Parents, educators and researchers say that inclusive early education improves outcomes for students with disabilities and reduces the need for more intensive — and costly — special education services in older grades.
Education
Here are the recommendations for renaming Watsonville’s Cesar Chavez Middle School
A Pajaro Valley Unified School District committee has recommended renaming Cesar E. Chavez Middle School either Central Coast Middle School or Tagami Hashimoto Middle School following allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights and farmworker advocate that surfaced earlier this year. The school board reviewed the options last week and is expected to vote on a new name at a future meeting.
Newsom promised to help Californians build new careers. Now, the money is running out
Gov. Gavin Newsom made job training and the creation of a master plan for career education part of his agenda. Now, key workforce initiatives might get no new funding.
Police determine suspicious device found at Watsonville High to be ‘nonexplosive science experiment’
Watsonville police officers were investigating a suspicious device found on the Watsonville High School campus Thursday morning.
UC Santa Cruz senior graduates after five years of ‘good trouble’
UC Santa Cruz graduate Airielle Silva was honored with the John R. Lewis Good Trouble Award after five years of student leadership and activism. As she addressed fellow graduates at commencement, Silva reflected on her advocacy work while urging the university to continue addressing longstanding Black student demands.
Some California schools get three times more funding than others. Here’s why
School funding in California steers a lot to wealthy districts and to those with high-needs students. Those in the middle get a lot less.
Teachers at Pajaro Middle School say they don’t feel safe or supported. Why isn’t the district acting?
Pajaro Middle School survived catastrophic flooding in 2023, but now faces a different challenge: a breakdown in trust between teachers, administrators and the district, writes Brandon Diniz, president of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers Local 1936. Teachers cite safety concerns, poor communication and inadequate responses to serious incidents, he writes. In May, 88% of teachers said they had no confidence in principal Nicole Killian’s leadership. District leaders, Diniz says, can no longer dismiss the concerns as a labor dispute and must address the serious issues the school faces.
California admits using high-risk AI — including systems it failed to report last year
State officials have found they are using six high-risk AI-like systems. One year ago, they reported using zero.
California school districts battle for $3.9 billion they argue is due now, not later
Gov. Gavin Newsom warns it’s prudent to hold back the funding in case a flood of expected new money dries up; school districts disagree.
‘Tis the season for … dumpster diving? How students take advantage of the items left behind during UCSC’s move-out week
UC Santa Cruz move-out week often transforms into a massive treasure hunt, with students rescuing items like vintage tech and gaming chairs from donation bins. It’s a campuswide scavenger hunt for free, high-value gear.

