With New Reading Standards, Is There Still Room for Play in Calif. Kindergartens?
The new school year is upon us, and there's something new for kindergartners in California: they're going to have to learn how to read at a higher level than they did before. That's because the academic standards known as Common Core are kicking in. How will that affect the state's littlest learners?
Algebra Camp Aims to Boost College Entry for African-American Teens
Doing poorly in high school math doesn't just shut the doors to an engineering career. For many students it's shutting the doors to college itself. We pay a visit to a summer algebra boot camp, where dozens of African-American teens this week finished a six-week algebra program at a church youth center in Los Angeles' Crenshaw neighborhood.
Napa Musicians Take Over the Town for 2015 Porchfest
One year ago, the bucolic Napa Valley was jolted awake by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. One person died in the quake, hundreds were injured and many historic buildings were badly damaged. Napa is still recovering in some ways, but the disaster also showed the town's resilience. A few weeks ago, the best of Napa was on display in their version of what's become a national phenomenon: Porchfest.
Prop. 47 Gives Former Felons a New Chance
Sometimes, California passes a ballot measure that ends up having very little impact. That is decidedly not the case with Proposition 47, which changed many nonviolent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. It also lets former offenders petition the courts to remove past felonies from their records. Voters approved Prop. 47 overwhelmingly, and you could see its impact right away with a lower prison population and, some critics say, a higher crime rate. But there's also been a very personal impact.
Earthquakes, Wildfires and the Drought
An earthquake rattles the Bay Area, there are wildfires up and down the state and now there's news that the Central Valley is sinking faster than was previously thought. It's not all related to the drought -- but much of it is. We catch up with KQED Science Editor Craig Miller.