When and where I was a kid — 1950s, Britain — it was science or arts. No middle ground, nothing nuanced about my education. If you were “science,” you looked to engineering or medicine for your future. If you were “arts,” you ended up doing, well, something else — usually more creative. I became a […]
education
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HSU Expanding Curriculum with Polytechnic Push
As a way of prioritizing Humboldt State University’s push to become polytechnic, the university is expanding its curriculum to include more STEM-related degree programs as soon as fall of 2023. “This is what a 21st-century education looks like: programs where students build the skills to have meaningful careers and a nuanced understanding of society’s complex […]
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Will California Public Schools Continue Free Lunches for All?
Early in the pandemic, the only source of milk for some struggling families was from school lunches, recalls Stacy Johnson, director of nutrition services at Glendora Unified School District. Even for families who weren’t as strained financially — or for families of picky eaters — getting meals during lockdown was something to get excited about: […]
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Native STEAM and TEK Curriculums Coming to Humboldt Classrooms
An educational program created by the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, Humboldt County Office of Education and Northern Humboldt Union High School District, called Pathmakers, is bringing Native American STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Humboldt County classrooms. “There’s a rich Native American presence in Humboldt County, and it’s important that […]
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Why Millions of California Students Lack Broadband Access
About twice a week, the $9.99 per month internet connection falters. It’s often as Mario Ramírez finally wrangles his kids into their seats — the fourth-grader studies in the bedroom he shares with his 12 year-old sister, who studied in her parents bedroom — in time for virtual class. The screens freeze — sometimes during online […]
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Native American Curriculum Aims to Bring Culturally Informed Education and Representation to Humboldt County High Schools
Save California Salmon, along with the Blue Lake Rancheria, the Yurok Tribe’s Visitor Center, Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District’s Indian Education Program, Humboldt State University’s Native American Studies Department and the Hoopa High School Water Protector’s club created a curriculum that meets California standards and responds to the state’s “urgent water, climate and educational crises” and […]
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School Reopenings More Likely in Rural Areas, at Private Schools
New state mapping data details California’s school-reopening divide, in which hundreds of school districts — mostly smaller and rural or inland — are offering in-person instruction to elementary students while many of the state’s largest, urban districts remain indefinitely in remote learning. But the divide between public and private schools is much starker: Eleven months […]
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Teacher Vaccinations in California Determined by Luck, Location
How soon teachers can expect to get vaccinated depends largely on where they live and could determine whether the bulk of California’s students return to campuses this spring — or next fall. Teacher vaccinations have emerged as a central point of contention in California’s charged debate over reopening schools as unions representing teachers and school […]
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NoHum Superintendents: ‘Condemn’ Trump Supporters’ Attack on U.S. Capitol
A group of 11 Northern Humboldt school superintendents has penned an open letter to the community in the wake of the riot Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol building, saying they “condemn the attacks … and any further efforts to use violence to impede our democracy.” The letter notes the hours-long violent occupation of the Capitol building […]
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‘A Curriculum that Empowers’
Speaking at a virtual roundtable called to discuss the systemic failures of local school districts to help Native students succeed, as detailed in a recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, Humboldt State University Native American Studies Chair Cutcha Risling Baldy said it largely comes down to curriculums that disempower Native […]
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What Prop. 15’s Defeat Means for California Schools
Voters narrowly defeated Proposition 15, the tax measure that aimed to eliminate decades-long protections for commercial properties – dashing hopes of billions of dollars flowing into California’s cash-strapped public schools and community colleges in the coming years. In the second-most expensive ballot fight this election, Prop. 15 supporters said the measure would help right what they […]
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NCJ Preview: Helping Native Students and a Tale of Two Cheese Nerds
The ACLU dropped a study on Humboldt County schools and what they can do to improve the huge gaps in educational outcomes for Native students. We’ll break down the main findings and recommendations. We’re also talking about the North Coast’s new cheese podcast “Cheese the Day, ” and how a couple of “cheese nerds” might […]