California has many education problems. Here's what we learned about solutions in 2024

In a state as big as California's, being an engaged parent or student requires knowledge about complex, interconnected systems.

The LAist education team this year worked to bring nuance to difficulties the state faces, and shine a light on solutions that can fly under the radar. Here's some of what we learned along the way.

Creating a new grade is a big achievement ... and a big headache

Educators and advocates for California kids and families pushed for more access to early childhood programs for years, and in 2021, the state acted.

California is currently in the midst of rolling out an entirely new grade for 4-year-olds called transitional kindergarten, or TK, that is offered at public schools. Next year, it will be available for all children who turn 4 by the start of the school year, and it’s a huge deal. California hasn’t added a new grade to the K-12 school system for as long as any of us have been alive!

When fully implemented, it’s expected to become the largest free preschool program in the country. But there have been hiccups along the way.

For instance: TK classrooms have different physical requirements than other elementary school classes. They have to be bigger, have a play area, and a bathroom in the classroom or nearby. Four-year-olds have different bathroom needs developmentally, and when they have to go, they gotta go. So while districts might say they have space because of declining enrollments, it’s not always the right space. You can’t just stick a 4-year-old in a fifth grade classroom.

And the biggest concern: Equity. We know that young kids' brains develop at a rapid rate, and early experiences have long-term impacts on them. Quality matters: Having teacher attention, having outdoor play space, having ways to learn through play. So experts say if the implementation isn’t done right, we’re undermining the lofty goals of the initiative — which is to provide high-quality preschool to these children.

In 2025, I’ll continue to follow the rollout of transitional kindergarten as it becomes available — about how districts are filling their teacher spots, and making classrooms appropriate for these young students. I’m curious to hear from parents about how it’s going. I’ll also be looking at how the expansion of this new grade is impacting the existing preschool system who are now losing many of their 4-year-olds.

—Elly Yu

There’s a lot of money to fix up schools ... but how is it spent?

This fall, dozens of school districts throughout Southern California asked voters to approve billions of dollars in additional property taxes to pay for repairs and renovations.

And sure, your ballot and the accompanying informational packet had some information (and a lot of jargon), but it doesn’t answer many of the questions I heard most often, including:

• Why are school bonds necessary in the first place?
• What happened to all that lottery money for education?
• Who holds schools accountable for how this money is spent? 

I interviewed experts, toured schools, and dove deep into California’s history of financing education facilities to find the answers.

LAist created voting guides for bond elections in 33 Los Angeles and Orange County school districts and the statewide Measure 2.

For many local school districts, we provided the only independent coverage of their bond elections.

These stories also planted seeds for future coverage:

• Many California schools were built following the post-World War II baby boom, how are districts adapting now that the state’s population growth is slowing and many families struggle to find housing in the Southland?
• When schools are renovated, will they get more green space? 

In 2025, I’ll keep working to close the gap between families and information that can help them shape their child’s education.

I’ll also work to uncover stories about the joy of learning inside and outside of the classroom.

Whether it’s the discovery of a fossil treasure trove under a San Pedro high school, the living legacy of a pioneering science fiction writer at a Pasadena middle school, or the teen florists behind the prom decorations in the San Fernando Valley.

—Mariana Dale

Journalism is alive and well in college ... even if its future is uncertain

El Don, Santa Ana College’s student newsmagazine, celebrated its 100th anniversary this December. To mark this achievement, students and staff combed through their archives and put together an exhibition about the periodical’s impact on the community. I thought this would make a great LAist story and reached out to the staff.

I spoke with el Don's advisers, along with most of its student editors and reporters. I also interviewed alumni about how el Don's tiny newsroom had shaped their academic and professional lives. Through those conversations, I learned that el Don has been a lifeline, a place that offers a sense of belonging and a chance to break into an industry that’s often unwelcoming to people of color and the working class. In return, el Don staffers give the newsroom their all — so much so that the paper has become a consistent national award winner.

While I was carrying out those interviews in late October, New York Magazine published a story titled “Can Journalism Survive? The Media Elite on Its Future.” In it, those elites paint a grim and cynical picture. One media executive says: “I think you’d have to be crazy to begin a career in journalism right now.”

I asked the el Don staffers what they made of this comment and why they’re sacrificing themselves for a future that’s not guaranteed. Their responses were clear-eyed: They know the future is uncertain. They also know journalism is too important to let it fail.

—Julia Barajas