Education Beat

By EdSourceNews Education

Education Beat episodes

August 21, 2025L.A. County gets called out again for its continued failure to educate incarcerated youth
During his time in Los Angeles County's juvenile justice facilities, Dovontray Farmer said he fell behind academically. He said his time in those facilities “played a major role in not being able to get properly educated — I felt betrayed, honestly.”
Dovontray, now 24, mentors students who were recently released from detention, and he's found that academic expectations in juvenile detention are still as low as they were when he was detained.
A group called the Education Justice Coalition released a report this month, calling out Los Angeles County for its continuing failure to educate incarcerated youth, despite a civil grand jury report and investigations by the federal and state Department of Justice.
Who is responsible for Los Angeles County's continuing failure to educate incarcerated young people?
Voices:
Dovontray Farmer, youth mentor with Youth Justice Coalition
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: L.A. County’s failure to educate incarcerated youth is ‘systemic,’ report says
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week's episode was hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.
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18 min
August 14, 2025Inside Cal State’s housing crunch: Why dorm beds still fall short
Lack of on-campus housing for students at many California State University campuses can be a major barrier for low-income students to attend college. To try to address this, CSU added more than 17,000 new beds over the last decade, with plans to add more. Yet students still struggle to find housing on or close to campus.
What are the barriers to building more on-campus housing? Why does it matter for students?
Guests:
Sofia Gonzalez, Student, Sacramento State University
Amy DiPierro, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Cal State wants more housing. Can it add 18,000 beds?
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
20 min
August 07, 2025How Mama Brown sent her neighborhood to college (rebroadcast)
Education Beat is turning 4 years old, and to mark the occasion we’re rebroadcasting an episode from our very first days back in 2021.
It's the story of an Oakland woman, Oral Lee Brown, who adopted a class of first graders and promised to pay for their college educations if they graduated from high school.
Earlier this year, she was honored by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education for her contributions to education.
Guests:
Carolyn Jones, Former Senior Reporter, EdSource
Oral Lee Brown, Founder and President, Oral Lee Brown Foundation
Nekita Noel-Ikulala, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
Jeffery Toney, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
Daishar Young, Former student sponsored by Ms. Brown
Read more EdSource articles on this topic:
How ‘Mama Brown’ changed students’ lives by paying for college and so much more: ‘It’s not about the money’
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
19 min
July 31, 2025A student found her college lifeline — Trump wants to cut it
Kat Stamatakos says she was able to turn her college career around thanks to the TRIO Writing Success Project at City College of San Francisco. It helped her get an "A" in an English class she failed the first time, but, more importantly, she found a community who cheered her on and held her accountable.
But the program that was so critical to Kat’s success is now on the chopping block. The Trump Administration has proposed cutting all funding for what are called TRIO programs — like Upward Bound and McNair Scholars — which prepare and guide low-income students through college. In California, the programs served over 100,000 participants in the 2023-24 academic year.
Why is the Trump administration targeting TRIO and what's at stake for students?
Voices:
Kat Stamatakos, TRIO student and incoming UCLA transfer student
Amy DiPierro, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Trump wants to cut college access programs for low-income students; California educators are pushing back
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week's episode was hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
17 min
July 24, 2025An influential teacher and author shares lessons from 23 years in the classroom
Larry Ferlazzo is a well-respected teacher, both in the Sacramento high school where he taught for more than two decades and far beyond. He has spent much of his career teaching immigrant students and English language learners. He’s written 10 books about teaching and edited 3 more. He also maintains a personal blog and a column for teachers, where he shares resources and tips for a following of tens of thousands.
Now he’s retiring. In this episode, he shares how he became the teacher he is and some words of wisdom for other teachers who will carry his baton.
Guest:
Larry Ferlazzo, Teacher and author
Read more from EdSource: He taught and blogged for thousands — retiring teacher shares his wisdom
Read Larry's blog here.
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
21 min
July 17, 2025A program that helps farmworkers’ children is on Trump’s chopping block
Monterey County offers the children of agricultural workers a fun summer filled with innovative science projects, dance and ceramics, in addition to beefing up their math and English skills. It’s one of dozens of these programs statewide and even more across the nation.
But this could be the last summer the program is offered. President Donald Trump froze funds for the program and wants to eliminate it entirely.
Voices:
Constantino Silva, Senior Director of Migrant Education, Monterey County
Karla Caliz, Migrant education coordinator, Monterey County
Keyla Robles, Teacher in summer migrant education program, Monterey County
Jose Perez, Migrant education resource teacher, King City Union School District
Enrique Secada, Visiting teacher from Mexico
Omar, Daleysa, Jesus, Oliver and Evelyn, Migrant education students
Read more from EdSource: Migrant education helps farmworkers' children catch up; Trump wants to end it
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
18 min
July 10, 2025How the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ could impact California kids
Hundreds of thousands of children and families will likely lose federally funded food stamps and health care under the new law.
Advocates for low-income families say that means that children will be coming to school hungry and stressed, making it harder for them to learn. Schools will also face cuts to health services they provide on campus.
Guests:
Clarissa Doutherd, Executive Director, Parent Voices Oakland
Avo Makdessian, Executive Director, First 5 Association of California
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: What Trump's budget and tax law means for California students
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
20 min
July 03, 2025Funding at risk for colleges serving high numbers of Latino students
Each year, most of California’s public colleges and universities are eligible for extra federal funding because they enroll high numbers of Latino students and are therefore classified as Hispanic-Serving Institutions, or HSIs. That designation has helped California colleges and universities get more than $600 million in grants since 1995.
But now, that funding could be at risk. The state of Tennessee and the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions recently filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of HSI grants.
What's at stake for California students?
Guests:
Cristian Reyes, Student, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Michael Burke, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: California colleges worry about lawsuit challenging funding for campuses with many Hispanic students
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
15 min
June 26, 2025Students and families caught in the crosshairs of immigration enforcement
As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids ramp up across California, so have reports of family members — and sometimes students themselves — being detained or deported.
Listen to how immigration enforcement is affecting families, how teachers are stepping up to help, and what school staff need to keep in mind.
Guests:
Rosa and Miguel Lopez, Parents fighting deportation
Laura Brown, Special education teacher, Granada High School, Livermore
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Trauma, upheaval, fear: Students and families caught in the crosshairs of immigration enforcement
LAUSD condemns immigration raids as one unfolds next to a school
‘Happy, but tense’: LAUSD graduations continue safely amid regional ICE activity
What rights do immigrant students and families have in California schools and colleges? | Quick Guide
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
27 min
June 19, 2025New filmmaking program teaches teens the power of personal stories
This year Berkeley High School launched a new program that pairs professional filmmakers with high school students called Future Filmmakers.
Seven students created personal documentaries about their own lives on topics ranging from divorce to masculinity to grief. Students shared what they learned through the program about filmmaking, storytelling and about their own families.
Guests:
Nico Lee, Berkeley High School student
Derrick Coney, Berkeley High School student
Madeleine Wilson, Berkeley High School student
Madison Chau, Berkeley High School student
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Film program empowers Berkeley teens to tell their stories
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week's episode was hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
16 min

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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…