Education Beat

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators are pushing to develop a tool that could be used to screen every young student in California schools for dyslexia.

A mother shares how her son went years without help for his dyslexia – still reading at a kindergarten level in sixth grade. What can be done to keep children with dyslexia from slipping through the cracks?

Guests:

Read more about this topic at EdSource:

A growing body of research shows that Black students who have at least one Black teacher growing up are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college than those who don’t.

In this episode, we discuss how California school districts are working to prepare and retain more Black teachers. And a Black teacher shares his experience in a teacher preparation program and relating to Black students. 

Guests:

Read more about this topic on EdSource:

California students returned to classrooms this month amid a spike in Covid cases and changing protocols from the state. Some districts are running out of substitutes to step in for sick and quarantined staff. Teachers and students in some schools are demanding more Covid testing and calling for the distribution of better masks for teachers and students.

Teachers share what it’s like to be teaching during a Covid surge.

Guests:

Read more about this topic from EdSource:

In 2017, two blind students in the Los Angeles Community College District filed a lawsuit claiming that they and other blind students weren’t given accessible materials in math classes. The students say that without materials in braille or audio, or tutors to read the material out loud, the classes are almost impossible to pass, effectively barring students from transferring to a four-year college. 

California’s largest community college district is planning to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that federal disability rights laws don’t cover “unintentional discrimination.” What impact could this court case have on the rights of students with disabilities?

Guests:

Read more about this topic on EdSource:

In this episode we visit Davenport, California, a little seaside town, south of San Francisco, not far from Santa Cruz. The town is home to a tiny district with just one school, nestled between ocean, farmland, and mountains. John Fensterwald is taking us there for lunch, cooked from scratch by the fifth and sixth graders.

Pacific Elementary’s unique Food Lab program is a boon for the district, boosting its enrollment by attracting students from nearby wealthier districts.

Guests:

Read the EdSource article and watch the video:

California schools have a lot more money to spend this year, with federal COVID relief funds. We’re looking closely at how one school district, Lodi Unified, is using theirs.

One big priority is enrichment programs, to help engage students in school after a year and a half of distance learning. In this episode, we’ll hear from a theater teacher who helped students build their own Hogwarts interactive scene, and a custodian who started an after-school chess club.

Guests:

Read the EdSource article about Lodi:

Two school counselors in California recently won state and national awards for their work. Both are first-generation college graduates and alumni of Fresno State, both grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, where they still work today, and both are from immigrant families.

How did these experiences make them better counselors? We hear from them and from the reporters who interviewed them for EdSource.

Guests:

Read EdSource stories about the counselors:

Students at Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County recently stood in overwhelming opposition to a proposal that would have excluded transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms or playing on sports teams corresponding to their gender identity. State officials also warned the school board that the proposal violated a state law in place since 2014.

In this week’s episode, we hear sound from some of the high school students speaking eloquently for greater inclusion and understanding, and we speak with a teacher who was inspired by the students’ response.

Guests:

Read more EdSource stories on this topic:

California is still lagging in helping students become proficient in English by their sixth year in school. Students who take longer than six years to learn English can miss out on academic content in other classes and even electives.

This week, we look at how one district uses robotics to help speed up and deepen learning for long-term English learners. And we discuss a recent report on how California can do better to serve these students.

Guests:

Read the EdSource story on this topic:

California public schools have an unprecedented influx of money thanks to more than 13 billion dollars in federal Covid relief from the American Rescue Plan. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic.

Host Zaidee Stavely and editor-at-large John Fensterwald discuss the promises and challenges posed by this huge one-time funding. Also, a student shares why he believes mental health is the most pressing need on which districts should focus, and a superintendent discusses why his district is providing internet access to close the digital divide.

Guests:

Read more EdSource stories on this topic: