Education

After much political angst, California's community colleges have received limited authority to award four-year degrees. It's been a success for students that should be expanded.

As vitriol toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives grows, California school districts are crafting plans to support disadvantaged students, making once-mundane processes a target for backlash politics.

California is removing degree requirements from jobs, but state leaders differ about the right approach.

A new scorecard gives California low marks when it comes to the wellbeing of its youth, and calls for spending billions of extra dollars to improve their outlook.

California publishes a "dashboard" that grades schools on a variety of factors, but it can obscure the continuing failure of the state's K-12 system to help students meet key academic standards.

A proponent of a ballot initiative that would make personal finance a graduation requirement for California high schools says the courses would enhance, not detract from, core subjects.

A new study found that spending $53 million on upgrading the reading skills of third graders had a positive effect. It's a lesson that politicians should heed.

In parts of California, school boards are attempting to restrict access to certain books and pass controversial parental notification policies. A queer college student and political consultant says these efforts not only endanger students but teach children the wrong lessons about acceptance.

In 2020, the state agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed too many students were not learning to read. As part of that agreement, the state spent over $50 million on 75 schools with the lowest reading scores.

In parts of California, school boards, parents and activists are pushing to restrict access to certain books, most often involving LGBTQ topics. An activist says reasoned debate about possibly obscene material is a worthwhile discussion for school boards.