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Education

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California strives to educate millions of students with varying geographic, ethnic and income backgrounds. We cover how the state is setting priorities and spending public money to meet them.

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Students on campus at the University of California, Davis in Davis on Feb. 2, 2022. Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters He spent decades researching dementia. Trump’s DEI purge killed his grant, and dozens more
A basketball player wearing a green Cal Poly uniform holds an orange Wilson EVO basketball, appearing ready to make a play. Their stance is focused, with eyes locked on a teammate reaching out for a pass. Another player in the background holds a basketball, while a coach or observer in dark clothing watches with arms crossed. The green bleachers of the gymnasium serve as the backdrop, and a blurred motion of a teammate's arm is visible in the foreground. College athletes can now make millions off sponsorship deals. Here’s the first look at California’s numbers
A view of two silhouettes of students walking through a dark hallway of a school with light shining through a doorway at the end of the hallway. One silhouette holds a lunch box and a water bottle in one hand. ‘Afraid to go to school’: Immigrant families in the Salinas Valley are gripped by fear
Meet the Team
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Denise Zapata
Deputy Editor
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Adam Echelman
Higher Education/Workforce Reporter
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Carolyn Jones
K-12 Education Reporter
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Tara García Mathewson
Education Reporter
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Mikhail Zinshteyn
Higher Education Reporter
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Jennifer Burger
College Journalism Network Editor
Education
For students, the overlooked test score gap that isn’t closing
For decades, the standardized test scores of California students have shown that achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity and class—while troubling—tended to narrow over time. And an alarming gender discrepancy that once showed girls testing significantly behind boys in math has actually vanished. But while the state’s newly released 2016 scores show small improvements overall compared to […]
By • August 31, 2016
Education
Urban schools test for grit, but will it improve scores?
Something new is happening at a batch of California urban schools. Students are being asked if they are happy at school. Can they keep their temper in check when there’s trouble in class? Their parents are surveyed about feeling welcome at school. Do they think the school provides high-quality instruction and high expectations for their […]
By • June 4, 2016
Education
A Stanford professor’s high-stakes plan to save California schools
One by one, dozens of blacks and Latinos lined up behind a microphone placed before the state school board appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Spanish-speaking mothers pleaded for the 10-member panel to evaluate schools based on parent involvement because they have felt unwelcome at their children’s schools. African-American students asked the state to compile school […]
By • June 4, 2016
Vallejo High School's district is among 100 with bond measures on the ballot this year. Photo by Robert Durell for CALmatters.
Education
Education fight ‘over shades of Democrat’
A group that lobbies to change public education is pouring money into a handful of Northern California legislative races ahead of the June 7 election, aiming to influence the kind of Democrats who hold power in the state Capitol. Democrats make up a solid majority of the Legislature, but they do not agree on everything. […]
By • May 18, 2016
Education
What happens when you look past school test scores?
This week California’s State Board of Education will consider what measures beyond test scores should be included in the state’s new accountability system for public schools. In a shift away from the state’s exclusive reliance on standardized tests, the board is mulling the incorporation of multiple metrics such as suspension and graduation rates in determining […]
By • May 10, 2016
Education
Brown: What makes you think Legislature can fix it?
Our Partners Budgeting from the Blacktop – KQED A Day With a Sixth Grader – KQED One School’s Unique Program Faces Uncertainty – KQED Is Extra Funding Helping English Learners? – KQED Listen: CALmatters reporter Judy Lin – KQED Who should decide how to fix schools that need help? In this video taken by CALmatters at the Berggruen […]
By • May 5, 2016
Education
Reminding Jerry Brown of Jerry Brown
Our Partners Budgeting from the Blacktop – KQED A Day With a Sixth Grader – KQED One School’s Unique Program Faces Uncertainty – KQED Is Extra Funding Helping English Learners? – KQED Listen: CALmatters reporter Judy Lin – KQED More than 50 civil rights and education reform groups are using Jerry Brown to remind Jerry Brown of his […]
By • May 3, 2016
Education
On schools, Villaraigosa parts with Gov
As he eyes a run for governor, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is spotlighting the lagging academic performance of Latino and African-American students and saying the state should do more to hold schools accountable. The 63-year-old Democrat says parents have a right to know how their schools are doing and he doesn’t see a […]
By • April 20, 2016
Education
Parent’s guide to finding the right school
Finding the right school for your child can be a daunting task. One family may want small class sizes and strong test scores while another places a high priority on arts and science programs. Others may prefer bilingual — or even trilingual — schools to gain a linguistic advantage or simply so their kids can […]
By • April 20, 2016

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Education - Page 93 of 94 - CalMatters
California education news and analysis. Updates on California's university system, public schools, charter schools, education policy and more.
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