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  • Californians ding Newsom’s, lawmakers’ handling of schools in survey

    Californians ding Newsom’s, lawmakers’ handling of schools in survey


    Key Takeaways from pPIC Education survey
    • Five years ago, Californians thought schools were headed in the right direction; they no longer do. 
    • Most adults say teaching basics should be the No. 1 goal of school; parents of students disagree.
    • Nearly all in the survey agree that teachers’ pay is too low.

    Californians’ confidence in their public schools and approval of how Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature are handling public education have fallen sharply since the Covid pandemic, according to an annual survey on K-12 education released Thursday by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). Half believe that the public school system is headed in the wrong direction.  

    The PPIC survey of 1,591 adults in English and Spanish also found widespread disagreement and overall concern with President Donald Trump’s actions on schools. 

    Nearly three-quarters of Californians oppose Trump’s executive order to close the U.S. Department of Education. 

    Two-thirds of adults are very or somewhat concerned about increased federal immigration efforts against undocumented students, and majorities support their local districts’ self-designation as “safe zones” from immigration enforcement. 

    Democratic and Republican respondents were sharply divided on this and many issues in the survey, however.

    An exception is voters’ agreement with Trump’s executive order to ban transgender participation in sports in schools and colleges. That resonates with 65% of adults and 71% of public school parents. They back requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with — a position in sync with Newsom’s, but not with many of the state’s Democratic leaders.

    PPIC is a prominent nonpartisan research and public policy organization that explores issues of the environment, politics, economics and education, and regularly surveys Californians on their views. The latest education survey has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, meaning that 95 times out of 100, the results will be within 3.1 percentage points of what they would be if all adults in California were interviewed. The survey was administered between March 27 and April 4.

    How the state is handling schools

    In April 2020, weeks after Covid first emerged, 73% of survey respondents said they approved of how Newsom handled the K-12 system, and 26% disapproved.

    Five years later, approval has fallen to 50% while disapproval has risen to 46%. Newsom registered majority support among Black and Asian Americans, and the least support among white people (43%). While 73% of Democrats approve of his performance, only 13% of Republicans and 44% of independents do.  

    Views of the Legislature’s handling of schools were similar: a high-water mark of 69% approval and 29% disapproval in April 2020, and an even 48%-48% split in April 2025, with 5% saying they didn’t have an opinion.

    Mark Baldassare, director of PPIC’s statewide surveys, said the approval numbers of elected officials fluctuate based on “how people feel the system in general is working and if state officials in charge are meeting the moment.”

    “I remember a lot of the polling numbers around the country at the beginning of the pandemic were showing there was a rallying around our leaders and maybe a little bit of wishful thinking that we’re going to get through this,” he said.

    The past five years have been tumultuous for schools. Since districts returned to school after more than a year in remote learning, recovery has been slow, as reflected by lower test scores, stubbornly high rates of chronic absences and measures of rising student depression and unwellness.  

    Source: PPIC Statewide Survey 2025

    “It’s hard to blame Newsom and the Legislature. They’ve been very supportive of programs and funding for education,” said Carol Kocivar, past president of the California State PTA and a writer on education policy for ED 100, a parent education website. 

    “Schools have been through the wringer. Some districts are barely balancing budgets and are facing a teacher shortage and declining enrollment. All of these factors create perceptions of schools. Behavior problems and inability to pay attention from an addiction to social media don’t necessarily reflect what is happening in schools,” she said. 

    In past PPIC surveys, particularly after the Great Recession, when per-student funding in California was among the lowest in the nation, the public’s view was even lower. In 2015, only 35% of respondents approved of how the Legislature was handling education. When asked the same question in 2011, amid huge post-recession budget cuts, the approval rate was only 18%.

    Similarly, in response to the question, “How much of a problem is the quality of education in K-12 schools today?” 35% of all respondents say it is a big problem in the latest survey. That’s down from 27% in April 2020, but lower than each of the previous 18 years. In both 2012 and 2016, for example, 58% of all respondents said that education quality was a problem, and in 2000, 53%.

    Right or wrong direction?

    In the latest survey, 45% of all adults say that the school system overall is generally going in the right direction, while 51% say it’s headed in the wrong direction. There is a partisan divide, with 65% of Democrats saying it’s in the right direction and only 16% of Republicans and 38% of independents agreeing. 

    That answer, too, is down from April 2020, when 62% of all respondents said the school system was going in the right direction and only 30% said it was headed in the wrong direction.

    Asked to grade the quality of their local public schools from A to F, 12% of respondents assigned an A; 36% graded B; 33% graded C; 11% graded D, and 6% an F. 

    That’s down from the 20% who gave schools an A in 2018, the last time the question was asked.  

    Challenges facing schools

    In the latest survey, respondents indicated that the challenges to schools — chronic absenteeism and declining enrollment, along with threats of wildfires and school shootings, a perennial worry — remain top of mind.

    A majority of adults (55%) and almost half of public school parents (47%) are very concerned or somewhat concerned about chronic absenteeism (defined as a student’s absence on 10% or more of school days). More Black (32%) and Hispanic (24%) adults than whites and Asians (both 14%) say they are very concerned about the problem.

    Since school funding is tied to attendance, more public school parents (68%) say they are very or somewhat concerned than all adults (61%) surveyed that declining enrollment would affect funding for their local public schools. 

    Source: PPIC Statewide Survey 2025

    School financing

    Asked about the current level of state funding in the latest survey, 48% say it is not enough, 34% say just enough, and 13% more than enough. Perhaps reflecting the huge one-time state and federal Covid relief aid, that number is down significantly since 2012 and in 2000, when 63% said funding was not enough.

    At the same time, nearly all Californians say that the level of pay for teachers relative to living costs is either a big problem (38%) or somewhat of a problem (48%). 

    Vouchers: In 2002, California voters resoundingly rejected a ballot initiative to provide parents with state funding to send their children to a public or private school of their choice by a vote of 70% to 30%. The latest PPIC survey indicated 44% of likely voters favor a school voucher system, and 56% oppose it. However, 62% of public school parents, Black and Hispanic respondents, now say they too favor it.  

    Supporters of an alternative voucher plan to place an initiative for an education savings account on the statewide ballot in 2026.

    School priorities: Asked what they think should be the most important goal of K-12 education, the top three priorities of all respondents are: 

    • Teaching students the basics including math, reading, and writing, 40%’
    • Teaching students life skills (21%)
    • Preparing students for college (16%)

    In contrast, Hispanic Californians (27%) and public school parents (32%) say preparing students for college should be the top goal. 

    LCFF: In 2012, the Legislature passed the Local Control Funding Formula, which provides additional money to school districts with more English learners and low-income students. Each year, read a short summary of the formula, large majorities surveyed say they favor it (this year 66% of all respondents).

    And yet each year, between 68% and 80% of respondents say they knew nothing at all about the landmark law, including this year 75% of all respondents and 67% of public school parents.

    School districts are required to reach out to parents for their ideas on how to spend the funding. This year, two-thirds of all parents of school-age children – those with a college degree and those without, those earning more than $80,000 per year and those earning less – said their districts had failed to do so.





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  • Which districts are on California’s latest financial danger lists — and why

    Which districts are on California’s latest financial danger lists — and why


    Credit: Alison Yin / EdSource

    The article was updated on March 3 to clarify the period of the school year covered by the two interim financial reports and to include the status of West Contra Costa Unified.

    Este artículo está disponible en Español. Léelo en español.

    Oakland, San Francisco and Hayward have joined four smaller districts on the five-alarm fire list of the state’s most financially stressed districts — those flirting with insolvency.

    They join 32 districts on a second, cautionary list where there’s smoke but no fiscal flames — yet. The second list, released last week, includes Sacramento Unified, several small rural districts where a small drop in enrollment can pose a financial threat, and two San Jose elementary districts, Alum Rock and Franklin-McKinley, which are closing multiple schools in the fall. Not on the list so far this year is West Contra Costa Unified, which is struggling to stay afloat and received a special “lack of going concern” designation the past three years.

    The 39 districts combined are more than last year and four times as many as in 2022-23, when state and federal revenues overflowed. Still, the updated total accounts for only about 4% of the state’s districts.

    Michael Fine, CEO of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, a state agency whose job is to monitor districts’ finances to prevent insolvency, blamed the financial pressures on declining enrollments and the termination of record federal Covid aid for schools. 

    Both factors are forcing districts to make difficult choices that will affect students. Some districts are offering retirement buyouts and/or laying off teachers, counselors and other staff because staff salaries constitute about 80% of overall costs. Many districts on the list also bear the cost of vacillation — a failure to act sooner to cut costs before deficits mount, Fine said.    

    “From my standpoint as an advocate of best practice, there should be nobody on the list because the two predominant factors are predictable,” Fine said. “Why weren’t they dealing with these a year ago, two years ago, and three years ago?”

    Those questions are appropriate for Oakland Unified. Since pre-pandemic 2018-19, its enrollment has fallen 7% — by 2,608 students to 33,916. The district received a total of $280 million in emergency Covid relief in 2021 and 2022, but that expired on Sept. 30, 2024, as that aid did for all districts.

    With many of its elementary schools housing around 300 students, Oakland Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Tramell proposed plans to close small schools, potentially saving millions of dollars, and, in December, to merge 10 elementary schools into five. The school board rejected the plans. In 2023, following a seven-day strike, the district, aiming to reduce the exodus of teachers to better-paying area districts in a high-cost region, gave teachers a 10% raise and a $5,000 one-time bonus. All of those factors have led to a mammoth $95 million deficit out of a $960 million budget.

    “It didn’t feel like we had a deficit growing because we had all the one-time money,” Johnson-Trammell told The Oaklandside last week. “We have to continue to give raises. It’s not a crisis. We made investments, and we have to figure out a way to pay for it.”

    California’s early warning system

    Each year, between passing their annual budgets, all school districts must file two reports to FCMAT that summarize their current financial health and project ahead. Oakland and the other six most-distressed districts filed a “negative” status in their first interim report. This means they likely won’t be able to meet financial obligations, including payroll, in the current or next fiscal year. The 32 other districts filed a “qualified” status, meaning they’re on track to run out of money in the next two fiscal years.

    Districts self-certify their reports. They filed their first interim report on Dec. 15, covering the four months, through Oct. 31, since the July 1 fiscal year began. The second interim report, filed March 15, covers the year through Jan. 31, enabling districts to factor in revenue estimates from the governor’s initial budget, including the projected cost-of-living increase they rely on. March 15 is also the deadline for notifying employees if they could be laid off — key evidence of how districts are dealing with a potential revenue problem.

    How are negative-status districts responding?

    Oakland had certified as “qualified” for 14 straight reports before filing a negative status in the latest report. 

    “Oakland is not a surprise; it’s been struggling,” Fine said. “It hasn’t taken the necessary corrective action that it has needed. The district adopts lots of plans and lots of documents, but then carries few of those out.”

    However, last week, Oakland’s school board passed a plan to eliminate 97 positions for teachers, administrators and noncertificated jobs, including tutors, case managers and attendance monitors. More ideas are on the table.

    Across the bay, San Francisco Unified has been in turmoil, reflected in the recall of two board members and the resignation of its last superintendent. It initially filed a negative financial status in 2023-24.  

    Last month, to resolve a $113 million deficit, equal to about 10% of the district’s budget, San Francisco’s board voted to approve preliminary layoff notices for 395 teachers, social workers and counselors, 164 teachers aides, and 278 administrators and other staff. Retirements and resignations will likely result in fewer layoffs.

    Hayward wasn’t on the state’s radar for financial troubles, Fine said, but a new superintendent and chief business officer “inherited some issues and did the right thing” by self-certifying negative. “They would be an example of a district that will most likely turn the corner,” he said.

    Most of the seven districts will work their way off the negative list, he said. Two that probably won’t are Plumas Unified and Weed Union Elementary, Fine said.

    “We’re very, very concerned about Plumas,” Fine said.  “They have already borrowed to a point they can’t pay back, and there has been some finessing of the data to make it look better than it is.” The only district in Plumas County, it has four schools, about 1,700 students and a $42 million budget.

    Weed Union is an unusual case. The one-school district with a $7.5 million budget is the first in a decade to operate without an approved budget, having been rejected by the Siskiyou County Office of Education and the California Department of Education. Its problem, said Fine, is that it is overextended on a facility upgrade, and the burden of paying for it will overwhelm the district’s operating budget.

    If insolvent, what then?

    A district that runs out of money will get a state loan but lose its autonomy, and a state-appointed trustee will oversee the district’s operations. The district will honor existing contracts, but the trustee will have veto power over new contracts and other decisions that the school board makes. The district will bear the cost of the state’s oversight and legal fees and interest on a 20-year loan. 

    “It gets worse before it gets better,” Fine said. “Receivership takes away local control.” In the 34 years since the Legislature created FCMAT and the oversight process, only eight districts have needed a bailout loan. The most recent is Inglewood Unified, which received $29 million in 2012. Oakland would be the first two-timer. It’s still 18 months away from paying off the $100 million it received in 2003 and 2006.

    Is this the most precarious year for districts?

    Far from it. In the second interim report in 2011-12, 176 districts filed a “qualified” status and a dozen were “negative” – together, about one in five districts. Amid plummeting state revenues in the wake of the Great Recession, the state cut $6 billion and delayed payments to K-12 districts. The average district had not set aside nearly enough money in reserve for a crisis. This year, the average district has set aside 22% of its operating budget in reserve, more than three times as much.

    The difference is “night and day,” said Fine. “During the Great Recession, the state made cuts to district revenues. Today, the issues are all local.”





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  • Texas: Republican Legislators Endorse Vouchers

    Texas: Republican Legislators Endorse Vouchers


    Governor Greg Abbott finally got the voucher legislation he wanted, after years of defeats. His goal was frustrated by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans. The latter were defending their hometown schools, which are staffed by friends and relatives and are the community’s hub.

    In last year’s elections, Abbott ran hard-right Republicans against the rural Republicans who stood in his way and disposed of most of them. He attacked them with a campaign of lies, saying they opposed border control, never mentioning vouchers. His efforts to oust anti-voucher Republicans were funded by out- of-state billionaires, including Jeff Yass, the richest man in Pennsylvania, Betsy DeVos, and Charles Koch, as well as home-grown Texas billionaires. Even Trump intervened to encourage the passage of vouchers.

    The article says that the legislators refused to permit a referendum because such votes “generally” reject vouchers. Fact-checking would have changed the word “generally” to “always.” In more than 20 state referenda over the years, the public has always voted against vouchers. The article does not mention that the vast majority of vouchers in every state that have adopted them are used by students already in private schools, mostly religious schools. Nor does it note that the academic results of vouchers are strikingly negative (see Josh Cowen’s book The Privateers). Typically the students at private schools are exempt from state testing requirements (which conservatives contend is absolutely necessary for students in public schools).

    Most important, it is not the students or the parents who have choice. It is the schools that choose their students. Voucher schools are not bound by anti-discrimination laws. They may exclude students for any reason, including their race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. Some religious schools accept only children of their own sect.

    Gregg Abbott campaigned exclusively at private Christian schools. He attacked public schools for “indoctrinating” students, but the best schools for indoctrination are the evangelical schools that will benefit from this legislation.

    The following article is a gift, meaning no pay wall.

    The New York Times reported:

    The Texas House of Representatives voted early Thursday morning to create one of the largest taxpayer-funded school voucher programs, a hard-fought victory for private school choice activists as they turn their attention to a nationwide voucher push.

    The measure still has some legislative hurdles to clear before Gov. Greg Abbott signs it into law, but the House vote — 85 to 63 — secured a win that was decades in the making, propelled by the governor’s hardball politics last year. It was also a significant defeat for Democrats, teachers’ unions and some rural conservatives who had long worried that taxpayer-funded private-school vouchers would strain public school budgets.

    The program would be capped at $1 billion in its first year, but could grow quickly, potentially reaching an estimated $4.5 billion a year by 2030. The funds can be used for private school tuition and for costs associated with home-schooling, including curriculum materials and virtual learning programs.

    The bill was championed by an ascendant wing of the Republican Party, closely allied with President Trump and important conservative donors, including Betsy DeVos, Mr. Trump’s wealthy former education secretary, and Jeff Yass, a billionaire financier from Pennsylvania and a Republican megadonor.



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  • How I recovered from reverse culture shock after coming home from studying abroad

    How I recovered from reverse culture shock after coming home from studying abroad


    A lit-up street in Aix-en-Provence at night.

    An evening stroll down Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence in December.

    Courtesy: Layla Bakhshandeh

    I had never thought about studying abroad until two of my best friends went abroad and told me about their experiences in Spain. The paella. The nightlife. The making of new friends who end up feeling like family. The next day, I signed up to study in France.

    The golden ticket landed in my lap midway through the winter quarter of my junior year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: I had been accepted into a language and culture program in the south of France for the fall 2023 semester. 

    Along with my acceptance came a long list of forms and seminars that all the more than 1,000 Cal Poly SLO “Global Mustangs” had to complete. After all these training sessions, I felt equipped to deal with the culture shock I would feel there, and I was as prepared as one can be when I arrived. 

    What I was not prepared for was the unexpected culture shock that I faced when I returned to the United States. This “reverse culture shock” brought feelings of depression and confusion. I wondered how it was possible to feel so unsettled when returning to California, the place I spent my entire life, especially when my arrival in France didn’t result in any significant feelings of displacement.

    Very quickly, the south of France felt like home. Daily routines formed as my French language skills progressed. International friends nestled their way into my heart, and French cheeses riddled my creaky apartment’s mini fridge. 

    Living in a new culture forced me to reflect on my own identity and experiences. I did miss my family and friends back in California, but that longing for loved ones was overshadowed by the glow of my new life in Aix-en-Provence. 

    I realized later on that it wasn’t my life that was glowing, it was me.

    This inner glow was a result of massive self-growth and self-discovery that opened up for me when I moved across the world alone. In France, I was learning more about who I was and the person I wanted to be. Constant cross-cultural experiences and openness to new ideas brought me a sense of extreme fulfillment.

    At times, I felt like I was trying on a new life; but just when it felt right, it began to unravel. My studies abroad were over, and I had to return to California. 

    The real difficulties unveiled themselves when I returned home and started my winter quarter in San Luis Obispo, and I realized I was experiencing “reverse culture shock,” which the U.S. State Department defines as the psychological, emotional and cultural aspects of reentry. (I first heard the term through a Cal Poly study-abroad training session.)

    People who experience it report having academic problems, cultural identity conflict, social withdrawal, depression, anxiety and interpersonal difficulties.

    And that’s how I felt. Confusion, discomfort and depressive feelings fogged my everyday actions. I missed the constant stimulation of my time in France. After growing immensely on a personal level, while I was abroad, I felt unsure of who I was in a town that had not changed at all since I left. My major classes suddenly felt insignificant, and I couldn’t tell if my friends really knew me anymore. 

    It felt like I was viewing my old life through a new lens, unsure of how to move in my new environment. In rushed feelings of isolation and identity confusion. This, coupled with my heavy course load, made it difficult to even think about my time away. 

    But burying your memories and experiences only makes it harder to adjust to life back in your home country. I realized I had to force myself to integrate my experiences in France with my life back in California.

    Here are some ways I worked through my reverse culture shock:

    • Journaling: Writing about my time away helped me remember all the core memories and experiences that helped me grow. Putting pen to paper helped me to process all the events I had experienced.
    • Sharing stories with friends: Telling anecdotes from your travels brings old memories to light. Sharing these stories with friends and loved ones made me feel more understood. 
    • Joining a reentry group or finding friends who are also returning from studying abroad: Connecting with others in the same situation as I made me more comfortable opening up and reflecting on my time abroad. It was also a great way to hear about other people’s experiences with the phenomenon of reverse culture shock. 

    Taking time to reflect on experiences abroad gives students the opportunity to piece together their time away. It can help students identify the qualities and growth that they experienced abroad, and incorporate these aspects throughout their journey in their home country. 

    It is easy to fall back into old habits when surrounded by old environments, but reminding myself of the lessons I learned helped bring the glow back. 

    •••

    Layla Bakhshandeh is a senior journalism and graphic communication student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a member of EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps.

    The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.





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  • What college students hope, fear from the new presidential administration

    What college students hope, fear from the new presidential administration


    “I am an immigrant, and I didn’t come here to do anything bad,” Mejias said. “They think that anybody who comes here, that is not from the U.S., has bad intentions. People don’t immigrate just because they want to leave their country. They immigrate because they want to change their future. They want to work and have a different life.”

    Mejias’ goal is to transfer to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo following the completion of the required computer science transfer courses at Saddleback College. Then Mejias wants to find remote work and return home to Venezuela.

    “I really miss my country, my people,” Mejias said. “I will see if I come back,” he added, because the changing social climate and attitude toward immigration in the U.S. has contributed to Mejias’ hesitation about a future visit to the states.

    He also feels more comfortable in California. “I’ve been to different states, and there you see people (who are possessive of) their territory. They carry guns and everything. I’m like, ‘Oh, I am going back to California,’” Mejias said. “I think because I am here in California, I feel way way more safe than being in any part of the U.S.”

    By Tasmin McGill





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  • IRS Considering Revoking Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status, New York Times Reports

    IRS Considering Revoking Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status, New York Times Reports


    Trump hates Harvard. It refuses to follow his orders. Harvard’s President Alan Garber flatly refused to let the Trump goons take control of the university. Trump wants to show Harvard who is in charge. He said Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status. This is an unprecedented show of force. The president is not allowed to interfere with IRS decisions. But he appointed a new IRS leader. Nobody says no to Trump. But Harvard said no.

    When Harvard’s President, Alan Garber, resolutely refused to accept the Trump administration’s demand to oversee its curriculum, its admissions, and its hiring practices, Trump was furious. He lashed out and threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. By law, the President is not allowed to direct the IRS to investigate anyone. But lo and behold, the IRS commissioner absurdly claimed that it was already investigating Harvard, the nation’s most prestigious university. Sure.

    Academic freedom hangs in the balance. Big government wants to control what universities teach, who they admit, and who they hire.

    This is the worst attack on the independence of universities since the McCarthy era. it is actually more dangerous than McCarthy, who picked out individual professors. This is the President of the United States declaring war on America’s universities.

    The New York Times reported:

    The Internal Revenue Service is weighing whether to revoke Harvard’s tax exemption, according to three people familiar with the matter, which would be a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s attempts to choke off federal money and support for the leading research university.

    President Trump on Tuesday publicly called for Harvard to pay taxes, continuing a standoff in which the administration has demanded the university revamp its hiring and admissions practices and its curriculum.

    Some I.R.S. officials have told colleagues that the Treasury Department on Wednesday asked the agency to consider revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, according to two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.

    An I.R.S. spokeswoman declined to comment. The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment.

    Federal law bars the president from either directly or indirectly requesting the I.R.S. to investigate or audit specific targets. The I.R.S. does at times revoke tax exemptions from organizations for conducting too many political or commercial activities, but those groups can appeal the agency’s decision in court. Any attempt to take away Harvard’s tax exemption would be likely to face a legal challenge, which tax experts expect would be successful.

    Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said the I.R.S.’s scrutiny of Harvard began before the president’s social media post.

    “Any forthcoming actions by the I.R.S. are conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution’s violations of their tax status were initiated prior to the President’s TRUTH,” Fields said in a statement, referring to Mr. Trump’s website Truth Social.

    In a statement, Harvard said there is no legal basis for rescinding its tax status.

    “Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission,” the university said. “It would result in diminished financial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation. The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”

    Even an attempt at changing Harvard’s tax status would signify a drastic breach in the independence of the I.R.S. and its historic insulation from political pressure.

    The Trump administration has cleared out much of the agency’s senior leadership in the last few months, installing allies to temporarily serve as the commissioner and its top lawyer. Its newest acting commissioner, Gary Shapley, was an I.R.S. agent who has said that the investigation into the taxes of Hunter Biden, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son, was not aggressive enough.



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  • Using Canva Docs to Transform Your Google Sites Experience

    Using Canva Docs to Transform Your Google Sites Experience


    Jeffrey D. Bradbury
    Latest posts by Jeffrey D. Bradbury (see all)

    Do you remember your last epiphany? That moment when—whether walking or driving—everything suddenly clicks and the world makes perfect sense?

    Well, yesterday I had one of those moments, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

    Are you ready?

    Canva + Google Sites = AWESOME!

    Let me back up a second.

    For the last 13+ years, I’ve been a HUGE fan of Google Sites. I use them for everything—running professional development sessions, organizing classroom lesson plans, and showing teachers and coaches how they perfectly complement Google Classroom to create a unified teaching experience.

    But let’s face it, they have a drawback.

    3 Unfortunate Issues with Google Sites that Need to be Fixed

    I often have said “Google is WONDERFUL, until it needs to be.” (am I right?)

    Sure Google Sites are great, but often I have a hard time getting the best results out of them.

    One of the biggest feature annoyances is the header section. Many people (including my students) want to create nice looking graphics and add them in the header area, only to find that the header images natively is responsive. This means that when you look at your Google Site in tablet mode or mobile mode the header graphic gets cut off so you can’t see any words on the image you just spent a ton of time creating.

    NOT GOOD!

    My solution to this is often to create a generic header image, toss it in the image area up top and then use Google Site’s text area to overlap so that when it retracts on mobile, the words don’t get cut off.

    But this takes time, planning, and most people won’t think of this.

    Strike 1

    Problem #2: You are locked in to a clunky website layout

    Don’t get me wrong here, one of the blessings of Google Sites is that it IS simple to make a website out of. I have my students each year using Google Sites to create a simple one-page website that acts as a digital poster all the time. But getting them to think about layout in terms of what it looks like on mobile devices is impossible.

    For this reason, I teach students about creating posters rather than creating websites.

    Strike 2

    Problem #3: You are extremely limited in what you can do with images.

    Website images. How I loath the process of finding images for websites.

    • Build a site layout
    • Figure out what you want on the page
    • Go search for the image
    • Stick the image on the website
    • Realize that it’s not looking good
    • Import the image into a graphic editor
    • Export again
    • Repeat the process.

    Who has time for this?

    Strike 3

    There has to be a better way of creating a nice looking website, especially with your students, quickly and efficiently.

    This is where I mind was blown when I realized that Canva can do … this!

    Enter Canva Docs: My New BFF

    The other day, I was searching for a way to build a course workbook for some upcoming presentations. I tried designing something in Google Sites but it really wasn’t looking the way I wanted it to look.

    I went on to Canva and tried creating something using one of the premade templates but I’m not the greatest designed on the planet and it wasn’t doing much for me.

    That’s when I started looking into Canva Docs.

    MIND BLOWN!

    Did you know that Canva Docs is the PERFECT solution and PERFECT partner for creating amazing looking Google Sites?

    How to Merge Canva Docs and Google Sites to Create a Great Looking Website

    To merge Canva Docs and Google Sites, the process is pretty simple. I’m not sure why I didn’t think about this earlier.

    To add a Canva Doc into a Google Site there are two simple steps.

    Add a New Page to a Google Site

    Step 1: Add a New Page

    • On the right side of Google Sites, make sure you are on the Pages tab
    • At the bottom, click on the PLUS circle and then select “Full Page Embed”
    • Name your page and select “Done”
    Google Sites and Canva Docs Blog Post 1

    This will then create a new blank page where Google Sites will ask you to provide either a URL to embed on the page, or you can select something directly from Google Drive.

    Pro Tip: This is a great way of building a clean Google Sites page from a Google Doc, Spreadsheet, or Google Slides file. (Forms also works great!)

    Step 2: Create a Canva Doc and copy it’s embed code into Google Sites

    • In Canva, create a new Canva Doc and design it how you wish it to look.
    • On the top right, click on the SHARE button
    • Click on EMBED
    • Click and copy the “Smart Embed Link”
    • Paste this link into Google Sites where it says “Add embed”
    • Choose the option on the left to embed the full page Canva Doc into Google Sites
    • Sit back and wait to be AMAZED

    Again… Mind blown!

    Canva Docs & Google Sites … Perfect Together!

    Ever since I realized that you can marry Canva Docs and Google Sites, I have been a busy busy creator. There are so many reasons why you should give this a try today!

    When creating a Canva Doc, you have the option of adding a banner graphic to the very top and having it be seen full width. When you look at your Canva Doc acting as a website in Google Sites, these headers are amazing, clean and yes… RESPONSIVE! This means that they show up in all their full glory no matter what the screen size is.

    Reason #2: Extremely Clean Layout Options

    One of the advantages I found using Canva Docs as my website builder is the fact that I can now add my content just about anywhere on the page with few limitations. (Limitations that actually make me rethink what are usually poor layout decisions).

    True, you need to start thinking more vertically with your content choices, but thats actually a feature (rather than a bug) that helps you think like your students or website readers. This simple yet flexible layout allows you to focus on your content rather than your page design.

    Reason #3: Unlimited Graphical Resources

    Let’s face it, you now have the ability to do anything you can in Canva, directly in Canva. This means you can bring in images, remove their backgrounds and make quick decisions without spending a ton of time on Google Image Search.

    You also have all of the features found in Canva AI allowing you to create, manipulate, and reevaluate everything quickly and far simpler than when working natively in Google Sites or any other website editor.

    Another great feature of working in Canva Docs is the ability to bring in all of your Canva projecs, images, presentations, and logos without the need for switching between multiple applications.

    Get Your Canva and Google Sites Game On Today!

    Is your mind blown about the possibilities that a Canva and Google Sites marriage have for your projects, lesson plans, and presentations? I know that I am!

    Ready to take your website game to the next level?

    Don’t miss out on more tips, tricks, and tech insights that can transform your digital presence.

    Sign up for my newsletter below and join a community of educators who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with educational technology. Each week, I’ll share exclusive content, fresh ideas, and step-by-step tutorials that you won’t find anywhere else.

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  • Map: MMR and full vaccination rates in California kindergartners

    Map: MMR and full vaccination rates in California kindergartners


    This interactive map shows kindergartners’ vaccination rates at more than 6,000 public and private schools across California. According to the state health department, at least 95% of students need the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks. Yet in many parts of the state — including areas around Sacramento, Oakland, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles — vaccination rates fall short of that threshold, raising concerns about community vulnerability.

    Data source: California Department of Public Health and EdSource Analysis





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  • Department of Homeland Security Demands Harvard Turn Over International Student Disciplinary Records

    Department of Homeland Security Demands Harvard Turn Over International Student Disciplinary Records


    CNN reports that Kristi Noem sent a stern letter to Harvard, demanding the disciplinary records of all international students or lose the right to enroll any international students.

    Trump is turning all his dogs loose on Harvard. He can’t believe Harvard is standing up to his threats, and he is determined to crush the nation’s most prestigious research university.

    Whatever happened to small government? Republicans used to believe that the federal government should leave the private sector alone. Trump believes in big government, big enough to interfere in every institution, even into private medical decisions. He wants to be the emperor.

    Clearly, he never read the U.S. Constitution. He knows nothing about checks and balances. Nor did he read Dr. Seuss’s Yertle the Turtle; Yertle wanted to be the master of all he could see. Read it to see what happened to him.

    CNN reports:

    Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is threatening to strip Harvard University of its ability to enroll international students if it doesn’t turn over records on international students’ “illegal and violent activities,” the agency said Wednesday.

    Noem “wrote a scathing letter demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30, 2025, or face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification,” DHS said in a news release.

    The certification allows universities to issue forms to admitted international students that they can then use to apply for visas to enter the United States, according to DHS.

    CNN has reached out to DHS for additional information.

    A Harvard spokesperson said in a statement that the university is aware of the letter, but they stand by their previous statement that they “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”



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  • California school vaccinations database



    Find out how many students are vaccinated at your school



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