public schools

CalMatters for Learning is a free learning hub for library staff, educators and community organizers.

State education officials — who initially seemed to be delaying the release of student scores until after the election — instead shared them in a way guaranteed to hinder coverage of what's expected to be a steep pandemic-driven decline.

Parent advocate? Culture warrior? In a nearly hour-long interview with CalMatters, Lance Christensen, the challenger for California schools superintendent, vows to put students first and give parents a bigger voice.

California’s education department updated its statewide data system in the spring but the rollout resulted in thousands of errors. Key information about special education students and other high-needs groups was missing or miscalculated.

Some parents who have been outspoken in their criticism of local school districts are finding allies in community members opposed to COVID safety protocols and other education policies. Buoyed by that support, they are now running to become school board members.

Shut out from winning statewide offices, the state GOP is seeking to capitalize on parents' anger to win local school board races in 2022 and motivate Republican voters. The party's "Parent Revolt" program is its most ambitious school board candidate recruitment and training program ever.

“Red state governors, they talk a big game, don’t they, about providing parents with education choice,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Monday video post on Truth Social, the social media company founded by former President Donald Trump. “But when it comes time to walk the walk, they’re absent.” The governor’s post — in which […]

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is the name of a 2022 film, but it could also describe the cascade of changes confronting California schools as they welcome students back to campus after more than two years of pandemic-disrupted education. Although many COVID restrictions have loosened — most schools have ended mandatory testing programs, made face […]

A persistent teacher shortage has forced many California school districts to hire teachers who aren’t fully credentialed or are teaching out of their subject areas. More of those teachers are teaching classes at schools with high percentages of low-income students, undermining efforts to achieve academic parity with more affluent schools.

Money talks — but actions speak louder than dollar bills. That’s the double-edged sword facing California as it pours an unprecedented amount of funding into a public school system grappling with declining enrollment, persistent shortages of educators and substitute teachers, and educational achievement gaps that only widened during the pandemic. And it was the unspoken […]