Education Beat

By EdSourceNews Education

Education Beat episodes

February 16, 2023How a Hmong immersion program revitalizes language and cross-cultural understanding
California is expanding dual immersion programs statewide, after repealing a law that limited bilingual education. A Hmong-English dual language immersion program in Fresno Unified helps children learn their grandparents’ language and culture, and it promotes cross-cultural understanding. This episode includes a visit to Vang Pao Elementary School in Fresno Unified and audio from a teacher, a student and the principal.
Guests:
Sharon Vang, fourth grade teacher, Vang Pao Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Yua Lee, principal, Vang Pao Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Irene Her, student, Vang Pao Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Ashleigh Panoo, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Hmong is a ‘dying’ language – but it’s being preserved at this Fresno school
California to boost number of bilingual teachers in Asian languages
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
16 min
February 09, 2023How parent tutors can unlock reading for kids
About 3 in 5 third graders in California don’t meet state standards in reading and writing. To try to help more kids learn to read, some districts are shifting their strategies. In Oakland, parents and other family members have taken a frontline position as literacy tutors. What’s the advantage of using family members as tutors? And how can they help boost children’s reading skills?
Guests:
Ruelvis Alonga, Uncle and early literacy tutor, Oakland Unified School District
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Learning to read by third grade requires evidence-based instruction, panel says
California’s Reading Dilemma
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
16 min
February 02, 2023Peer power: How a Black student group helps youth thrive
Black students face ever-increasing rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. But one group of young people in California is working hard to reverse that – one personal connection at a time.
Bennie Williams was one of only a handful of Black students at his high school in Stockton. This statewide coalition of Black students gave him a place to share experiences, learn about Black history and advocate for improved mental health and educational opportunities.
Guests:
Bennie Williams, Senior, Morehouse College
Angie Barfield, Interim executive director, Black Students of California United
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: ‘This is who I am’: Black students find support, culture, purpose through peer group
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
20 min
January 26, 2023Will Newsom’s equity proposal reach Black kids?
A coalition of Black education and civil rights organizations have pressed for extra state funding to help Black students, because they’re the lowest performing students in California. But a long-awaited proposal by Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t target Black students, instead focusing additional money on schools with the highest concentration of poverty and increasing oversight of services for all low-performing student groups. Would the new program benefit Black kids?
Guests:
Debra Watkins, founder and executive director, A Black Education Network
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Critics say Newsom’s proposal for low-performing students fails most Black students
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
17 min
January 19, 2023Special education student becomes school board member
Joshua Brown is prioritizing special education in his rural Northern California district. But his perspective is unusual: He has firsthand experience with the district’s special education program — as a student. Brown has autism and is one of only a handful of people known to have autism nationwide to serve in public office. Can schools benefit from having neurodivergent members on school boards?
Guests:
Joshua Brown, Board Member, Shasta Union Elementary School District
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Former special education student joins school board in Shasta
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
18 min
January 12, 2023How significant is the UC’s new contract with graduate student workers?
The largest academic strike in U.S. history ended last month with a landmark agreement between the University of California and graduate student teaching assistants and graduate student researchers.
How significant is this agreement? What might it mean for students and colleges outside of the UC?
Guests:
Emily Weintraut, Graduate student teaching assistant and researcher, UC Davis
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
University of California disrupted as 48,000 academic workers continue strike
As tensions mount over final grades, academic researchers and scholars reach tentative agreement with UC
Students fear losing aid as grades are withheld during strike
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
20 min
January 05, 2023Predictions for California education in 2023
It’s January, time to reflect on the past months and look ahead at the coming year. At EdSource that means veteran reporter John Fensterwald is making predictions. Every year, John gets out his crystal ball and tells us a fortune – what he thinks might or might not happen in California education in the new year. We also check in with some other reporters about what stories they will cover this year.
Guests:
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
Carolyn Jones, Reporter, EdSource
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource
Ashley A. Smith, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: California education issues to watch in 2023 — and predictions of what might happen
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
20 min
December 22, 2022The community college student exodus
David Tellez had to make a tough decision — continue attending community college full-time, or focus on making money at work for his family. Like thousands of others in the last few years, he chose the latter. Just how many students left California’s community college system? And what are those colleges doing to win them back?
Guests:
David Tellez, Student, Citrus Community College
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: California community colleges eye a different future amid pandemic disruption
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week’s episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.
18 min
December 15, 2022College freshmen struggle with math
Victor Contreras is not looking forward to his first college math course. After distance learning, his high school math grades tumbled from A’s and B’s to C’s and D’s. And he’s not alone. Many college freshmen are struggling with math. What are colleges doing to help?
Guests:
Victor Contreras, Student, San Diego State University
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: First year college students facing what Covid cost them, especially in math
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
14 min
December 08, 2022Parcel taxes by simple majority: a game changer?
Some school districts raise extra money through parcel taxes for highly qualified teachers and for enrichment classes like art, music and technology. But parcel taxes — which require approval by a two-thirds “supermajority” of voters — are hard to pass, and only a handful of school districts, most of them small, high-income districts, have ever passed one.
A little-known court decision from last year lowered the threshold to pass parcel taxes to a simple majority, as long as citizens put the measure on the ballot and not the government. Could this be a game-changer for low-income school districts?
Guests:
Yolanda Valdez, superintendent, Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District
John Fensterwald, editor-at-large, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: California court decision ups the odds for passing school parcel taxes
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
18 min

About Education Beat

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A podcast that gets to the heart of schools in California and beyond, bringing you the personal stories behind the headlines, from preschool to college. Join the team at EdSource each week to hear the…