The pandemic forced colleges and universities to move most courses online. But even today, many colleges and universities continue to offer online classes, and more than half of students nationwide are taking them.

These courses offer more flexibility and the possibility of enrolling more students. But what do students think of them? EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps asked students on seven campuses across the state.

Guests:

Read more from EdSource: What California college students think about online classes

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

For young people who have been incarcerated, it can be hard to find a job or get the training they might need to start a career or go to college.

California is trying to change that, with a program called #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps, which places people ages 16 to 30 in jobs for a few months or up to a year and helps them prepare for careers that they might not otherwise be able to access.

Guests:

Read more from EdSource: California's Youth Job Corps offers a second chance at career, higher education

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

As a child, Blanca Rubio was given coloring books rather than reading lessons, because she didn't speak English fluently. Now, she is spearheading an effort to require California school districts to teach all the basic skills needed for children to learn to read, based on research.

How will reading instruction change if a new bill authored by Rubio becomes law? What obstacles might it face?

Guests:

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Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

The vast majority of students in California graduate from high school, but most don't complete the classes needed for admission into the state’s public universities.

Black and Latino students are the least likely to finish these courses, known as A through G requirements.

Victor Valley Union High School District is determined to change that.

Guests:

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Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Maria O's daughters were in kindergarten and third grade in Los Angeles Unified.

They didn't get a working computer from the district and had to connect to Zoom classes on their parents' phones. But Maria was even more concerned about the other children in their classes, who she noticed were not showing up at all or were not interacting with their teachers.

So Maria decided to fight for them. Her children are two of 15 students in Oakland and Los Angeles who sued the state of California over unequal educational opportunities provided during the pandemic. Now, the state has settled, bringing billions to schools to focus on students who were most affected.

Guests:

Read more from EdSource: California agrees to target the most struggling students to settle learning-loss lawsuit

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.

As California schools ramp up arts education, they may need 15,000 new teachers who are passionate about both the arts and teaching the next generation. 

One person with both those passions is Guillermo Tejeda. He's a jazz musician and former classroom teacher who's currently developing music production curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Guests:

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Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.

California State University faculty announced a historic week-long strike, after months of negotiations. So students braced for a week of missed classes.

Then, something surprising happened. After one day, a deal was reached. 

The strike did what months of back-and-forth discussions couldn’t — improve faculty wages and working conditions.

How significant was this strike? What did faculty win?

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Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Jennifer Molina.

When Giselle Meza found out she was pregnant, she was worried her classmates would judge her, and she had no idea when or if she would finish high school. But now, after joining a teen parent program, she's committed to graduating and going on to community college to become an ultrasound technician.

How do teen parent programs help students finish high school and go on to college or careers? And how do they help the babies they are raising?

Guests:

Read more from EdSource: Hanford program supports teen parents while they finish high school

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode is produced by Jennifer Molina.

Every January, we turn to our resident fortuneteller, John Fensterwald, for his predictions of what will transpire in California education in the coming year.

This year, he predicts a state budget deficit will create financial stress for schools and contentious statewide ballot issues will create stress for voters.

Guest:

Read more from EdSource: California education issues to watch in 2024 — and predictions

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode is produced by Jennifer Molina.

Estela López grew up in South Central Los Angeles, and she still lives and works just minutes from her childhood home. She has served in neighborhood schools for 30 years, first as a teacher and now as the principal of Dolores Huerta Elementary School.

She has made it her mission to make sure her school is a refuge for children in the neighborhood, and her reach extends far beyond the walls of her school to help families secure housing, healthcare, and food.

When she was grieving the loss of her oldest son, the children at her school helped her heal.

Guests:

Read more from EdSource: ‘My mission’: Dolores Huerta Elementary Principal Estela Lopez extends support to community

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.