California
Enrollment in California public schools plunged for the second straight school year under COVID restrictions, new figures released yesterday, 4/12, show, with the number of K-12 students dipping below six million for the first time in more than 20 years, driven in part by dismal numbers in the Bay Area…
The California Assembly’s Higher Education Committee approved two bills at a hearing last week that would offer more financial stability to adjunct professors at California community colleges…
From housing and health to transportation and education, the Legislative Analyst’s Office provides a litany of sobering climate change impacts for California legislators to address as they enact policies and set budgets…
Starting this week, California State Library Parks Passes will be distributed to public libraries across the state for checkout by library patrons…
The initiative, which the organizers expect to qualify for the 11/8 election, would generate an estimated $3 billion to 4.5 billion annually for the cause through at least 2033…
The crime prevention spending package the Sacramento Mayor and others presented will be on the table along with other spending priorities Newsom could consider…
The California Air Resources Board is slated to release documents in support of its plan to require that, starting in 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be zero-emissions vehicles…
Coronavirus
Researchers trying to devise an updated COVID-19 vaccine for use this fall would have to settle on a formula as early as June to meet that deadline, federal officials said last week, even though some clinical trials are just now getting underway…
The COVID-19 funding bill that the White House has been requesting for months has been delayed once again as Senators in both parties decided that they did not have enough time to pass the $10 billion bill last week…
In about half of U.S. counties, less than 10 percent of children ages five to 11 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19…
President and Administration
The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court Thursday, 4/7, marking a historic moment for the high court and a massive victory for President Joe Biden…
Last week, the Biden administration proposed a long-sought change to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed at lowering health insurance costs for millions of Americans…
On Monday, 4/11, Vice President Kamala Harris announced new steps designed to reduce the cost of federal home loans for Americans saddled with medical debt and make it easier for veterans to have health care bills forgiven…
President Biden announced the finalization of new federal rules restricting the sale of kits for “ghost guns” which allow purchasers to assemble potentially untraceable weapons…
Remote working may be a boon for many Americans. But it could lead to higher borrowing costs for some cities tapping the municipal-bond market…
President Biden announced yesterday, 4/12, a plan to suspend a ban on summertime sales of higher-ethanol gasoline blends, a move that is aimed at reducing gas prices…
The Biden administration kicked off a rural infrastructure tour on Monday, 4/11, as Democrats attempted to utilize the funding to help build support among rural voters ahead of the midterms…
A Q&A with the new director of the Census Bureau, Robert L. Santos, on the issues with the 2020 count and preparing for the 2030 count can be found…
Congress
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) is vowing to hold her previous stances from last year if negotiations of a resuscitated Democratic spending deal were to arise…
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to clarify how schools should monitor students’ online activities, arguing in a new report that educators’ widespread use of digital surveillance tools could trample students’ civil rights…
Education
The Progressive Policy Institute’s report analyzes the Education Department’s new proposed rule on charter schools that researchers say “would make it more difficult for charter school start-ups to get federal support”…
On June 30, a U.S. Department of Agriculture waiver that drastically alters the way school meals are provided across the country is set to expire…
The Education Department is continuing to take action to support and invest in the teaching profession and address the teacher shortage many schools and districts across the country face…
The Biden administration on Wednesday, 4/6, moved to expunge the defaults of millions of federal student loan borrowers who fell behind on payments before the pandemic, as the White House formally unveiled a four-month extension of the pause on monthly loan payments and interest…
High school students experienced challenges with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic including hopelessness, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts or intentions…
While mental health worsened among all student groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, students of color were particularly vulnerable, according to a new study that documents inequalities in mental health care between 2013 and 2021…
A coalition of 26 organizations, led by the Defense of Freedom Institute, sent a letter last week to Assistant Secretary for the Office for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon urging the Education Department to halt its plans to unveil a new Title IX rule, which mandates how schools must respond to sexual misconduct complaints…
Students are more likely to enroll in science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and graduate with a STEM degree when grade-forgiveness policies are in place, according to a recent study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research…
Math anxiety doesn’t just make students choke on tests…
Last week, the administration launched a $500 million grant program from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to upgrade our public schools with modern, clean, energy efficient facilities and transportation—delivering health and learning benefits to children and school communities, saving school districts money, and creating good union jobs…