Adam Echelman
Reporter | CalMattersAdam Echelman covers higher education for CalMatters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics, and a JPR news partner
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Women continue to lag behind men in certain science, technology, engineering and math programs.
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After withholding roughly $900 million from California’s K-12 and adult schools, the U.S. Education Department said Friday that it will release the money starting next week. But schools must agree to certain conditions first.
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President Trump cut AmeriCorps, laying off over 5,600 of California’s public service workers. Because of a lawsuit, the state’s program can restart, at least temporarily, but schools and disaster relief sites are still reeling from staffing shortages.
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2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for legislation aimed at boosting new housing construction. Rental rights bills are facing an “uphill battle.”
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San Diego’s community college district finds itself directly in Trump’s crosshairs: Its “pride centers” were the only items called out by name in the administration’s plan to slash more than $10 billion of federal spending on education.
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Following CalMatters reporting, California’s Republican representatives are calling for the U.S. Department of Education and Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate how California’s community colleges are handling financial aid fraud.
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Federal programs offer financial aid and counseling to low-income and first-generation college students. California was allowed to include students without legal status, which the Trump administration is now ending.
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In 2019, his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the Cradle-to-Career Data System, a new state entity that aims to track students’ progress from preschool through employment. The data system was supposed to release its first public dashboard last spring.
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California’s community colleges are experimenting with a new model, known as competency-based education, but at one school, it’s created a divide between faculty and college administrators.
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In numerous lawsuits, conservative professors and students allege that California’s community colleges are hindering their right to free speech under the First Amendment.
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California voters passed Proposition 3, which enshrines the right to marry into the state’s constitution. While same-sex marriage is already legal, Prop. 3 ensures that LGBTQ+ couples can continue to marry even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns landmark cases.
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This November, California voters will decide on Proposition 2, a $10 billion education bond. Some community colleges are counting on the money to fix critical buildings and protect the safety of students.