K-12 education

The University of California Riverside campus in Riverside on June 9, 2022. Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters

Education

Culture war clashes cost schools billions, UC Riverside and UCLA researchers report

Culture war issues such as racial discrimination, LGBTQ rights and partisan politics have been lightning rods for controversy at public school board meetings in the Inland Empire in recent years. In 2023, parents, students and teachers sued Temecula Valley Unified School District over its policies to ban teaching of critical race theory and require teachers to inform parents if students […]

By

Deborah Brennan

• January 23, 2025

Small flames and smoke rise from a smoldering playground area of an elementary school. The plastic of the playground can be seen melting and burned down trees and a destroyed building in the background.

K-12 Education

Will new bond funds be enough to rebuild LA schools — and all of California’s other crumbling schools?

Some schools destroyed years ago in the Sonoma and Butte fires are just now reopening. The long, expensive process of rebuilding in LA may eat up much of the money voters approved in November for school repairs statewide.

By

Carolyn Jones

• January 22, 2025

Photo illustration of an open laptop showing a blurred browser window; an enlarged sign of a red circle with a white line is obscuring the browser window and sticking out of the laptop screen

K-12 Education

Online censorship in schools is ‘more pervasive’ than expected, new data shows

Nationally representative survey data from The Center for Democracy & Technology finds schools subjectively and broadly block students from information online.

By

Tara García Mathewson

• January 16, 2025

A teacher plays a game with students before an assembly on the first day of school at Loma Vista Elementary School in Salinas on Aug. 8, 2023. Photo by Semantha Norris, CalMatters

Commentary

How California could benefit if Trump actually dissolved the Education Department

Much of the attachment to the U.S. Department of Education is misplaced, argues a California policy advocate and former state superintendent candidate.

By Lance Christensen • January 16, 2025

A line of children walk outdoors through a school campus. Fencing and other buildings are visible in the background.

K-12 Education

Small California schools brace for layoffs as Congress slashes funding for rural education

Federal funding for rural schools goes to 39 California counties. School districts in those communities consider the money a lifeline.

By

Carolyn Jones

• January 14, 2025

A group of individuals collaborates in an automotive workshop, focusing on a wiring and assembly project. Three participants, wearing safety glasses and gloves, are engaged in hands-on work with the wiring and components of a metallic frame. An instructor or mentor, also wearing safety glasses, stands nearby, guiding them attentively.

Commentary

California teens earn a lot more than cash and college credits as they learn to fix cars

California needs 5,600 more auto technicians to meet the current demand. A dual credit program in Los Angeles County is training students at car dealerships, providing much more than apprenticeship-style training and wages.

By

Denise Amos

• January 7, 2025

A view from behind of young children and adults waiting outside a building at a school. A green and white sign that read "information center" in both English and Spanish can ben seen on the right side of the screen.

K-12 Education

Can California keep ICE away from schools? Lawmakers want to try as crackdowns loom

California legislators want to limit deportation actions at schools, but they can’t ban immigration officials.

By

Carolyn Jones

• January 3, 2025

Three people, a teacher and two students, work on a wooden table next to a red circular saw. Each person wears clear safety glasses.

Commentary

Welding is a way back to school for California kids who regularly ditch classes

A welding teacher says hands-on career training can win back disengaged students but schools and the state erred by emphasizing college for all and letting trade education die at many California high schools.

By

Denise Amos

• December 23, 2024

A wide view of various posters related to democracy and prominent figures hung up in a classroom wall. Notable figures include U.S. history including Activist Malcom X, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Activist Cesar Chavez and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. A group of students and teacher can be seen sitting on desks in the foreground.

K-12 Education

Why income and tense politics are limiting access to civics classes in California

All high school students are required to take civics, but a lack of money can limit opportunities. And in some communities, parent objections pressure teachers to avoid certain topics.

By

Carolyn Jones

• December 19, 2024

State test results show California students overall performed much worse in math and English language arts than pre-pandemic, but a persistent achievement gap didn't worsen, as initially feared. Students at a classroom at St. HOPE’s Public School 7 Elementary in Sacramento on May 11, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Commentary

How California can fix its school crisis. Two projects point the way

Three years of expert, hands-on help pulled up two schools' test scores. The rest of the state's average scores remain below pre-pandemic levels.

By

Dan Walters

• December 12, 2024