Education Beat

By EdSourceNews Education

Education Beat episodes

June 12, 2025Federal funding cuts threaten health and science research at California universities
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, public health professor Noé Crespo applied for a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to study ways to boost vaccination rates among Latinos.
He and his colleagues designed a community outreach plan, paid a team to implement it, and collected results. All that remained was to analyze the data. But in April, the grant was terminated by the Trump administration, alongside many others nationwide, leaving his research in limbo.
Guests:
Noé Crespo, Professor of public health, San Diego State University
Amy DiPierro, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Federal grant cuts hit California universities hard, putting research in limbo
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
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18 min
June 05, 202550 years later: How Lau v. Nichols changed education for English learners (rebroadcast)
Fifty-one years ago, the United States Supreme Court decided a case that would forever change education for English learners in this country.
In the 1974 case Lau v. Nichols, the Court decided that students who do not yet speak fluent English have a right to fully understand what is being taught in their classrooms, and that schools must take steps to make sure students can understand, whether through additional instruction in English as a second language or bilingual education.
On this episode of Education Beat, we bring you the story of how this case began and how it changed education, from the perspective of a teacher.
Guest:
Lucinda Lee Katz, Retired teacher and administrator
Read more from EdSource: Q&A: How the 50-year-old case that transformed English learner education began
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
17 min
May 29, 2025California program offers $500 in scholarships, but many students miss out
Students from low-income families and English learners are automatically awarded $500 for college or career training through a California program. Foster youth and homeless students get another $500 on top of that. But students, or their parents or guardians, have to claim the money. And many families are unaware of this program.
How do you find out if you have money waiting for you? What is California doing to try to get more students to claim their accounts?
Guests:
Stephanie Martinez Anaya, College success coach, Riverside County
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
More, but not enough, Californians accessing free money for college, career
Getting California’s students to access free money relies on community partnerships
Click here to find out if you or your student has college money
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
15 min
May 22, 2025Pasadena schools get help for students coping with trauma of Eaton Fire
When the Eaton Fire burned through parts of Los Angeles County this January, it destroyed thousands of homes. The hardest-hit district was Pasadena Unified School District, where around 10,000 students out of the district's 14,000 were displaced.
Principals across the district called for help from the county office of education, so that when kids impacted by the fires returned to school, they’d have the mental health support they needed.
Guests:
Tanya Ward, project director for mental health and school counseling, Los Angeles County Office of Education
Mallika Seshadri, reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
‘Psychological first aid’: How volunteers helped students recover after LA fires
The sound of music returns to students traumatized by the Eaton fire
‘The day I lost my house:’ School communities reel from Eaton, Palisades fires
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
10 min
May 15, 2025Uncertainty over Head Start funding puts parents and teachers on edge
Jackie Stephens' daughters Mercy and Hope both attended free child care and preschool through Head Start, and she says they've thrived. Jackie has gotten help herself through the program, with breastfeeding, nutritional advice and parenting.
But now Jackie’s worried. Because earlier this year, President Donald Trump indicated he wanted to eliminate all funding - $12.3 billion - for Head Start.
Guests:
Jackie Stephens, Parent, Sharon Neese Early Learning Center, Sacramento
Timeisha Seymore, Parent, Sharon Neese Early Learning Center, Sacramento
Annabel Stofer, Teacher, Sharon Neese Early Learning Center, Sacramento
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Head Start allies wait, worry about possible funding cuts
Head Start offers path to success for children, families
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube
16 min
May 08, 2025Trump administration slashing programs for students with disabilities, struggling readers
In the first few months of the Trump administration, several education programs have been slashed. A program to help students with disabilities navigate the transition into adulthood was eliminated, and cuts to AmeriCorps eliminated some volunteers who tutor elementary students in reading and math.
A mother shares the story of how these cuts affected her son, and reporters share what they learned when visiting classrooms and talking with educators.
Guests:
Angela, Mother of a student with disabilities, San Diego County
Emma Gallegos, Reporter, EdSource
Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
How federal cuts are already affecting disabled students in California
AmeriCorps cuts slash support services, programs for vulnerable communities
Trump’s budget would abolish funding for English learners, adult ed, teacher recruitment
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud
16 min
May 01, 2025California schools spend millions on police officers, with little public discussion
California school districts pay cities and counties millions of dollars a year to put law enforcement officers on campuses, according to a recent EdSource investigation. And in many districts, these contracts are passed with no public discussion and little oversight of officers' duties on campuses.
Guests:
Thomas Peele, Investigative reporter, EdSource
Daniel J. Willis, Data reporter, EdSource
This episode also includes public comment and discussion from a Folsom-Cordova Unified School District board meeting in May 2024.
Read more from EdSource:
California school districts spend millions on policing, with little scrutiny
Numerous districts don’t heed federal advice to bar police from enforcing school rules
Resource officers’ ‘position of trust’ with students sometimes exploited
How one rural county pays for its resource officers
How we obtained and examined contracts for school resource officers
Read the whole series here: Calling the Cops
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud
25 min
April 24, 2025What California can learn from Texas about bilingual education
Texas offers more bilingual education than California and backs it up with more funding.
We visit an elementary school and a middle school in Austin, Texas, where students learn in Spanish and English. And we talk with a researcher about why Texas is so much farther ahead than California in bilingual education.
Guests:
Conor Williams, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation
Wendell Norris Marquez, Pre-AP Spanish Teacher, Lively Middle School, Austin Independent School District
Yadi Landaverde, Teacher, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District
Caroline Sweet, Dual-language Instructional Coach, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District
Emil, Hennri Jossue, Iker, Luis and Mathilda, Fourth graders, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District
Ximena Macias, Student Teacher, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District
Antonia Vincent, AP Spanish Teacher, Lively Middle School, Austin Independent School District
Read more from EdSource: Why Texas is ahead of California on bilingual education
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud
25 min
April 17, 2025Are California schools becoming more vulnerable to measles?
There have now been more than 700 cases of measles reported in the U.S. in 2025, and two children have died. The vast majority of these cases are in Texas. Only nine cases have been reported in California. But measles vaccination rates are going down in California schools. In some schools, particularly charter schools, the rates are lower than 95%, which is considered "herd immunity." Why does this matter? What can be done?
Guests:
Dr. Monica Gandhi, Professor of medicine and infectious disease doctor, UC San Francisco
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Daniel J. Willis, Data reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Amid deadly measles outbreak, California’s childhood vaccination rates are falling
California school vaccinations database
Map: MMR and full vaccination rates in California kindergartners
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud
17 min
April 10, 2025How one man helps districts navigate the emotional process of closing schools
Manny Barbara is likely one of the most experienced people in the state when it comes to closing a school. He has helped six districts manage the closing of its schools.
Barbara shares the wisdom that he's learned from this experience.
As California enrollment declines, how can districts navigate the difficult but sometimes necessary experience of closing a school?
Guests:
Manny Barbara, retired superintendent and facilitator
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
When districts face the tough job of closing schools, Manny Barbara is the go-to guy
Which districts are on California’s latest financial danger lists — and why
Special project: California’s Enrollment Rollercoaster
Commentary: Closing schools: How much money does it save, and is it worth it?
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week's episode was hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud
19 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…