KALW News - Education

Colleges take a chance on Wikipedia

KALW News — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:14:45 +0000

The education of young people is increasingly, if not exclusively, coming from the internet. And a big part of it is from the website Wikipedia. The English-language version alone has more than three million entries. It’s consistently ranked as one of the most visited websites in the world, after Facebook and before Twitter. And in the last few years, Wikipedia has started spreading to college classrooms, but not without its share of controversies and concerns.

Education

Investing in the education of foster youth

KALW News — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:12:03 +0000

California is home to more than 55,000 foster kids - the largest population in the country. And, the one place in the state where most of those kids come together is in public school. Jetaine Hart, a former foster youth and current educational mentor in Alameda County, argues that’s where we should be putting resources to help foster kids – kids who often shuffle from school to school and have unstable home lives.

Education

UnCollege: A different kind of higher education

KALW News — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:43:33 +0000

Early in his college education, Dale Stephens had a radical idea: drop out. Okay, maybe not so radical – except Stephens is extremely interested in the concept of education. He simply thought he could educate himself better outside of the hallowed halls of Arkansas' Hendrix College. That’s where Stephens’ idea of "UnCollege" was hatched. It’s a self-described social movement about “hacking” education, and now Stephens is trying to spread the concept across the country from his home base of San Francisco.

Education

Saving the UC – but at what cost to students?

KALW News — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:08:07 +0000

In the University of California system, officials are considering raising fees as much as 16% a year through 2015. To hear more about what this means for students, and for public education in California, KALW’s Holly Kernan spoke with UC’s student liaison to the Regents, Jonathan Stein.

Education

Student Commentaries: Fighting for an education

KALW News — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:04:40 +0000

Last Saturday, Governor Jerry Brown attracted national attention when he signed the California DREAM Act.

Education

The real life story of San Francisco’s “Chess Cinderella”

KALW News — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:03:26 +0000

Most of us love a good fairytale. And then there’s the tale of Dyhemia Young, a teenager from San Francisco’s Bayview district.

Young was invited to the coveted wild card invitation to the Susan Polgar Girls’ Invitational, a prestigious chess tournament held at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. But there was a problem: Young couldn’t be found. Her home life had been unstable for a couple years, and none of her old numbers or addresses worked. So mentors, teachers, and even the police got involved in the search.

Education

Community college cutbacks: how one Bay Area school is getting by

KALW News — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:11:37 +0000

Community college is supposed to be the affordable path to higher education. But with $400 million cut from the California Community Colleges budget, the future of the 112 California campuses is unclear – including Chabot College in Hayward.

Still, the president of Chabot College, Dr. Celia Barberena is hopeful. Dr. Barberena joined KALW’s Hana Baba to discuss how budget cuts are affecting Chabot College and its students.

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Education

Oaksterdam University: Oakland’s “cannabis college”

KALW News — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:55:02 +0000

If you’re a proponent of legalizing marijuana, recent events may have left a bad taste in your mouth.

Back in October then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger “semi-decriminalized” the possession of small amounts of cannabis. But then in November, voters rejected Proposition 19, which would have softened certain pot-related charges. And this past June, the State Assembly vetoed a bill that would have let county district attorneys decide whether growers should face misdemeanor or felony charges.

Education

Oakland teacher turned activist rallies for education reform

KALW News — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:31:24 +0000

President Obama’s Race to the Top program has challenged schools to excel, providing grant funding for states that implement measurable programs to achieve “significant improvement in student outcomes.” He talked about the program in a commencement address this year at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Education

California one step closer to the DREAM Act

KALW News — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:04:55 +0000

On Monday, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation allowing undocumented college students to access private financial aid. While the governor said he’s not ready to provide public funding for such students, his signature brings the state closer to passing what’s known as the California DREAM Act.

Democratic Assemblyman Mike Davis, from Los Angeles, spoke in support of the DREAM Act.

Education