K-12 education

Chronic absenteeism dropped to 20% last school year, but that is still higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 12%.

Declining enrollment, the end of pandemic relief funding and uncertain state funding are forcing school districts to make some difficult decisions.

More than 115,000 children in California were undocumented in the most recent census count, and it’s estimated almost half of California children have at least one immigrant parent.

Former President Donald Trump is hoping that bashing California for its sins will help him win swing state voters who hold dark thoughts about this state.

California’s educational achievement crisis is negatively impacting the futures of millions of kids and the state’s economy. That would have been a better topic for the nothingburger special legislative session Gov. Gavin Newsom called on gas prices.

The Smarter Balanced scores show improvement for both math and English language arts. Black, Latino and low-income student scores climbed more than the state average, although they still had lower scores overall.

A new law requires California students to learn Native American history in a way that includes the mistreatment and perspectives of tribal members.

California is losing teachers while also preparing for even greater demand under the expansion of transitional kindergarten. Apprenticeship programs that prepare teachers for a career in early care education can help build the pipeline California needs.

In 2021 California schools got $13.5 billion in pandemic relief grants. About $1.8 billion remains unspent.

Certain synthetic food dyes are linked to behavioral issues in kids. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law to ban them in school snacks by 2028.