Special education instructor Liz Duffield in her pre-k and kindergarten classroom on the Lu Sutton Elementary school campus in Novato on Oct. 27, 2020. Duffield currently has seven students, one of whom is still doing distance learning. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
Special education instructor Liz Duffield in her pre-k and kindergarten classroom on the Lu Sutton Elementary school campus in Novato on Oct. 27, 2020. Duffield currently has seven students, one of whom is still doing distance learning. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

In summary

This week, we talk about the major drop in student enrollment and the generational shift that’s changing ethnic business districts.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to upend children’s development and learning. WhatMatters writer Emily Hoeven joins hosts Elizabeth Aguilera and Nicole Nixon to talk about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall and the lack of clarity over how students will get back to in-person learning. CalMatters K-12 education reporter Ricardo Cano also shares his reporting on the estimated 155,000 students who have dropped out of school this academic year, which is five times the drop in enrollment rate over the past few years.

And as various communities celebrate the Lunar New Year, CapRadio race and equity reporter Sarah Mizes-Tan describes how a generational shift is changing ethnic business centers like Little Saigon in Sacramento.

Listen to the thirteenth episode of “California State of Mind” here.

Subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can follow @yourgoldenstate, @CalMatters and @CapRadioNews on Twitter to engage with our show every week and see the biggest California stories of the day.

We want to hear from you

Want to submit a guest commentary or reaction to an article we wrote? You can find our submission guidelines here. Please contact CalMatters with any commentary questions: commentary@calmatters.org