California’s most high-profile prison will be reorganized as a rehabilitation center under a plan the governor is expected to announce Friday — a move hailed as revolutionary by some prison reform advocates but derided by prison abolitionists as mere window dressing in place of the more dramatic changes they want. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected […]
education
Posted inNews (NCJ)
California to Give $2,500 Training Grant to Workers Who Lost Jobs During Pandemic
Living through a pandemic sucks, but for Diana McLaughlin, early 2020 was especially bad: A divorce in February 2020, societal shut-down in March, and as part of the COVID-19 economic fallout, she lost her job in April of that year, returning to full-time work only 18 months later. California lawmakers had economically distressed folks like […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Back to School: California Republicans Bet Big on Local Board Races
When California Republicans gathered in Anaheim this spring, attention focused on candidate speeches and endorsement battles as the party tries to win its first statewide race since 2006. But a little-noticed, hour-long session in a small conference room at the Marriott could very well be more consequential for the state GOP this election. The meeting […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
NCJ Preview: A Native Curriculum and New Restaurants in Old Spaces
A pair of local high school students are trying to bring Native perspectives and knowledge into the curriculum. We’ll talk about what that would look like and how it would impact Native and other students, as well as what they’re doing to make it happen. We’ve also got the latest on how chefs are transforming […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
‘A Change in Narrative’: Ethnic Studies Program Helps Incarcerated Youth Navigate Identity
When Nate Tan, a professor of ethnic studies at San Francisco State University, logs on to virtually teach his 8 a.m. class, he sees several dozen students sitting at desks with laptops, some framed by towering bookshelves. But these students aren’t Zooming in from campus dorms. Instead, they’re taking classes in three different youth prisons […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Targeted Universalism: A Solution for Inequality?
One in five Latinos in California live in poverty, the highest of any demographic group. Black students trail all other racial and ethnic groups in reading and math proficiency. And Native Americans are worse off today, with an average life expectancy eight years shorter than a decade ago. Despite a suite of well-intended policies aimed […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Most Californians say Economic Inequality is Getting Worse, New Survey Shows
Seven in 10 Californians say the gap between rich and poor is getting larger, according to a statewide survey released Tuesday. The survey, conducted last month by the nonpartisan think tank, Public Policy Institute of California, polled 2,292 adult Californians about their opinions on the state’s economic outlook, financial security, job security, among other topics. […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
One Loophole Remains in Student COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate
Nevada Joint Union High School District Superintendent Brett McFadden expects the vast majority of his students and staff to abide by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 1. But he also expects around 10 of his employees to quit out of personal or political opposition to it. “It’s a really […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Newsom is Running Out of Time to Sign Bills
T-minus three days. That’s how much time Gov. Gavin Newsom has left to decide the fate of the remaining bills on his desk — and as the deadline draws nearer, the buildup for big-ticket and contentious proposals is getting more intense. The direct impact of Newsom’s decisions was particularly apparent Wednesday, when he signed a […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Yurok Tribe Nabs $30 Million Education Grant
The Yurok Tribe was awarded a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods to create a regional five-year effort for a “cradle-school-career pathway project” that will build programs and support services for students in Del Norte County. “The Yurok Education Department is excited about what this grant means for our families, […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Students with Disabilities Across California Stuck in Limbo
The school year at Duarte Unified School District, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, started a month ago, but Brady, Ellie and Jack Fitzgibbons have yet to receive any instruction from their teachers. The 13-year-old triplets are on the autism spectrum, and their mother Julie Fitzgibbons didn’t feel safe sending them to school because she […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Not Enough Subs: California Schools Face Severe Teacher Shortage
Kelly Rhoden, the principal at Nevada Union High School, spent her morning Monday scrambling to find substitutes for her absent teachers. The school, about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento, has 86 teachers. Thirteen were out on Monday. “We have quite a few teachers out either because they’ve tested positive, they’re symptomatic, or they have their […]