Education

More than half of parenting college students drop out before attaining a degree. For these families, graduating during a pandemic was a special victory. Their experiences shed light on how California could better support the growing ranks of student parents.

UC Riverside and key allies in the Legislature have fought for additional funding for the school separate from what it already gets from the UC system. Now it’s up to the governor as to whether the state should subsidize a less popular campus.

Samuel Merritt University and Touro University California's new anti-burnout programs are part of a federally funded effort to improve retention in a health care industry rocked by the pandemic.

A CalMatters investigation found that schools had wildly different approaches to stimulus spending — from laptops to shade structures to an ice cream truck. No centralized database exists to show the public exactly where the money went.

California schools received more than $33 billion in COVID stimulus money. Some districts won’t say how they’ve spent it.

Debate continued last week over a new name for UC Hastings law school after revelations that its founder participated in massacres of Native Americans. Tribal leaders say legislation requiring that the school make reparations for the atrocities offers an opportunity for their history to be recognized.

Tony Thurmond faces little opposition for a second term as California schools superintendent, but critics question how much he has accomplished. He points to task forces that are influencing education policy and says he wants to help public schools rebound from the pandemic.

Private colleges want to change rules for how police respond to trespassing on campus. Students worry the proposal could lead to racial profiling.

The Cal State system pointed out this week that current plans to expand the Cal Grant, California’s chief financial aid tool for students, would leave out more middle class students in the future, even though there would be a net gain of eligible students overall. Supporters of expanding the Cal Grant don’t think Cal State officials are telling the whole story.

By officially prioritizing part-time work as a way for students to pay for college, the University of California moved closer to its goal of students avoiding burdensome loans by 2030.