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Podcasts Take Two
Variants and Vaccines: Your Coronavirus Questions Answered, Teaching Civics in Schools, Immigration Under Biden
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Jan 19, 2021
Listen • 49:23
Variants and Vaccines: Your Coronavirus Questions Answered, Teaching Civics in Schools, Immigration Under Biden

We answer the latest questions about the spread of the coronavirus in LA County, So Cal teachers get serious about civics post-insurrection, and Biden expected to push for path to citizenship
Teacher David Nieder of 'Knowledge is Power Program' (KIPP) Academy takes questions from his class October 4, 2000 in The Bronx, New York. The Knowledge Is Power Program educates 200 middle-school students, mostly poor black and Latino neighborhood children, housed in a hallway on the fourth floor of a regular Bronx public schooI. Because of strict discipline where each student gets two hours of homework a night and a regular school day runs nine-and-a-half-hours, including Saturdays and throughout the summer, test scores are the highest in the Bronx. Governor George Bush of Texas, where another KIPP school is run, singled out KIPP for praise during his presidential debate against Vice President Al Gore.
Teacher David Nieder of 'Knowledge is Power Program' (KIPP) Academy takes questions from his class October 4, 2000 in The Bronx, New York. The Knowledge Is Power Program educates 200 middle-school students, mostly poor black and Latino neighborhood children, housed in a hallway on the fourth floor of a regular Bronx public schooI. Because of strict discipline where each student gets two hours of homework a night and a regular school day runs nine-and-a-half-hours, including Saturdays and throughout the summer, test scores are the highest in the Bronx. Governor George Bush of Texas, where another KIPP school is run, singled out KIPP for praise during his presidential debate against Vice President Al Gore.
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Chris Hondros/Getty Images
)

Virus Variants and Vaccine Rollout: Your Coronavirus Questions Answered

California has hit another unfortunate milestone when it comes to coronavirus cases: three million so far. And in Los Angeles County, it's been reported that one in three people have been infected with the virus at some point since the pandemic began. The spread is still alarming, but with a thousands of vaccinations underway, the question now is wether the worst is behind us.

Guest:

  • Paula Cannon, Virologist at the USC Keck School of Medicine.

Where to Begin: How Teachers Teach about the Capitol Insurrection

The world tuned into the television on January 6th as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Those viewers included many teachers here in Southern California. They watched the attack with their students in mind… planning for a real time civics lesson.

Guest:

  • Caroline Champlin, KPCC reporter

The Importance of a Civics Education

A study called “Reclaiming the Democratic Purpose of California’s Public Schools” by UCLA and UC Riverside researchers found that civics education "falls short" in California school districts. 

Guest:

  • John Rogers, Education Professor at UCLA and co-author of the study “Reclaiming the Democratic Purpose of California’s Public Schools”

Immigration Reform Under President Biden

Report are out this week that President-elect Joe Biden hopes to introduce comprehensive immigration reform on his first day in office. The bill is expected to include an eight-year path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status. What's in it, and what else does Biden hope to achieve? What can he? 

Guest:

  • Jean Reisz, Professor at the USC Gould School of Law and Co-Director of the USC Immigration Clinic