Education Beat

By EdSourceNews Education

Education Beat episodes

April 03, 2025A Compton drama class gives all students a chance to shine
Compton drama teacher Catherine Borek has made plays with no stage and no theater, but a whole lot of creativity. She says drama can be therapy to help kids conquer anxiety, and it helps kids thrive who struggle in other classes.
As California expands arts education, what role can theater play in the classroom?
Guests:
Catherine Borek, Drama and English teacher, Dominguez High School, Compton Unified School District
Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Drama class helps Compton students find themselves on stage
Madera drama teacher sees the arts as a gateway to improving literacy skills
Can theater help prevent violence in schools?
Allison Gamlen’s journey from actor to arts educator
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud
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March 27, 2025A principal has hope five years after Covid began
Five years after California schools shut their doors because of the Covid-19 pandemic, most districts in California still struggle to recover the ground they lost.
At the same time, they face multiple challenges: soaring mental health difficulties, increased absenteeism, a decline in enrollment, and uncertain finances.
Despite these challenges, one school principal in San Jose sees hope and promise in his school, which his team reimagined during the pandemic.
Guests:
Vito Chiala, Principal, Overfelt High School, East Side Union High School District
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
Covid’s long shadow in California: Chronic absences, student depression and the limits of money
How Covid changed teaching in California: fewer pencils, more technology
How Covid’s mental health toll transformed California’s schools
Find the whole series here: Five Years Later: Covid's Lasting Impact on Education
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud.
21 min
March 20, 2025Programs cut, futures uncertain: Sonoma State students face challenges ahead
Sonoma State University announced a contentious proposal this spring to cut $24 million dollars by eliminating six academic departments entirely, and another two dozen degree programs, in addition to cutting all NCAA Division II sports, among other measures.
A geology student shares what's at stake for the field and for students and faculty who are mourning the possible loss of a "home away from home."
Guests:
Jackson Kaiser, Geology student, Sonoma State University
Amy DiPierro, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Scenes of loss – and resilience – at a Cal State campus facing drastic cuts
Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource's Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud.
20 min
March 13, 2025Undocumented student civic engagement in the Trump era (Live at SXSW EDU)
Undocumented young people risked everything decades ago to "come out of the shadows” and push loudly and proudly for their right to stay in this country. That movement is, in large part, the reason that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) exists. Yet there is still no path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants and DACA has not accepted new applications since 2017, locking out most current high school and college-age students.
As the new Trump administration threatens mass deportation of immigrants, how will schools and students be impacted? What can we learn from the history of undocumented student activism?
This episode was recorded live at SXSW EDU, one of the largest education conferences in the country.
Guests:
Vanesa Cruz Granados, Co-chair, Undocumented Student-led Network
Blanca Hernandez, Immigrant rights' advocate
This episode also features the voices of:
Rafael Martinez, Assistant professor, Arizona State University, and author of "Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States"
Jacky Neri Arias, Executive director of student experience and inclusion, Dominican University
Alejandra, Undocumented student, University of California
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
44 min
February 27, 2025Is LAUSD misusing its money for arts education?
In 2022, California voters passed Proposition 28, a law meant to address the paltry and inequitable arts education funding in most schools.
Vicky Martinez, a parent of three sons in Los Angeles Unified School District, says her children need a robust arts education in the wake of the pandemic, but the district isn’t providing that.
Martinez and other parents joined a lawsuit against LAUSD and superintendent Alberto Carvalho, claiming that the district was misusing its Prop. 28 funds.
Guests:
Vicky Martinez, LAUSD parent
Mallika Seshadri, Reporter at EdSource
Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Related:
Lawsuit charges misuse of arts education funding at LAUSD schools
Shortage of teachers and classrooms slows expansion of arts education in Los Angeles and beyond
LAUSD’s new magnet film school gives students hands-on learning about entertainment industry
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode was hosted by EdSource's Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.
Are you attending SXSW EDU? We'll be there! Learn more.
19 min
February 13, 2025Former foster youth often struggle to get through college. Here’s how some programs help
Young people who've been in the foster care system often struggle to get to and through college. Some studies show that programs designed just for supporting these students — with scholarships, counseling and peer support, for example — can make a big difference.
In this episode, we bring you the story of one student who dropped out of college, then returned years later with renewed resolve and the support of a program for former foster youth.
Guests:
Faylen Bush, Student, Rio Hondo College
Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource:
For former foster care students, college help exists long after exiting the system
The community college creating a home base for transition-age foster students
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
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February 06, 2025This curriculum helps immigrant students fill learning gaps
When immigrant students have missed years of school in their home countries, they not only have to learn English, but also the basics of how to read and write in any language and the math and science they missed. But the materials to cover that knowledge can often seem boring or childish to older students, causing them to disengage.
Oakland Unified School District is now piloting a new curriculum designed just for students who missed out on years of education in their home countries. We visit a classroom to find out what it's like.
Voices:
Shannon Darcey, Teacher, Oakland Unified School District
Julie Kessler, Director of Newcomer and ELL Programs, Oakland Unified School District
Maribel and Anallely, Students, Oakland Unified School District
Read more from EdSource: How Oakland Unified is helping immigrant students fill education gaps
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
0 min
January 30, 2025Ethnic studies requirement sparks debate in Palo Alto
A school board meeting in Palo Alto Unified offers a peek into an argument brewing in some school districts statewide over whether ethnic studies should be a requirement for all high school students, and what the course should — or shouldn’t — teach.
Students say the courses opened their eyes to inequities in their own communities and taught them history about African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans that they hadn't learned in other classes.
Some parents and school board members in the community argue that courses in some districts take a one-sided view that stresses white supremacy, colonialism and capitalism are the obstacles to racial justice.
Guest:
John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource
This episode also includes voices from students, parents, teachers and school board members, from a school board meeting held on Jan. 23, 2025.
Read more from EdSource:
Anatomy of a divided California school board’s vote on ethnic studies
The clock is ticking, ethnic studies remains an unfunded mandate; what will Newsom do?
Conflict over race, LGBTQ issues cost schools more than $3 billion last school year
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
0 min
January 23, 2025California is preparing more Latino teachers than before
The majority of students in California schools are Latino, while the teachers are mostly white. But that could now be changing, as more people of Latino heritage enroll in teacher preparation programs in the state.
How can more Latino teachers change California education?
Guests:
Zulya Nunez, Teacher candidate, San Diego State University
Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: How more Hispanic teachers could change the face of California education
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
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January 16, 2025Teachers, students reel from Los Angeles fires
The firestorms in Los Angeles have destroyed at least nine schools and displaced hundreds of teachers and students.
A teacher shares the story of her family's escape, and a reporter describes the physical and emotional damage to schools and communities.
Guests:
Tanya Reyes, teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District and parent in Pasadena Unified School District
Mallika Seshadri, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Los Angeles schools close, brace for more fire, wind and ash
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.
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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…