Madeline Cook 6/15/21 Madeline Cook 6/15/21

Cortese: Sacramento bus trip lets students speak with representatives about education

This year, local students and education advocates from the Sacramento community had the opportunity to share their personal testimonies with state elected officials regarding education in California. Students brought up numerous issues that highlighted the clear disparity and lack of support, sparking the conversation for why fully funded education is a necessity.

Madeline Cook 6/14/21 Madeline Cook 6/14/21

Teachers report spring school reopenings were exhausting and unproductive

4 out of 5 California teachers cite hybrid learning as more difficult than distance learning. Instructors have noticed that students from low-income households have suffered disproportionately during hybrid instruction and believe that school districts must do more to address inequalities in the education system as a whole. In order to fully “reopen,” California educators must be supported with more funding and more resources!

Madeline Cook 4/30/21 Madeline Cook 4/30/21

Arts Education is a Civil Right Inseparable from Freedom

Art plays an important role in students’ personal and academic success. However, California is falling behind in providing this crucial element of education. It is deplorable that only 20% of Californian middle schools reported art access and that only 64% of majority Black schools reported having a music teacher compared to 94% of majority white schools. California must do better for our kids.

Madeline Cook 3/27/21 Madeline Cook 3/27/21

As Pandemic Upends Teaching, Fewer Students Want to Pursue It

Teaching has long been a career known for its low pay and taxing working conditions. The pandemic has only exacerbated this situation. For these reasons, it is not surprising that aspiring teachers are reconsidering their career paths. Between 2006 and 2019, the number of education degrees dropped by 22%. The solution is clear: teachers need more support.

Emily Cagape 3/1/21 Emily Cagape 3/1/21

Massive investment in social studies and civics education proposed to address eroding trust in democratic institutions

The political events of 2021 have revealed the dangerous effects of underfunded and inadequate education systems. Education has the power to open minds and protect against falsehoods and misinformation. For the future of progress and our democracy, we must fully fund education and especially invest in social studies and civics education.

Emily Cagape 1/31/21 Emily Cagape 1/31/21

S.F. schools see learning gaps widen during pandemic

One of the most significant ways the COVID pandemic has affected students is through learning loss. Distance learning has exacerbated academic achievement gaps among students, particularly students from low-income communities of color. Low standardized test results and high absences are causing students to fall behind.

Emily Cagape 1/26/21 Emily Cagape 1/26/21

Are Students Spending Enough Time on School during the Pandemic?

Despite Monday’s lifting of the statewide stay-at-home order, the vast majority of California’s public schools remain closed…

Emily Cagape 1/19/19 Emily Cagape 1/19/19

California schools were once the nation's envy. What went wrong?

40 years ago, California was the model state for public schools across the nation. Now, they rank 43rd out of 50 in per-pupil spending, which is just one of the many problems California schools face due to a significant lack of funding.

Madeline Cook 5/16/18 Madeline Cook 5/16/18

Teachers Shouldn’t Pay For School Supplies

According to a Department of Education survey, 94 percent of public school teachers pay out of pocket for their classes’ school supplies. It didn’t matter whether they taught in cities, suburbs, rural areas, almost all teachers had to pay for their classes without reimbursement.