California
California Community College leaders have indicated they plan to move forward with approving bachelor’s degree programs at their institutions, despite a request from state lawmakers to pause in response to objections from the California State University system…
According to an analysis of 30 districts statewide conducted by School Innovations & Achievement, nearly a third of public school students were chronically absent — meaning that as of late March, they had missed 10 percent or more of the school year…
The illegal marijuana trade is booming in California, seven years after the state legalized its possession, cultivation and distribution…
Recent surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest 5.5 percent of California adults – roughly 1.5 million people – currently experience the ill-defined, mysterious and often debilitating collection of symptoms that make up long COVID…
President and Administration
The Biden administration as soon as this week could begin accepting requests from colleges for extra time to spend their share of federal COVID relief dollars…
On Friday, 4/28, the Department of Education issued a series of recommendations for how colleges and universities can better serve students who were previously incarcerated…
On Tuesday, 4/25, President Biden formally launched his campaign for a second term in 2024, asking voters to keep him in office and “finish the job” of an historic American recovery that started after he defeated Donald Trump in 2020…
On Wednesday, 4/26, first lady Jill Biden touted her husband’s goals for students, including a significant focus on mental health care as a national priority…
As the Biden administration prepares to restart federal student loan bills for the first time in three years, the Department of Education faces a funding shortfall that has forced it to cut customer service to borrowers…
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, one-in-four U.S. parents say there have been times in the past year when they could not afford food their family needed or to pay their rent or mortgage…
A sweeping series of surveys of U.S. high school students released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have an urgent message for parents and policymakers: America’s kids are in crisis…
Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy revealed in an article with the New York Times that he is proposing a national framework to rebuild social connection and community in America…
This morning, First Republic Bank was taken over by federal regulators and sold to JPMorgan Chase…
Congress and President Biden are running increasingly short on time to raise the debt limit…
Congress
House Republicans left Washington on Friday, 4/28, for a week after passing their massive debt bill…
A Senate committee voted along party lines on Wednesday, 4/26, to move forward with President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Labor, marking a key milestone in the nomination process amid high-level efforts by the White House to secure Julie Su’s confirmation…
On Wednesday, 4/26, the House Foreign Affairs committee held a hearing to markup H.R.2794…
House Republicans plan to start marking up the 12 annual spending bills later this month and wrap up committee action by mid-June, House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) told her colleagues…
Education
The School Superintendent Association (AASA) and The Jed Foundation announced a new initiative, called The District Comprehensive Approach, which aims to provide school districts with a framework of best practices, expert support, and data-driven guidance about how to best support students’ mental health and prevent suicide…
A revolt over how children are taught to read, steadily building for years, is now sweeping school board meetings and statehouses around the country…
According to a recent EdWeek Research Center survey, student behavioral problems that spiked with the return of in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic are getting even worse…
