Education

California high school students will be required to pass an ethnic studies class to graduate, starting with the class of 2030. That means the state needs lots of new ethnic studies teachers. But do educators need a special credential to teach ethnic studies? Some ethnic studies advocates say allowing any social science teacher to instruct the subject will lead to watered down and ineffective courses, while school districts argue that flexibility is important if they’re going to fill the roles.

Most college students don’t qualify for CalFresh, California’s food stamps program, despite high rates of food insecurity. A pandemic-era rule that made it easier to get aid ends soon.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to delay state funds to student housing because of the state’s budget deficit. Lawmakers have different ideas on what kind of compromise might be reached.

The California Community College Chancellor's Office has $115 million to spend to reduce the burden of textbook costs across its 115-campus system. One approach already being developed by a few community colleges would have campuses publish their own textbooks and course materials.

The California Teachers Association has consistently opposed legislation that would require dyslexia screening for all students in early grades. Yet many teachers say early intervention is key to heading off later academic struggles.

In our new ‘Ask CJN’ feature, student reporters with the CalMatters College Journalism Network answer readers’ questions about college in California. This week: At a time when California desperately needs nurses, why is it so hard to get into nursing school?

A federal judge last year found that the room scans performed by some remote proctoring software are unconstitutional. But some California colleges continue to use the software, which is designed to prevent cheating in online exams.

Sonya Christian, current chancellor of Kern Community College District, will be the first woman appointed as permanent chancellor and the first person of South Asian heritage to lead the nation’s largest system of public higher education.

Officials hope to double enrollment at Cal Poly Humboldt by 2027. Plans to reserve all on-campus housing for first-years were scaled back last week after current students staged protests – but some returning students may still end up living in hotels or even on a barge. The uproar illustrates the severity of the state's student housing crisis.

California is one of only 10 states in the country that does not require schools to screen children for dyslexia. Experts agree early diagnosis is key to helping dyslexic students learn to read, yet the statewide teachers union and others have blocked those efforts.