Education Beat

By EdSourceNews Education

Education Beat episodes

April 02School screen time is rising. California parents are asking where to draw the line
Julie Edwards' daughter brought home a Chromebook from school in second grade to do work in math and reading apps. But as soon as she cracked it open, she started watching Youtube videos and playing Minecraft. Soon, Julie realized she was spending a lot of time on screens in the classroom, too.
Research shows that too much screen time can hurt children’s development and mental health. But since the pandemic, schools have used more and more technology, from learning apps for math and reading to Youtube videos for music and story time. As early as kindergarten, children receive tablets or laptops to take home from school.
Parents in districts across the country, including in Los Angeles Unified School District, are organizing to limit screen time in school.
Guests:
Julie Edwards, parent, Schools Beyond Screens
Mallika Seshadri, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Parents push for reduced screen time a year after Los Angeles Unified bans cellphones
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
15 min
March 26Fresno Unified and teachers union join forces to put a roof over families’ heads
Fresno Unified School District and the local teachers union are paying for a program that has housed 20 families. The families are also offered classes and resources to help them get better jobs and more stability.
The district says the program is boosting students' attendance, grades and overall wellbeing.
Guests:
Andrés Rodríguez, district liaison for students experiencing foster care and homelessness, Fresno Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Fresno school district, teachers union get families housed
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
0 min
March 19 Student filmmakers chase career dreams at Hollywood High
Students from all over Los Angeles flock to Hollywood High School’s New Media Academy to learn video production and animation. They produce their own films, from horror-comedy about ghost hunting to documentaries about historical figures.
At the same time, they get the opportunity to build connections with entertainment industry professionals. The successful magnet arts program also boasts a 100% graduation rate.
Guests:
Mawuena Akorli, student, New Media Academy, Hollywood High
Vani Sanganeria, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Hollywood High helps student filmmakers break into film and TV
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
15 min
March 12Los Angeles parents fight for and win intensive tutoring for kids hurt by Covid
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Judith Larson’s daughter was in sixth grade in Los Angeles Unified School District. The family waited months for a school computer and internet access, so that she could join classes online.
As her daughter fell further and further behind, Judith decided to take action. She is one of the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed against LAUSD alleging that students were denied “basic educational equality" during the pandemic.
A settlement was recently reached in the case, requiring the district to offer intensive "high-dose" tutoring to 100,000 students for three years.
Guests:
Judith Larson, mother, Los Angeles Unified School District
Mallika Seshadri, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
LAUSD is now accountable for high-dosage tutoring as settlement is approved
Parents, LAUSD settle suit; 100,000 students get 45 tutoring hours for three years
Districts still have learning recovery money: Why not spend it on tutoring?
Podcast: Why aren't more districts investing in tutoring?
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
0 min
March 05California teachers on the picket line amid shrinking school budgets
Teachers across California are going on strike or threatening to do so this school year, calling for better pay, benefits, smaller class sizes and better working conditions for special education.
At the same time, school districts say their budgets are extremely tight this year and they’re contemplating school closures and mass layoffs.
This episode dives into these two seemingly conflicting priorities, with voices from a roundtable discussion on the issue.
Voices:
Michael Fine, chief executive officer, Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT)
David Goldberg, president, California Teachers' Association
Brittoni Ward, president, Twin Rivers United Educators
Diana Lambert, senior reporter, EdSource
Watch the roundtable and read more from EdSource: What can schools afford? Experts discuss teachers strikes and funding priorities
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
0 min
February 26When teens counsel teens: Why peer support programs are growing
At Antioch High School in Contra Costa County, 80 students serve as peer advocates, mentoring freshmen during their transition to high school, meeting with students who have been found with alcohol or drugs, and facilitating mediation between students who are having conflicts.
There's been a surge in school programs like this one, where students counsel or mentor other students. And they seem to be paying off, both for students who receive the mentoring and for the advocates themselves.
Guests:
Cristian Topete, Peer advocate and student, Antioch High School
Vani Sanganeria, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Students become lifeline for peers facing suspensions, mental health struggles
Estudiantes se convierten en apoyo vital para sus compañeros que enfrentan suspensiones y problemas de salud mental.
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
17 min
February 19Arizona State University fights for California financial aid
Arizona State University has been expanding its footprint in California for years and some students here say it offered programs they could not have found at California colleges.
But the California Student Aid Commission has denied Arizona State's requests for Cal Grants, saying state law does not open the program to out-of-state public universities.
Guests:
Jessica Lopez, California-based graduate, Arizona State University
Amy DiPierro, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Arizona State navigates financial aid pitfalls of California expansion
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
0 min
February 12Sexual abuse claims threaten school district budgets, even when not accused
California's Assembly Bill 218 made it possible for childhood abuse victims to sue public agencies up to their 40th birthday or five years after discovering the abuse. Advocates say the law has allowed victims to find justice and peace after life-damaging assaults.
The law sparked a flurry of lawsuits, and school districts have had to pay billions of dollars in settlements, with no end in sight. Even districts that have not faced any abuse allegations involving employees are also paying for settlements, because they pool the costs with other districts.
It's created a difficult dilemma.
Guests:
Tara Campanella, chief business officer, Bass Lake School District
Thomas Peele, investigative reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
California school districts pay for abuse settlements despite no claims
California lawmakers weigh reforms to child abuse law amid costly litigation
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
19 min
February 05From housing to basketball, Fresno schools invest in the whole child
Fresno Unified invested $30 million in services for children and families that go beyond traditional academics, from housing assistance and food pantries to digital music production and lunchtime sports programs.
Teachers say the programs are getting students excited about being at school, and addressing some of the barriers that made it hard for them to get to school or to learn once there.
Guests:
Eugene Reinor, Principal, Fort Miller Middle School, Fresno Unified School District
Hector Giovanni Romero, Music teacher, Lincoln Elementary School, Fresno Unified School District
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Fresno Unified's $30 million investment to support students is paying off
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
17 min
January 29How a California professor once coded secrets in music (rebroadcast)
As a saxophonist in Boston’s Klezmer Conservatory Band in 1985, Merryl Goldberg traveled to the Soviet Union to meet up with another group of musicians, The Phantom Orchestra.
The Phantom Orchestra would be sharing more than good tunes with Merryl. They’d also pass along information, including the names of people who wanted to escape the Soviet Union, which Merryl and her friends would then smuggle back to the United States.
To do this, Merryl made up a secret code, hidden in sheet music.
Now Merryl’s spy days are long behind her. But she is still passionate about how music and other arts can enrich other fields, including cybersecurity.
Guests:
Merryl Goldberg, Professor, California State University San Marcos
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Merryl Goldberg, a music professor on a mission to spread arts education
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
0 min

About Education Beat

From the publisher's feed

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…