K-12 education

Students in Theresa Griffin’s sixth-grade class at Stege Elementary School in Richmond on Feb. 6, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters

K-12 Education

Has student improvement plateaued in California? New Dashboard shows modest gains

Test scores improved, but absenteeism and English learner progress stalled in the latest Dashboard.

By

Carolyn Jones

• November 13, 2025

A close-up view of a student's hands on a laptop keyboard. A teacher's hands can be seen nearby resting on the student's desk.

K-12 Education

His students suddenly started getting A’s. Did a Google AI tool go too far?

Some teachers say that AI tools, particularly Google Lens, have made it impossible to enforce academic integrity in the classroom — with potentially harmful long-term effects on students’ learning.

By

Carolyn Jones

• November 10, 2025

A close-up photo of a student in an engineering lab working on constructing parts of a robot with wheels and pieces of metal laid out before them on a table.

Education

California wants to overhaul high school learning. This school is leading the way

CART High offers work experience, academics tailored to students’ interests, stronger personal connections with staff and multidisciplinary courses that link directly to careers and community needs

By

Carolyn Jones

• October 27, 2025

A student wearing a blue shirt with a panda graphic writes notes on a sticky pad while holding an open book in their lap. Their focus is on the page as they balance the book on gray sweatpants, with a black watch visible on one wrist.

K-12 Education

Expect more phonics lessons in California schools under law Newsom signed

The law comes on the heels of a host of other literacy initiatives, including mandatory dyslexia screening and universal transitional kindergarten.

By

Carolyn Jones

• October 20, 2025

A classroom full of high school students sits facing a whiteboard and projected slide titled “Algal bloom” during a biology lesson. The teacher, wearing a mask and cap, stands at the front of the room gesturing toward the board. Students take notes on laptops and notebooks, with posters and educational materials visible on the walls.

Politics

Protecting Jewish students or chilling speech? Inside California’s ‘hardest’ fight over antisemitism

Emotional fights erupted over a controversial attempt this year to counter antisemitism in schools by restricting what teachers teach in classrooms, exposing a political quagmire for California Democrats who needed to balance the needs of Jewish communities against the fury of a growing pro-Palestinian base.

By

Yue Stella Yu

and

Mikhail Zinshteyn

• October 14, 2025

A close-up view of a student holding a pencil while working on a worksheet in class.

K-12 Education

Student test scores surge, but still lag behind pre-pandemic levels

The Smarter Balanced standardized test results increased for almost every student group and every grade, in every subject.

By

Carolyn Jones

• October 9, 2025

Three cafeteria workers in uniforms and gloves prepare pepperoni pizza slices in a commercial kitchen. One worker in the foreground places a slice into a cardboard container, while others pack meals in the background under bright fluorescent lighting.

Health

Newsom signs first-in-nation law to ban ultraprocessed food in school lunches

California health officials will now decide which ingredients, additives, dyes, and other forms of processing don’t belong in school meals and K-12 cafeterias.

By

Kristen Hwang

• October 9, 2025

An empty school hallway as pockets of sunlight from nearby windows illuminate the floor in the distance. The walls of the hallway are decorated withh various college pennants, ruffled paper mache balls and other school materials.

K-12 Education

Newsom signs bill to prevent sex abuse in schools

The law requires a database intended to stop teachers facing credible accusations of abuse from quitting and getting rehired at another school, potentially abusing more children.

By

Carolyn Jones

• October 8, 2025

Backpacks hang in wooden cubbies inside an elementary school classroom, with several children in red shirts and khaki pants sitting on the carpeted floor in the background.

K-12 Education

Charlie Kirk fallout hits California schools, where 20 teachers face discipline over posts

California has laws that prohibit employers from firing workers over their political views but employers can restrict speech if it’s disruptive to the workplace.

By

Carolyn Jones

• October 2, 2025

Close-up of a person’s face seen through a window, with reflections partially obscuring their features, showing a serious expression and direct gaze.

Education

How LA Unified is trying to protect immigrant families during Trump’s pervasive crackdown

LA Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, himself formerly an immigrant without legal status, has been outspoken in his support of immigrant families.

By

Carolyn Jones

• September 25, 2025