Category: Main

  • The End of ‘Willful Defiance’ School Punishments (Sort of)

    When a child gets in trouble at Cherokee Point Elementary School, Principal Godwin Higa, talks quietly to the student to sort things out. | Photo Credit: Jane Stevens By Mario Koran On this, most school officials agree: “Willful defiance,” a kind of catch-all reason for ejecting students from class is overbroad and problematic. But for…

  • New Law Lets Community Colleges Offer Bachelor’s Degrees

    By Matthew Bowler One of the many bills Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law over the weekend makes it possible for some community colleges in California to offer bachelor’s degrees. The new law allows the California chancellor of community colleges to choose 15 community colleges to be the first to offer bachelor’s degrees. San Diego…

  • Council Supports Initiative to Fight Gangs

    Members of the Community Assistance Support Team go door-to-door at the Casa Sierra apartment complex in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of San Diego. They check in on residents for months after they’ve witnessed a gang shooting to ensure they have the services they need to move forward rather than becoming wrapped up in the gang…

  • Charting a Path Forward for English-Learning Students

    By Mario Koran Even though one in four school children in California are learning English, most school districts are still scratching their heads over how to best help these students. That’s the gist of a new report from Education Trust-West, an education research and advocacy organization based in Oakland. The central question for school districts…

  • District to Help Teachers Better Connect with Communities In Which They Teach

    Urban schools like Lincoln High can be a more challenging place to teach. Without ongoing support for new teachers, schools are more likely to see teacher turnover. | Photo Credit: Jamie Scott Lytle By Mario Koran Americans have debated the qualities that separate good teachers from the bad for more than 100 years. These days,…