K-12 education

As the state moves to require dyslexia screening in public schools, experts say teachers need to embrace the “science of reading” approach that emphasizes phonics.

Los Angeles mayors have historically taken different approaches to their involvement with education issues. Even though Karen Bass has prioritized homelessness and public safety and tried to sidestep a recent strike at L.A. Unified, issues affecting children and families are difficult for mayors to avoid.

Students at high-poverty schools pose challenges that can cause many newer teachers to leave. But some teachers with decades of experience stay at those schools because they believe they can make a difference in students' lives.

Earth Day Op-Ed Contest Winner: 3rd Place More than 100 high school and middle school students across California submitted opinion pieces to CalMatters’ inaugural Earth Day contest. The contest theme was “How have changes in climate impacted your community?” Guest Commentary written by Andrew Zhou Andrew Zhou is a junior at Monta Vista High School in […]

Nearly a third of California's public school students are chronically absent, but the crisis is not getting the attention it deserves.

Bay Area Rapid Transit, San Francisco’s MUNI, Los Angeles Metro and transit agencies across the state are struggling to keep afloat. Public transit ridership in California hasn’t recovered since plummeting during the pandemic. And since then, transit agencies have been anticipating a “fiscal cliff” — a steep drop in revenue combined with the end of […]

After the number of homeless students dropped during the early part of the pandemic, experts say the lack of affordable housing is fueling an increase that may continue to escalate.

Throughout the state, schools with the highest rates of low-income students have fewer experienced teachers. Increasing teacher pay is one way to lure more experienced applicants, but teachers unions keep fighting that idea.

It’s difficult to exaggerate just how much impact a great teacher can have on a student’s life. Experienced and qualified educators can increase their students’ lifetime earnings and reduce their chances of incarceration. But in California, schools serving more students living in poverty generally have fewer experienced teachers. In the first in a series of […]

Marion Joseph battled for years to improve the reading skills of California youngsters through phonics instruction. She died last year but phonics is becoming the state's favored method of overcoming California's literacy crisis.