Education

A person wearing a white sweater with blue stripes on the arm and a blue UCLA shirt underneath stands in a field near an apartment building, with tree branches poking into the background.

College Beat

How college students can earn $10,000 for making a difference in CA communities

The popular College Corps program pays students up to $10,000 for community service work including tutoring incarcerated youth, assisting at food banks and more. The program is expanding from 45 to 52 campuses, adding hundreds of more students.

By

Brittany Oceguera

• March 5, 2026

A person, with long brunette hair and wearing reading glasses, sits on the corner edge of wooden steps inside a building.

Higher Education

How one Cal State campus is trying to break out of a doom loop of declining enrollment

Several Cal State campuses are caught in a spiral of declining enrollment, threatening their budgets and programs. One in LA is focused on retention and re-enrolling students who dropped out.

By

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• March 4, 2026

A person speaks into a bullhorn while standing in the middle of a crowd that chants and holds up signs.

K-12 Education

‘Shocking’: What Supreme Court ruling on transgender policy means for California students

The court blocked California’s policy barring school districts from requiring teachers to “out” transgender students to their parents, unless the students gave permission.

By

Carolyn Jones

• March 4, 2026

A poster with information for students on using ChatGPT, an AI platform, in English teacher Jen Roberts' class at Point Loma High School in San Diego on May 3, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

Education

A handful of California schools embraced Trump’s AI challenge. Many haven’t heard of it

California schools that are already running artificial intelligence programs have a head start in the Trump administration's AI challenge, but many campuses just aren't participating.

By

Z. Waite

• March 4, 2026

A football player in a red jersey leaps with arms fully extended to catch a pass while a defender in a white uniform runs toward them on a field, with sideline figures blurred in the background.

Technology

To attend prom or a football game, California students first had to surrender their data

The state’s privacy protection agency is fining PlayOn $1.1 million for violating state law. The company, which operates the ticketing service GoFan, required students and parents to share their data to access tickets for high school events.

By

Adam Echelman

• March 3, 2026

Several demonstrators hold protest signs reading “On Strike for SF Students & Educators,” “Huelga ¡Escuelas Seguras y Estables Ahora!,” and “SF Stands with the Striking Educators!” while standing together outdoors.

K-12 Education

Wave of California teacher strikes ‘is no coincidence’

The California Teachers Association organized to trigger a wave of negotiations and potential strikes to garner public attention and flex political muscle.

By

Carolyn Jones

• February 27, 2026

Technology

AI images scandalized a California elementary school. Now the state is pushing new safeguards

Adobe's artificial intelligence generated sexualized images in response to prompts for a 4th grade book project. The incident coincided with the release of new state guidelines to prevent harmful AI in schools.

By

Khari Johnson

• February 26, 2026

High school students walk through a school campus.

Climate Change

What California’s planned power outages are costing schools: darkness, disruption and debt

California schools faced repeated planned power outages in 2024-2025 as Edison cut electricity to prevent wildfires, forcing closures and costly backup power solutions.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• February 25, 2026

A bearded person wearing a black “Chico State” T-shirt and cap sits on a low concrete planter holding papers, posed in a courtyard framed by tall concrete columns and rows of windows, with a library entrance visible behind them and a few people walking through the background.

Education

1 in 10 Cal State students face homelessness. This emergency housing program helps

California spent $31 million last year helping students facing homelessness with emergency housing and other services through Rapid Rehousing. The program operates at most public universities and about a quarter of community colleges, helping thousands of students who are either homeless or housing insecure, such as one student who was sleeping in a garage.

By

Khadeejah Khan

• February 24, 2026

Education

Modern parenting means apps for sports, school and more. Where is the data going?

California is a national leader in data privacy. Yet state law has gaps that allow companies to collect and sell students’ data.

By

Adam Echelman

• February 20, 2026