This week, EdSource higher ed reporter Larry Gordon discusses financial pressures that are forcing many Cal State students to work multiple jobs and the toll it takes on their grades. A Fresno State senior describes life juggling college and work.

This week, Marshall Tuck, candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, lays out his vision for the job and plans for strengthening the California Department of Education and expanding state's education data system. He, Louis and John also discuss the role of money in this race.

This week: The fourth year of Smarter Balanced test scores. Louis and John discuss the results and when the state should expect to see more progress. Plus bills the governor signed and vetoed, and his decision not to extend the state's ban on suspensions for defiance and disruption.

This week, diving deeper into EdSource's special report, Tainted Taps, which looks into lead levels in faucets and drinking fountains in California schools.

This week, Louis and John discuss some of the highlights from Getting Down to Facts II – a 2-year project with 36 different studies looking at a range of education challenges and successes in California – with principal investigator Susanna Loeb and AIR economist Jesse Levin.

This week: The Legislature passes a bill making the start of the school day for middle and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. And Gov. Jerry Brown signs legislation banning for-profit charter schools in California.

This week: The movement away from remedial math and English courses — which do not count toward the credits needed for a degree and can derail many students — at California’s 114 community colleges and the California State University system.

This week: The 5-year, $16 million grant awarded to California's CORE Districts to prepare low-income African-American and Latino students for success in college. Plus key bills on the governor's desk, including a ban on for-profit charter schools and three measures to make schools safer.

This week we look at the push in Sacramento to give school districts the option of substituting either the SAT or ACT for the current 11th grade Smarter Balanced assessments.

This week: efforts to reconstruct playgrounds to become more welcoming and accessible to all children.