California

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in California
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school, Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M.
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. New Mexico passed a law in 2019 that shifts schools from punishing truancy to preventing chronic absenteeism, only referring truancy cases to the courts in extreme cases. California is the latest state to change its truancy law, undoing potential criminal penalties like fines or jail time for parents.
Roberto E. Rosales/AP
Families & the Community Should Parents Face Criminal Penalties for Their Children's Poor Attendance?
Schools shift from a punitive approach with penalties for truancy to a greater emphasis on prevention.
Evie Blad, October 7, 2025
•
7 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Teachers on When Their Administrators Get It Wrong
At times, administrators make decisions without considering the consequences.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 3, 2025
•
6 min read
Thu., October 02, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar Making Standards-Based Grading Work in Your School or District: A Case Study
Curious about standards-based grading? Join to get an inspiring, practical look from one California school.
Content provided by Otus
Register
Brenda Amparan leads her first graders in Spanish at Pueblo Elementary School in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Sept. 16, 2025.
Brenda Amparan leads her first graders in Spanish at Pueblo Elementary School in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Sept. 16, 2025. Dual-language programs benefit all students, but there is an accessibility issue for English learners.
Courtney Pedroza for Education Week
English Learners Who Are Dual-Language Immersion Programs Really For?
The answer is all students, but English learners face accessibility barriers.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 22, 2025
•
8 min read
Rear view of mixed race teen schoolgirl using a laptop while having online video lesson with teacher, sitting at home.
iStock/Getty
Student Achievement High-Dosage Tutoring for 100K Kids: How a District Settled a Learning Loss Case
The nation's second-largest district agreed to tutoring and other measures to settle a case brought by parents during the pandemic.
Evie Blad, September 12, 2025
•
4 min read
A sign on a post in Los Angeles reads ''CAUTION ICE'' on Sept. 8, 2025. Immigration enforcement has drawn closer to schools in Los Angeles and beyond.
A sign on a post in Los Angeles reads ''CAUTION ICE'' on Sept. 8, 2025. Immigration enforcement has drawn closer to schools in Los Angeles and beyond.
J.W. Hendricks/NurPhoto via AP
School & District Management Schools Brace as Fears of Immigration Enforcement Rise Among Families
Educators and advocates report immigration arrests inching closer to schools.
Ileana Najarro, September 9, 2025
•
5 min read
Transitional kindergarten teacher Amy Weisberg helps a young student at Topanga Charter Elementary School in the Topanga district of Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2012. A California law requires public schools to add a grade level this fall designed to give the very youngest students a boost when they enroll in kindergarten, but charter schools say the law does not apply to them, pitting them against the state Department of Education.
Transitional kindergarten teacher Amy Weisberg helps a young student at Topanga Charter Elementary School in the Topanga district of Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2012. California will require public schools that offer kindergarten to add free, inclusive prekindergarten this school year.
Nick Ut/AP
Early Childhood Q&A How a State's Transitional Kindergarten Expansion Has Gone So Far
California is gearing up to help more 4-year-olds get ready for kindergarten.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 1, 2025
•
6 min read
Teaching Profession Video VIDEO: Veteran Educator Larry Ferlazzo Retires, Reflects on His Career
Ferlazzo will continue his Education Week opinion blog and plans to be a volunteer teacher to incarcerated youth this fall.
Lauren Santucci, July 10, 2025
•
2:09
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025.
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Equity & Diversity Trump Sues California Over Law Letting Trans Athletes Compete in K-12 Sports
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit after California on Wednesday refused to repeal its state law.
Lia Russell, The Sacramento Bee, July 9, 2025
•
5 min read
AB Hernandez, center, claps with Kira Gant Hatcher, right, during a medal ceremony for the triple jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., on May 31, 2025.
AB Hernandez, a transgender teen athlete, center, claps during a medal ceremony for the triple jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., on May 31, 2025. The U.S. Department of Education has found the state in violation of Title IX for its transgender athlete policy.
Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Federal California Violated Title IX Over Transgender Athletes, Ed. Dept. Concludes
The U.S. Department of Education said the state's school sports policies for transgender athletes violated female students' rights.
Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2025
•
2 min read
The rainbow Pride flag flutters from the flag pole at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on June 17, 2019.
The rainbow Pride flag flutters from the flag pole at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on June 17, 2019. The Trump administration has ordered California to remove all references to gender identity from a sex education curriculum or risk losing federal funds.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Federal Trump Admin. Orders California to Remove Gender Identity From Sex Ed Curriculum
The state has 60 days to make the change or it risks losing federal funds.
Brooke Schultz, June 24, 2025
•
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Larry Ferlazzo's 6 Reasons Why He Stayed at His School
Why leave a high school where the administrators have fostered a supportive environment and made teaching fulfilling?
Larry Ferlazzo, June 13, 2025
•
5 min read
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter during an event signing a bill blocking California's rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, in the East Room of the White House on June 12, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter during an event where he signed a resolution blocking California's rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 in the East Room of the White House on June 12, 2025. Trump's administration has reportedly discussed halting "formula funds" to the state's education department.
Alex Brandon/AP
Education Funding Trump Admin. Says California’s K-12 Funding Is at Risk. What Would It Mean?
Title I and IDEA funding could be caught up in the battle between the White House and the largest state, which is led by Democrats.
Mark Lieberman, June 12, 2025
•
10 min read
Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025.
Students interact in a 4th grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. More young students could receive instruction in phonics and other evidence-based techniques, if a long-sought state proposal is approved.
Eric Thayer/AP
Reading & Literacy California Is Poised to Pass a 'Science of Reading' Law After a Long, Tense Debate
Advocates on both sides say the compromise bill is strong, but imperfect. Will it move literacy instruction forward in the state?
Sarah Schwartz, June 12, 2025
•
8 min read
Load More ▼