The California Department of Education is starting a new education initiative to help students better understand and respect people of different races, ethnicities, religions, genders, and gender identifications, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Monday. Thurmond was joined in the virtual news conference by California legislators and representatives...
California Schools Chief: Officers Needed on Some Campuses
SAN FRANCISCO — California's top schools official said Wednesday his office is working to re-imagine the role of police officers at the state’s 10,000 public schools but said some schools would still need officers on campus to protect students' safety. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said the officers would...
Face Masks, Temperature Checks When Valley Public Schools Reopen?
Students at California public schools might have to wear face masks and have their temperature taken each morning before they walk on campus, their classrooms might hold only 10 to 15 students, and they might be on campus only a couple of days each week. The need to keep students...
California Schools Chief Calls for New Plan on Racism, Bias
SAN FRANCISCO — California’s education chief said Monday he plans to lead an effort focusing on racism in public schools during emotional remarks about George Floyd, whose killing has left him struggling to answer his own children who asked, “Why did this happen?” “Now is the time to address racism...
California Educators: Expect ‘Hybrid’ Classrooms in the Fall
SAN FRANCISCO — The California schools superintendent said Wednesday he expects school for the state’s 6 million students to resume as usual in late August or September but with classes that look radically different to maintain social distancing standards. Superintendent Tony Thurmond said he expects a mix of in-person and...
Will Local Districts Follow Newsom’s Advice and Not Re-Open Schools?
Schools across the state should plan on teaching from afar for the rest of the academic year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. “The right thing to do for our children, the right thing to do for the parents, for households, for the community which they reside, is to make sure...
These Valley Elementaries Are Among California's Best
Nineteen elementary schools from Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare counties are being honored as 2020 California Distinguished Schools for their outstanding education programs and practices by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Listen to this article: The schools were selected because they are closing achievement gaps among disadvantaged...
Jewish Experience Will Be in Ethnic Studies, Thurmond Says
After feeling the heat in a scathing letter from Jewish lawmakers, California's top elected education official says he hears them. At a news conference Wednesday (Aug. 14), state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond vowed to include the Jewish experience in the state's proposed curriculum on ethnic studies. “Revisions to the...
California’s Public School Chief Says Education No Place for Competition
Tony Thurmond seems to be exactly the man that his most loyal backers hoped (and his opponents feared) he would be. In a discussion with CALmatters’ education reporter Ricardo Cano at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club in March, he talked about how his mother, an immigrant from Panama, died when he...
Walters: Election Results Fuel War on Charter Schools
Elections have consequences, and while some are unintended, one major impact of last year’s California elections is very much intended. Organizations and wealthy individuals favoring education reforms and charter schools went head-to-head with the California Teachers Association and other elements of the education establishment. It was a wipeout. The CTA,...