Topic

Distance Learning

The coronavirus crisis has forced school districts, colleges and universities to shift to teaching and learning online. But distance learning poses myriad challenges in a state of 40 million people where many students still lack reliable access to the internet and the devices they need to succeed in online learning. Under this topic, you will find EdSource's stories exploring these challenges and strategies to overcome them.

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Photo courtesy of Jennifer Liberty

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Liberty

It took me 26 years to finish college. Here's what helped

Jennifer Liberty

California is facing a shortage of skilled workers, and one way to address this is to support the millions of adults who have completed some college but haven't earned a degree, by providing them with high-quality, flexible online course options.

December 5, 2025

Commentary
Credit: Diana Lambert/EdSource

Credit: Diana Lambert/EdSource

Twin Rivers Unified board vote puts Highlands Community Charter's future in jeopardy

Diana Lambert

The Twin Rivers Unified school board voted to hold a public hearing on Dec. 2 to decide whether to close Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, which was found to have misspent $180 million in K-12 funding, eliminated 11th grade to avoid state testing and paid leases on properties not used for instruction.

November 7, 2025
Charter Schools
California teachers recall long road back from Covid

Diana Lambert

Teaching has changed considerably since the Covid-19 pandemic closed classrooms in 2020. EdSource talked to five California teachers about what the last five years have been like.

March 31, 2025
Five Years Later: Covid's Lasting Impact on Education
Credit: Fresno Unified / Flickr

Credit: Fresno Unified / Flickr

Statewide test scores improved in 2024, but achievement still not back to pre-Covid levels

Diana Lambert, John Fensterwald, Zaidee Stavely, Lasherica Thornton, Mallika Seshadri, And Monica Velez

English and math scores improved from 2023 to 2024, but still have not caught up to results from prior to the pandemic.

October 10, 2024
Testing and Accountability

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‘Looking at the whole child’: State leaders discuss ways to improve students’ mental health

July 23, 2024

Friday’s Select Committee on School Climate and Student Safety discussed the importance of adequate staffing and teacher involvement to improve student mental health.

Mallika Seshadri

What California college students think about online classes

February 27, 2024

EdSource asked students at California colleges and universities why they are choosing between online or in-person options.

The California Student Journalism Corps

Commentary

Invest in high-dosage tutoring to boost student achievement and recruit new teachers

November 19, 2023

College students can provide students with one-on-one attention and instruction while test-driving teaching as a career option.

Roxane Knorr

Commentary

We cannot allow our education to be automated

November 9, 2022

An overreliance on technology eliminates the verbal interaction between students, their peers, and their teachers and takes the learning out of the classroom and onto the screen.

Adam Abolfazli

Stanford-Harvard 'scorecard' translates California's test scores into months of missed learning

October 28, 2022

'Education Recovery Scorecard' shows vast disparities among districts by converting results on NAEP and state tests into a common measure: how much learning declined during the pandemic.

John Fensterwald

Commentary

Coming to UCLA the second time was scarier - but was worth it

May 2, 2022

The prospect of returning to UCLA for in-person classes after the pandemic was scary, but in the end, I found some of my worries were overblown.

Megan Tagami

LA Unified's independent study less chaotic, but parental complaints persist

February 7, 2022

L.A. Unified parents say the district’s independent study program has improved from the fall, yet they remain frustrated with its format and curriculum.