Education Beat

It's time for John Fensterwald's annual predictions for what's in store for education in 2026.

Betty Reid Soskin was the nation's oldest national park ranger. She passed away on Dec. 21 at 104 years old. To honor her, we bring you an episode from 2021, about how a California school came to be renamed after her.

In the bilingual education world, José Medina is a superstar. A former teacher turned principal turned researcher, he spreads his message of respecting students' languages on social media and in schools across the country.

A tiny school district in rural Merced County has invested heavily in school counseling. And UCLA researchers have recognized the results. 

A new literacy intervention program is being rolled out in San Diego, Alameda, San Mateo and Riverside counties, to help teenagers in juvenile detention grasp the basics of reading.

Come prepare a meal with the fifth and sixth graders of Pacific Elementary, in Davenport, California, where the district attracts students just for the lunch.

One district moved from packaged pizza and chicken nuggets to coconut rice with red lentil dal on its school lunch menu.

Many mentoring and tutoring programs in K-12 schools rely partially on federal grants through AmeriCorps — funding that President Donald Trump has proposed entirely eliminating.

A new law aims to get more teachers instructing kids in how to sound out words to be able to access the joy of reading.

Miliani Rodriguez attends Coachella Valley High School, where the AC often breaks in over 100-degree heat and when it rains, the ceilings leak. 

California community colleges rely on this funding for programs such as support for students pursuing science degrees and dual enrollment for high school students taking college classes. 

After a student at Maywood Academy High School in Los Angeles is arrested and deported by immigration authorities, a community grapples with the aftermath. 

Saran Tugsjargal found herself wondering who would stand up for students like her. Little did she know that she would become that person.

Schools across California could lose hundreds of mental health workers, after the Trump administration cut federal grants.

Meet Allison Saiki, who teaches students how to manage money, pay rent and open retirement accounts, with a class currency she calls "Saiki Cents."

An audit found the charter received millions in funding for which it was not eligible, assigned teachers to classes they were not credentialed to teach, and avoided standardized testing, in addition to spending on items like a trip to Paris and leasing a ballpark.

The Mahmoud v. Taylor case involved storybooks with LGBTQ themes, but legal experts say that the case has much broader implications that could affect subjects like literature, history and science.

California schools need a whole new understanding of the importance of play – and potty-training – in TK classrooms.

A new report by the Education Justice Coalition calls out Los Angeles County for its failure to educate incarcerated youth, despite a civil grand jury report and investigations by the federal and state DOJ.

Lack of on-campus housing for students at many CSU campuses can be a major barrier for low-income students.

An Oakland woman adopted a class of first graders and promised to pay for their college educations if they graduated from high school.

The Trump Administration has proposed cutting all funding for what are called TRIO programs which prepare and guide low-income students through college. 

Larry Ferlazzo is retiring after 23 years of teaching. Here are some of his words of wisdom.

The Migrant Education Program, which provides academic support to the children of agricultural workers, could end after the Trump administration froze federal funds. 

Hundreds of thousands of children could lose federally-funded food stamps and health care under the new law.