and tries to get them back to class.

Guests:

Ofelia Ryan, President, Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors, Los Angeles Unified
Kate Sequeira, Journalism resident, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Conservatives aim to take control of school boards Oct 27, 2022

The California Republican Party, churches and conservative organizations have recruited and trained dozens of candidates to run for school board across California.

Some of their goals include fighting against teaching about racism and racial equity and the acceptance of different gender identities. What’s at stake in school board elections?

Guests:

John Rogers, Professor of education, UCLA
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Kids or cops: who should use this library building? Oct 20, 2022

A plan to convert a library building in the farming town of McFarland in the Central Valley into a police station sparked widespread protest.

Kern County recently expanded the library’s hours to open five days a week. Yet the city leaders of McFarland are doubling down, saying the police need the library building to meet the town’s public safety needs.

At the heart of this debate: What is the role of a library? Who does it serve?

Guests:

Andie Sullivan, Director, Kern County Library
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How can we fix the student housing crunch? Oct 13, 2022

Kenya Abner and her husband struggled to find student housing for their family. Twenty years later, their daughter ran into the same problem.

Student housing is so scarce in California that tens of thousands of students are left without stable places to live. To tackle that shortage, experts say college leaders must try new and innovative solutions.

Guests:

Kenya Abner, Student, CSU Sacramento
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource
Keith Curry, President, Compton College
Su Jin Gatlin Jez, Executive director, California Competes
Jo Mackness, Assistant vice chancellor of student affairs, UC Berkeley

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A mother fights back after her kids are restrained at school Sep 29, 2022

When Elyse K’s daughter was 8, she told her mom that at school “they’d put her up on the wall, like a coat on a coat rack.” Elyse K took the school to court. The lawsuit filed alleged that a school operated by Contra Costa County County Office of Education for children with severe emotional and behavioral challenges used extreme tactics — such as physical restraints and isolation — to punish students and control their behavior. A recent settlement in the case requires the state to closely monitor the school and to train staff in positive discipline.

How common is excessive restraint in special education schools in California? And how groundbreaking is this settlement?

Guests:

Elyse K., Mother of twins

Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How a library inside juvenile hall aims to break the prison pipeline Sep 22, 2022

Not knowing how to read well can make it more likely for students to drop out of high school, and to end up in jail. By one count, 85 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have difficulty reading.

This week, we visit a county library trying to boost literacy and a love for books among teenagers who are incarcerated in juvenile hall.

Guests:

Lisa Harris, Library Manager, Social Justice Services, Alameda County Library
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why do so many kids struggle to learn to read? Sep 15, 2022

VIDEO | Is My Kid Learning How to Read?

Esti Iturralde, who has a PhD in psychology, conducts a little experiment with her daughter on how children best learn to read. Watch the video here.

Half of California third graders can’t read at grade level.

There’s exhaustive brain research that suggests that most children must be explicitly taught how to connect sounds with letters, yet many children are not taught how to do that. Why do so many children struggle to read? And why are we still debating over how they should be taught?

Guests:

Esti Iturralde, Parent
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Can we axe remedial classes? Sep 08, 2022

Remedial math and English classes were designed to help students prepare for college-level courses, but research has shown that they actually made it harder for students to finish college. Students would get stuck in these remedial courses, that they often didn’t actually need, get frustrated and drop out.

Despite efforts to limit remedial classes in California, many colleges are still offering them. A new bill would go further to almost completely eliminate these classes. What would it take to get rid of remedial courses and why does it matter?

Guests:

Anne Gloag, Math department chair, San Diego Miramar College
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why do low-income schools have more uncredentialed teachers? Sep 01, 2022

Students from low-income families are more likely to have uncredentialed teachers than students from wealthier households. A teacher shares how credentialing impacts quality of teaching and classroom management, and we discuss what California and its school districts are doing to address this issue.

Guests:

Thomas Courtney, 4th and 5th grade teacher, San Diego Unified School District Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A year of stories getting to the heart of California schools Aug 18, 2022

On the one-year anniversary of Education Beat, we take a moment to look back at the year’s episodes. Education Beat has brought you the voices of students, teachers, parents and administrators, with stories from the very heart of California schools.

Listen to John Fensterwald discuss this first season of the podcast, with host Zaidee Stavely, and hear snippets of some of our most memorable episodes.

Guests:

John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
Zaidee Stavely, Host, Education Beat

Listen to full episodes mentioned in this episode:

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Teens fight for the right to vote for school board Aug 11, 2022

High schoolers in California have been organizing to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote in local school board elections, giving students more say in their school districts. Two measures were passed by voters in Oakland and Berkeley in recent years, but the teens who organized to put them on the ballot are still waiting for them to be implemented. What now?

Guests:

Ixchel Arista, Senior, Oakland High School
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Math for babies and toddlers Aug 04, 2022

Fresno County is the hub of a statewide pilot project to help early childhood educators, child care providers and elementary school teachers teach math concepts at an early age. A teacher at one child development center shares how she uses math concepts all day, even during a diaper change.

Guests:

Brittany Montelongo, Master teacher, Lighthouse for Children Child Development Center
Ashleigh Panoo, Journalism resident, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Compton journalism class aims to boost English skills Jul 28, 2022

Compton Unified School District in Los Angeles County is taking a creative approach to helping students become proficient in English faster —a journalism class for English learners. Students learn to interview and write articles, and at the same time, get a boost to their confidence, crucial for participating fully in class.

Guests:

Alison Mendez, Adrian Espinoza, Ayleen Andrade and Camilla Vasquez, Students, Compton Unified School District
Kendra Hatchett, Summer journalism teacher, Compton Unified School District

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How pandemic relief funds are paying for summer camp Jul 21, 2022

California school districts received millions of dollars this year in federal and state Covid relief funding to address the impacts of the pandemic. One district, Lodi Unified, spent a chunk of the funds to send students to a two-week summer camp at a local university. Students took college classes taught by university professors, and they got a taste of dorm life.

Guests:

Clara Brienza-Larsen, Incoming freshman, Lodi Unified School District
Mariya Wharry, Program Coordinator, Lodi Unified School District
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Who should respond to crisis calls on campus? Jul 14, 2022

When college students have mental health crises, a call to 9-1-1 is often the only option, resulting in a visit from the police. One California State University campus, Cal State Long Beach, is changing that and will begin sending mental health professionals to respond to crisis calls. Why is this change important?

Guests:

Presley Dalman, Graduate, California State University, Long Beach
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: CSU Long Beach makes mental health priority

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How Prop 13 widened the wealth and education gap in California Jul 07, 2022

California voters passed Proposition 13 in 1978 in response to rising property taxes. A new analysis concludes that Prop 13 has contributed to a widening wealth gap, a severe housing shortage and — for decades — inadequate funding for public schools.

On this episode, we discuss the legacy of Prop 13 and possible paths forward.

Guests:

María Echaveste, President and CEO, Opportunity Institute
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Why aren’t more districts investing in tutoring? Jun 30, 2022

Tutoring that’s either one-on-one or in very small groups and happens at least three times a week has been shown to greatly improve students’ learning.

Many academic and advocacy groups say this is a critical way schools can help students recover from learning loss, after a year of distance learning. But many parents haven’t found tutoring options at their children’s schools.

Guests:

Cristina Sánchez, Parent, Los Angeles Unified
Joanna French, Associate director of research and policy, Innovate Public Schools
Kate Sequeira, Journalism resident, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How restorative justice transformed this Oakland school Jun 23, 2022

Five years ago, Fremont High in Oakland had some of the highest discipline rates and lowest attendance in the city. Only 1 in 4 graduates were qualified to attend public college in California. One in 3 dropped out entirely. Today, with a newly rebuilt campus and an intensive focus on improving campus climate, Fremont has seen its enrollment jump, and the number of students who qualify for college admission has nearly tripled.

Students and staff say the restorative justice program is a big part of how that transformation occurred.

Guests:

Kimberly Higareda, Student, Fremont High School
Joshua Watan, Student, Fremont High School
Aaron Gray, Restorative justice coordinator, Horace Mann Elementary School
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Lack of housing threatens to derail student parents’ dreams Jun 16, 2022

Being a full-time student makes scratching together money for rent difficult, so many students opt for discounted student housing, when it’s available. But on-campus housing often isn’t an option for students with children, because it’s rarely designed to accommodate families, and many colleges don’t allow children in on-campus housing, or even in their emergency housing programs for homeless students.

What’s it like for student parents to navigate the student housing system in California colleges? And what can be done to help them?

Guests:

Elizabeth Clews, Prospective transfer student
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Overworked and underappreciated, teachers are burning out Jun 09, 2022

After a difficult and isolated year of distance learning, student behavior in Lynda White’s middle school classroom quickly descended into chaos. With administrators stretched thin, White was left to deal with it on her own, and she eventually joined the ranks of thousands of other California teachers who quit their jobs mid-year. Some teachers left because of the challenges of teaching during a pandemic. Many burned out, citing bad behavior and a lack of support.

Guests:

Lynda White, Retired teacher, Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

How community schools help kids thrive Jun 02, 2022

California recently approved the first round of grants to convert potentially thousands of schools into full-service “community schools”. Community schools provide all kinds of services for kids and families – health care, mental health therapy, housing assistance, fresh fruit and vegetables – in an effort to help kids thrive in school. A reporter discusses what he saw at a local community school and a community school coordinator shares how her school has been transformed with this program.

Guests:

Leslie Hu, Community school coordinator, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Middle School, San Francisco Unified
Jessica Petrilli, Principal, Helms Middle School, West Contra Costa Unified
Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Students grapple with ever-present threat of gun violence May 26, 2022

Close to 300,000 students have faced gun violence in their schools since the Columbine shooting in 1999. Many more have experienced threats of violence on their campuses. EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps interviewed students who have survived a school shooting or shooting threats about how those experiences have impacted them.

Guests:

Leesa Hogan, Student, Merritt College

Megan Tagami, Student journalist, California Student Journalism Corps

Raya Torres, Student journalist, California Student Journalism Corps

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What California can learn from Texas and Florida about improving graduation rates May 19, 2022

As California State University seeks to help more students earn a college degree faster, it could learn something from counterparts in Texas and Florida that have dramatically improved their graduation rates over the last decade.

Reporter Larry Gordon shares his insights from recent reporting, and a student from the University of Texas at San Antonio details how a graduation help desk cleared his way to the finish line.

Guests:

Nick Robinson, Graduate, University of Texas at San Antonio
Larry Gordon, Reporter and Fellow, Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship

Read more from EdSource: Finishing in Four Years

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

The Class of 2022 May 12, 2022

The Class of 2022’s high school experience was transformed by Covid. Many struggled emotionally and academically during distance learning, often failing to turn in assignments or turn on their cameras during classes. But others emerged stronger than ever, using their time alone to double down on academics or to cultivate hobbies or even a mental health website with coping skills for kids.

Guests:

Miles Fu, Senior, El Camino Fundamental High School
Tatiana Torres, Senior, Heritage High School, Founder, Calm-4-You
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Looking for bilingual teachers in our own backyards May 05, 2022

After years of English-only classes for students who spoke other languages at home, California is now pushing to expand bilingual programs for all students.

But the state has a huge obstacle — it needs more bilingual teachers. Some say we need to look beyond colleges and universities, and instead find new teachers among bus drivers, teachers’ aides, and attendance clerks.

Guests:

Alejandra Silva, Bilingual teacher, Escondido Union School District
Guillermo Castillo, Director, Future Educator Support, Butte County Office of Education
Holly Harding, Administrator, Future Educator Support, Butte County Office of Education

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Should a small town library be turned into a police station? Apr 28, 2022

A small town in the Central Valley could convert its community library into a police station. The proposal has upset many residents who say that the library is vital for reading, homework, and community.

Guests:

Jazmine Ciciliano, Sixth grader
Phil Corr, President, Friends of the McFarland Library
Emma Gallegos, journalism resident, EdSource

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Students fight for mental health hotlines on ID’s Apr 21, 2022

As lawmakers and college officials focus on how to better support student mental health, some students are coming up with their own ideas for bills, and even writing them themselves. One new bill would require all community colleges and California State University campuses to print a phone number on student identification cards for local mental health services.

Guests:

Kimberly Woo, Student, UC Berkeley
Léo Corzo-Clark, Student, Brown University
Carolyn Jones, Senior Reporter, EdSource

Read the EdSource story: Mental health hotline numbers would appear on California college student ID cards if bill passes

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Making math fun after pandemic setbacks Apr 14, 2022

After a year of distance learning, the range of skill levels in math class is very wide, with some students still learning concepts from several grades behind. That means teachers have to get creative to get students excited about math and make up for lost time, now that they are back in school in person.

Guests:

Sandhya Raman, Math teacher, Morrill Middle School, Berryessa Union School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read the EdSource article:

Student math scores touch off ‘five-alarm fire’ in California

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Porch visits and homeschooling – how some schools are boosting attendance Apr 07, 2022

The number of students missing class has spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, compounding a larger problem of decreasing enrollment. As California school districts face the prospect of a precipitous drop in funding next year due to these trends, we talked to administrators about the ways they are trying to increase attendance and enrollment — whether by engaging families through porch visits or creating a homeschooling option through the district.

Guests:

Holly Cybulski, Director of Elementary and K-8 schools, San Juan Unified.
Gina Potter, Superintendent, San Ysidro School District
Erin Simon, Assistant Superintendent of School Support Services, Long Beach Unified School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Watch the roundtable here.

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A place to park makes a difference for homeless families Mar 31, 2022

When staff at New Haven Unified School District began investigating why so many students had stopped coming to class, they realized that rent hikes had forced many families to live in their cars. So officials in the district, which is some 20 miles south of Oakland, helped set up a program to offer homeless families with children a place to park.

The program gives families safety and stability so that students can do homework and get to school on time. One mom who lived in her van for almost a year shares how this program helped her get back on her feet, and how she now helps feed her neighbors still living in their cars.

Guests:

Tami Rossell, Mother, entrepreneur and volunteer
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource

Read more about Tami’s story: After living in her van in a city lot, she now feeds others who park there

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

The Miami effect: New L.A. schools chief Alberto Carvalho on language and community Mar 24, 2022

As an immigrant and the head of Miami-Dade public schools for nearly 14 years, Los Angeles Unified’s new superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, intimately understands the challenges and promises of families who speak languages other than English at home.

As a product of Miami-Dade public schools, EdSource Executive Director Anne Vasquez shares a common understanding with the superintendent. This episode includes excerpts from a recent conversation they had about their time in Miami, the advantages of bilingual education, and some of the key similarities and differences between the districts.

Guests:

Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District
Anne Vasquez, Executive Director, EdSource

Read the EdSource story:

Why years in Miami will serve new LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Child care providers struggle to survive Mar 17, 2022

The pandemic has worsened working conditions for child care workers, who have long been among the lowest-paid workers in the country. Some child care workers are leaving the profession. A recent report found that those who have stayed are feeling crushed and frustrated by their circumstances, dealing with food insecurity and lack of health insurance and retirement funds.

Guests:

Donise Keller, Child care provider, Antioch
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource

Read the EdSource story:

California child care workers struggle to survive

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Scrambling to find school bus drivers Mar 10, 2022

Among the most difficult pandemic-related staff shortages is a lack of school bus drivers. It’s an important job, ensuring kids who might otherwise lack a ride get to school on time. But in many places there just aren’t enough drivers willing to work for what districts will pay them. How can California school districts attract and retain enough bus drivers?

Guests:

Olivia Minor, School bus scheduler, Sacramento City Unified School District
Diana Lambert, Senior Reporter, EdSource

Read the EdSource story:

Severe driver shortage leaves some California kids waiting at the school bus stop

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

What’s keeping California’s community college students from transferring? Mar 03, 2022

More than 2 million students attend California’s community colleges, which are billed as a good place for students to start a path to a bachelor’s degree.

But when it comes time to transfer to a four-year college, too few are successfully making the jump. What’s keeping California’s community college students from transferring?

Guests:

Marjorie Blen, Former community college student and current sociology student, San Francisco State University
Audrey Dow, Senior Vice President, Campaign for College Opportunity
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource

Watch EdSource’s roundtable discussion about this topic:

The transfer maze: How to streamline transferring into CSU and UC

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

When students counsel other students Feb 24, 2022

For students who are leery of adults, peer counseling can provide a safe place to work through difficult family problems, stress, and depression. California has urged schools to invest in mental health programs, like peer counseling.

What are the benefits and pitfalls of programs where students counsel students?

Guests:

Christopher Gonzalez, Former peer counselor, Fontana Unified School District
Baylee McPherson, Peer counselor, Clovis West High School
Carolyn Jones, Senior reporter, EdSource

Read more about this topic at EdSource:

Peer counseling gains popularity as California schools beef up student mental health services

Gig by gig at California community colleges Feb 17, 2022

California’s community colleges increasingly rely on adjunct professors as low-paid replacements for full-time faculty. Rather than a side gig, many adjuncts cobble together part-time work at multiple colleges or in multiple districts. Many don’t have health insurance. Often they are hanging on, hoping for a full time job, that never materializes.

It can be a precarious living, one that shortchanges the adjuncts and their students.

Guests:

Steve Hall, Adjunct professor, Butte-Glenn Community College District
Cherise Mantia, Adjunct professor, Gavilan College
Curley Wikkeling-Miller, Adjunct professor, Peralta and Solano Community College Districts
Thomas Peele, Investigative reporter, EdSource

Read EdSource’s three-part series about adjunct working conditions:

Gig by Gig At California Community Colleges

The challenge of being a principal during Covid Feb 10, 2022

In the midst of a pandemic that has been hard for teachers, parents and students, principals are burdened with keeping the whole thing together, maintaining functioning schools amid chaos and constant change.

In this episode, we hear from principals across the state who participated in a recent roundtable with EdSource. They share how they’re coping and what they think would help them and their teachers stay in the profession.

Guests:

Kilian Betlach, principal, Elmhurst United Middle School, Oakland
Vito Chiala, principal, Overfelt High School, San Jose
Leyda Garcia, principal, UCLA Community School, Los Angeles
Julie Giannini-Previde, principal, Dow’s Prairie Elementary School, McKinleyville
Greg Moffitt, principal, Fairmont Charter Elementary School, Vacaville
John Fensterwald, Editor-At-Large, EdSource

Watch the EdSource roundtable:

Frustrating, exhausting but worth it: School principals tell what their jobs are like now

Should we screen all kids for dyslexia? Feb 03, 2022

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators are pushing to develop a tool that could be used to screen every young student in California schools for dyslexia.

A mother shares how her son went years without help for his dyslexia – still reading at a kindergarten level in sixth grade. What can be done to keep children with dyslexia from slipping through the cracks?

Guests:

Renee Webster-Hawkins, Mother of two, Sacramento City Unified School District
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Read more about this topic at EdSource:

After setbacks, dyslexia screening for young students moves forward in California schools

Why we need more Black teachers Jan 27, 2022

A growing body of research shows that Black students who have at least one Black teacher growing up are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college than those who don’t.

In this episode, we discuss how California school districts are working to prepare and retain more Black teachers. And a Black teacher shares his experience in a teacher preparation program and relating to Black students.

Guests:

Michael Obah, Biology teacher, Oakland Unified School District
Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource

Read more about this topic on EdSource:

How California districts seek to recruit, retain Black teachers amid shortage

Teaching during a Covid surge Jan 20, 2022

California students returned to classrooms this month amid a spike in Covid cases and changing protocols from the state. Some districts are running out of substitutes to step in for sick and quarantined staff. Teachers and students in some schools are demanding more Covid testing and calling for the distribution of better masks for teachers and students.

Teachers share what it’s like to be teaching during a Covid surge.

Guests:

Zinia Gangopadhyay, Fifth-grade teacher, Oakland Unified School District
Allison Paredes, Kindergarten teacher, San Diego Unified School District
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource

Read more about this topic from EdSource:

Blind students fight for accessible college classes Jan 13, 2022

In 2017, two blind students in the Los Angeles Community College District filed a lawsuit claiming that they and other blind students weren’t given accessible materials in math classes. The students say that without materials in braille or audio, or tutors to read the material out loud, the classes are almost impossible to pass, effectively barring students from transferring to a four-year college.

California’s largest community college district is planning to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that federal disability rights laws don’t cover “unintentional discrimination.” What impact could this court case have on the rights of students with disabilities?

Guests:

Roy Payan, Plaintiff and Student
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Read more about this topic on EdSource:

‘Unintentional discrimination’ at the heart of disability lawsuit against California community college district

Kids enroll in this school just for the lunch Jan 06, 2022

In this episode we visit Davenport, California, a little seaside town, south of San Francisco, not far from Santa Cruz. The town is home to a tiny district with just one school, nestled between ocean, farmland, and mountains. John Fensterwald is taking us there for lunch, cooked from scratch by the fifth and sixth graders.

Pacific Elementary’s unique Food Lab program is a boon for the district, boosting its enrollment by attracting students from nearby wealthier districts.

Guests:

Emelia Miguel, Food Service Director, Pacific Elementary School
Quinn Schromm, Moses O’Riordan, Shyon Johnson, Logan Franks, and other Student Chefs, Pacific Elementary School
Eric Gross, Principal, Pacific Elementary School
Doña Bumgarner, Parent and Librarian, Pacific Elementary School
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read the EdSource article and watch the video:

Kid cooks and tasty lunches: One elementary school’s recipe for survival

Whomping willows and chess: Using Covid relief to make school fun Dec 16, 2021

California schools have a lot more money to spend this year, with federal COVID relief funds. We’re looking closely at how one school district, Lodi Unified, is using theirs.

One big priority is enrichment programs, to help engage students in school after a year and a half of distance learning. In this episode, we’ll hear from a theater teacher who helped students build their own Hogwarts interactive scene, and a custodian who started an after-school chess club.

Guests:

Valorie Fitzgerald, Theatre Department Program Director, McNair High School, Lodi Unified School District
Shaun Montemayor, Custodian and Chess Club Teacher, Elkhorn Elementary School, Lodi Unified School District
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource

Read the EdSource article about Lodi:

How one California school district is using its Covid relief money to help students

What it takes to be an award-winning counselor Dec 09, 2021

Two school counselors in California recently won state and national awards for their work. Both are first-generation college graduates and alumni of Fresno State, both grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, where they still work today, and both are from immigrant families.

How did these experiences make them better counselors? We hear from them and from the reporters who interviewed them for EdSource.

Guests:

Alma Lopez, School counselor, Livingston Middle School, Livingston Union School District
Yia Le, School counselor, McLane High School, Fresno Unified School District
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource
Larry Gordon, Reporter, EdSource

Read EdSource stories about the counselors:

Students stand for transgender rights Dec 02, 2021

Students at Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County recently stood in overwhelming opposition to a proposal that would have excluded transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms or playing on sports teams corresponding to their gender identity. State officials also warned the school board that the proposal violated a state law in place since 2014.

In this week’s episode, we hear sound from some of the high school students speaking eloquently for greater inclusion and understanding, and we speak with a teacher who was inspired by the students’ response.

Guests:

Amanda Swager, Teacher, Chino Valley Unified School District
Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource

Read more EdSource stories on this topic:

How robots can help kids learn English Nov 18, 2021

California is still lagging in helping students become proficient in English by their sixth year in school. Students who take longer than six years to learn English can miss out on academic content in other classes and even electives.

This week, we look at how one district uses robotics to help speed up and deepen learning for long-term English learners. And we discuss a recent report on how California can do better to serve these students.

Guests:

Caroline Martin, English Language Instructional Coach, Elk Grove Unified School District
Manuel Buenrostro, Policy Associate, Californians Together; Co-author, Renewing Our Promise: Research and Recommendations to Support California’s Long-Term English Learners.

Read the EdSource story on this topic:

California still lags in helping long-term English learners

How California schools plan to spend Covid windfall Nov 11, 2021

California public schools have an unprecedented influx of money thanks to more than 13 billion dollars in federal Covid relief from the American Rescue Plan. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic.

Host Zaidee Stavely and editor-at-large John Fensterwald discuss the promises and challenges posed by this huge one-time funding. Also, a student shares why he believes mental health is the most pressing need on which districts should focus, and a superintendent discusses why his district is providing internet access to close the digital divide.

Guests:

Isaiah Vega, Senior, Edison High School, Fresno Unified School District
Bob Nelson, Superintendent, Fresno Unified School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more EdSource stories on this topic:

Why Black parents started their own parallel school board Nov 04, 2021

At a community meeting in 2008, Carl Pinkston watched parent after parent stand up to say that whenever they brought their concerns to the school board, they were not being heard. So he and others got together to start a Black Parallel School Board — a place where parents could express themselves and organize together to improve education for Black students.

The organization has made small, but significant changes in schools, like getting posters of Black role models on the walls. It’s also involved in bigger changes, pushing to remove police officers from schools and to stop discipline practices that disproportionately target Black students. Recently, the organization sued the state over this. This week we look at how this organization began, and why Black parents felt it was needed.

Guests:

Carl Pinkston, Founding member, Black Parallel School Board
Diana Lambert, Senior reporter, EdSource

Read more EdSource stories about this topic:

Fighting for the education of Black students in California

Independent study out of reach for special education students Oct 28, 2021

Some students can’t attend in-person school because they are at high risk for Covid-19. Nine-year-old Liam in Long Beach, for example, has chronic lung disease. But Liam’s school district told his family he couldn’t enroll in independent study either, because he has special needs that couldn’t be accommodated.

So Liam — and thousands of other special education students – are in limbo. His mother and other parents have joined a civil rights complaint to try to push the state and school districts to help their students.

Guests:

Kirsten Nielsen, Mother, Long Beach
Carolyn Jones, Senior Reporter, EdSource

Read more EdSource stories on this topic:

California independent study sparks equity concerns for students with disabilities

How one student got her middle school to change its name Oct 21, 2021

When Anaya Zenad researched her school’s namesake, she uncovered a history that upset her. The school was named after Juan Crespi, a Spanish missionary who helped pave the way for the brutally oppressive California mission system in the 1700s, where Native American children were forced to work. Anaya and her peers decided they wanted their school to recognize someone who stood up for civil rights, rather than someone who played a part in taking rights away. So they renamed it after Betty Reid Soskin, a local civil rights icon and the oldest National Park ranger. This week we explore the story of how Anaya and other students made this change happen.

Guests:

Anaya Zenad, Student, West Contra Costa Unified
Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource

Read more EdSource stories on this topic:

Could juvenile detention centers look like college campuses? Oct 14, 2021

California’s juvenile justice system is at a crossroads, with state-run youth prisons shutting down in less than two years. Many of the 3,600 youth held in county-run juvenile halls, camps and ranches are former public school students like Kent Mendoza, who was incarcerated when he was 15. He’s now part of a growing movement to reimagine juvenile detention facilities and the education provided in them.

Guests:

Kent Mendoza, Advocacy and community organizing manager, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
Betty Márquez Rosales, reporter, EdSource

Read more EdSource articles on this topic:

What will universal TK mean for California kids? Oct 07, 2021

California is making big strides towards offering a free year of public pre-kindergarten to all four-year-olds by 2025.

A teacher shares why she loves transitional kindergarten – the joy of learning and the chance for play so often lost in kindergarten nowadays. Host Zaidee Stavely and EdSource reporter Karen D’Souza discuss the hopes and challenges posed by this enormous expansion.

Guests:

Paula Merrigan, Transitional Kindergarten Teacher, Castro Valley Unified School District
Karen D’Souza, Early Education Reporter, EdSource

Read more articles on this topic from EdSource:

Struggling to find substitute teachers Sep 30, 2021

As California school districts face a substitute shortage so severe that some officials fear temporary school closures, some district staff are playing musical chairs to fill positions. We speak with a superintendent who now also fills in as classroom teacher, health aide, or administrative assistant, depending on the day.

Guests:

Terri Rufert, Superintendent, Sundale Union Elementary School District
Diana Lambert, Senior Reporter, EdSource

Read an article about this topic on EdSource:

Substitute shortages so severe, some districts may have to temporarily close classrooms

A family separated and their education derailed Sep 23, 2021

About 1 in 8 of California’s school children have an undocumented parent. This week, we take a look at three siblings, all U.S. citizens, who had to put their college plans on hold, when their stepfather took steps to obtain a green card – only to be separated from his loved ones for more than two years. Also, a school board member and advocate for students from immigrant families shares how schools can support these students.

Guests:

Armanda Ruiz, José Luis Ruiz Arévalos, and their kids Elena, Nathan, Ignacio and Priscila

Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, Deputy Director, Californians Together; School Board Member, Azusa Unified School District

Read the EdSource article and watch the video:

How immigration policy forced a California family apart and disrupted their education

This episode was produced in collaboration with The California Report Magazine and KQED.

Jennifer Molina contributed to the reporting.

Sparking joy for reading Sep 16, 2021

Studies have shown that the mere presence of books at home can help foster learning. But after 18 months of the pandemic, California’s youngest learners may be at most risk of falling behind.

This week, the story of a Berkeley school bus driver who started giving away books on her bus and realized that the book gap was much larger than she thought. She shares how she joined up with Dolly Parton to bring even more books to kids, and how parents and teachers can help kids get excited about reading.

Guests:

Karen D’Souza, Senior Reporter, EdSource

Seena Hawley, Executive Director, The Berkeley Baby Book Project, an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

- You can sign up to receive books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library here.
- You can hear Dolly Parton reading children’s books here.
- You can find a list of books for young children here.

Read more stories about this topic on EdSource:

What impact will the pandemic have on early literacy?

Upcoming EdSource Roundtable | Universal Transitional Kindergarten: What parents need to know

Join EdSource’s Karen D’Souza and Anne Vasquez for a roundtable discussion with providers, advocates and policymakers to explore the importance and impact of early education and how transitional kindergarten fits into the journey between preschool and kindergarten. Learn more and register.

How Mama Brown sent her neighborhood to college Sep 09, 2021

California is set to launch the nation’s largest college savings program, CalKids, later this year, opening college accounts for all newborns in the state and low-income students in first through 12th grade.

Long before California’s college savings account program, an Oakland woman “adopted” her own class of first graders and promised to pay for their college educations if they graduated from high school. What did she learn? And what can California learn from her?

Guests:

Carolyn Jones, Senior Reporter, EdSource
Oral Lee Brown, Founder and President, Oral Lee Brown Foundation
Nekita Noel-Ikulala, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
Jeffery Toney, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
Daishar Young, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown

Read more EdSource articles on this topic:

Lost, horrible and heartbreaking: Independent study woes Sep 02, 2021

With Covid cases surging again, tens of thousands of students across California have chosen independent study rather than in-person classes. But school districts are struggling to provide independent study for all students who want it, with some students waiting weeks to get assigned to a teacher.

Host Zaidee Stavely talks with reporter Betty Márquez Rosales about the frustrations shared by parents and district officials. A parent from Mojave Unified School District in Kern County shares the heartbreak she feels after her sons’ struggles with distance learning seem destined to repeat in independent study.

Guests:

Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Tammy Tyler, Parent, Mojave Unified School District

Read more EdSource stories about this topic:

College amid a pandemic: The Class of 2025 Aug 26, 2021

The freshman class of 2025 is like no other before. They missed out on a lot of high school experiences, with their last year and a half all online. As they start college, the pandemic continues to change the way they take classes and socialize.

In this episode, host Zaidee Stavely and reporter Ashley A. Smith discuss how this year’s freshman class in the California State University system will also be the cohort of students examined in four years to see if the university accomplished its goals to increase graduation rates.

Guests:

Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource
James Minor, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Senior Strategist, California State University
Adrian Muguiya, Student, Cal State Northridge
Isabella Garay, Student, Cal Poly Pomona

Read more EdSource stories about this topic:

Welcoming back English learners Aug 19, 2021

Among those most affected by distance learning throughout the pandemic were students who are learning English as a second language — about 1.2 million students in California. This week host Zaidee Stavely talks with a teacher in Baldwin Park Unified in Los Angeles about how she’s welcoming back English learners with lots of opportunities to practice speaking and making her classroom a place where students can build a community to ease the anxiety and stress caused by the pandemic.

Guest: Charlene Fried, English teacher, Sierra Vista High School, Baldwin Park Unified School District; Lecturer, California State University Los Angeles; Adjunct professor, Loyola Marymount University.

Read more EdSource stories about this topic:

Teachers struggle to recreate language-rich classes for English learners online

Free school lunch for all Aug 12, 2021

All public school students in California will now be eligible to eat breakfast and lunch for free — regardless of family income.

Host Zaidee Stavely and reporter Ali Tadayon discuss what impact the state’s new universal school meals program could have on schools and children. Also, a director of nutrition in a high-poverty district tells us how offering free meals to all students in her district got more students to class on time, improved school culture and helped stem hunger.

Guests:

Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource
Stephanie Bruce, Nutrition Services Director, Palm Springs Unified School District

Read more EdSource stories about this topic:

Back to school: Healing students’ grief and anxiety Aug 05, 2021

The pandemic has sparked high levels of anxiety and grief, with countless students losing loved ones to the virus. Host Zaidee Stavely talks with senior reporter Carolyn Jones about how teachers and counselors are preparing to make schools places of healing that focus on mental health and wellbeing. A school counselor from Los Angeles shares how students and parents are feeling more anxious than ever, and what she’s done to try to alleviate some of that stress.

Guests:

Carolyn Jones, senior reporter, EdSource
Amy Dauble-Madigan, elementary school counselor, Culver City Unified School District

Read more EdSource stories on this topic:

Introducing Education Beat, a new podcast by EdSource Jul 30, 2021

Hello to listeners of This Week in California Education.

We’re pleased to introduce EdSource’s new podcast, Education Beat: Getting to the heart of California schools.

Join us each week as we cover everything from preschool to college, bringing you the personal stories behind the headlines.

As California students and teachers head back to in-person school this fall, we’ll be looking at how schools are preparing to help students with grief and loss caused by the pandemic, why it matters that California will be offering free school lunch to everyone and how teachers are preparing for their first day of class.

We’ll visit with freshmen starting their first year of college under the yoke of Covid. We’ll hear how one woman in Oakland adopted a whole class of first graders and helped get them to college. And how a college student in the Central Valley cut short her education to help her family, when her dad’s green card application was denied and he was stuck in Mexico.

We want you to hear the voices that are too often drowned out in the broader conversation: parents, teachers, and the students themselves.

Look for the first episode of Education Beat the first week of August, and please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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