K-12 Education

The overall number of 4-year-olds in transitional kindergarten has increased. But as the program is being phased in, the percentage of eligible children enrolling has dropped.

During early COVID lockdowns, a teen worked with his family to raise $1.8 million in venture funding and built a web filter with a team of data scientists and psychologists that he now hopes will help students safely surf the web.

Small and low-income school officials say the bond measure deal is unfair. The money is allocated through matching grants, so wealthier districts that can raise more local funds will get more money from the state.

The money will pay for repairs and upgrades at thousands of K-12 school and community college buildings.

The agreement between the state and the ACLU requires state authorities to visit schools, interview teachers, look at individual students’ records and take more hands-on steps to see if a school has a pattern of discriminating.

Counties with large areas of public land get federal funding that many rural schools rely on. The most recent round of payments in May – $33.7 million for California – will be the last unless Congress votes to extend the program.

California's so-called Gifted and Talented Education program can be socially limiting and psychologically hurtful for students. Excluding students on standard or remedial tracks from these courses can equally cap their potential.

Courts recently have tossed lawsuits challenging expired COVID-19 rules. A panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals restored a case against the Los Angeles Unified School District, allowing employees to sue to prevent future vaccine mandates.

A recent incident at a Sacramento high school serves as a reminder that officials will often retaliate when journalists offend them.

Voters passed Proposition 28 to expand arts education in California schools. Some are planning to pay for existing positions, which backers of the initiative say violates its intent.