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Lithwick & Stern: A Time for Lawyers to Defend Their Profession and Democracy

Writing in Slate, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern criticize the big law firms that immediately caved to Trump’s demands to quash their diversity programs and pledge millions of dollars in pro bono work for Trump’s causes. They were singled out for punishment by Trump in executive orders because they dared to represent his political enemies.

In the present crisis of American law, judges have been overwhelmingly strong in upholding the rule of law over the demands of an egotistical, lawless president. Over 200 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration, which has so far not gone well for Trump. Judges have been targets of abuse, intimidation, even death threats directed at them and their families.

The authors single out Judge Beryl Howell for her fearless defense of the right of lawyers to represent their clients regardless of their political views.

They write:

Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell deftly knit together the professional obligations of the bench to the bar when she handed down a 102-page opinion in favor of one of these fighting firms, Perkins Coie, handing it a massive victory that carried a deeper lesson for the entire legal profession. Howell’s decision is noteworthy for all manner of things, but perhaps the most important aspect is that it serves as a clarion call for lawyers—meaning every lawyer in the country—to find their way to doing the work of democracy. The judge highlighted the “importance of independent lawyers to ensuring the American judicial system’s fair and impartial administration of justice,” a role “recognized in this country since its founding era.” She condemned the administration’s “unprecedented attack on these foundational principles.” And she praised Perkins Coie for defending its lawyers’ right “to represent their clients vigorously and zealously, without fear of retribution from the government simply for doing the job of a lawyer.” Howell also gave credit to the hundreds of lawyers who filed amicus briefs on behalf of the firm, including a cross-ideological array of lawyers, former government officials, and retired judges, reflecting the profession’s near-unanimous revulsion at the prospect of singling out firms based on the clients they choose to represent.

But Howell went out of her way to cast doubt upon the capitulating firms that took Trump’s deal, for possibly compromising their own legal ethics. Describing Trump’s threat that “lawyers must stick to the party line, or else,” she wrote, archly: “This message has been heard and heeded by some targeted law firms, as reflected in their choice, after reportedly direct dealings with the current White House, to agree to demand terms, perhaps viewing this choice as the best alternative for their clients and employees.” Some clients, she noted, “may harbor reservations about the implications of such deals for the vigorous and zealous representation to which they are entitled from ethically responsible counsel”—an extraordinary warning to these clients that their lawyers may no longer be defending their best interests. And to make her position perfectly clear, the judge added: “If the founding history of this country is any guide, those who stood up in court to vindicate constitutional rights and, by so doing, served to promote the rule of law, will be the models lauded when this period of American history is written.”

Howell’s opinion serves as the most important reminder to date that in this constitutional moment, those trained to operate within the law and those who swear oaths to defend it have a singular and critical role to play. The days of “I just do mergers and acquisitions” are behind us, sports fans. If America were experiencing a national tooth-decay crisis, the dentists would be on the front lines; and were it experiencing a sweeping leaky-pipe epidemic, the plumbers would be on the front lines. Given that we are in the throes of the greatest legal disaster the country has faced in many Americans’ lifetimes, it might be a good idea for the nation’s attorneys to begin to understand that they have a role to play too. Howell, meanwhile, holds no quarter for those who would seek to be neutral. If you have the tools to fight lawlessness and you opt not to use them at this moment in history, you are emphatically still taking a side.

It is hard to read Howell’s opinion without worrying that some judge somewhere will find it too sweeping, too polemical, and too teeming with overinflated claims about the centrality of attorneys in American life. (She quoted Alexis de Tocqueville’s observationthat in the early United States, “the authority … intrusted to members of the legal profession … is the most powerful existing security against the excesses of democracy.”) What Howell seems to understand, with as much force as de Tocqueville, is that those entrusted to protect against the “excesses of democracy” are not going to have the luxury of appearing “neutral” much longer, or even just tamping down criticism by avoiding flowery prose in favor of more anodyne wrist slaps. Effective immediately, the defenders of the rule of law are those who went to school to understand it, who get paid to fight for it, and who swear an oath to uphold it.

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15/05/2025
We can care for each other — and our schools can teach us how

Credit: Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency/EDUimages

The start of the school year can be anxiety-producing. We get the anxiety. Believe us, we do. Between the three of us, we parent a kindergartner, a ninth grader and a freshman in college. We know how scary it is to feel like your child is falling behind in a game with life-shaping stakes. But, as this new school year gets started, we’re trying to worry less about our own kids and put our energy into a broader, collective educational enterprise.

To understand what that collective enterprise might look like, it helps to step back and think about the goals that motivate public education. Contemporary schools serve at least three crucial social goals: helping individuals flourish, sorting students into roles in our highly differentiated economy, and creating a broader sense of solidarity.

As we settle into our fall routines, we often focus on the first two goals at the expense of the third. Because we know that education shapes our children’s life chances, we want our kids to get into the advanced math class, make the honor roll, and claim the high-status educational positions that clear the way to high-status positions in the broader world. We start to see the whole educational system as a vast tournament, where students compete for access to learning opportunities that provide access to more advanced learning opportunities that, ultimately, open the way to elite positions in the adult world.

No wonder we’re all so stressed out. We’ve turned education into a zero-sum game and invested that game with high stakes. We once talked about education as a pathway to the middle class. But today, as educational debt loads rise and machine intelligences fuel job insecurity, that pathway feels like a tightrope without a net. And that’s just part of the story. In a meritocratic culture that sees educational success as a marker of worth, we feel like our children need to excel in order to prove they matter.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

In fact, America’s new favorite social studies teacher and high school football coach shows us how different schools can be. As a long-serving public school teacher, Tim Walz recognized the way sports can bring a community together and how school leaders can channel that community toward inclusion and belonging for all students. In the classroom, he developed learning experiences that challenged students to understand the recurring sources of conflict and genocide, helping them see connections between communities across the globe. As a politician, he resisted school choice policies that allow families to wall themselves off from one another and championed a vision of schools as places where everyone — regardless of their family income — can come together around a meal.

You don’t have to be a teacher, coach or policymaker to advance this vision.

Parents, you can choose to send your child to the most diverse public school available to them; leave the packed lunch at home and encourage your child to eat in the cafeteria; praise your child for encouraging a peer who is struggling to fit in; organize parents from throughout your school’s community to get involved; and advocate for policies that provide public schools with the resources they need to ensure that all kids thrive; and vote for leaders who will make those policies a reality.

This fall, as we post back-to-school photos to social media, we’d do well to remember — and celebrate — that school is the place where we learn how to play well with others. This key lesson in social solidarity requires a curriculum far more complicated than Calculus and more nuanced than AP Literature. School teaches us to see ourselves as individuals embedded in a complex set of relationships with others. It teaches us to respect those around us, to observe them with care and empathy in order to identify, and adjust to the intricacies of any given interaction.

Taking these lessons seriously opens us — and our children — up to a deep humility and a profound sense of responsibility. When we are aware of our connections to others, we can’t help but remember that each of the people we run into has an inner life every bit as rich as our own. That we are just one of 8 billion other humans — and countless other organisms — on this planet, each of which shares the same will to survive.

This sense of solidarity is a badly needed antidote to the preening and divisive rhetoric that will dominate the news this election season. Solidarity allows us to step back and gain some perspective on our grievances, reminding us to consider our own wants in light of the wants and needs of others.

If we don’t want the divisiveness that defines our politics to define our society, we need to work together to turn away from educational competition and build schools that create solidarity.

•••

Emily K. Penner, Ph.D., is associate professor of education in the school of education at the University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on K-12 education policy and considers the ways that districts, schools, teachers and families contribute to and ameliorate educational inequality.

Thurston Domina is associate dean for academic affairs and director of graduate studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Education.

Andrew Penner is a professor in the sociology department at the University of California, Irvine and director of the Center for Administrative Data Analysis.

They recently co-authored the book, Schooled & Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the authors. We welcome guest commentaries with diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.

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14/05/2025
State aid for religious schools? Bad idea for faiths and taxpayers

U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

Credit: Stephen Talas / Unsplash

Your tax dollars could soon lift a rainbow of religious educators — from Christian academies to pro-Palestinian classrooms — as the U.S. Supreme Court teeters on forcing states to aid sectarian schools.

In oral arguments last month, the high court’s conservatives voiced eagerness to reverse an Oklahoma ruling that blocked public funding for a virtual charter school infused with Catholic teachings, an online scheme designed by the Tulsa diocese.

Oklahoma’s far-from-woke Supreme Court agreed with the state attorney general in Drummond v. Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board that taxpayer funding for religious web-based classes would violate America’s sacred separation of church and state. This key element of our Constitution insulates all faiths from state intrusion, while vesting shared civic duties, like education, within a tolerant and secular government.

But muddled logic ruled this day in the high court among jurists like Samuel Alito, a self-described “practical originalist,” long insisting that judges must abide by the Constitution’s original intent. Alito at one point attacked Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general, Gentner Drummond, claiming that he “reeks of hostility towards Islam.”

This odd allegation stemmed from Drummond’s point that “while many Oklahomans undoubtedly support charter schools sponsored by various Christian faiths, the precedent … will compel approval of similar applications by all faiths.” Alito mangled the argument, alleging that Drummond is “motivated by hostility toward particular religions.”

Alito dodged the bedrock question of whether taxpayer support of religion is permitted by the nation’s founding covenants. Instead, his tortured reasoning claimed that public programs cannot “discriminate” against religious schools.

California hosts more charter schools than any other state. In districts like Los Angeles Unified, one-fifth of all students attend a charter school, which did help lift student achievement for two decades before the pandemic. Still, Alito is not alone in negotiating the shifting ideologies and ironic surprises that mark the charter school movement.

These publicly funded but independently run campuses were first authorized by Minnesota’s Legislature in 1991, founded on the rather Christian yearning for fairness, allowing poor families to escape mediocre public schools and shop for effective teachers. California’s charter law, approved one year later, emphasized how these small hot-houses of innovation would hurry reform of regular public schools.

But few advocates foresaw how the rapid spread of charters would drive religious schools into the ground. Why pay even modest tuition for parochial school when a free charter has opened nearby? Enrollment in Catholic schools has fallen by one-third nationwide since the advent of charter schools; more than one thousand campuses have closed. Small Christian schools have taken a hit as well, with nearly one hundred shuttered in Los Angeles alone.

So, the pushback by religious educators is understandable, with some (not all) sects eager to tap into public funding. If the Supreme Court now rules that states must subsidize faith-filled charter schools, Alito could realize his apparent wish for more Catholic or Confucian schools.

But do spiritual leaders desire a messy entanglement with government? States typically require local school boards, when chartering independent educators, to ensure safe buildings, enforce shared curricular goals, and demonstrate that schools elevate student learning. Conservative jurists may well invite the state to squash evangelical charters that exclude Jewish kids, or protect the errant Presbyterian pupil who refuses to chant from the Quran.

The high court has already permitted limited public financing of religious schools. This includes taxpayer-financed vouchers in select states that help parents pay tuition for sectarian schools, along with tax credits that mostly benefit affluent families enrolling children in private schools. (Los Angeles Unified recently settled with the Catholic archdiocese, reimbursing the church $3 million to cover Title I services required by related court decisions.)

But these earlier rulings “involved fairly discrete state involvement,” Chief Justice John Roberts said during oral arguments, while warning that Oklahoma’s potential oversight of religious schools “does strike me as much more comprehensive involvement.” His vote will likely decide whether public dollars flow to religious schools.

Perhaps it’s reassuring that right-wing judges like Alito remain so protective of religious liberty, sniffing out unlikely opponents of Islam or the Vatican. But telling states and taxpayers we must subsidize sectarian schools, then inviting government inside churches, synagogues and mosques, will only fracture the once common cause of public schools.

•••

Bruce Fuller is an emeritus professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley and author of “When Schools Work.”

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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13/05/2025
‘Something went wrong’: state reconsiders who will get $470 million for college and career grants

A student in Oakland’s Skyline High School Education and Community Health Pathway sculpts a clay model of the endocrine system.

Credit: Allison Shelley for American Education

UPDATE: The California Department of Education has announced a new timeline for the Golden State Pathways Program. Learn more.

In June 2022, the California Legislature decided to invest a half billion dollars into the Golden State Pathways Program, a career and college preparation program that Gov. Gavin Newsom called a “game-changer” for high school students. But two years later, frustration is rising among school leaders who have begun another school year without the promised funding.

Advocates say the vision of the Golden State Pathways Program laid out by the Legislature is both progressive and practical. Career pathways aim to prepare high school students with both college preparatory courses and career education in fields such as STEM, education or health care. But those same advocates are frustrated by the program’s rollout, which they say has been beset by late deadlines, a confusing application process and delayed funding.

“We are approaching a third budget cycle, and to not have the money out the door is derelict,” said Kevin Gordon, president of the education consultancy Capitol Advisors Group. He lobbies on behalf of clients that include school districts that were promised funding.

The most recent snafu came to light when the California Department of Education announced in July that it was again reviewing the way it would dole out grant money — two months after Newsom and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced the 302 districts and education entities that would be recipients of $470 million.

Previously announced Golden State Pathways Program grant recipients include school districts large and small, charters, regional occupational centers and county offices of education. Recipients could receive up to $500,000 to implement one career pathway, and $200,000 to plan a pathway. Districts with many high schools and pathways could expect millions or even tens of millions of dollars in grants.

Schools plan to use the grant money to expand dual enrollment, increase exposure to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers through programs like job shadowing, and to hire support staff to help students with their college and career plans.

Administrators counting on that funding said the news that the California Department of Education (CDE) was reviewing grant awards has thrown their plans and budgets for this school year into disarray.

One administrator at a midsize school district said the prospect of not receiving the expected grants, especially in the wake of sunsetting pandemic funds, is difficult. This administrator asked to speak on background, citing a concern that CDE could hold it against the district during the ongoing grant review process.

“Our district had an implementation plan that we are continuing to move forward with, and we are hopeful that the funding will materialize,” the administrator said. “The unfortunate part is that there are other resources that students will not receive if the funding doesn’t come through.”

A group of organizations penned a letter asking state leaders to do everything in their power to get the promised funds flowing by November for a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Signatories included advocacy groups such EdTrust-West, school districts in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento and even businesses such as the port of Long Beach. The letter to Newsom, Thurmond and Brooks Allen, executive director of the State Board of Education, referred to delays that have affected the competitive grant program.

“We are extremely concerned, as this is not the first time processes have been delayed without a stated resolution date,” the letter stated.

Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Tim Hire said he hopes to work with the state to find a swift resolution for the sake of students. The Tulare County Office of Education was selected as the lead agency for the state in November.

“When there’s a delay, that means kids aren’t accessing those experiences and resources,” Hire said.

Schools are in limbo

There were signs during May’s announcement of grant awards that something went awry, according to school administrators.

One school district was awarded three times the funding it requested, and others were awarded 1.5 times what they applied for, according to a countywide administrator. This administrator also asked for anonymity over a concern about CDE’s possible reaction to speaking out.

These local education agencies (LEAs) “don’t have the capacity to do three times as much work, even if they were awarded three times as much money,” the countrywide administrator said. This problem left school leaders “frustrated and a bit confused.”

Hire confirmed that “overallocation” of grants was a problem across the state. Some schools received more than they asked, while others received none, but it wasn’t clear why.

“Why did a district receive more than they requested?” he stated. “That’s a legitimate question to ask.”

Scott Roark, a spokesperson for the department, said last May’s announcement was “preliminary.” The reconsideration of the recipients resulted from a “substantial” number of appeals, according to a July 16 statement.

“Upon receiving appeals for Golden State Pathways Grant awards, the CDE determined that it was necessary to review all awards allocations in order to ensure that allocations are distributed consistently and fairly,” Roark wrote in a statement. The review will conclude by the end of September, he added. There will be a window for further appeals before funds are released.

Many schools believed the announcement was official and included the awards in annual school budgets passed before July 1, according to an administrator who also declined to be identified by name, and who assisted schools with their grant applications.

Roark said that the department received appeals for a “range of reasons” but declined to say what those reasons were.

The review of $470 million in funds, now stretching well beyond the beginning of the school year, has put districts in an uneasy position.

Some school districts have put their plans on hold amid the uncertainty. By the time the grant funding is actually released, “it will likely be too late to hire,” said the administrator at a mid-sized district. “That puts the program launch another year behind.”

Long Beach Unified is splitting the difference by moving forward with only a portion of the initiatives the district outlined in its grant application. In the initial announcement, the district was awarded $10.7 million in implementation grants and $335,523 in planning grants.

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was initially awarded $37.8 million in implementation grants and $200,000 in planning grants. A district spokesperson said it will be difficult to understand the effect of the revised awards until they’re announced.

“We will have a better sense of its impact at that time,” said Britt Vaughan, a spokesperson for LAUSD.

Regional leaders don’t have contracts

It’s not just schools that have been left in financial limbo by the delayed rollout.

Up to 5% of $500 million for the program is set aside for grant administration, mostly through county offices of education. But that funding has yet to go out to the state lead and eight regional agencies for work they have been doing since January.

Hire said that not having a contractual agreement yet with CDE has put the Tulare County Office of Education in an “uncomfortable position,” especially during a tight budget year.

“We delayed hiring and just spread the workload among our current staff, which is challenging and probably not the best delivery of service,” Hire said.

Colby Smart, deputy superintendent for the Humboldt County Office of Education, said this program is vital for California’s workforce, not just a “nice-to- have.” He expects the state will ultimately send funding to the regional lead office for Northern California, but the office has faced many “roadblocks,” including finalizing its contract and nailing down the scope of work.

The administrator of one regional lead, who declined to use their name, said, “I’ve never in my life seen such dysfunction.”

Rollout was ‘set up to fail’

The rollout of the grant funding has faced hiccups along the way.

The legislation behind the Golden State Pathways Program passed during the 2022-23 legislative session. Requests for proposals didn’t go out that year, but the program survived a massive budget cut in the next legislative session. In January, the department put out its request for proposals.

Originally, March 19 was the deadline for grant proposals for programs that would begin in April. But due to “overwhelming interest,” the department said it needed extra time to complete the reviews. The awards were announced May 31.

Administrators who worked on the proposal said that the application process itself was fraught. CDE revised the grant application several times.

“They created something that was so complex from the get-go that it was set up to fail,” said Kathy Goodacre, the CEO of CTE Foundation, a nonprofit that works with school districts in Sonoma County. “But still, something went wrong.”

CDE denied that a review of this magnitude was unprecedented.

“Though we work to avoid significant review when possible, a review is not highly unusual and has occurred in the past,” Roark wrote in a statement.

Both the federal and state governments have made big investments in preparing high school students for college and career at the K-12 level. The Golden State Pathways Program is a key piece of the governor’s plan for career education — a broad vision to ensure that all the agencies in the state are working together coherently.

The countywide administrator said the problems with the rollout of the Golden State Pathways Program is an example of what happens when the funding for career and technical education (CTE) is not coherent. Funding for career pathways comes from over a dozen grants, some of which require applications every year. That creates a burden for both local education agencies and CDE, the administrator said.

“Funding CTE is like buying programs on gift cards,” the countywide administrator stated. “We never know what we will get.”

Even though the rollout of the Golden State Pathways Program has been frustrating, educators say that the program is critical for the state.

“Half a billion is important for our students and our future,” the countywide administrator stated. “We want students to have economic mobility and make more than their parents did.”

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13/05/2025
The difference between chronic truancy and chronic absenteeism | Quick Guide
Credit: Alison Yin / EdSource

Nearly a quarter of California’s K-12 students missed several weeks’ worth of school during the 2022-23 school year — a decrease of 5 percentage points in chronic absenteeism from the previous school year, but a sign of the lingering effects of the pandemic.

Even as schools re-opened for in-person instruction, chronic absences shot up from 12.1% pre-pandemic to 30% during the 2021-22 school year.

Such a sharp rise has increased discussion about why the absences are occurring. But having a certain number of absences in one school year can lead to various different outcomes for students, and potentially for their parents, depending on how they are recorded.

If recorded as unexcused, the student can be considered chronically truant. If recorded as excused, or as a mix of excused and unexcused, the student can then be considered chronically absent.

But what is the difference between the two, and why does it matter?

This guide aims to clarify those questions and inform both students and parents on the importance of how absences are recorded.

Truancy, habitual truancy, chronic truancy — what is the difference?

California law states that a student is considered truant after three unexcused absences of more than 30 minutes each during a school year.

If a student is reported as truant three or more times during the same school year and a school staff member has made a concerted effort to meet with the student and their parents to discuss the absences, they are then considered habitually truant.

Once a student is habitually truant, they can be referred to a local student attendance review board, or SARB. The SARB will open a case during which the family must sign an attendance contract stipulating their child will attend school regularly.

A student who is labeled as chronically truant has unexcused absences for 10% or more days during the school year. Given that a typical school year totals about 180 days, a student missing 10% of the school year would equal about a month’s worth of instructional time.

It is at this point, once the student is chronically truant, that a school district can refer the case to a district attorney’s office. Once there, the district attorney has the discretion to charge the parent or guardian with an infraction or misdemeanor that could potentially result in fines or jail time for the parent.

How is that different from chronic absenteeism?

The difference is in the way that a student’s absences are reported.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing 10% or more of the school year — regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused.

If a student’s absences are mostly excused, they are more likely to be labeled as chronically absent. If they go unexcused, a student could quickly end up being labeled as truant.

Why does it matter to understand the difference between chronic absenteeism and chronic truancy?

Both chronic absenteeism and chronic truancy include various levels of intervention from schools. Schools ar supposed to check in with students who are missing classes and be offered support to address their basic needs, including meetings with parents to discuss solutions, and more.

But if those interventions do not solve the problem and a student continues missing class, only one of the two — truancy — involves potential fines and jail time for parents.

The involvement of the court system in truancy, but not in absenteeism, is why it is important to understand the difference between the two.

Additionally, information from families regarding student absences can provide school staff with insight into what a student might be experiencing and, in turn, help them better support the family. If the school knows a student is dealing with housing insecurity or transportation issues, for example, it could connect the family with the local homeless liaison, who would then refer them to available resources.

What is considered an excused absence?

California law has a list of over a dozen reasons for excusing an absence. That list includes, but is not limited to:
- Illness, which includes mental and behavioral health
- Quarantine
- Appointments with medical professionals such as optometrists, dentists or physicians
- Funeral services
- Jury duty
- Illness of a student’s child
- Participation in cultural events
The full list of excusable reasons can be found at this link.

Included in the list is the option to excuse an absence at the discretion of a school administrator. For example, a school might know that a child has unstable access to transportation, which results in being late to school or absent. In such cases, a school administrator could excuse the absence without requiring a note.

Is one label worse/better than the other?

Both chronic absenteeism and chronic truancy involve a significant number of student absences, and education experts agree that loss of instructional time negatively impacts students in their academic and personal development. With that in mind, both chronic absenteeism and chronic truancy are considered detrimental to students.

Certain demographics, however, are more likely to have unexcused absences: Black, Native American, Latino, and Pacific Islander students, regardless of socioeconomic status, according to a 2023 PACE report.

The report, Disparities in Unexcused Absences Across California Schools, also found that socioeconomically advantaged students were less likely to have unexcused absences.

In an example provided by the report’s co-author, Hedy Chang, she explained: Two students can be absent from school due to illness but only one of them has health insurance. The student without insurance is less likely to see a doctor and, as a result, less likely to return to school with a doctor’s note. In this example, the student who is socioeconomically disadvantaged has a higher likelihood of reporting an unexcused absence.
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12/05/2025
How California can unlock multigenerational economic mobility and success
Krystle Pale, UC Santa Cruz graduate and advisory committee member of The California Alliance for Student Parent Success, with her family. She provided testimony for AB 2458 and also successfully advocated for her children to walk with her on stage during graduation.

Credit: Photo by Nikhil Naidu Photography / Courtesy California Competes

About 1 in 8 college students in California is a parent. For these students, college isn’t just about attending class and studying; it’s a daily juggling act that also includes managing households, raising children, and working to stay afloat. Moreover, the additional costs of child care, higher food expenses, and other necessities mean that student parents pay an additional $7,500 per child to attend college. Without significant financial aid, they would need to work at least 50 hours per week at minimum wage to cover these costs.

The precarious balancing act is more than a personal challenge — it’s a consequential issue that spans generations and affects all Californians. When student parents thrive, the benefits ripple across communities and generations, creating economic stability for families, closing racial equity gaps, and strengthening California’s workforce and economy. Yet, their determination to balance work, study and parenting goes largely unnoticed because neither colleges nor the state systematically collects data on their demographics, experiences and outcomes.

This Student Parent Month, we urge higher education leaders, policymakers and communities to change that. To empower bright futures for all Californians and bolster the state’s economy, which increasingly relies on a skilled workforce, California must transform the higher education system to address the needs of student parents and smooth the path to college for the 3.9 million Californians with children who have yet to complete their degrees. And it all starts with better data.

Think of data both as a flashlight and a key. As a flashlight, data illuminates the needs and strengths of student parents, allowing colleges to identify the obstacles they face and the support they need to succeed. As a key, data unlocks a deeper understanding of who California’s student parents are, enabling more informed decision-making and resource allocation to improve outcomes for them and their families.

Right now, California cannot effectively use student parent data in these ways. Only some campuses collect data on student parents and the several that do miss critical data points, such as the number and ages of students’ children, which would be helpful for assessing the need for child care and family-serving housing. Definitions of “student parent” vary between institutions, and within colleges, departments struggle to coordinate data collection efforts, further limiting their ability to leverage data to drive systemic change for student parents.

Recognizing these gaps, our organizations launched The California Alliance for Student Parent Success and identified data collection and utilization as a critical component of our statewide policy agenda to support the postsecondary success and comprehensive well-being of student parents.

To turn California’s student parent data into a flashlight and a key, it should be accessible, accurate and actionable:
- Accessible means that colleges should facilitate information-sharing between campus departments, across colleges, and external sectors like workforce and social services, and share de-identified data publicly.
- Accurate means that colleges and government agencies should establish standardized data collection definitions and procedures statewide.
- Actionable means that the data can be effectively analyzed and responds to the needs of student parents. Data should be collected about the experiences of student parents from enrollment through career, their academic and workforce outcomes, and data disaggregated by key demographics, like race, ethnicity and gender.
California has work to do, but progress is on the horizon, especially with the development of stronger data infrastructure through the California Cradle-to-Career Data system.

Legislation to strengthen data collection for student parents is also underway. This year, our alliance cosponsored its first bill, the GAINS for Student Parents Act (AB 2458), which will require institutions to uniformly collect and report data on student parents and share this data with the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data. This will enable California to evaluate and shape policies and practices that will empower student parents to reach their full potential. The bill also seeks to make college more affordable, addressing financial hurdles student parents face. Now, all that remains is the governor’s signature to make this bill law.

Addressing data gaps will enable California to better tailor resources and policies, streamlining student parents’ educational and career journeys and laying the foundation for a thriving economy. This Student Parent Month, let’s honor their determination to work, study and parent by taking concrete steps to advance their success. Passing legislation like GAINS for Student Parents Act is one critical step. It’s time for California to unite in uplifting the voices and future of student parents and, by extension, the future of California.

•••

Su Jin Jez, Ph.D., is CEO of California Competes, a nonpartisan policy and research organization focused on identifying solutions to California’s higher education and workforce issues.

Christopher J. Nellum, Ph.D., is executive director of EdTrust-West, a nonprofit organization advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the California education system.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. We welcome guest commentaries with diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.
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12/05/2025
All California students should be empowered to be ready for UC and CSU admission

Making Waves Academy, a charter school in Richmond, tries to instill a college-pursuing attitude while leaving room for kids to enter a career after graduation if they wish.

Courtesy: Making Waves Academy

There is a troubling trend in California that makes affordable and quality higher education — which is meant to be a public good — not even an option for most students, particularly Black and Latino students. It’s the inequity of students completing the “A-G” courses required for admission to the University of California and California State University systems. More than half of all students, and over two-thirds of Black and Latino students, did not meet these requirements — too often because the courses were not offered or the students didn’t know they were needed. This means they are ineligible for admission into California’s public universities.

As CEO of a grade 5-12 charter school in Richmond, I believe the A-G requirements should be seen as an asset rather than an obstacle for California schools. The requirements are transparent and attainable. They help prepare students academically, support eligibility for California’s public universities, and open up a variety of opportunities for students’ future career pathways. Ultimately, this helps alleviate inequities in education, the workforce and the economy.

At our school, our goal is that 100% of our students are ready for college while also embracing, supporting and celebrating students who want to pursue early post-secondary career options. Within the Class of 2024, 95% of our graduates are pursuing higher education, and within that group, 71% are planning to attend University of California or California State Universities campuses. Among our 1,000 or so fifth through 12th graders, 99% are students of color, and 85% are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Here is how school and district leaders can build a culture around supporting students in meeting the A-G requirements.

Align your curriculum to the A-G requirements

Students don’t know what they don’t know. And they don’t always know there are specific course requirements to be eligible to attend public universities. It is our responsibility as school leaders and systems to align our curriculum to the A-G requirements and remove that burden on individual students.

The good news is that this is not a very heavy lift. In California, students are already required to take a variation of core academic subjects listed within the A-G requirements, such as English, history, science and math. Making sure students are taking a lab science class, a third year of a world language, or a math up to Algebra II are small but meaningful adjustments to their course schedules that would help more students meet the A-G requirements, thus meeting eligibility requirements for UC and CSU campuses.

Get creative to track individual students

For every college and career counselor in California, there are 464 students. It’s no wonder 56% of California students experience barriers to meeting the requirements. Instead of relying solely on counselors, make the most of advisory period. Advisory period teachers can reinforce college readiness and help track individual students’ progress on the A-G requirements. Our advisory teachers track the same cohort of students from ninth through 12th grade. With this support, students can also practice their agency by being actively involved in mapping out their courses and paying attention to their post-graduation plans, which serves them well whether they ultimately pursue college or not.

Be inclusive of non-college-going students

It is important to note that a culture that embraces the A-G requirements and college readiness and a culture that embraces a continuum of college and career options can and should live side by side. It is a both/and approach not an either/or approach. Allow for both. When you align to the A-G requirements, you ensure that students meet the “floor” for college eligibility. Build further understanding with students on the continuum of attainable pathways. For example, the A-G requirements can also align with career technical education, which integrates core academic courses with technical and occupational ones. This way, students can explore career interests and still remain eligible for college. Knowing the range of options available means students can choose what’s best for them.

Communicate early and often with parents and families

California has some of the world’s best and most affordable opportunities for higher education. Tragically, many students and families don’t know these opportunities are attainable. The importance of the A-G requirements and information around college affordability must be communicated to students and families early and often. Ideally, regular updates and information sessions start with students and families in middle school. For example, we set clear expectations with students and families at fifth grade orientation. We talk to them about the A-G requirements being built into our curriculum and about our school culture around college readiness. Time and time again, we see ecstatic students and families when they realize college is accessible and attainable.

It’s our responsibility as school leaders or school systems to provide the necessary courses and support to bridge the inequities between high school to college and careers. The logistical challenges are surely outweighed by the opportunities: more racial representation in higher education, an increase in economic mobility for students from low-income backgrounds, and a more diverse and educated workforce.

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Alton B. Nelson Jr. is the CEO of Making Waves Academy in the Bay Area city of Richmond.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. We welcome guest commentaries with diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.

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11/05/2025
Following your roots, faith and a special diet in college

I’ve disavowed potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, radish and beets.

Growing up as a Jain, I never ate these root vegetables or had second thoughts about my faith and this practice. At home, my mom prepared authentic Jain Gujarati meals with rotli (flatbread), daal (lentil soup), bhaat (rice) and shaak (vegetable curry). We found Jain-friendly restaurants in the Bay Area, and while traveling abroad, we microwaved meals in our hotel room and carried ready-to-eat foods.

It was always possible for me to follow my faith-based diet, until I enrolled in Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a freshman two years ago. Suddenly, I would be forced to eat from a meal plan, cook in a communal dorm kitchen or find suitable off-campus dining options.

Little known outside of India, Jainism is an ancient religious faith whose central tenet is ahimsa, or nonviolence toward all living beings. Jains traditionally do not consume animal products such as meat, eggs and honey, nor root vegetables, in accordance with this principle to avoid harming organisms living in the soil.

Some may perceive the Jain diet to be a list of limitations. However, it is meant to be the opposite. In fact, it has empowered me to make more mindful and compassionate choices when it comes to my lifestyle and consumption.

Being so closely connected to and influenced by the Bay Area’s Jain community, my faith has now become an integral aspect of my background, culture and identity, and is the reason behind my commitment to the Jain diet throughout college.

As I prepared to leave for Cal Poly in September 2022, I was unsure of how I would be able to find Jain food as a freshman on a meal plan. I decided to contact campus dining before starting school and, to my surprise, they responded swiftly. After exchanging preliminary emails discussing my unique dietary needs, we came up with a plan.

I met with Kaitlin Gibbons, a registered dietitian for the campus dining program, and we created a specialized meal plan, rotating between four dishes each week. This included pasta, stir-fry, a veggie wrap and quesadillas. She also introduced me to the chefs and kitchen staff who prepared my food as I picked it up every day.

Cal Poly works with students who have food allergies, gluten intolerance, follow vegan or vegetarian diets or who, like me, have faith-based diets.

“I (work) one-on-one with students with dietary restrictions to assist in empowering them to self-manage their dietary choices on campus, allowing them to actively participate in the college dining experience,” Gibbons said.

To meet the diverse needs of students, Gibbons collaborates with executive chefs like Chris Dunham and culinary teams to offer inclusive meal plans.

Of course, my limited range of meals meant that, unlike my peers, I could not make spontaneous lunch or dinner plans to grab food at just any eatery. I also had a number of leftover dining dollars because I couldn’t purchase most other food/snack options. To use up my dollars, I had to frivolously buy granola bars or random candies from the campus market.

As a result, I stocked up on snacks, homemade dehydrated foods, and brought cooking ware like an Instant Pot to make quick meals in my dorm’s kitchen.

Nevertheless, I am grateful to Cal Poly’s dining team and to Kaitlin for understanding and accommodating my dietary needs; however, this is not the case for all students on other campuses.

My friend Arushi Shah is a biomedical engineering sophomore at the University of California Riverside, and she similarly follows the Jain tradition of avoiding root vegetables.

Shah said that during her first year in college, she was not on a meal plan because her college refused to accommodate her diet and offer suitable options.

“I wished they could make at least one to two dishes for me,” Shah said.

Instead, she found creative alternatives to prepare food in her dorm all year long. This included taking dehydrated meals from home, packing non-perishables and storing frozen food in her fridge.

“I actually asked my mom to make me instant food items where I just add hot water and it’s ready,” Shah said. “Other times I would go upstairs to my suite kitchen and make easy dishes that didn’t require a lot of meal prep.” Some of the meals she made included sandwiches, dosa and fried rice.

If you are in Shah’s position, she suggests “learn how to cook if a kitchen is available, and learn how to do very simple things that don’t require much time and small amounts of ingredients.”

Transitioning to college is challenging, especially while navigating dietary restrictions and advocating for your needs. To take the first step, get in touch with your school’s dining program, and relay your dietary needs to them. Preferably, you can reach out before committing to a school as accommodations may not always be guaranteed. As awareness of various faith-based dietary customs grows across colleges, we can hopefully become more inclusive in how we serve our students.

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Riya Parekh is a third year political science major concentrating in pre-law at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a member of EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. We welcome guest commentaries with diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.

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11/05/2025
AI can free up time for principals to engage with staff and students

Credit: Allison Shelley for American Education

Imagine a school where the principal spends less time buried in paperwork and more time in classrooms, supporting teachers and fostering an inclusive learning environment for students with disabilities.

Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) can make this vision a reality.

AI holds the potential to revolutionize school leadership by alleviating the administrative burden on principals. Principals are essential to developing school culture and steering our schools toward more inclusive practices. Their guidance and decision-making for professional learning, promoting specific desired outcomes, and allocating budgets and resources directly impact students’ experiences.

When a school leader is passionate about creating inclusive learning environments and ensuring students have more access to the general education curriculum, little can stop them — except, of course, the ever-increasing tasks and paperwork that keep them in their offices and away from the classrooms.

Just this past year, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) targeted the growing number of duplicative mandates that district and school leaders are spending valuable time on as one of their platforms for Legislative Action Day. Nearly 400 education leaders came together in Sacramento this past April to demand change in a handful of areas, including streamlined accountability: calling for less time spent on writing separate plans and reports for the many (often redundant or overlapping) state and federal programs, so more time can be spent in classrooms.

Not only are principals responsible for numerous plans required by the state, they also have school site plans, emergency plans, loads of evaluations to write, newsletters to the community, emails to respond to, websites to keep up-to-date, data to review and analyze, the list goes on and on. The workload on principals has dramatically increased over the years, and we should be concerned if we want effective leadership in our schools.

In much of my work with administrators on creating more inclusive schools, I address these issues through ideas like sharing responsibilities, delegating tasks and inventorying initiatives to help streamline resources, including time; and now I’m adding a new one: Embrace AI!

New tools, including AI virtual assistants, or SchoolAI and TeachAI, can automate routine administrative tasks like scheduling, attendance tracking, data analysis, and report generation. Tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Co-Pilot can summarize our notes, edit our writing, and be thought partners when our brains are fried. Just this week I have used AI tools to help with rewording and editing my writing, drafting an agenda, and creating original pictures to use in presentations without having to search the web for what I need, all in all, saving me a few hours.

And imagine what our principals could be doing with a few extra hours a week — observing classrooms, providing instructional feedback and greeting students. At the Inclusive Leadership Center at Chapman University, I work with K-12 school administrators supporting their strategic planning and providing professional development. We hear again and again that one of the biggest barriers administrators face in creating inclusive environments for students with disabilities is a lack of time — so let’s remove this barrier.

As we work on improving the quality of education for students with disabilities, leveraging technology and AI to achieve this is a no-brainer. So why not use it as a tool for administrators and not just for our students?

In addition to taking on some of the mundane tasks, AI can even assist in identifying trends and areas for improvement through data analysis, helping principals make informed decisions that support all students. Once administrators embrace AI, think of how teachers can use it. The possibilities are endless and time-saving.

Of course, there are valid concerns about artificial intelligence, such as data privacy and the fear of technology replacing human roles. We need to think about AI as a tool to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. We need proper safeguards to address privacy concerns, but solving these issues should not stop us from using AI to the advantage of our communities and students. I am not advocating for AI to take over all our school leaders’ tasks, like generating all school communication, teacher evaluations, and individualized education plans. But it can assist through editing, clarifying and summarizing through the drafting process, even helping with communicating to specific audiences and tone. Most administrators, including myself, have sent an email we later wished we could have asked AI to check first.

By embracing AI, schools can empower their leaders to spend more time fostering an inclusive, supportive and effective learning environment. It’s time for education to harness the power of AI to benefit all students.

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Kari Adams directs the Inclusive Leadership Center at the Thompson Policy Institute on Disability at Chapman University and leads the Coalition of Inclusive School Leaders. She previously was a public school special education administrator.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. We welcome guest commentaries with diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.

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10/05/2025
How to keep young Black and Latino teachers from leaving LAUSD

Credit: Allison Shelley for American Education

Este artículo está disponible en Español. Léelo en español.

Younger Black and Latino teachers are some of the most passionate educators in the Los Angeles Unified School District — and they are also at the highest risk of leaving the profession, according to a new report.

The survey, which involved interviews conducted in early 2024, found that roughly one-third of Gen Z Black and Latino teachers expect to leave their careers in education. Seventy-one percent of those teachers said they expected to do so within two years, either to find a higher paying job or seek a position with a better work-life balance.

“I thought I would be a teacher forever,” said a Latina high school teacher quoted in the survey report. “I feel very confused and sad that I have to consider leaving something that I’m very passionate about and very good at, and I work so hard at.”

LAUSD has made several efforts to boost both pipelines into teaching professions for current students of color and to help teachers already in the district stay where they are, according to Jacob Guthrie, the district’s director of recruitment, selection and retention.

“Having a representative workforce means better outcomes for students,” he said in an interview with EdSource. “And the district is committed to providing pathways and support for our Gen Z educators of color so that they can feel supported and they remain with us as district employees.”

The survey and report were conducted and written primarily by GPSN, a local nonprofit that seeks to help improve public education in Los Angeles, with a focus on students of color and students living in poverty.

The work involved a series of focus group discussions conducted in November 2023, and individual surveys with 400 district educators in early 2024. The teachers surveyed were split into two, 200-person groups: Gen Z Black and Latino teachers and a general educator population, which included teachers of all backgrounds. Their responses to a series of questions were analyzed side by side.

According to the study, providing affordable health care options and improving work-life balance would make the biggest difference in LAUSD keeping its younger Black and Latino teachers.

And advocates say doing so is critical as concerns grow about retention and diversity among the future teacher workforce in Los Angeles Unified.

“If we don’t get really serious about the things that they’re raising … in this report, then we have a gap that we are widening, and we might lose some of some really high-quality teachers in the pipeline,” said Jalisa Evans, the founder and CEO of the Black Educator Advocates Network.

Why are younger Black and Latino teachers less likely to stay in LAUSD?

A quarter of the report’s Black and Latino respondents who are Gen Z, defined as under the age of 30, said they would leave education in pursuit of a higher-paying job. Meanwhile, 27% said they wanted more work-life balance.

Burnout was also of concern for nearly a third of Gen Z Black and Latino teachers, the report found — and Evans said “for folks to be newer into the field and already experiencing burnout is a huge sign that there’s not sustainability.”

“Burnout specifically has been normalized. And so, for more veteran teachers, it is normal for them to take work home. … It is normal to think that you’re actually supposed to lesson plan at home,” Evans said. “And so, I think newer educators, specifically Gen Z, Black and Latino teachers, they’re experiencing this burnout, and it wasn’t their interpretation of what they were getting into.”

In addition to a desire for work-life balance, high costs of housing and living play a key role in younger Black and Latino educators’ desire to leave the district, particularly if they live in an area that is rapidly gentrifying and further from the communities they teach in.

Gina Gray, an English teacher, said the topic of affordability comes up frequently among her fellow teachers — with some who are younger having to live with several families under the same roof to sustain themselves financially.

“With this much education, with this much skill and knowledge, if you go into another field, you will make more money, but we’ve accepted this wage penalty for educators,” Gray said.

“And so to be new and starting out and wanting affordable housing and realizing that the career I’ve chosen has made that where it seems impossible? Do I stay in the career, or do I kind of validate things for myself?”

Does gender have an impact?

While the report did not specifically focus on gender, Ana Teresa Dahan, GPSN’s managing director who helped author the report, noted that gender is tied to retention.

She emphasized that a lot of younger women leave teaching because they no longer feel the job is conducive to having a family; and, because education is still largely female dominated, Dahan said that exodus has a larger impact on the younger workforce as a whole.

“We heard in our focus groups, teachers (saying): “I can’t drop off my kid at school before 7:45, but I have to be at my school by 7:30,’ ” Dahan said. “There’s logistical challenges to being a teacher and then also raising children that I think are being voiced more than previous generations.”

Many have also stressed the need for more male teachers of color in the district.

What positive feedback did Los Angeles Unified receive?

Many have applauded LAUSD for its “grow your own” model of hiring former district students.

Specifically, one-fifth of the teachers surveyed in the GPSN report had formerly attended LAUSD and said they wanted to give back.

“They go off, they go to college … and they see education as a way to transform their community,” Dahan said. “And that’s why they’re becoming teachers, because they want kids in their communities to have the opportunities they did. That, we thought, was really compelling.”

Forty-four percent of Gen Z Black and Latino educators said they wanted to share their love of learning, while 40% wanted to pursue teaching because they were passionate about a subject area.

According to the report, more than 85% of district educators also said they feel their individual identity is reflected in their fellow staff and student populations. Most also noted the district had been supportive and helped them grow professionally.

What are the current supports for younger Black and Latino educators?

Guthrie said LAUSD provides a number of opportunities to support retention and career development, including creating pathways for high school graduates to get a teaching credential and programs that support teachers in getting administrative services credentials at no cost.

This year, the district has also unveiled a program to help increase pathways into careers in education for students at Black Student Achievement Plan campuses.

And for teachers already in the district, Guthrie said LAUSD has been providing special training to administrators on supporting educators of color — and so have career ladder specialists, who can mentor teachers wanting to move up.

He also mentioned that the district formed affinity groups for both Black male and female teachers, which will meet six times this year.

Why is addressing retention important now?

Parents, students and teachers have all stressed the importance of having a body of teachers that reflect their student populations.

Maira Nieto has four children attending LAUSD schools — spanning from fourth through 10th grades. She said having Latino teachers who can be culturally understanding is critical, for both students and for parents who want to be more involved with their children’s education.

“They are young children; they have to feel at home, like they are welcomed,” Nieto said in Spanish. “If a teacher doesn’t provide them with that, the child, I think, loses interest at an academic level.”

Many have also emphasized that younger teachers of color are critical, as they represent the future of Los Angeles’ educator workforce.

“That’s a little frightening,” Gray said, “to think that some students will go through the whole system and possibly not have … a teacher they can identify with.”

What other kinds of workplace support would help?

Providing affordable health care options and improving work-life balance would make the biggest difference in keeping Gen Z Black and Latino educators in LAUSD, according to the report. Other respondents called for receiving incentive bonuses earlier and having improved family leave.

Many teachers in the survey also said they wanted more professional development focused on social-emotional learning strategies, and more than half reported dealing with behavioral issues in the classroom — a burden sometimes disproportionately placed on teachers of color, Evans said.

“Are they being overly used in a way that is just based off of their identity? Are they having to carry the burden of being the school’s disciplinarian?” Evans said.

“And if so, LAUSD should definitely look at their school leadership to think about how they can support all staff members to be able to build relationships with their students and to be competent in this idea of classroom management.”

While LAUSD does provide Black educator networks for both men and women, Gray said affinity spaces provided by the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, have really made all the difference.

Meanwhile, Guthrie said he is “not aware” of similar networks for Latino teachers.

“The districts, the school sites, they need to be intentional about retaining teachers of color … making sure that sometimes how our students feel othered, that we don’t feel othered on these same campuses,” Gray said.

“Be intentional with it. Be focused on it. Understand that we need support in order to sustain the career, and we want to stay.”

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10/05/2025