The state will be updating its history and social studies curriculum. California students typically learn about César Chávez in fourth, ninth and 11th grades.
Carolyn Jones / CalMatters
California teachers ‘tread lightly’ for America’s 250th as they navigate competing narratives
California is strengthening civics education as America marks it 250th birthday. Teachers have to navigate a polarized political environment as they guide lessons on the Constitution.
‘Shocking’: What Supreme Court ruling on transgender policy means for California students
In a ruling this week, the Supreme Court blocked California’s policy barring school districts from requiring teachers to “out” transgender students to their parents, unless the students gave permission.
Wave of California teacher strikes ‘is no coincidence’
The California Teachers Association organized to trigger a wave of negotiations and potential strikes to garner public attention and flex political muscle.
Child care in California was already hard to find; the immigration crackdown has made it worse
In California, almost 40% of the workforce is foreign-born and more than a million parents — immigrant and otherwise — rely on child care providers so they can go to work.
Trans youth still have a safe haven in California — but that could change
Lawsuits and Trump administration policy changes are targeting trans athletes, bans on outing by school staff and health care. Some California policies are in jeopardy.
This change could deliver billions of more dollars to California schools. Here’s the tradeoff
By basing funding on enrollment, not attendance numbers, California schools would lose the incentive to get students to show up every day, a new report finds.
His students suddenly started getting A’s. Did a Google AI tool go too far?
Some teachers say that artificial intelligence tools, particularly Google Lens, have made it impossible to enforce academic integrity in the classroom — with potentially harmful long-term effects on students’ learning.
Ethnic studies was supposed to start in California schools. What happened?
The ethnic studies class was meant to focus on the cultures and histories of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos. The state’s curriculum also encourages schools to add additional lessons based on their student populations, such as Hmong or Armenian.
California changed the way it teaches science. But test scores remain low
Nearly a decade after California revamped its K-12 science curriculum, two-thirds of students failed to meet the statewide standard.

