Education Beat EdSource

Sam Prater knows what it feels like to be homeless. After he dropped out of high school, he was evicted twice in his hometown of Detroit. So when he saw homeless students being offered just 14 days in college dorms in California, he knew he had to try something different.



Prater's organization now has four homes in L.A. that offer wraparound services to young people experiencing homelessness, to help them jump-start their lives and their college education. A visit offers a peek at what these homes offer.



Guests:




Sam Prater, Founder, Los Angeles Room & Board



Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource




Read more from EdSource: 'No place like this.' L.A. home helps young adults live beyond survival mode



Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

Financial aid and admissions officers across California's colleges and universities are navigating longer hours and more stress, as they deal with unprecedented havoc in this year's rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.



Hear from financial aid workers as they help students and their families navigate the application morass.



Why has California seen heavier impacts from the FAFSA delays? And what is the state doing to mitigate the fallout?



Guests:




Kamila Juarez, graduating senior, Grace Davis High School



Sonia Jethani, director of financial aid and scholarships at CSU East Bay



Jeanette Phillips, director of financial aid and scholarships at Cal Poly Pomona



Jessica Wagoner, senior associate vice president for enrollment management and services at Cal Poly Pomona




Read more from EdSource:




California’s universities navigate unprecedented FAFSA mistakes and delays 



FAFSA delays make it difficult for students to finalize college decisions




Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Ashley A. Smith and produced by Coby McDonald.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, many California students have struggled to attend class regularly. Recent data shows that even last school year, when kids were back in person and there were fewer Covid regulations, nearly a quarter of students statewide missed more than 10% of the school year.



But some school districts, like Fresno Unified, have managed to bring many of their missing students back to class. What's their secret?



Guests:




Abigail Arii, Director of Student Support Services, Fresno Unified School District



Noreida Pérez, Attendance Manager, Fresno Unified School District



Betty Márquez Rosales, Reporter, EdSource



Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource




Read more from EdSource:




Calls, home visits, counseling help get California students back to school



Interactive Map: Chronic absenteeism up in nearly a third of 930 California districts



California’s dramatic jump in chronically absent students part of a nationwide surge




Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A growing body of research shows that having a Black teacher increases students' scores on math and reading tests and increases the chance that they will graduate from college.



California has been trying to recruit and retain Black teachers for years, but the percentage of Black teachers still lags behind the percentage of Black students.



What’s keeping Black teachers from getting to and staying in the classroom? And how can we do more to support them?



Guests:




Alicia Simba, Teacher, Oakland Unified School District



Diana Lambert, Reporter, EdSource




Read more from EdSource:




Disrespect, low pay, lack of support keep Black teachers out of the profession



Bias, extra work and feelings of isolation: 5 Black teachers tell their stories



California, districts try to recruit and retain Black teachers; advocates say more should be done




Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

If you or your child were enrolled in a California public school in first grade through high school in 2021-22, you might have money for college waiting for you.



More than a year and a half ago, California launched a big initiative to help children from low income families save money for college. It’s called the California Kids Investment and Development Savings program, or just CalKIDS.



The program has the potential to serve 3.6 million kids, but only a tiny fraction of those have signed up to activate their accounts.



Who’s eligible for CalKIDS? And what needs to happen to get the word out to more families?



Guests:




Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, Board trustee, Fresno Unified School District



Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource




Read more from EdSource:




What to know about free money waiting in state-funded savings accounts | Quick Guide



Few low-income Californians claiming kids' free money in college savings accounts



Find out if you or your child is eligible here




Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.

A catastrophic forest fire roared through Northern California’s Butte County in 2018, taking 86 lives and destroying countless homes in the town of Paradise.



To help kids cope with their fear, grief and loss, the county office of education sent a team of artists into the schools. One of those teaching artists shares how he's seen theater help children heal from trauma.



Guests:




Chris Murphy, Trauma-informed teaching artist, Butte County Office of Education



Karen D'Souza, Reporter, EdSource




EdSource Roundtable: Raising the curtain on Prop 28: Can arts education help transform California schools?



Read more from EdSource: Can arts education help children heal from trauma?



Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.