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"slug": "voter-frustration-with-ousd-on-track-to-unseat-school-board-incumbents",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oakland’s school board could be headed for a major shakeup after last week’s election, with one incumbent conceding defeat, one still trailing, and the third locked in a tight race, according to the latest results. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-unified-school-district\">Oakland Unified School District\u003c/a> Board President Jennifer Brouhard took a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-2\">slim lead\u003c/a> over her challenger Arielle Fleisher after Alameda County updated its ballot returns on Monday night, while Vice President Valarie Bachelor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-6\">trails\u003c/a> Alexandra Williams by about 10 points. Mike Hutchinson, a longtime critic of Brouhard and Bachelor, conceded \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-4\">his reelection bid\u003c/a> on Friday night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of the final results, voters’ strong showing for the newcomers in the races appears to have sent a clear message of dissatisfaction to the city’s school board. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The campaign, putting a spotlight on the challenges that students face and the real failure of this current school board to address them … it feels like that message really, really cut through, and people want better for Oakland students,” Fleisher, a transit policy director and OUSD parent, said last week after initial ballot returns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three of the board’s seven district-based seats were up for election this month. All three incumbents ran reelection campaigns, and each was challenged by a candidate promising a new direction to OUSD amid increasing community concern about board dysfunction.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A number of young people walk and run across a tarmac in the direction of a playground.\" class=\"wp-image-11953771\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students leave lunch for recess at Grass Valley Elementary School in Oakland on April 28, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current body, which took office in January 2025, has elected Brouhard and Bachelor as its president and vice president, respectively, for the past two years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under their leadership, a four-member majority backed by the teachers union has muscled through a series of controversial decisions on razor-thin votes: from agreeing to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037315/oakland-school-board-votes-remove-superintendent-sparking-worries-instability\">separation agreement\u003c/a> with longtime Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell in April 2025 and quietly suspending the search for a permanent replacement, to making financial decisions that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">backfired\u003c/a> and seemed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">undercut the district’s chief financial officer\u003c/a> amid a dire budget shortfall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutchinson has opposed the union-backed majority at nearly every turn. In an interview with KQED this fall, he called them “four directors who have hijacked our district.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was the only incumbent candidate who received an endorsement from Oakland Parents for Quality Education, a political action committee formed ahead of the election to elect candidates “who will put students first” and backed by moderate group Empower Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has spent nearly two years espousing his own concerns with the district’s direction, but it seems that Oaklanders’ dissatisfaction with the board as a whole could have been a detriment to his campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“While there are still ballots to be counted, it appears that we did not win reelection to the school board,” Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday. “Although it is disappointing, it is not entirely unexpected given what we have faced over the last four years. I have often said that if doing the right thing costs me reelection then so be it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that he was proud of his record over the last six years — which includes reversing a controversial school closure plan in 2022 and overseeing the district’s exit from state financial receivership. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Camp, a public policy professional and OUSD mom, recognized Hutchinson for his years of service in a statement on Monday night, all but declaring victory. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While she said votes remain to be counted, “if given the privilege of serving on the school board, I look forward to bringing people together, finding common ground, and putting students first.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oakland parents committee had urged parents to rank both Camp and Hutchinson in District 4 in the ranked-choice election. In District 6, the committee recommended voters rank Williams and another OUSD mom challenging Bachelor, LeAna Powell. In District 2, it endorsed only Fleisher.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Throughout this campaign, we heard from families frustrated by years of instability and dysfunction,” said Trishala Vinnakota, a political consultant for the PAC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I think we are seeing that in these results,” Vinnakota said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Williams, a charter school educator, and Fleisher took up a tough task challenging incumbents backed by the Oakland Education Association, which has historically been a decisive force behind district politics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of the latest county results, Williams maintains about a 10-point lead over Bachelor after Powell is eliminated in the first round of ranked-choice vote tallying. Fleisher, who was ahead in initial ballot returns, fell 340 votes behind Brouhard in Monday night’s update. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To see both perform strongly against the incumbents was “shocking” to Anna Utgoff, who started a \u003ca href=\"https://thedigousd.com/about/\">parent-run newsletter\u003c/a> that reports on OUSD’s bi-weekly board meetings earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Oakland Unified School District Offices in Oakland on April 28, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It is a huge change for parents … to be paying close enough attention to have voted in change candidates who are not the ones recommended by the OEA,” she said, referring to the teachers union.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I do think given that the OEA-backed candidates have had the majority for the last two years at least, parents are starting to wonder if the OEA’s policy is what they want to support,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She pointed to last May, when the board majority gave OUSD’s chief financial officer direction to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">cap contracts with consultants and service providers\u003c/a>, as a “wake-up call” for many parents. The directive was part of a budget plan brought by Brouhard and Bachelor that aimed to “keep cuts away from students” — echoing the union’s common refrain that the district is top-heavy and spends too much on high-level employees and third-party contracts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutchinson and Lisa Grant-Dawson, the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">budget chief at the time\u003c/a>, vehemently opposed the proposal, saying it could have unintended consequences. Still, it was approved, inadvertently capping contracts the school district held with local nonprofits that provide enrichment and after-school care. The cuts were quickly reversed, but they would have led to a reduction of those services by up to 80%, leaving parents scrambling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Utgoff said the messaging “that ‘we’re not cutting services at school sites, we’re not cutting services for students,’ is the reality that parents experience.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said there’s been a similar dissonance in the district’s messaging about its fiscal status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Children running after a soccer ball on a grassy school yard.\" class=\"wp-image-11933623\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A group of boys plays soccer on a grass field at OUSD’s Cesar Chavez campus in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The majority that’s been in charge has been sending this really consistent message of ‘Things are on track, we’ve got it under control’ — and that’s just not what parents feel in their schools,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As recently as the week before the election, the district has received a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080861/oakland-unified-has-no-plan-for-fiscal-solvency-top-alameda-county-schools-chief-warns\">series of warnings\u003c/a> from the Alameda County Office of Education and FCMAT, the financial company tasked with assisting California districts with financial management, about its budget status — all while declaring that the district’s most recent budget is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.ousd.org/communications-public-affairs/newsroom/news/~board/ousd-news/post/oakland-unified-closes-a-decade-of-fiscal-challenges-with-a-positive-third-interim-budget-report\">worth celebrating\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FCMAT cited “significant concerns regarding the reliability of the district’s financial management processes and the information used to support fiscal decision-making,” according to its most recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/PublicationsReports/OUSD%20FHRA%20final%2010.29.2026.pdf\">report\u003c/a>, which lists OUSD’s risk of financial insolvency as high.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review pointed to the district’s 2025-26 budget, which the board approved despite a $30 million hole in June, saying they would identify the necessary cuts later. Earlier in the spring, the board approved a contract agreement with OEA that includes raises of at least 11% to 13% for teachers, to the tune of about $60 million. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In interviews with KQED this fall, both Brouhard and Bachelor said they believed the district was moving in the right financial direction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional ballot returns are expected Friday evening.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland’s school board could be headed for a major shakeup after last week’s election, with one incumbent conceding defeat, one still trailing, and the third locked in a tight race, according to the latest results. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-unified-school-district\">Oakland Unified School District\u003c/a> Board President Jennifer Brouhard took a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-2\">slim lead\u003c/a> over her challenger Arielle Fleisher after Alameda County updated its ballot returns on Monday night, while Vice President Valarie Bachelor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-6\">trails\u003c/a> Alexandra Williams by about 10 points. Mike Hutchinson, a longtime critic of Brouhard and Bachelor, conceded \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-4\">his reelection bid\u003c/a> on Friday night.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-unified-school-district\">Oakland Unified School District\u003c/a> Board President Jennifer Brouhard took a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-2\">slim lead\u003c/a> over her challenger Arielle Fleisher after Alameda County updated its ballot returns on Monday night, while Vice President Valarie Bachelor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-6\">trails\u003c/a> Alexandra Williams by about 10 points. Mike Hutchinson, a longtime critic of Brouhard and Bachelor, conceded \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-4\">his reelection bid\u003c/a> on Friday night.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Regardless of the final results, voters’ strong showing for the newcomers in the races appears to have sent a clear message of dissatisfaction to the city’s school board. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The campaign, putting a spotlight on the challenges that students face and the real failure of this current school board to address them … it feels like that message really, really cut through, and people want better for Oakland students,” Fleisher, a transit policy director and OUSD parent, said last week after initial ballot returns.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The campaign, putting a spotlight on the challenges that students face and the real failure of this current school board to address them … it feels like that message really, really cut through, and people want better for Oakland students,” Fleisher, a transit policy director and OUSD parent, said last week after initial ballot returns.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Three of the board’s seven district-based seats were up for election this month. All three incumbents ran reelection campaigns, and each was challenged by a candidate promising a new direction to OUSD amid increasing community concern about board dysfunction.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Three of the board’s seven district-based seats were up for election this month. All three incumbents ran reelection campaigns, and each was challenged by a candidate promising a new direction to OUSD amid increasing community concern about board dysfunction.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A number of young people walk and run across a tarmac in the direction of a playground.\" class=\"wp-image-11953771\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students leave lunch for recess at Grass Valley Elementary School in Oakland on April 28, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A number of young people walk and run across a tarmac in the direction of a playground.\" class=\"wp-image-11953771\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students leave lunch for recess at Grass Valley Elementary School in Oakland on April 28, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The current body, which took office in January 2025, has elected Brouhard and Bachelor as its president and vice president, respectively, for the past two years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The current body, which took office in January 2025, has elected Brouhard and Bachelor as its president and vice president, respectively, for the past two years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under their leadership, a four-member majority backed by the teachers union has muscled through a series of controversial decisions on razor-thin votes: from agreeing to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037315/oakland-school-board-votes-remove-superintendent-sparking-worries-instability\">separation agreement\u003c/a> with longtime Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell in April 2025 and quietly suspending the search for a permanent replacement, to making financial decisions that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">backfired\u003c/a> and seemed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">undercut the district’s chief financial officer\u003c/a> amid a dire budget shortfall.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under their leadership, a four-member majority backed by the teachers union has muscled through a series of controversial decisions on razor-thin votes: from agreeing to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037315/oakland-school-board-votes-remove-superintendent-sparking-worries-instability\">separation agreement\u003c/a> with longtime Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell in April 2025 and quietly suspending the search for a permanent replacement, to making financial decisions that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">backfired\u003c/a> and seemed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">undercut the district’s chief financial officer\u003c/a> amid a dire budget shortfall.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hutchinson has opposed the union-backed majority at nearly every turn. In an interview with KQED this fall, he called them “four directors who have hijacked our district.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He was the only incumbent candidate who received an endorsement from Oakland Parents for Quality Education, a political action committee formed ahead of the election to elect candidates “who will put students first” and backed by moderate group Empower Oakland. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He was the only incumbent candidate who received an endorsement from Oakland Parents for Quality Education, a political action committee formed ahead of the election to elect candidates “who will put students first” and backed by moderate group Empower Oakland. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He has spent nearly two years espousing his own concerns with the district’s direction, but it seems that Oaklanders’ dissatisfaction with the board as a whole could have been a detriment to his campaign.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He has spent nearly two years espousing his own concerns with the district’s direction, but it seems that Oaklanders’ dissatisfaction with the board as a whole could have been a detriment to his campaign.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“While there are still ballots to be counted, it appears that we did not win reelection to the school board,” Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday. “Although it is disappointing, it is not entirely unexpected given what we have faced over the last four years. I have often said that if doing the right thing costs me reelection then so be it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“While there are still ballots to be counted, it appears that we did not win reelection to the school board,” Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday. “Although it is disappointing, it is not entirely unexpected given what we have faced over the last four years. I have often said that if doing the right thing costs me reelection then so be it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said that he was proud of his record over the last six years — which includes reversing a controversial school closure plan in 2022 and overseeing the district’s exit from state financial receivership. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He said that he was proud of his record over the last six years — which includes reversing a controversial school closure plan in 2022 and overseeing the district’s exit from state financial receivership. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Camp, a public policy professional and OUSD mom, recognized Hutchinson for his years of service in a statement on Monday night, all but declaring victory. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Camp, a public policy professional and OUSD mom, recognized Hutchinson for his years of service in a statement on Monday night, all but declaring victory. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While she said votes remain to be counted, “if given the privilege of serving on the school board, I look forward to bringing people together, finding common ground, and putting students first.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While she said votes remain to be counted, “if given the privilege of serving on the school board, I look forward to bringing people together, finding common ground, and putting students first.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Oakland parents committee had urged parents to rank both Camp and Hutchinson in District 4 in the ranked-choice election. In District 6, the committee recommended voters rank Williams and another OUSD mom challenging Bachelor, LeAna Powell. In District 2, it endorsed only Fleisher.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Oakland parents committee had urged parents to rank both Camp and Hutchinson in District 4 in the ranked-choice election. In District 6, the committee recommended voters rank Williams and another OUSD mom challenging Bachelor, LeAna Powell. In District 2, it endorsed only Fleisher.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Throughout this campaign, we heard from families frustrated by years of instability and dysfunction,” said Trishala Vinnakota, a political consultant for the PAC.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think we are seeing that in these results,” Vinnakota said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both Williams, a charter school educator, and Fleisher took up a tough task challenging incumbents backed by the Oakland Education Association, which has historically been a decisive force behind district politics.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Both Williams, a charter school educator, and Fleisher took up a tough task challenging incumbents backed by the Oakland Education Association, which has historically been a decisive force behind district politics.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As of the latest county results, Williams maintains about a 10-point lead over Bachelor after Powell is eliminated in the first round of ranked-choice vote tallying. Fleisher, who was ahead in initial ballot returns, fell 340 votes behind Brouhard in Monday night’s update. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As of the latest county results, Williams maintains about a 10-point lead over Bachelor after Powell is eliminated in the first round of ranked-choice vote tallying. Fleisher, who was ahead in initial ballot returns, fell 340 votes behind Brouhard in Monday night’s update. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To see both perform strongly against the incumbents was “shocking” to Anna Utgoff, who started a \u003ca href=\"https://thedigousd.com/about/\">parent-run newsletter\u003c/a> that reports on OUSD’s bi-weekly board meetings earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To see both perform strongly against the incumbents was “shocking” to Anna Utgoff, who started a \u003ca href=\"https://thedigousd.com/about/\">parent-run newsletter\u003c/a> that reports on OUSD’s bi-weekly board meetings earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Oakland Unified School District Offices in Oakland on April 28, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043210\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Oakland Unified School District Offices in Oakland on April 28, 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is a huge change for parents … to be paying close enough attention to have voted in change candidates who are not the ones recommended by the OEA,” she said, referring to the teachers union.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It is a huge change for parents … to be paying close enough attention to have voted in change candidates who are not the ones recommended by the OEA,” she said, referring to the teachers union.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I do think given that the OEA-backed candidates have had the majority for the last two years at least, parents are starting to wonder if the OEA’s policy is what they want to support,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I do think given that the OEA-backed candidates have had the majority for the last two years at least, parents are starting to wonder if the OEA’s policy is what they want to support,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She pointed to last May, when the board majority gave OUSD’s chief financial officer direction to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">cap contracts with consultants and service providers\u003c/a>, as a “wake-up call” for many parents. The directive was part of a budget plan brought by Brouhard and Bachelor that aimed to “keep cuts away from students” — echoing the union’s common refrain that the district is top-heavy and spends too much on high-level employees and third-party contracts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She pointed to last May, when the board majority gave OUSD’s chief financial officer direction to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">cap contracts with consultants and service providers\u003c/a>, as a “wake-up call” for many parents. The directive was part of a budget plan brought by Brouhard and Bachelor that aimed to “keep cuts away from students” — echoing the union’s common refrain that the district is top-heavy and spends too much on high-level employees and third-party contracts. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hutchinson and Lisa Grant-Dawson, the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">budget chief at the time\u003c/a>, vehemently opposed the proposal, saying it could have unintended consequences. Still, it was approved, inadvertently capping contracts the school district held with local nonprofits that provide enrichment and after-school care. The cuts were quickly reversed, but they would have led to a reduction of those services by up to 80%, leaving parents scrambling. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hutchinson and Lisa Grant-Dawson, the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">budget chief at the time\u003c/a>, vehemently opposed the proposal, saying it could have unintended consequences. Still, it was approved, inadvertently capping contracts the school district held with local nonprofits that provide enrichment and after-school care. The cuts were quickly reversed, but they would have led to a reduction of those services by up to 80%, leaving parents scrambling. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Utgoff said the messaging “that ‘we’re not cutting services at school sites, we’re not cutting services for students,’ is the reality that parents experience.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Utgoff said the messaging “that ‘we’re not cutting services at school sites, we’re not cutting services for students,’ is the reality that parents experience.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said there’s been a similar dissonance in the district’s messaging about its fiscal status.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said there’s been a similar dissonance in the district’s messaging about its fiscal status.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Children running after a soccer ball on a grassy school yard.\" class=\"wp-image-11933623\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A group of boys plays soccer on a grass field at OUSD’s Cesar Chavez campus in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Children running after a soccer ball on a grassy school yard.\" class=\"wp-image-11933623\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A group of boys plays soccer on a grass field at OUSD’s Cesar Chavez campus in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The majority that’s been in charge has been sending this really consistent message of ‘Things are on track, we’ve got it under control’ — and that’s just not what parents feel in their schools,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The majority that’s been in charge has been sending this really consistent message of ‘Things are on track, we’ve got it under control’ — and that’s just not what parents feel in their schools,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As recently as the week before the election, the district has received a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080861/oakland-unified-has-no-plan-for-fiscal-solvency-top-alameda-county-schools-chief-warns\">series of warnings\u003c/a> from the Alameda County Office of Education and FCMAT, the financial company tasked with assisting California districts with financial management, about its budget status — all while declaring that the district’s most recent budget is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.ousd.org/communications-public-affairs/newsroom/news/~board/ousd-news/post/oakland-unified-closes-a-decade-of-fiscal-challenges-with-a-positive-third-interim-budget-report\">worth celebrating\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As recently as the week before the election, the district has received a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080861/oakland-unified-has-no-plan-for-fiscal-solvency-top-alameda-county-schools-chief-warns\">series of warnings\u003c/a> from the Alameda County Office of Education and FCMAT, the financial company tasked with assisting California districts with financial management, about its budget status — all while declaring that the district’s most recent budget is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.ousd.org/communications-public-affairs/newsroom/news/~board/ousd-news/post/oakland-unified-closes-a-decade-of-fiscal-challenges-with-a-positive-third-interim-budget-report\">worth celebrating\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>FCMAT cited “significant concerns regarding the reliability of the district’s financial management processes and the information used to support fiscal decision-making,” according to its most recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/PublicationsReports/OUSD%20FHRA%20final%2010.29.2026.pdf\">report\u003c/a>, which lists OUSD’s risk of financial insolvency as high.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>FCMAT cited “significant concerns regarding the reliability of the district’s financial management processes and the information used to support fiscal decision-making,” according to its most recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/PublicationsReports/OUSD%20FHRA%20final%2010.29.2026.pdf\">report\u003c/a>, which lists OUSD’s risk of financial insolvency as high.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The review pointed to the district’s 2025-26 budget, which the board approved despite a $30 million hole in June, saying they would identify the necessary cuts later. Earlier in the spring, the board approved a contract agreement with OEA that includes raises of at least 11% to 13% for teachers, to the tune of about $60 million. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The review pointed to the district’s 2025-26 budget, which the board approved despite a $30 million hole in June, saying they would identify the necessary cuts later. Earlier in the spring, the board approved a contract agreement with OEA that includes raises of at least 11% to 13% for teachers, to the tune of about $60 million. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In interviews with KQED this fall, both Brouhard and Bachelor said they believed the district was moving in the right financial direction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In interviews with KQED this fall, both Brouhard and Bachelor said they believed the district was moving in the right financial direction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Additional ballot returns are expected Friday evening.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Newcomers are leading two Oakland school board races, with a third neck-and-neck, after a campaign focused on addressing years of instability and dysfunction in the district.",
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"title": "Voter Frustration With OUSD on Track to Unseat School Board Incumbents | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oakland’s school board could be headed for a major shakeup after last week’s election, with one incumbent conceding defeat, one still trailing, and the third locked in a tight race, according to the latest results. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-unified-school-district\">Oakland Unified School District\u003c/a> Board President Jennifer Brouhard took a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-2\">slim lead\u003c/a> over her challenger Arielle Fleisher after Alameda County updated its ballot returns on Monday night, while Vice President Valarie Bachelor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-6\">trails\u003c/a> Alexandra Williams by about 10 points. Mike Hutchinson, a longtime critic of Brouhard and Bachelor, conceded \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/school#oakland-unified-school-district-board-of-education-district-4\">his reelection bid\u003c/a> on Friday night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of the final results, voters’ strong showing for the newcomers in the races appears to have sent a clear message of dissatisfaction to the city’s school board. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The campaign, putting a spotlight on the challenges that students face and the real failure of this current school board to address them … it feels like that message really, really cut through, and people want better for Oakland students,” Fleisher, a transit policy director and OUSD parent, said last week after initial ballot returns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three of the board’s seven district-based seats were up for election this month. All three incumbents ran reelection campaigns, and each was challenged by a candidate promising a new direction to OUSD amid increasing community concern about board dysfunction.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A number of young people walk and run across a tarmac in the direction of a playground.\" class=\"wp-image-11953771\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/RS55638_011_KQED_GrassValleyElementarySchoolOakland_04282022-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students leave lunch for recess at Grass Valley Elementary School in Oakland on April 28, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current body, which took office in January 2025, has elected Brouhard and Bachelor as its president and vice president, respectively, for the past two years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under their leadership, a four-member majority backed by the teachers union has muscled through a series of controversial decisions on razor-thin votes: from agreeing to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12037315/oakland-school-board-votes-remove-superintendent-sparking-worries-instability\">separation agreement\u003c/a> with longtime Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell in April 2025 and quietly suspending the search for a permanent replacement, to making financial decisions that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">backfired\u003c/a> and seemed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">undercut the district’s chief financial officer\u003c/a> amid a dire budget shortfall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutchinson has opposed the union-backed majority at nearly every turn. In an interview with KQED this fall, he called them “four directors who have hijacked our district.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was the only incumbent candidate who received an endorsement from Oakland Parents for Quality Education, a political action committee formed ahead of the election to elect candidates “who will put students first” and backed by moderate group Empower Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has spent nearly two years espousing his own concerns with the district’s direction, but it seems that Oaklanders’ dissatisfaction with the board as a whole could have been a detriment to his campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“While there are still ballots to be counted, it appears that we did not win reelection to the school board,” Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday. “Although it is disappointing, it is not entirely unexpected given what we have faced over the last four years. I have often said that if doing the right thing costs me reelection then so be it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said that he was proud of his record over the last six years — which includes reversing a controversial school closure plan in 2022 and overseeing the district’s exit from state financial receivership. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Camp, a public policy professional and OUSD mom, recognized Hutchinson for his years of service in a statement on Monday night, all but declaring victory. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While she said votes remain to be counted, “if given the privilege of serving on the school board, I look forward to bringing people together, finding common ground, and putting students first.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oakland parents committee had urged parents to rank both Camp and Hutchinson in District 4 in the ranked-choice election. In District 6, the committee recommended voters rank Williams and another OUSD mom challenging Bachelor, LeAna Powell. In District 2, it endorsed only Fleisher.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Throughout this campaign, we heard from families frustrated by years of instability and dysfunction,” said Trishala Vinnakota, a political consultant for the PAC.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I think we are seeing that in these results,” Vinnakota said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Williams, a charter school educator, and Fleisher took up a tough task challenging incumbents backed by the Oakland Education Association, which has historically been a decisive force behind district politics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of the latest county results, Williams maintains about a 10-point lead over Bachelor after Powell is eliminated in the first round of ranked-choice vote tallying. Fleisher, who was ahead in initial ballot returns, fell 340 votes behind Brouhard in Monday night’s update. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To see both perform strongly against the incumbents was “shocking” to Anna Utgoff, who started a \u003ca href=\"https://thedigousd.com/about/\">parent-run newsletter\u003c/a> that reports on OUSD’s bi-weekly board meetings earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250428-OUSD-OFFICE-FILE-MD-04_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Oakland Unified School District Offices in Oakland on April 28, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It is a huge change for parents … to be paying close enough attention to have voted in change candidates who are not the ones recommended by the OEA,” she said, referring to the teachers union.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I do think given that the OEA-backed candidates have had the majority for the last two years at least, parents are starting to wonder if the OEA’s policy is what they want to support,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She pointed to last May, when the board majority gave OUSD’s chief financial officer direction to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040189/ousd-after-school-programs-could-be-cut-by-at-least-50\">cap contracts with consultants and service providers\u003c/a>, as a “wake-up call” for many parents. The directive was part of a budget plan brought by Brouhard and Bachelor that aimed to “keep cuts away from students” — echoing the union’s common refrain that the district is top-heavy and spends too much on high-level employees and third-party contracts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hutchinson and Lisa Grant-Dawson, the district’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067547/oakland-schools-in-turmoil-after-two-key-officials-depart-over-budget-crisis\">budget chief at the time\u003c/a>, vehemently opposed the proposal, saying it could have unintended consequences. Still, it was approved, inadvertently capping contracts the school district held with local nonprofits that provide enrichment and after-school care. The cuts were quickly reversed, but they would have led to a reduction of those services by up to 80%, leaving parents scrambling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Utgoff said the messaging “that ‘we’re not cutting services at school sites, we’re not cutting services for students,’ is the reality that parents experience.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said there’s been a similar dissonance in the district’s messaging about its fiscal status.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Children running after a soccer ball on a grassy school yard.\" class=\"wp-image-11933623\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59518_016_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A group of boys plays soccer on a grass field at OUSD’s Cesar Chavez campus in Oakland on Oct. 20, 2022. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The majority that’s been in charge has been sending this really consistent message of ‘Things are on track, we’ve got it under control’ — and that’s just not what parents feel in their schools,” Utgoff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As recently as the week before the election, the district has received a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080861/oakland-unified-has-no-plan-for-fiscal-solvency-top-alameda-county-schools-chief-warns\">series of warnings\u003c/a> from the Alameda County Office of Education and FCMAT, the financial company tasked with assisting California districts with financial management, about its budget status — all while declaring that the district’s most recent budget is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.ousd.org/communications-public-affairs/newsroom/news/~board/ousd-news/post/oakland-unified-closes-a-decade-of-fiscal-challenges-with-a-positive-third-interim-budget-report\">worth celebrating\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FCMAT cited “significant concerns regarding the reliability of the district’s financial management processes and the information used to support fiscal decision-making,” according to its most recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcmat.org/PublicationsReports/OUSD%20FHRA%20final%2010.29.2026.pdf\">report\u003c/a>, which lists OUSD’s risk of financial insolvency as high.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review pointed to the district’s 2025-26 budget, which the board approved despite a $30 million hole in June, saying they would identify the necessary cuts later. Earlier in the spring, the board approved a contract agreement with OEA that includes raises of at least 11% to 13% for teachers, to the tune of about $60 million. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In interviews with KQED this fall, both Brouhard and Bachelor said they believed the district was moving in the right financial direction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional ballot returns are expected Friday evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "judge-orders-release-of-uc-berkeley-student-from-ice-custody-after-sfo-arrest",
"title": "Judge Orders Release of UC Berkeley Student From ICE Custody After SFO Arrest",
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"headTitle": "Judge Orders Release of UC Berkeley Student From ICE Custody After SFO Arrest | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paula Albornoz Hernandez, a 23-year-old UC Berkeley student whose \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107902/ice-detains-23-year-old-uc-berkeley-student-at-san-francisco-international-airport\">arrest\u003c/a> by federal immigration agents at San Francisco International Airport caused an outcry on campus and from lawmakers, will be released Monday after more than a week in custody, according to court records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignright size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"582\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107928\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e.jpg 437w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paula Albornoz Hernandez, a 23-year-old Colombian asylum seeker and UC Berkeley business administration major, was detained by ICE at SFO on Friday. (Courtesy of Nikolas De Bremaeker)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her attorney, Nikolas De Bremaeker, confirmed to KQED that Albornoz Hernandez will be released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-city\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in the Mojave Desert later Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">De Bremaeker said her boyfriend is already on the way to pick her up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“She was incredibly happy to see the news and to hear about the news that the federal judge had ordered her released. … Her family is incredibly happy that she’ll be home,” the attorney said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Albornoz Hernandez had escaped gender-based violence in Colombia, where she was born, and applied for asylum after entering the U.S. in 2022, De Bremaeker said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had been complying with all of her paperwork and hearings when she was detained at SFO while trying to travel to Portland with her boyfriend, her attorney said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was then transported to the remote ICE facility, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083908/6-people-have-died-in-california-ice-detention-centers-as-trump-deportations-soared\">recent investigations\u003c/a> have uncovered “inhumane” conditions and “crisis-level” medical staffing shortages. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That detention center needs to be closed,” De Bremaeker said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her legal team argued that the sudden arrest violated her rights to due process guaranteed in the Constitution, and challenged the legality of her detention.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to KQED last week, the Department of Homeland Security said work authorization or a pending asylum application — both of which Albornoz Hernandez has — does “NOT confer legal status in the United States.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency added that detention is “a choice,” since immigrants have the ability to “self-deport.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ultimately sided with Albornoz Hernandez, noting that ICE also failed to provide a “constitutionally compliant pre-deprivation bond hearing,” according to the court filing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coggins ordered Albornoz Hernandez released immediately, without additional restrictions like ankle monitors, and all of her possessions, including her passport, returned. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Judges have been overwhelmingly finding these arrests by ICE to be unlawful and in violation of the Constitution,” De Bremaeker said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the days after her detention, Albornoz Hernandez’s friends, family and school community rallied around her. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/300-students-protest-demand-release-of-uc-berkeley-student-detained-by-ice/article_98557673-862e-4a54-8b3c-a66efdeffb13.html\">\u003cem>The Daily Californian\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported that nearly 300 students flooded into the campus’s Sproul Plaza last Wednesday to call for her release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a campuswide email shared on Friday, the university said that it had “mounted a significant advocacy effort for Paula” and that approximately 30 letters of support were submitted by community leaders — including U.S. Reps. Lateefah Simon and Sam Liccardo, state Sen. Jesse Arreguín, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“All the support definitely had an impact,” De Bremaeker said. It “really showed that Paula had very strong ties to the community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday afternoon, Simon said that she was heartened to hear the news of Albornoz Hernandez’s release, and that her team would continue working to support her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“All students deserve safety, care, and the ability to learn without fear of violence,” Simon said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement on Monday, UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said the school was relieved and overjoyed to have learned of Albornoz Hernandez’s release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This is a moment to remember what’s possible when our community comes together to support one of our own,” Lyons said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’s\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/tgoldberg\">\u003cem>Ted Goldberg\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107928\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e.jpg 437w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paula Albornoz Hernandez, a 23-year-old Colombian asylum seeker and UC Berkeley business administration major, was detained by ICE at SFO on Friday.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Nikolas De Bremaeker)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ultimately sided with Albornoz Hernandez, noting that ICE also failed to provide a “constitutionally compliant pre-deprivation bond hearing,” according to the court filing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement on Monday, UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said the school was relieved and overjoyed to have learned of Albornoz Hernandez’s release. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paula Albornoz Hernandez, a 23-year-old UC Berkeley student whose \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12107902/ice-detains-23-year-old-uc-berkeley-student-at-san-francisco-international-airport\">arrest\u003c/a> by federal immigration agents at San Francisco International Airport caused an outcry on campus and from lawmakers, will be released Monday after more than a week in custody, according to court records. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignright size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"437\" height=\"582\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12107928\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e.jpg 437w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/261103-UC-Berkeley-Student-01-KQED-48dc607e-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paula Albornoz Hernandez, a 23-year-old Colombian asylum seeker and UC Berkeley business administration major, was detained by ICE at SFO on Friday. (Courtesy of Nikolas De Bremaeker)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her attorney, Nikolas De Bremaeker, confirmed to KQED that Albornoz Hernandez will be released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-city\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in the Mojave Desert later Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">De Bremaeker said her boyfriend is already on the way to pick her up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“She was incredibly happy to see the news and to hear about the news that the federal judge had ordered her released. … Her family is incredibly happy that she’ll be home,” the attorney said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Albornoz Hernandez had escaped gender-based violence in Colombia, where she was born, and applied for asylum after entering the U.S. in 2022, De Bremaeker said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had been complying with all of her paperwork and hearings when she was detained at SFO while trying to travel to Portland with her boyfriend, her attorney said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was then transported to the remote ICE facility, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083908/6-people-have-died-in-california-ice-detention-centers-as-trump-deportations-soared\">recent investigations\u003c/a> have uncovered “inhumane” conditions and “crisis-level” medical staffing shortages. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“That detention center needs to be closed,” De Bremaeker said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her legal team argued that the sudden arrest violated her rights to due process guaranteed in the Constitution, and challenged the legality of her detention.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to KQED last week, the Department of Homeland Security said work authorization or a pending asylum application — both of which Albornoz Hernandez has — does “NOT confer legal status in the United States.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency added that detention is “a choice,” since immigrants have the ability to “self-deport.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ultimately sided with Albornoz Hernandez, noting that ICE also failed to provide a “constitutionally compliant pre-deprivation bond hearing,” according to the court filing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coggins ordered Albornoz Hernandez released immediately, without additional restrictions like ankle monitors, and all of her possessions, including her passport, returned. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Judges have been overwhelmingly finding these arrests by ICE to be unlawful and in violation of the Constitution,” De Bremaeker said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the days after her detention, Albornoz Hernandez’s friends, family and school community rallied around her. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/300-students-protest-demand-release-of-uc-berkeley-student-detained-by-ice/article_98557673-862e-4a54-8b3c-a66efdeffb13.html\">\u003cem>The Daily Californian\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported that nearly 300 students flooded into the campus’s Sproul Plaza last Wednesday to call for her release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a campuswide email shared on Friday, the university said that it had “mounted a significant advocacy effort for Paula” and that approximately 30 letters of support were submitted by community leaders — including U.S. Reps. Lateefah Simon and Sam Liccardo, state Sen. Jesse Arreguín, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“All the support definitely had an impact,” De Bremaeker said. It “really showed that Paula had very strong ties to the community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday afternoon, Simon said that she was heartened to hear the news of Albornoz Hernandez’s release, and that her team would continue working to support her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“All students deserve safety, care, and the ability to learn without fear of violence,” Simon said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement on Monday, UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said the school was relieved and overjoyed to have learned of Albornoz Hernandez’s release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This is a moment to remember what’s possible when our community comes together to support one of our own,” Lyons said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’s\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/tgoldberg\">\u003cem>Ted Goldberg\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most adults, the election buzz is long over. But for teenagers in a few East Bay cities, the life-long thrill of voting has just begun. In Albany, 16 and 17 year olds voted in public elections for the first time, following a growing movement to expand youth’s right to vote in local elections. Today, The Bay follows a group of trailblazing teenagers who rallied to get out the vote among their peers, and are now reflecting on their new role in democracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco school board president Phil Kim and newcomers Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/school\">won three open school board seats\u003c/a>, shutting out candidates backed by the teachers’ union for the first time in more than a decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A field of eight candidates was vying for three spots on the board, which will be tasked with a series of tough and consequential decisions related to the district’s enrollment system and school portfolio during their term.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim’s reelection was called shortly after polls closed Tuesday night, while the other two seats remained up in the air until Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were snagged by Tung, a public finance analyst, and Autumn Brown Garibay, a parent in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>, who are neck and neck with around 15.5% of the vote as of Friday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095566\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Unified School District superintendent, Dr. Maria Su, speaks during Jose Ortega Elementary School’s first morning circle of the school year on August 17, 2026, in San Francisco. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All three were endorsed by moderate political group GrowSF, which has been a major player in recent city elections, and the San Francisco Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The educators union’s slate of endorsed candidates — Virginia Cheung, Ryan Hazelton and Reina Tello — trailed behind the three front-runners, in that order. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim prevailed despite recent discontent from some of his backers after he voted for Superintendent Maria Su’s recommended plan to replace the district’s lottery for elementary school assignments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents had overwhelmingly pushed for an enrollment system that would give families more choice to enroll in district-wide schools, but Kim voted with the board majority to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104230/sfusd-moves-closer-to-neighborhood-based-enrollment-in-historic-vote\">pass Su’s alternative proposal\u003c/a> that will place students in a neighborhood school, with the option to apply to a small number of other campuses with special city-wide programs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement on Tuesday night, Kim said he was focused on the “next chapter” for SFUSD, acknowledging the district’s struggles with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095382/as-sfusd-welcomes-back-students-officials-plan-to-revamp-enrollment-consider-closures\">declining enrollment and limited resources\u003c/a>: “That means making difficult decisions about school consolidation and ensuring our schools are fully enrolled, adequately funded and positioned to thrive,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result deals a blow to the union’s long-standing dominance over the school board’s elections. Since 2016, just two UESF-endorsed candidates have lost their races — one in 2018 and one in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tung told KQED he was “feeling really good” shortly after polls closed Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Throughout this entire journey on the campaign trail, the people I’ve talked to have really appreciated my views, and it’s been really enlightening being able to understand from the community what’s important to them,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hopefully being elected and then also being able to move the district forward in a responsible way.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12036911\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SF Parent Action, the political arm of nonprofit group SF Parents, endorsed two of the three GrowSF-backed winners: Kim and Brown Garibay, who said shortly after the latest vote returns on Friday that she felt “grateful and really excited that San Francisco showed that they are putting their trust in me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s clear voters are paying attention to the progress the district has made, and what San Francisco wants to continue to see from its schools: a focus on student learning, raising the bar, closing the gap,” SF Parents executive director Rebecca Kee said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the slates backed by GrowSF and the teachers union, incumbent Alida Fisher and small business owner Laurance Lee rounded out the bottom of the pack.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kee said more informed voters see Fisher, the third candidate SF Parent Action endorsed, as “part of that focus” on academic progress, but added that she lacked the institutional support the other candidates amassed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095566\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Unified School District superintendent, Dr. Maria Su, speaks during Jose Ortega Elementary School’s first morning circle of the school year on August 17, 2026, in San Francisco.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All three were endorsed by moderate political group GrowSF, which has been a major player in recent city elections, and the San Francisco Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Parents had overwhelmingly pushed for an enrollment system that would give families more choice to enroll in district-wide schools, but Kim voted with the board majority to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104230/sfusd-moves-closer-to-neighborhood-based-enrollment-in-historic-vote\">pass Su’s alternative proposal\u003c/a> that will place students in a neighborhood school, with the option to apply to a small number of other campuses with special city-wide programs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement on Tuesday night, Kim said he was focused on the “next chapter” for SFUSD, acknowledging the district’s struggles with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095382/as-sfusd-welcomes-back-students-officials-plan-to-revamp-enrollment-consider-closures\">declining enrollment and limited resources\u003c/a>: “That means making difficult decisions about school consolidation and ensuring our schools are fully enrolled, adequately funded and positioned to thrive,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The result deals a blow to the union’s long-standing dominance over the school board’s elections. Since 2016, just two UESF-endorsed candidates have lost their races — one in 2018 and one in 2024. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The result deals a blow to the union’s long-standing dominance over the school board’s elections. Since 2016, just two UESF-endorsed candidates have lost their races — one in 2018 and one in 2024. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Throughout this entire journey on the campaign trail, the people I’ve talked to have really appreciated my views, and it’s been really enlightening being able to understand from the community what’s important to them,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hopefully being elected and then also being able to move the district forward in a responsible way.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Throughout this entire journey on the campaign trail, the people I’ve talked to have really appreciated my views, and it’s been really enlightening being able to understand from the community what’s important to them,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hopefully being elected and then also being able to move the district forward in a responsible way.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s clear voters are paying attention to the progress the district has made, and what San Francisco wants to continue to see from its schools: a focus on student learning, raising the bar, closing the gap,” SF Parents executive director Rebecca Kee said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s clear voters are paying attention to the progress the district has made, and what San Francisco wants to continue to see from its schools: a focus on student learning, raising the bar, closing the gap,” SF Parents executive director Rebecca Kee said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Following the slates backed by GrowSF and the teachers union, incumbent Alida Fisher and small business owner Laurance Lee rounded out the bottom of the pack.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kee said more informed voters see Fisher, the third candidate SF Parent Action endorsed, as “part of that focus” on academic progress, but added that she lacked the institutional support the other candidates amassed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Candidates backed by moderate political group GrowSF won three seats. For the first time in over a decade, no union-backed candidate will win election.",
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"title": "SF Teachers Union Suffers a Shutout Loss in School Board Election | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco school board president Phil Kim and newcomers Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/sanfrancisco/school\">won three open school board seats\u003c/a>, shutting out candidates backed by the teachers’ union for the first time in more than a decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A field of eight candidates was vying for three spots on the board, which will be tasked with a series of tough and consequential decisions related to the district’s enrollment system and school portfolio during their term.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim’s reelection was called shortly after polls closed Tuesday night, while the other two seats remained up in the air until Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were snagged by Tung, a public finance analyst, and Autumn Brown Garibay, a parent in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a>, who are neck and neck with around 15.5% of the vote as of Friday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095566\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/081726-SFUSDFIRSTDAY-14-MC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Unified School District superintendent, Dr. Maria Su, speaks during Jose Ortega Elementary School’s first morning circle of the school year on August 17, 2026, in San Francisco. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All three were endorsed by moderate political group GrowSF, which has been a major player in recent city elections, and the San Francisco Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The educators union’s slate of endorsed candidates — Virginia Cheung, Ryan Hazelton and Reina Tello — trailed behind the three front-runners, in that order. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim prevailed despite recent discontent from some of his backers after he voted for Superintendent Maria Su’s recommended plan to replace the district’s lottery for elementary school assignments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents had overwhelmingly pushed for an enrollment system that would give families more choice to enroll in district-wide schools, but Kim voted with the board majority to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12104230/sfusd-moves-closer-to-neighborhood-based-enrollment-in-historic-vote\">pass Su’s alternative proposal\u003c/a> that will place students in a neighborhood school, with the option to apply to a small number of other campuses with special city-wide programs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement on Tuesday night, Kim said he was focused on the “next chapter” for SFUSD, acknowledging the district’s struggles with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095382/as-sfusd-welcomes-back-students-officials-plan-to-revamp-enrollment-consider-closures\">declining enrollment and limited resources\u003c/a>: “That means making difficult decisions about school consolidation and ensuring our schools are fully enrolled, adequately funded and positioned to thrive,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result deals a blow to the union’s long-standing dominance over the school board’s elections. Since 2016, just two UESF-endorsed candidates have lost their races — one in 2018 and one in 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tung told KQED he was “feeling really good” shortly after polls closed Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Throughout this entire journey on the campaign trail, the people I’ve talked to have really appreciated my views, and it’s been really enlightening being able to understand from the community what’s important to them,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hopefully being elected and then also being able to move the district forward in a responsible way.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12036911\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250418-SFUSD-06-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The San Francisco Unified School District Administrative Offices in San Francisco on April 18, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SF Parent Action, the political arm of nonprofit group SF Parents, endorsed two of the three GrowSF-backed winners: Kim and Brown Garibay, who said shortly after the latest vote returns on Friday that she felt “grateful and really excited that San Francisco showed that they are putting their trust in me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s clear voters are paying attention to the progress the district has made, and what San Francisco wants to continue to see from its schools: a focus on student learning, raising the bar, closing the gap,” SF Parents executive director Rebecca Kee said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the slates backed by GrowSF and the teachers union, incumbent Alida Fisher and small business owner Laurance Lee rounded out the bottom of the pack.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kee said more informed voters see Fisher, the third candidate SF Parent Action endorsed, as “part of that focus” on academic progress, but added that she lacked the institutional support the other candidates amassed. \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "el-cerrito-high-school-football-team-coach-suspended-amid-criminal-hazing-investigation",
"title": "El Cerrito High School Football Team, Coach Suspended Amid Criminal Hazing Investigation",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\">East Bay school district\u003c/a> said on Thursday that the El Cerrito High School football program was suspended after a police investigation into allegations of hazing, sexual battery and bullying involving 22 former or current student-athletes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The El Cerrito Police Department said it launched an investigation on Oct. 2 after a mandated reporter alleged students were bullying and hazing other football players. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The police probe has so far identified nearly two dozen individuals suspected of battery, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, dissuading a victim, conspiracy or stalking that allegedly occurred between September 2024 and October 2026. The department expects to make “multiple arrests” as the investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/20261105_114441-25e818a1-scaled-e1793913283300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108614\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The El Cerrito High School Stadium on Nov. 5, 2026. (Samantha Kennedy/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“No child should ever experience what our students have described,” West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a statement. “We must now make the very tough call to immediately suspend the El Cerrito High football program in order to prevent any further harm and restore a safe learning environment for our students.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation uncovered video footage that “corroborated the victims’ accounts and provided additional evidence substantiating the reported conduct,” the department said. Police said they would not release additional details at this time to protect the privacy of juvenile victims, witnesses and suspects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of its own ongoing Title IX investigation conducted by an unnamed third party, WCCUSD placed the team’s head coach, Tim Johnson, on leave, according to the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stacy Wayne, principal of El Cerrito High, told parents in an Oct. 7 message that there were altercations on campus involving adult relatives of students, which prompted a report that one of the adults may have a firearm, placing the school on lockdown. No firearm was recovered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wayne added in a separate message that the incident was related to the hazing allegations and “student misconduct” by some football team members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students, staff, and community, the decision has been made to forfeit the junior varsity and varsity football games scheduled for tomorrow,” Wayne said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The district is providing “supportive resources” for all impacted students and plans to implement “anti-hazing education and bystander education across classrooms,” officials said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“First and foremost, we must care for our students’ wellbeing,” WCCUSD Board President Guadalupe Enllana said in a statement. “As a Board and a district, we are committed to making sure that our students have the guidance and safe learning environments that they need in order to learn, grow, and thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team won its first-ever state championship in 2025. ECHS’s 2024 football season, however, was \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2024/10/25/wccusd-investigates-alleged-ringers-on-el-cerrito-football-team-forcing-gauchos-to-forfeit-6-games-and-prompting-student-walkout/\">marked by controversy\u003c/a> surrounding ineligible players and a student walkout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/antioch-football-hazing-restorative-circle-21183017.php\">another\u003c/a> Contra Costa County high school football team in Antioch faced scrutiny for hazing when a group of Antioch High School players was caught on video hazing another student.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’S\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/slewis\">\u003cem>Sukey Lewis\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The El Cerrito Police Department said it launched an investigation on Oct. 2 after a mandated reporter alleged students were bullying and hazing other football players. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The police probe has so far identified nearly two dozen individuals suspected of battery, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, dissuading a victim, conspiracy or stalking that allegedly occurred between September 2024 and October 2026. The department expects to make “multiple arrests” as the investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The police probe has so far identified nearly two dozen individuals suspected of battery, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, dissuading a victim, conspiracy or stalking that allegedly occurred between September 2024 and October 2026. The department expects to make “multiple arrests” as the investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/20261105_114441-25e818a1-scaled-e1793913283300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108614\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The El Cerrito High School Stadium on Nov. 5, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Samantha Kennedy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/20261105_114441-25e818a1-scaled-e1793913283300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108614\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The El Cerrito High School Stadium on Nov. 5, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Samantha Kennedy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“No child should ever experience what our students have described,” West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a statement. “We must now make the very tough call to immediately suspend the El Cerrito High football program in order to prevent any further harm and restore a safe learning environment for our students.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“No child should ever experience what our students have described,” West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a statement. “We must now make the very tough call to immediately suspend the El Cerrito High football program in order to prevent any further harm and restore a safe learning environment for our students.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The investigation uncovered video footage that “corroborated the victims’ accounts and provided additional evidence substantiating the reported conduct,” the department said. Police said they would not release additional details at this time to protect the privacy of juvenile victims, witnesses and suspects.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The investigation uncovered video footage that “corroborated the victims’ accounts and provided additional evidence substantiating the reported conduct,” the department said. Police said they would not release additional details at this time to protect the privacy of juvenile victims, witnesses and suspects.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As part of its own ongoing Title IX investigation conducted by an unnamed third party, WCCUSD placed the team’s head coach, Tim Johnson, on leave, according to the district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Stacy Wayne, principal of El Cerrito High, told parents in an Oct. 7 message that there were altercations on campus involving adult relatives of students, which prompted a report that one of the adults may have a firearm, placing the school on lockdown. No firearm was recovered. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wayne added in a separate message that the incident was related to the hazing allegations and “student misconduct” by some football team members. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students, staff, and community, the decision has been made to forfeit the junior varsity and varsity football games scheduled for tomorrow,” Wayne said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students, staff, and community, the decision has been made to forfeit the junior varsity and varsity football games scheduled for tomorrow,” Wayne said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The district is providing “supportive resources” for all impacted students and plans to implement “anti-hazing education and bystander education across classrooms,” officials said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“First and foremost, we must care for our students’ wellbeing,” WCCUSD Board President Guadalupe Enllana said in a statement. “As a Board and a district, we are committed to making sure that our students have the guidance and safe learning environments that they need in order to learn, grow, and thrive.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The team won its first-ever state championship in 2025. ECHS’s 2024 football season, however, was \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2024/10/25/wccusd-investigates-alleged-ringers-on-el-cerrito-football-team-forcing-gauchos-to-forfeit-6-games-and-prompting-student-walkout/\">marked by controversy\u003c/a> surrounding ineligible players and a student walkout. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/antioch-football-hazing-restorative-circle-21183017.php\">another\u003c/a> Contra Costa County high school football team in Antioch faced scrutiny for hazing when a group of Antioch High School players was caught on video hazing another student.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/antioch-football-hazing-restorative-circle-21183017.php\">another\u003c/a> Contra Costa County high school football team in Antioch faced scrutiny for hazing when a group of Antioch High School players was caught on video hazing another student.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’S\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/slewis\">\u003cem>Sukey Lewis\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The El Cerrito Police Department said 22 student-athletes could face arrest.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/west-contra-costa-unified-school-district\">East Bay school district\u003c/a> said on Thursday that the El Cerrito High School football program was suspended after a police investigation into allegations of hazing, sexual battery and bullying involving 22 former or current student-athletes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The El Cerrito Police Department said it launched an investigation on Oct. 2 after a mandated reporter alleged students were bullying and hazing other football players. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The police probe has so far identified nearly two dozen individuals suspected of battery, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, dissuading a victim, conspiracy or stalking that allegedly occurred between September 2024 and October 2026. The department expects to make “multiple arrests” as the investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/11/20261105_114441-25e818a1-scaled-e1793913283300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12108614\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The El Cerrito High School Stadium on Nov. 5, 2026. (Samantha Kennedy/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“No child should ever experience what our students have described,” West Contra Costa Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said in a statement. “We must now make the very tough call to immediately suspend the El Cerrito High football program in order to prevent any further harm and restore a safe learning environment for our students.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation uncovered video footage that “corroborated the victims’ accounts and provided additional evidence substantiating the reported conduct,” the department said. Police said they would not release additional details at this time to protect the privacy of juvenile victims, witnesses and suspects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of its own ongoing Title IX investigation conducted by an unnamed third party, WCCUSD placed the team’s head coach, Tim Johnson, on leave, according to the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stacy Wayne, principal of El Cerrito High, told parents in an Oct. 7 message that there were altercations on campus involving adult relatives of students, which prompted a report that one of the adults may have a firearm, placing the school on lockdown. No firearm was recovered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wayne added in a separate message that the incident was related to the hazing allegations and “student misconduct” by some football team members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our students, staff, and community, the decision has been made to forfeit the junior varsity and varsity football games scheduled for tomorrow,” Wayne said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The district is providing “supportive resources” for all impacted students and plans to implement “anti-hazing education and bystander education across classrooms,” officials said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“First and foremost, we must care for our students’ wellbeing,” WCCUSD Board President Guadalupe Enllana said in a statement. “As a Board and a district, we are committed to making sure that our students have the guidance and safe learning environments that they need in order to learn, grow, and thrive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team won its first-ever state championship in 2025. ECHS’s 2024 football season, however, was \u003ca href=\"https://richmondconfidential.org/2024/10/25/wccusd-investigates-alleged-ringers-on-el-cerrito-football-team-forcing-gauchos-to-forfeit-6-games-and-prompting-student-walkout/\">marked by controversy\u003c/a> surrounding ineligible players and a student walkout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/antioch-football-hazing-restorative-circle-21183017.php\">another\u003c/a> Contra Costa County high school football team in Antioch faced scrutiny for hazing when a group of Antioch High School players was caught on video hazing another student.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>KQED’S\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/slewis\">\u003cem>Sukey Lewis\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/marin-county\">Marin County\u003c/a> measure to subsidize childcare, build more early education facilities and increase wages for educators is leading in early returns. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measure P, which would increase parcel taxes to raise about $12.5 million each year over 15 years, has received at least 53% approval, according to the county’s Registrar of Voters on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it passes, Marin will be the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105159/as-costs-crush-families-this-bay-area-county-could-be-latest-to-subsidize-childcare\">fourth Bay Area county\u003c/a> in eight years to fund childcare. San Francisco, Alameda and Sonoma counties, as well as the city of Oakland and the Ravenswood City School District in San Mateo County, have all established their own funding streams for early childhood education and care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re still waiting for all final votes to be counted but we’re very optimistic that Marin voters will deliver a really, really important investment in kids of Marin County,” said Joanne Webster, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a public advocacy group that backed the measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, which opposed the measure, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, a group of Marin County parents and early childhood advocates put forward a sales tax measure to subsidize childcare in Marin County. It fell just 3 percentage points short of getting a supermajority, or two-thirds support, to pass. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, a series of court decisions made it easier to pass citizen-led tax initiatives. Now, the measure only needs a simple majority of 50% to win.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amarantha Silva, a Marin County parent who campaigned for the tax measure a decade ago and for Measure P this year, said she was confident it was headed to victory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Ten years ago, I was a mom carrying my son, Rafael, in my arms while pregnant with my daughter, Ximena, as a parent leader for a similar childcare tax initiative,” she said. “We kept pushing, and this time, we won!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silva is now organizing for Parent Voices Power, a group pushing for universal childcare across California. That movement is reaching as far south as San Diego County, where \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/San_Diego_County,_California,_Measure_B,_Issue_Sales_Tax_to_Fund_Health,_Family,_Environmental_Protection,_and_Public_Safety_Services_Initiative_(November_2026)\">a sales tax measure\u003c/a> that would partially fund childcare subsidies and early childhood mental or behavioral health services was also leading Wednesday with nearly 52% approval.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This victory is proof that a parent-led grassroots movement can create positive change in our community,” Silva said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re still waiting for all final votes to be counted but we’re very optimistic that Marin voters will deliver a really, really important investment in kids of Marin County,” said Joanne Webster, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a public advocacy group that backed the measure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Ten years ago, I was a mom carrying my son, Rafael, in my arms while pregnant with my daughter, Ximena, as a parent leader for a similar childcare tax initiative,” she said. “We kept pushing, and this time, we won!”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Silva is now organizing for Parent Voices Power, a group pushing for universal childcare across California. That movement is reaching as far south as San Diego County, where \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/San_Diego_County,_California,_Measure_B,_Issue_Sales_Tax_to_Fund_Health,_Family,_Environmental_Protection,_and_Public_Safety_Services_Initiative_(November_2026)\">a sales tax measure\u003c/a> that would partially fund childcare subsidies and early childhood mental or behavioral health services was also leading Wednesday with nearly 52% approval.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Silva is now organizing for Parent Voices Power, a group pushing for universal childcare across California. That movement is reaching as far south as San Diego County, where \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/San_Diego_County,_California,_Measure_B,_Issue_Sales_Tax_to_Fund_Health,_Family,_Environmental_Protection,_and_Public_Safety_Services_Initiative_(November_2026)\">a sales tax measure\u003c/a> that would partially fund childcare subsidies and early childhood mental or behavioral health services was also leading Wednesday with nearly 52% approval.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This victory is proof that a parent-led grassroots movement can create positive change in our community,” Silva said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If it passes, Marin will be the fourth Bay Area county in eight years to fund childcare.",
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"title": "Measure to Subsidize Childcare in Marin County Leading in Early Returns | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/marin-county\">Marin County\u003c/a> measure to subsidize childcare, build more early education facilities and increase wages for educators is leading in early returns. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measure P, which would increase parcel taxes to raise about $12.5 million each year over 15 years, has received at least 53% approval, according to the county’s Registrar of Voters on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it passes, Marin will be the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105159/as-costs-crush-families-this-bay-area-county-could-be-latest-to-subsidize-childcare\">fourth Bay Area county\u003c/a> in eight years to fund childcare. San Francisco, Alameda and Sonoma counties, as well as the city of Oakland and the Ravenswood City School District in San Mateo County, have all established their own funding streams for early childhood education and care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We’re still waiting for all final votes to be counted but we’re very optimistic that Marin voters will deliver a really, really important investment in kids of Marin County,” said Joanne Webster, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a public advocacy group that backed the measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, which opposed the measure, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, a group of Marin County parents and early childhood advocates put forward a sales tax measure to subsidize childcare in Marin County. It fell just 3 percentage points short of getting a supermajority, or two-thirds support, to pass. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, a series of court decisions made it easier to pass citizen-led tax initiatives. Now, the measure only needs a simple majority of 50% to win.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amarantha Silva, a Marin County parent who campaigned for the tax measure a decade ago and for Measure P this year, said she was confident it was headed to victory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Ten years ago, I was a mom carrying my son, Rafael, in my arms while pregnant with my daughter, Ximena, as a parent leader for a similar childcare tax initiative,” she said. “We kept pushing, and this time, we won!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Silva is now organizing for Parent Voices Power, a group pushing for universal childcare across California. That movement is reaching as far south as San Diego County, where \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/San_Diego_County,_California,_Measure_B,_Issue_Sales_Tax_to_Fund_Health,_Family,_Environmental_Protection,_and_Public_Safety_Services_Initiative_(November_2026)\">a sales tax measure\u003c/a> that would partially fund childcare subsidies and early childhood mental or behavioral health services was also leading Wednesday with nearly 52% approval.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This victory is proof that a parent-led grassroots movement can create positive change in our community,” Silva said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "how-the-san-francisco-chinese-communitys-fight-for-belonging-shaped-bilingual-education",
"title": "How the San Francisco Chinese Community’s Fight for Belonging Shaped Bilingual Education",
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"headTitle": "How the San Francisco Chinese Community’s Fight for Belonging Shaped Bilingual Education | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laureen Chew, 78, still remembers her first day of kindergarten at Washington Irving Elementary School in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. It was the day she began to question her cultural heritage. Growing up in the city’s North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods, Chew only spoke Cantonese. Born and raised in the U.S., Chew was raised primarily by her Chinese immigrant mother, who couldn’t speak English, and her world — up until then — was a tight-knit community of other Cantonese speakers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I remember going to school the first day being very excited because everybody said school was fun. All the kids there were Chinese Cantonese speakers; very few had English skills,” Chew said. “But then, the first thing that came out of the teacher’s mouth was English, and we were freaking out. And in fact, I didn’t wanna go back to school the next day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chew said that by the time she was in the third grade, the language barriers evolved into a source of shame.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The teachers did a very good job of downgrading our native language at school,” she said, reflecting on recess time in the schoolyard. “We’d be playing and speaking in Cantonese to each other, and they’d ring the bell and say, ‘You’re in American school now, speak English!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn’t until Chew became a student activist during college in the 1960s that she began to reclaim her cultural identity. She also discovered how to best help her community: by teaching and advocating for multilingual Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Bilingual ed is not only about language … It’s about identity so that you can feel that you’re worthy,” Chew said. “It’s about keeping a positive sense of who I am to help me express my voice in this country without feeling inferior.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chinese community has played an important role in advancing bilingual education in San Francisco and across the country. The foundations of that advocacy trace back to the 19th-century Exclusion era when early Chinese immigrants fought for the most basic of education rights, like access to public schools. As they did in other arenas, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">due process and equal protection\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096279/chinese-immigrants-led-the-first-mass-resistance-to-americas-deportation-system\">the right to remain in the country\u003c/a>, Chinese immigrants leveraged the legal system and the resources afforded by a highly organized San Francisco Chinatown network to make their case for equal education. Their efforts have helped expand the protections available to immigrant families and their children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Chinese Americans and immigrants continue to grapple with questions of belonging, identity and equity in education. But as the Chinese population has changed over the generations, so too have the terms of their activism. The education debates within the community have become increasingly complex — and sometimes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">deeply divisive\u003c/a> — yet a throughline persists: a continuing negotiation over what meaningful inclusion looks like, and who gets to define it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Education organizing remains an important way for Chinese community members to assert their place in American society, and to claim a stake in its future. And people like Chew say it’s especially critical now as the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are impacting things like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096573/under-proposed-trump-rule-head-start-would-be-english-only\">language rights\u003c/a> for student English learners. She said by fighting for bilingual education, she can help to protect and nurture a multiracial democracy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Before bilingual education, the fight for a seat in the classroom\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese immigrants in San Francisco began fighting in the 1850s for access to education. The concept of public education — universally available, state-funded and free — gained traction in the 1830s, and one of its stated goals was to prepare young people to be capable voters who could safeguard American democracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That principle helps explain why public education has remained a contentious issue when it comes to immigrants, said Hiroshi Motomura, a professor and immigration law scholar at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Children become the source of a great hope and the source of a great threat,” Motomura said. “As a threat, I think it’s realizing that if you let kids become citizens or get educated, [there’s] the sense that they’re going to displace you … Education is the key to immigrant integration.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1338\" height=\"1099\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106752\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg 1338w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778-160x131.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1338px) 100vw, 1338px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portrait of Chinese Primary School students in 1890. As noted in historian Mae Ngai’s book “The Lucky Ones,” Mamie Tape is the girl sitting in the center of the second row. (Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 19th-century San Francisco, access to public education was largely reserved for white children. Although California law eventually required public schools to admit all children, Black, Asian and American Indian students were segregated from their white peers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1871, as animosity and violence against the Chinese community \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">intensified in San Francisco\u003c/a>, Chinese children were banned from even segregated public schools. Throughout the next decade, both the San Francisco school board and the state legislature ignored petitions by thousands of Chinese residents for admission to public schools. That is until one Chinese family in particular spoke up: the Tape family.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the 1880s, an estimated 1,000 Chinese school-age children were living in the city, and most of them were American-born, including 8-year-old Mamie Tape. Her parents, Joseph and Mary Tape, were atypical Chinese immigrants: they were Americanized, spoke excellent English, adopted Western-style manners and clothing and lived outside of Chinatown in a white, middle-class neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1884, Mamie’s parents attempted to enroll her at the all-white Spring Valley School. But when they arrived, the school’s principal, Jennie Hurley, refused to let her in, citing the district’s policy against admitting Chinese children. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, Mamie’s father Joseph waged a legal battle that garnered widespread attention, captivating white and Chinese people alike. There was a lot at stake: would the privileges and benefits of U.S. citizenship be afforded to the American-born children of the much-reviled Chinese immigrant population? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually, the Tapes won their case in San Francisco’s Superior Court, a decision that was upheld in the California Supreme Court in 1885’s historic case \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/1885/66-cal-473.html\">\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The court affirmed that Chinese children born in the U.S. were entitled to public education under the Constitution. However, the school board rushed an act through the state legislature, authorizing segregated schools for Chinese students; Mamie could attend a public school, but only a segregated one for Chinese children. In response, Mamie’s mother Mary wrote a long fiery letter to the school board in a local newspaper.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Dear sirs, Will you please to tell me! Is it a disgrace to be Born a Chinese? … My children don’t dress like the other Chinese … It seems no matter how a Chinese may live and dress so long as you know they Chinese. Then they are hated as one. There is not any right or justice for them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mary declared that Mamie would not attend any Chinese-only schools, but eventually she and her brother Frank were among the first students to enroll in the Chinese Primary School when it opened. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mae Ngai, a professor of history at Columbia University and author of \u003cem>The Lucky Ones\u003c/em>, a book about the Tape family, called the ruling a “partial victory.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was an exclusion case, not a segregation case,” she said. “In fact, the Chinese were so excluded that they got promoted to being segregated … they were not even on par with Black people and Native Americans in 19th-century California,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ngai believes that the Tape’s argument, that Mamie should be admitted because the family identified with the white population, shouldn’t be seen as an aspirational strategy for the Chinese community today: “I don’t think it’s healthy for us to say people of color are only worthy when they deny their own cultures and languages and heritages,” Ngai said. “[The case] is maybe cautionary … if your idea is to convince the mainstream that you’re just going to be like white people.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was a fundamental case for the country’s earliest immigrants, Ngai said. “Education is a central issue of settlement. ‘We’re here, we’re not citizens, but our children are born here, they are citizens, and we are here to stay.’ That is the message.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the Civil Rights era reshaped San Francisco’s classrooms — and the fight for equity\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That tension — between gaining access to American institutions and submitting to cultural erasure — would become more explicit in the decades that followed, especially as the Chinese community fought for bilingual education. There were a series of historical milestones that set the stage for that fight, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education\">\u003cem>Brown v. Board of Education\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, arrivals to the U.S. dramatically shifted with the 1965 \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/\">Immigration and Nationality Act\u003c/a>, which eliminated decades-long immigration restrictions from Asian and African countries. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco’s Chinese immigrant population surged, and with it, the school district’s Chinese student population. But while school segregation was legally unconstitutional, de facto segregation — driven primarily by redlining and discriminatory housing policies — meant that schools in areas like Chinatown reflected the segregation of the surrounding neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"480\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa-160x102.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Police arrest Black Student Union member John Cleveland during the student strike at San Francisco State College 1968-69, which resulted in the creation of a College of Ethnic Studies. (Courtesy of San Francisco State University Photographic Timeline Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of immigrant and Chinese-speaking youth emerged, which increased the need for different resources, including language services at schools. Being placed in English-only classrooms meant many Chinese students were effectively excluded from participating in class, and that their academic progress — if any — was significantly slower than their peers’.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 1974 California Law Review article describing those challenges said that Chinese students in these learning conditions were “doomed to poor achievement, illiteracy, and disproportionately high dropout rates” and that the isolating environment created psychological harm, making students feel inferior.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the social problems in Chinatown, a new political consciousness was growing. Chew was part of a generation of young Chinese Americans who were returning to the neighborhood after monumental social upheavals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a student at San Francisco State, she participated in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968-69 Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) Strikes\u003c/a>, the longest student strike in U.S. history, where a coalition of student groups at SF State and UC Berkeley worked in solidarity to achieve their goals, including academic reforms and non-Eurocentric curricula. The term “Asian American” was formed at that time to create a political and organizing pan-ethnic identity, and the strike resulted in the formation of the nation’s first ethnic studies programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Up until then, Chew’s educational experience had left her feeling angry and invisible, but she said that joining the historic student movement was pivotal and “opened up a whole new world for me.” Working alongside Black, Chicano, Filipino, Native American and other student organizers, and questioning institutional power together, she learned to not only reembrace her community — she became motivated to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1478\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg 1478w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1478px) 100vw, 1478px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew taught second graders at Commodore Stockton during the 1970s. She said her roots in San Francisco Chinatown inspired her advocacy for Chinese English learner students. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I was so entrenched in the strike, but the strike wasn’t just about the strike,” Chew said. “That involvement made me think about [getting involved] in my community, in my context of being a Chinese American.” She wanted to help Chinese immigrant students embrace their language and cultural identity — an experience that she didn’t have growing up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After graduating in 1972 and enlisting in the National Teacher Corps, Chew began teaching at Commodore Stockton Elementary. The building, which was once the segregated school for Chinese students that Mamie Tape attended, was now the site of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual program, made possible by the Bilingual Education Act of 1968.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chew said it was a unique time to join the school because, in addition to the pilot bilingual program, the district had just implemented \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/facing-our-past-changing-our-future-part-ii-five-decades-desegregation-sfusd-1971-today\">busing\u003c/a> to integrate the city’s elementary schools following \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/339/1315/1460757/\">\u003cem>Johnson v. SFUSD\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, in which Black families sued the district over school segregation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew holds a film slide showing a teaching event she attended in the past, in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese immigrant parents largely opposed the court-ordered school busing program. One of their chief concerns was that it would scatter their children away from critical language resources at their neighborhood schools, like Commodore Stockton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Chew, who spent six years teaching second graders at Commodore, the overlap of bilingual teaching and the busing effort proved to be challenging yet exciting. While there were racial frictions between the kids from Chinatown and the Black students bussed in from Bayview-Hunter’s Point, she saw the benefits of bilingual education beyond language itself. As students learned English and Chinese together, it bridged the differences between them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I came from a different frame because of the [TWLF] strikes,” she said. “I was able to try a lot of different things during that time in terms of building humanity in a classroom and then more importantly, building community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case for bilingual education: a new kind of grassroots movement in Chinatown\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even as the pilot bilingual program at Commodore Stockton took shape, there still weren’t adequate linguistic resources for all Chinese students in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1970, a group of Chinese American students filed a class-action lawsuit against SFUSD arguing an estimated 1,800 Chinese-speaking students were unable to meaningfully participate in their education because they were in English-only classrooms without any language support.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the families in the case were low-income Chinese immigrant families who lived in Chinatown single room occupancy buildings. The lead plaintiff was Kinney Kinmon Lau, a Chinese American first grader attending Jean Parker Elementary School. The case was filed with the Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), one of the progressive Asian American civil rights and social services organizations that emerged in the late ’60s and early ’70s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1613\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106762\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c-1536x1239.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students watching a Chinese New Year program at Jean Parker Elementary School in 1970. The San Francisco school was at the center of the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols. (Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Political power was starting to shift in Chinatown. Since the 1800s, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association\u003c/a>, or the Chinese Six Companies — a group of family associations — had been the major player behind the fight for Chinese immigrant rights. The case for bilingual education demonstrated a new kind of grassroots resistance, one that was younger, multiracial, intersectional and based in self-determination. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They’re younger activists who are able to connect what they’re seeing in Chinatown to the broader civil rights movement,” CAA’s current co-Executive Director Vincent Pan said. “That’s the difference. And they’re marrying that with parents who do have a very important interest in seeing their kids get a better education.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trish Morita-Mullaney, author of the book \u003cem>Lau v. Nichols and Chinese American Language Rights,\u003c/em> called the \u003cem>\u003c/em>case an “emergency response” to what was happening in the community and indicative of the growing language rights movement across the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There was precedent set within the Latino community … [and here], the thinking around language rights is that ‘I really want my kid to have access to the instruction and because my kids are not proficient, we need differentiation of instruction, and Cantonese should be one of those options.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The District Court ruled in favor of SFUSD, stating that there was no constitutional responsibility to provide special language programs, a decision later upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that SFUSD’s “English-only” policy denied them equal protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Chinese plaintiffs, deciding that not providing non-English-speaking students with supplemental language courses was a violation of several legal precedents, namely the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act\">Civil Rights Act of 1964\u003c/a>, delivering a victory for bilingual instruction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision set a national precedent that education needed to be responsive to the different language needs and identities of students, Morita-Mullaney said. While the Court didn’t specify the steps school districts needed to take, it mandated supplemental instruction for English language learners. SFUSD took the bilingual education route, entering into a federal legal agreement, called the Lau Consent Decree, which legally bound the district to provide specialized language instruction and equal educational access to all non-English-speaking students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pan sees the \u003cem>Lau victory\u003c/em> as part of the struggle for Chinese Americans and immigrants to participate fully in American society that \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> began nearly 90 years earlier. While \u003cem>Tape\u003c/em> was a fight for the Chinese people to be “seen as humans,” Pan said \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> took it a step further “to get at the issue of ‘you’re human even if you don’t speak English well.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does fair and equitable public education mean now?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a recent evening at the Southeast Community Center in Bayview-Hunters Point, six candidates running for San Francisco’s District 10 supervisor’s seat addressed a room full of students and families. CAA was co-hosting the event, and managing director of policy Annie Lee posed questions to the candidates. One by one, they each weighed in on a wide range of community issues, including Flock cameras and mental health services inside schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the district is a historically Black community, \u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US0607507-san-francisco-county-south-central-bayview-hunters-point-puma-ca/\">nearly half\u003c/a> of its population is Asian, and more than 60% of the residents speak a language that isn’t English at home. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/chinese-americans-san-francisco-neighborhoods-22458761.php\">Recent reporting\u003c/a> from \u003cem>The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> shows that the Chinese population grew by nearly two-thirds between 2010 and 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102814\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 10 Supervisor candidate J.R. Eppler speaks during a youth-led candidate forum at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the crowd that evening were a few Chinese parents who wore headsets, as interpreters on the sidelines translated the conversation into Cantonese.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of them was 43-year-old Christina Ouyang, a single mother with a 13-year-old daughter who works part-time doing community outreach with CAA.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I came here to learn more about the programming and opportunities available to children in the school district,” Ouyang said in Cantonese, sharing that she was most concerned about the safety and well-being of her daughter, who had faced bullying at her school.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the D10 candidates didn’t address that specific issue, the attendance of Chinese parents at events like these demonstrates that despite the language barriers, education remains a central way that they engage in the larger community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christina Ouyang attends a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. Ouyang is a parent in the district and attended the forum to gather more information that might help her child. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12102818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interpreter Gladys Chiu holds a script while translating English into Chinese during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s the kind of work that CAA remains dedicated to today, and Pan sees it as a continuation of the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> case’s legacy. In the past, they’ve helped immigrant parents have a say in their children’s education, including with efforts like helping \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11680868/voter-registration-for-non-citizens-begins-in-s-f-school-board-election\">noncitizens vote in school board elections\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Who doesn’t want parents to be involved? … It’ll make the schools better for everyone, but because of all the rhetoric against immigrants, you can see that’s being demonized right now,” Pan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Education — often positioned as a gateway to American society — has become a contentious, hot-button issue for the Asian American community, especially around the recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">U.S. Supreme Court ban on affirmative action\u003c/a>, and the threats to ethnic studies. CAA often finds itself confronting divisions within the community, Pan said. Many Asian Americans were vocal and proactive in helping dismantle affirmative action, while others have called for the end of ethnic studies curriculum, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091955/lowell-high-school-group-sues-sfusd-over-newly-adopted-ethnic-studies-curriculum\">including recently at Lowell High School in San Francisco\u003c/a>. He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ivy Zhou listens to a Chinese interpretation through an earpiece as Laura Quan translates behind her during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Unfortunately, when the stakes are high, people can get emotional. What we really also need to do is to be able to think clear-headed about what the effective public policies might be,” Pan said. “The more viable common sense practical path is to actually expand opportunity as opposed to fight for limited seats in a system that makes high quality education very scarce.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the second-term Trump administration has done the opposite of expanding opportunities for English learners. In addition to weakening federal civil rights oversight of language access and terminating grants and support for English-learner programs, President Trump signed \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/\">an executive order\u003c/a> last year, declaring English as the nation’s only official language. The order states: “Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s a sentiment that flies in the face of everything Laureen Chew feels about the power of bilingual education to help “newcomers” engage in their broader communities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, she’s working with the CAA and The Association of Chinese Teachers (another advocacy organization founded in the 1960s) to reactivate the bilingual teacher training track at SF State, to ensure there are teachers to help replace the generation of Cantonese bilingual teachers who are retiring. While there have been some heritage language preservation efforts in the city, like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11953666/city-college-of-san-francisco-withdraws-previously-approved-cantonese-program\">Save Cantonese\u003c/a>,” Chew said there’s still a need to provide bilingual language resources to the city’s most vulnerable Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bilingual education is also under pressure as districts like SFUSD face low enrollment numbers, less state funding and an emphasis on test scores.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2019 — 45 years after the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision — SFUSD \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2019-07-01-lau-consent-decree-sunsets-sfusd\">sunsetted\u003c/a> the Lau Consent Decree, relieving the district of the federal mandate to provide services for English language learners. Officials declared that the district remained committed to supporting students, even without the oversight. But Morita-Mullaney said many have expressed concerns. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106633\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s a lot of people I’ve talked to in Chinatown that are not happy about that because it was done very quietly.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She explained that as more Chinese Americans become English-dominant, some teachers may adopt the same expectations and norms that prioritize English proficiency, weakening support for accountability measures that were designed to protect English learners. That’s why remembering the legacy of fights like Lau v. Nichols helps place bilingual education’s importance into context, Morita-Mullaney said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What Lau does for us is it says go back to the people. We are talking about the humanity of language learners, and what is their rightful case for language access. And so it is about the curriculum, it is about progress … but the beneficiaries are the students, and you don’t see that foregrounded in policy in the same way.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Chew, the attacks on immigrants can be disheartening. But as she approaches 80, she remains committed to the work, drawing on the lessons of a life spent challenging who gets to belong: from her childhood as a Chinese student taught to reject her native language to her work as one of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual teachers. Each step has shaped her conviction that education should make room for everyone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I embrace this country for what it aspires to be … No matter how strange everything is nowadays, I still believe in [its] foundation, even though [the founders] were all flawed. Isn’t that interesting?” she said, with a laugh. “And yet, they had this idealistic version of what a country can be, and we’re all still trying to live by it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Laureen Chew, 78, still remembers her first day of kindergarten at Washington Irving Elementary School in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. It was the day she began to question her cultural heritage. Growing up in the city’s North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods, Chew only spoke Cantonese. Born and raised in the U.S., Chew was raised primarily by her Chinese immigrant mother, who couldn’t speak English, and her world — up until then — was a tight-knit community of other Cantonese speakers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I remember going to school the first day being very excited because everybody said school was fun. All the kids there were Chinese Cantonese speakers; very few had English skills,” Chew said. “But then, the first thing that came out of the teacher’s mouth was English, and we were freaking out. And in fact, I didn’t wanna go back to school the next day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I remember going to school the first day being very excited because everybody said school was fun. All the kids there were Chinese Cantonese speakers; very few had English skills,” Chew said. “But then, the first thing that came out of the teacher’s mouth was English, and we were freaking out. And in fact, I didn’t wanna go back to school the next day.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chew said that by the time she was in the third grade, the language barriers evolved into a source of shame.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chew said that by the time she was in the third grade, the language barriers evolved into a source of shame.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The teachers did a very good job of downgrading our native language at school,” she said, reflecting on recess time in the schoolyard. “We’d be playing and speaking in Cantonese to each other, and they’d ring the bell and say, ‘You’re in American school now, speak English!”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The teachers did a very good job of downgrading our native language at school,” she said, reflecting on recess time in the schoolyard. “We’d be playing and speaking in Cantonese to each other, and they’d ring the bell and say, ‘You’re in American school now, speak English!”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It wasn’t until Chew became a student activist during college in the 1960s that she began to reclaim her cultural identity. She also discovered how to best help her community: by teaching and advocating for multilingual Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It wasn’t until Chew became a student activist during college in the 1960s that she began to reclaim her cultural identity. She also discovered how to best help her community: by teaching and advocating for multilingual Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Bilingual ed is not only about language … It’s about identity so that you can feel that you’re worthy,” Chew said. “It’s about keeping a positive sense of who I am to help me express my voice in this country without feeling inferior.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Bilingual ed is not only about language … It’s about identity so that you can feel that you’re worthy,” Chew said. “It’s about keeping a positive sense of who I am to help me express my voice in this country without feeling inferior.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106630\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Chinese community has played an important role in advancing bilingual education in San Francisco and across the country. The foundations of that advocacy trace back to the 19th-century Exclusion era when early Chinese immigrants fought for the most basic of education rights, like access to public schools. As they did in other arenas, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">due process and equal protection\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096279/chinese-immigrants-led-the-first-mass-resistance-to-americas-deportation-system\">the right to remain in the country\u003c/a>, Chinese immigrants leveraged the legal system and the resources afforded by a highly organized San Francisco Chinatown network to make their case for equal education. Their efforts have helped expand the protections available to immigrant families and their children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Chinese community has played an important role in advancing bilingual education in San Francisco and across the country. The foundations of that advocacy trace back to the 19th-century Exclusion era when early Chinese immigrants fought for the most basic of education rights, like access to public schools. As they did in other arenas, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">due process and equal protection\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096279/chinese-immigrants-led-the-first-mass-resistance-to-americas-deportation-system\">the right to remain in the country\u003c/a>, Chinese immigrants leveraged the legal system and the resources afforded by a highly organized San Francisco Chinatown network to make their case for equal education. Their efforts have helped expand the protections available to immigrant families and their children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Today, Chinese Americans and immigrants continue to grapple with questions of belonging, identity and equity in education. But as the Chinese population has changed over the generations, so too have the terms of their activism. The education debates within the community have become increasingly complex — and sometimes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">deeply divisive\u003c/a> — yet a throughline persists: a continuing negotiation over what meaningful inclusion looks like, and who gets to define it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Today, Chinese Americans and immigrants continue to grapple with questions of belonging, identity and equity in education. But as the Chinese population has changed over the generations, so too have the terms of their activism. The education debates within the community have become increasingly complex — and sometimes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">deeply divisive\u003c/a> — yet a throughline persists: a continuing negotiation over what meaningful inclusion looks like, and who gets to define it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Education organizing remains an important way for Chinese community members to assert their place in American society, and to claim a stake in its future. And people like Chew say it’s especially critical now as the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are impacting things like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096573/under-proposed-trump-rule-head-start-would-be-english-only\">language rights\u003c/a> for student English learners. She said by fighting for bilingual education, she can help to protect and nurture a multiracial democracy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Education organizing remains an important way for Chinese community members to assert their place in American society, and to claim a stake in its future. And people like Chew say it’s especially critical now as the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are impacting things like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096573/under-proposed-trump-rule-head-start-would-be-english-only\">language rights\u003c/a> for student English learners. She said by fighting for bilingual education, she can help to protect and nurture a multiracial democracy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chinese immigrants in San Francisco began fighting in the 1850s for access to education. The concept of public education — universally available, state-funded and free — gained traction in the 1830s, and one of its stated goals was to prepare young people to be capable voters who could safeguard American democracy. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chinese immigrants in San Francisco began fighting in the 1850s for access to education. The concept of public education — universally available, state-funded and free — gained traction in the 1830s, and one of its stated goals was to prepare young people to be capable voters who could safeguard American democracy. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That principle helps explain why public education has remained a contentious issue when it comes to immigrants, said Hiroshi Motomura, a professor and immigration law scholar at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That principle helps explain why public education has remained a contentious issue when it comes to immigrants, said Hiroshi Motomura, a professor and immigration law scholar at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Children become the source of a great hope and the source of a great threat,” Motomura said. “As a threat, I think it’s realizing that if you let kids become citizens or get educated, [there’s] the sense that they’re going to displace you … Education is the key to immigrant integration.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Children become the source of a great hope and the source of a great threat,” Motomura said. “As a threat, I think it’s realizing that if you let kids become citizens or get educated, [there’s] the sense that they’re going to displace you … Education is the key to immigrant integration.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106752\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg 1338w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778-160x131.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portrait of Chinese Primary School students in 1890. As noted in historian Mae Ngai’s book “The Lucky Ones,” Mamie Tape is the girl sitting in the center of the second row. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106752\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portrait of Chinese Primary School students in 1890. As noted in historian Mae Ngai’s book “The Lucky Ones,” Mamie Tape is the girl sitting in the center of the second row. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 19th-century San Francisco, access to public education was largely reserved for white children. Although California law eventually required public schools to admit all children, Black, Asian and American Indian students were segregated from their white peers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 19th-century San Francisco, access to public education was largely reserved for white children. Although California law eventually required public schools to admit all children, Black, Asian and American Indian students were segregated from their white peers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1871, as animosity and violence against the Chinese community \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">intensified in San Francisco\u003c/a>, Chinese children were banned from even segregated public schools. Throughout the next decade, both the San Francisco school board and the state legislature ignored petitions by thousands of Chinese residents for admission to public schools. That is until one Chinese family in particular spoke up: the Tape family.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1871, as animosity and violence against the Chinese community \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">intensified in San Francisco\u003c/a>, Chinese children were banned from even segregated public schools. Throughout the next decade, both the San Francisco school board and the state legislature ignored petitions by thousands of Chinese residents for admission to public schools. That is until one Chinese family in particular spoke up: the Tape family.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By the 1880s, an estimated 1,000 Chinese school-age children were living in the city, and most of them were American-born, including 8-year-old Mamie Tape. Her parents, Joseph and Mary Tape, were atypical Chinese immigrants: they were Americanized, spoke excellent English, adopted Western-style manners and clothing and lived outside of Chinatown in a white, middle-class neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>By the 1880s, an estimated 1,000 Chinese school-age children were living in the city, and most of them were American-born, including 8-year-old Mamie Tape. Her parents, Joseph and Mary Tape, were atypical Chinese immigrants: they were Americanized, spoke excellent English, adopted Western-style manners and clothing and lived outside of Chinatown in a white, middle-class neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1884, Mamie’s parents attempted to enroll her at the all-white Spring Valley School. But when they arrived, the school’s principal, Jennie Hurley, refused to let her in, citing the district’s policy against admitting Chinese children. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1884, Mamie’s parents attempted to enroll her at the all-white Spring Valley School. But when they arrived, the school’s principal, Jennie Hurley, refused to let her in, citing the district’s policy against admitting Chinese children. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response, Mamie’s father Joseph waged a legal battle that garnered widespread attention, captivating white and Chinese people alike. There was a lot at stake: would the privileges and benefits of U.S. citizenship be afforded to the American-born children of the much-reviled Chinese immigrant population? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In response, Mamie’s father Joseph waged a legal battle that garnered widespread attention, captivating white and Chinese people alike. There was a lot at stake: would the privileges and benefits of U.S. citizenship be afforded to the American-born children of the much-reviled Chinese immigrant population? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eventually, the Tapes won their case in San Francisco’s Superior Court, a decision that was upheld in the California Supreme Court in 1885’s historic case \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/1885/66-cal-473.html\">\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The court affirmed that Chinese children born in the U.S. were entitled to public education under the Constitution. However, the school board rushed an act through the state legislature, authorizing segregated schools for Chinese students; Mamie could attend a public school, but only a segregated one for Chinese children. In response, Mamie’s mother Mary wrote a long fiery letter to the school board in a local newspaper.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Eventually, the Tapes won their case in San Francisco’s Superior Court, a decision that was upheld in the California Supreme Court in 1885’s historic case \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/1885/66-cal-473.html\">\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The court affirmed that Chinese children born in the U.S. were entitled to public education under the Constitution. However, the school board rushed an act through the state legislature, authorizing segregated schools for Chinese students; Mamie could attend a public school, but only a segregated one for Chinese children. In response, Mamie’s mother Mary wrote a long fiery letter to the school board in a local newspaper.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Dear sirs, Will you please to tell me! Is it a disgrace to be Born a Chinese? … My children don’t dress like the other Chinese … It seems no matter how a Chinese may live and dress so long as you know they Chinese. Then they are hated as one. There is not any right or justice for them.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Dear sirs, Will you please to tell me! Is it a disgrace to be Born a Chinese? … My children don’t dress like the other Chinese … It seems no matter how a Chinese may live and dress so long as you know they Chinese. Then they are hated as one. There is not any right or justice for them.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mary declared that Mamie would not attend any Chinese-only schools, but eventually she and her brother Frank were among the first students to enroll in the Chinese Primary School when it opened. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mary declared that Mamie would not attend any Chinese-only schools, but eventually she and her brother Frank were among the first students to enroll in the Chinese Primary School when it opened. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mae Ngai, a professor of history at Columbia University and author of \u003cem>The Lucky Ones\u003c/em>, a book about the Tape family, called the ruling a “partial victory.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mae Ngai, a professor of history at Columbia University and author of \u003cem>The Lucky Ones\u003c/em>, a book about the Tape family, called the ruling a “partial victory.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was an exclusion case, not a segregation case,” she said. “In fact, the Chinese were so excluded that they got promoted to being segregated … they were not even on par with Black people and Native Americans in 19th-century California,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was an exclusion case, not a segregation case,” she said. “In fact, the Chinese were so excluded that they got promoted to being segregated … they were not even on par with Black people and Native Americans in 19th-century California,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ngai believes that the Tape’s argument, that Mamie should be admitted because the family identified with the white population, shouldn’t be seen as an aspirational strategy for the Chinese community today: “I don’t think it’s healthy for us to say people of color are only worthy when they deny their own cultures and languages and heritages,” Ngai said. “[The case] is maybe cautionary … if your idea is to convince the mainstream that you’re just going to be like white people.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ngai believes that the Tape’s argument, that Mamie should be admitted because the family identified with the white population, shouldn’t be seen as an aspirational strategy for the Chinese community today: “I don’t think it’s healthy for us to say people of color are only worthy when they deny their own cultures and languages and heritages,” Ngai said. “[The case] is maybe cautionary … if your idea is to convince the mainstream that you’re just going to be like white people.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was a fundamental case for the country’s earliest immigrants, Ngai said. “Education is a central issue of settlement. ‘We’re here, we’re not citizens, but our children are born here, they are citizens, and we are here to stay.’ That is the message.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was a fundamental case for the country’s earliest immigrants, Ngai said. “Education is a central issue of settlement. ‘We’re here, we’re not citizens, but our children are born here, they are citizens, and we are here to stay.’ That is the message.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "How the Civil Rights era reshaped San Francisco’s classrooms — and the fight for equity",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the Civil Rights era reshaped San Francisco’s classrooms — and the fight for equity\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That tension — between gaining access to American institutions and submitting to cultural erasure — would become more explicit in the decades that followed, especially as the Chinese community fought for bilingual education. There were a series of historical milestones that set the stage for that fight, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That tension — between gaining access to American institutions and submitting to cultural erasure — would become more explicit in the decades that followed, especially as the Chinese community fought for bilingual education. There were a series of historical milestones that set the stage for that fight, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education\">\u003cem>Brown v. Board of Education\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, arrivals to the U.S. dramatically shifted with the 1965 \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/\">Immigration and Nationality Act\u003c/a>, which eliminated decades-long immigration restrictions from Asian and African countries. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education\">\u003cem>Brown v. Board of Education\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, arrivals to the U.S. dramatically shifted with the 1965 \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/\">Immigration and Nationality Act\u003c/a>, which eliminated decades-long immigration restrictions from Asian and African countries. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Chinese immigrant population surged, and with it, the school district’s Chinese student population. But while school segregation was legally unconstitutional, de facto segregation — driven primarily by redlining and discriminatory housing policies — meant that schools in areas like Chinatown reflected the segregation of the surrounding neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Chinese immigrant population surged, and with it, the school district’s Chinese student population. But while school segregation was legally unconstitutional, de facto segregation — driven primarily by redlining and discriminatory housing policies — meant that schools in areas like Chinatown reflected the segregation of the surrounding neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa-160x102.png 160w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Police arrest Black Student Union member John Cleveland during the student strike at San Francisco State College 1968-69, which resulted in the creation of a College of Ethnic Studies.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of San Francisco State University Photographic Timeline Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106969\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Police arrest Black Student Union member John Cleveland during the student strike at San Francisco State College 1968-69, which resulted in the creation of a College of Ethnic Studies.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of San Francisco State University Photographic Timeline Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>By the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of immigrant and Chinese-speaking youth emerged, which increased the need for different resources, including language services at schools. Being placed in English-only classrooms meant many Chinese students were effectively excluded from participating in class, and that their academic progress — if any — was significantly slower than their peers’.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>By the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of immigrant and Chinese-speaking youth emerged, which increased the need for different resources, including language services at schools. Being placed in English-only classrooms meant many Chinese students were effectively excluded from participating in class, and that their academic progress — if any — was significantly slower than their peers’.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A 1974 California Law Review article describing those challenges said that Chinese students in these learning conditions were “doomed to poor achievement, illiteracy, and disproportionately high dropout rates” and that the isolating environment created psychological harm, making students feel inferior.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A 1974 California Law Review article describing those challenges said that Chinese students in these learning conditions were “doomed to poor achievement, illiteracy, and disproportionately high dropout rates” and that the isolating environment created psychological harm, making students feel inferior.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite the social problems in Chinatown, a new political consciousness was growing. Chew was part of a generation of young Chinese Americans who were returning to the neighborhood after monumental social upheavals.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Despite the social problems in Chinatown, a new political consciousness was growing. Chew was part of a generation of young Chinese Americans who were returning to the neighborhood after monumental social upheavals.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a student at San Francisco State, she participated in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968-69 Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) Strikes\u003c/a>, the longest student strike in U.S. history, where a coalition of student groups at SF State and UC Berkeley worked in solidarity to achieve their goals, including academic reforms and non-Eurocentric curricula. The term “Asian American” was formed at that time to create a political and organizing pan-ethnic identity, and the strike resulted in the formation of the nation’s first ethnic studies programs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As a student at San Francisco State, she participated in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968-69 Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) Strikes\u003c/a>, the longest student strike in U.S. history, where a coalition of student groups at SF State and UC Berkeley worked in solidarity to achieve their goals, including academic reforms and non-Eurocentric curricula. The term “Asian American” was formed at that time to create a political and organizing pan-ethnic identity, and the strike resulted in the formation of the nation’s first ethnic studies programs.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Up until then, Chew’s educational experience had left her feeling angry and invisible, but she said that joining the historic student movement was pivotal and “opened up a whole new world for me.” Working alongside Black, Chicano, Filipino, Native American and other student organizers, and questioning institutional power together, she learned to not only reembrace her community — she became motivated to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Up until then, Chew’s educational experience had left her feeling angry and invisible, but she said that joining the historic student movement was pivotal and “opened up a whole new world for me.” Working alongside Black, Chicano, Filipino, Native American and other student organizers, and questioning institutional power together, she learned to not only reembrace her community — she became motivated to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg 1478w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew taught second graders at Commodore Stockton during the 1970s. She said her roots in San Francisco Chinatown inspired her advocacy for Chinese English learner students.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106629\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew taught second graders at Commodore Stockton during the 1970s. She said her roots in San Francisco Chinatown inspired her advocacy for Chinese English learner students.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was so entrenched in the strike, but the strike wasn’t just about the strike,” Chew said. “That involvement made me think about [getting involved] in my community, in my context of being a Chinese American.” She wanted to help Chinese immigrant students embrace their language and cultural identity — an experience that she didn’t have growing up. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was so entrenched in the strike, but the strike wasn’t just about the strike,” Chew said. “That involvement made me think about [getting involved] in my community, in my context of being a Chinese American.” She wanted to help Chinese immigrant students embrace their language and cultural identity — an experience that she didn’t have growing up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After graduating in 1972 and enlisting in the National Teacher Corps, Chew began teaching at Commodore Stockton Elementary. The building, which was once the segregated school for Chinese students that Mamie Tape attended, was now the site of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual program, made possible by the Bilingual Education Act of 1968.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After graduating in 1972 and enlisting in the National Teacher Corps, Chew began teaching at Commodore Stockton Elementary. The building, which was once the segregated school for Chinese students that Mamie Tape attended, was now the site of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual program, made possible by the Bilingual Education Act of 1968.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chew said it was a unique time to join the school because, in addition to the pilot bilingual program, the district had just implemented \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/facing-our-past-changing-our-future-part-ii-five-decades-desegregation-sfusd-1971-today\">busing\u003c/a> to integrate the city’s elementary schools following \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/339/1315/1460757/\">\u003cem>Johnson v. SFUSD\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, in which Black families sued the district over school segregation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chew said it was a unique time to join the school because, in addition to the pilot bilingual program, the district had just implemented \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/facing-our-past-changing-our-future-part-ii-five-decades-desegregation-sfusd-1971-today\">busing\u003c/a> to integrate the city’s elementary schools following \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/339/1315/1460757/\">\u003cem>Johnson v. SFUSD\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, in which Black families sued the district over school segregation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew holds a film slide showing a teaching event she attended in the past, in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106877\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew holds a film slide showing a teaching event she attended in the past, in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chinese immigrant parents largely opposed the court-ordered school busing program. One of their chief concerns was that it would scatter their children away from critical language resources at their neighborhood schools, like Commodore Stockton.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chinese immigrant parents largely opposed the court-ordered school busing program. One of their chief concerns was that it would scatter their children away from critical language resources at their neighborhood schools, like Commodore Stockton.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Chew, who spent six years teaching second graders at Commodore, the overlap of bilingual teaching and the busing effort proved to be challenging yet exciting. While there were racial frictions between the kids from Chinatown and the Black students bussed in from Bayview-Hunter’s Point, she saw the benefits of bilingual education beyond language itself. As students learned English and Chinese together, it bridged the differences between them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Chew, who spent six years teaching second graders at Commodore, the overlap of bilingual teaching and the busing effort proved to be challenging yet exciting. While there were racial frictions between the kids from Chinatown and the Black students bussed in from Bayview-Hunter’s Point, she saw the benefits of bilingual education beyond language itself. As students learned English and Chinese together, it bridged the differences between them. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I came from a different frame because of the [TWLF] strikes,” she said. “I was able to try a lot of different things during that time in terms of building humanity in a classroom and then more importantly, building community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I came from a different frame because of the [TWLF] strikes,” she said. “I was able to try a lot of different things during that time in terms of building humanity in a classroom and then more importantly, building community.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "The case for bilingual education: a new kind of grassroots movement in Chinatown",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case for bilingual education: a new kind of grassroots movement in Chinatown\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case for bilingual education: a new kind of grassroots movement in Chinatown\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even as the pilot bilingual program at Commodore Stockton took shape, there still weren’t adequate linguistic resources for all Chinese students in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Even as the pilot bilingual program at Commodore Stockton took shape, there still weren’t adequate linguistic resources for all Chinese students in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1970, a group of Chinese American students filed a class-action lawsuit against SFUSD arguing an estimated 1,800 Chinese-speaking students were unable to meaningfully participate in their education because they were in English-only classrooms without any language support.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1970, a group of Chinese American students filed a class-action lawsuit against SFUSD arguing an estimated 1,800 Chinese-speaking students were unable to meaningfully participate in their education because they were in English-only classrooms without any language support.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Most of the families in the case were low-income Chinese immigrant families who lived in Chinatown single room occupancy buildings. The lead plaintiff was Kinney Kinmon Lau, a Chinese American first grader attending Jean Parker Elementary School. The case was filed with the Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), one of the progressive Asian American civil rights and social services organizations that emerged in the late ’60s and early ’70s.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Most of the families in the case were low-income Chinese immigrant families who lived in Chinatown single room occupancy buildings. The lead plaintiff was Kinney Kinmon Lau, a Chinese American first grader attending Jean Parker Elementary School. The case was filed with the Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), one of the progressive Asian American civil rights and social services organizations that emerged in the late ’60s and early ’70s.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106762\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c-1536x1239.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students watching a Chinese New Year program at Jean Parker Elementary School in 1970. The San Francisco school was at the center of the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106762\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students watching a Chinese New Year program at Jean Parker Elementary School in 1970. The San Francisco school was at the center of the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Political power was starting to shift in Chinatown. Since the 1800s, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association\u003c/a>, or the Chinese Six Companies — a group of family associations — had been the major player behind the fight for Chinese immigrant rights. The case for bilingual education demonstrated a new kind of grassroots resistance, one that was younger, multiracial, intersectional and based in self-determination. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Political power was starting to shift in Chinatown. Since the 1800s, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association\u003c/a>, or the Chinese Six Companies — a group of family associations — had been the major player behind the fight for Chinese immigrant rights. The case for bilingual education demonstrated a new kind of grassroots resistance, one that was younger, multiracial, intersectional and based in self-determination. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re younger activists who are able to connect what they’re seeing in Chinatown to the broader civil rights movement,” CAA’s current co-Executive Director Vincent Pan said. “That’s the difference. And they’re marrying that with parents who do have a very important interest in seeing their kids get a better education.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They’re younger activists who are able to connect what they’re seeing in Chinatown to the broader civil rights movement,” CAA’s current co-Executive Director Vincent Pan said. “That’s the difference. And they’re marrying that with parents who do have a very important interest in seeing their kids get a better education.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Trish Morita-Mullaney, author of the book \u003cem>Lau v. Nichols and Chinese American Language Rights,\u003c/em> called the \u003cem>\u003c/em>case an “emergency response” to what was happening in the community and indicative of the growing language rights movement across the country.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Trish Morita-Mullaney, author of the book \u003cem>Lau v. Nichols and Chinese American Language Rights,\u003c/em> called the \u003cem>\u003c/em>case an “emergency response” to what was happening in the community and indicative of the growing language rights movement across the country.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There was precedent set within the Latino community … [and here], the thinking around language rights is that ‘I really want my kid to have access to the instruction and because my kids are not proficient, we need differentiation of instruction, and Cantonese should be one of those options.’” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There was precedent set within the Latino community … [and here], the thinking around language rights is that ‘I really want my kid to have access to the instruction and because my kids are not proficient, we need differentiation of instruction, and Cantonese should be one of those options.’” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The District Court ruled in favor of SFUSD, stating that there was no constitutional responsibility to provide special language programs, a decision later upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that SFUSD’s “English-only” policy denied them equal protection. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The District Court ruled in favor of SFUSD, stating that there was no constitutional responsibility to provide special language programs, a decision later upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that SFUSD’s “English-only” policy denied them equal protection. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Chinese plaintiffs, deciding that not providing non-English-speaking students with supplemental language courses was a violation of several legal precedents, namely the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act\">Civil Rights Act of 1964\u003c/a>, delivering a victory for bilingual instruction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Chinese plaintiffs, deciding that not providing non-English-speaking students with supplemental language courses was a violation of several legal precedents, namely the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act\">Civil Rights Act of 1964\u003c/a>, delivering a victory for bilingual instruction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision set a national precedent that education needed to be responsive to the different language needs and identities of students, Morita-Mullaney said. While the Court didn’t specify the steps school districts needed to take, it mandated supplemental instruction for English language learners. SFUSD took the bilingual education route, entering into a federal legal agreement, called the Lau Consent Decree, which legally bound the district to provide specialized language instruction and equal educational access to all non-English-speaking students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision set a national precedent that education needed to be responsive to the different language needs and identities of students, Morita-Mullaney said. While the Court didn’t specify the steps school districts needed to take, it mandated supplemental instruction for English language learners. SFUSD took the bilingual education route, entering into a federal legal agreement, called the Lau Consent Decree, which legally bound the district to provide specialized language instruction and equal educational access to all non-English-speaking students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pan sees the \u003cem>Lau victory\u003c/em> as part of the struggle for Chinese Americans and immigrants to participate fully in American society that \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> began nearly 90 years earlier. While \u003cem>Tape\u003c/em> was a fight for the Chinese people to be “seen as humans,” Pan said \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> took it a step further “to get at the issue of ‘you’re human even if you don’t speak English well.’” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pan sees the \u003cem>Lau victory\u003c/em> as part of the struggle for Chinese Americans and immigrants to participate fully in American society that \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> began nearly 90 years earlier. While \u003cem>Tape\u003c/em> was a fight for the Chinese people to be “seen as humans,” Pan said \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> took it a step further “to get at the issue of ‘you’re human even if you don’t speak English well.’” \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "What does fair and equitable public education mean now?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does fair and equitable public education mean now?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On a recent evening at the Southeast Community Center in Bayview-Hunters Point, six candidates running for San Francisco’s District 10 supervisor’s seat addressed a room full of students and families. CAA was co-hosting the event, and managing director of policy Annie Lee posed questions to the candidates. One by one, they each weighed in on a wide range of community issues, including Flock cameras and mental health services inside schools. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On a recent evening at the Southeast Community Center in Bayview-Hunters Point, six candidates running for San Francisco’s District 10 supervisor’s seat addressed a room full of students and families. CAA was co-hosting the event, and managing director of policy Annie Lee posed questions to the candidates. One by one, they each weighed in on a wide range of community issues, including Flock cameras and mental health services inside schools. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the district is a historically Black community, \u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US0607507-san-francisco-county-south-central-bayview-hunters-point-puma-ca/\">nearly half\u003c/a> of its population is Asian, and more than 60% of the residents speak a language that isn’t English at home. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/chinese-americans-san-francisco-neighborhoods-22458761.php\">Recent reporting\u003c/a> from \u003cem>The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> shows that the Chinese population grew by nearly two-thirds between 2010 and 2024. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the district is a historically Black community, \u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US0607507-san-francisco-county-south-central-bayview-hunters-point-puma-ca/\">nearly half\u003c/a> of its population is Asian, and more than 60% of the residents speak a language that isn’t English at home. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/chinese-americans-san-francisco-neighborhoods-22458761.php\">Recent reporting\u003c/a> from \u003cem>The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> shows that the Chinese population grew by nearly two-thirds between 2010 and 2024. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102814\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 10 Supervisor candidate J.R. Eppler speaks during a youth-led candidate forum at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102814\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 10 Supervisor candidate J.R. Eppler speaks during a youth-led candidate forum at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the crowd that evening were a few Chinese parents who wore headsets, as interpreters on the sidelines translated the conversation into Cantonese.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Among the crowd that evening were a few Chinese parents who wore headsets, as interpreters on the sidelines translated the conversation into Cantonese.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of them was 43-year-old Christina Ouyang, a single mother with a 13-year-old daughter who works part-time doing community outreach with CAA.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I came here to learn more about the programming and opportunities available to children in the school district,” Ouyang said in Cantonese, sharing that she was most concerned about the safety and well-being of her daughter, who had faced bullying at her school.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of them was 43-year-old Christina Ouyang, a single mother with a 13-year-old daughter who works part-time doing community outreach with CAA.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I came here to learn more about the programming and opportunities available to children in the school district,” Ouyang said in Cantonese, sharing that she was most concerned about the safety and well-being of her daughter, who had faced bullying at her school.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the D10 candidates didn’t address that specific issue, the attendance of Chinese parents at events like these demonstrates that despite the language barriers, education remains a central way that they engage in the larger community. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the D10 candidates didn’t address that specific issue, the attendance of Chinese parents at events like these demonstrates that despite the language barriers, education remains a central way that they engage in the larger community. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106818\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christina Ouyang attends a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. Ouyang is a parent in the district and attended the forum to gather more information that might help her child.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102818\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interpreter Gladys Chiu holds a script while translating English into Chinese during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102818\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interpreter Gladys Chiu holds a script while translating English into Chinese during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s the kind of work that CAA remains dedicated to today, and Pan sees it as a continuation of the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> case’s legacy. In the past, they’ve helped immigrant parents have a say in their children’s education, including with efforts like helping \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11680868/voter-registration-for-non-citizens-begins-in-s-f-school-board-election\">noncitizens vote in school board elections\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s the kind of work that CAA remains dedicated to today, and Pan sees it as a continuation of the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> case’s legacy. In the past, they’ve helped immigrant parents have a say in their children’s education, including with efforts like helping \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11680868/voter-registration-for-non-citizens-begins-in-s-f-school-board-election\">noncitizens vote in school board elections\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Who doesn’t want parents to be involved? … It’ll make the schools better for everyone, but because of all the rhetoric against immigrants, you can see that’s being demonized right now,” Pan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Who doesn’t want parents to be involved? … It’ll make the schools better for everyone, but because of all the rhetoric against immigrants, you can see that’s being demonized right now,” Pan said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Education — often positioned as a gateway to American society — has become a contentious, hot-button issue for the Asian American community, especially around the recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">U.S. Supreme Court ban on affirmative action\u003c/a>, and the threats to ethnic studies. CAA often finds itself confronting divisions within the community, Pan said. Many Asian Americans were vocal and proactive in helping dismantle affirmative action, while others have called for the end of ethnic studies curriculum, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091955/lowell-high-school-group-sues-sfusd-over-newly-adopted-ethnic-studies-curriculum\">including recently at Lowell High School in San Francisco\u003c/a>. He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Education — often positioned as a gateway to American society — has become a contentious, hot-button issue for the Asian American community, especially around the recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">U.S. Supreme Court ban on affirmative action\u003c/a>, and the threats to ethnic studies. CAA often finds itself confronting divisions within the community, Pan said. Many Asian Americans were vocal and proactive in helping dismantle affirmative action, while others have called for the end of ethnic studies curriculum, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091955/lowell-high-school-group-sues-sfusd-over-newly-adopted-ethnic-studies-curriculum\">including recently at Lowell High School in San Francisco\u003c/a>. He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ivy Zhou listens to a Chinese interpretation through an earpiece as Laura Quan translates behind her during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102817\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ivy Zhou listens to a Chinese interpretation through an earpiece as Laura Quan translates behind her during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, when the stakes are high, people can get emotional. What we really also need to do is to be able to think clear-headed about what the effective public policies might be,” Pan said. “The more viable common sense practical path is to actually expand opportunity as opposed to fight for limited seats in a system that makes high quality education very scarce.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, when the stakes are high, people can get emotional. What we really also need to do is to be able to think clear-headed about what the effective public policies might be,” Pan said. “The more viable common sense practical path is to actually expand opportunity as opposed to fight for limited seats in a system that makes high quality education very scarce.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the second-term Trump administration has done the opposite of expanding opportunities for English learners. In addition to weakening federal civil rights oversight of language access and terminating grants and support for English-learner programs, President Trump signed \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/\">an executive order\u003c/a> last year, declaring English as the nation’s only official language. The order states: “Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the second-term Trump administration has done the opposite of expanding opportunities for English learners. In addition to weakening federal civil rights oversight of language access and terminating grants and support for English-learner programs, President Trump signed \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/\">an executive order\u003c/a> last year, declaring English as the nation’s only official language. The order states: “Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s a sentiment that flies in the face of everything Laureen Chew feels about the power of bilingual education to help “newcomers” engage in their broader communities.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s a sentiment that flies in the face of everything Laureen Chew feels about the power of bilingual education to help “newcomers” engage in their broader communities.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Today, she’s working with the CAA and The Association of Chinese Teachers (another advocacy organization founded in the 1960s) to reactivate the bilingual teacher training track at SF State, to ensure there are teachers to help replace the generation of Cantonese bilingual teachers who are retiring. While there have been some heritage language preservation efforts in the city, like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11953666/city-college-of-san-francisco-withdraws-previously-approved-cantonese-program\">Save Cantonese\u003c/a>,” Chew said there’s still a need to provide bilingual language resources to the city’s most vulnerable Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Today, she’s working with the CAA and The Association of Chinese Teachers (another advocacy organization founded in the 1960s) to reactivate the bilingual teacher training track at SF State, to ensure there are teachers to help replace the generation of Cantonese bilingual teachers who are retiring. While there have been some heritage language preservation efforts in the city, like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11953666/city-college-of-san-francisco-withdraws-previously-approved-cantonese-program\">Save Cantonese\u003c/a>,” Chew said there’s still a need to provide bilingual language resources to the city’s most vulnerable Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bilingual education is also under pressure as districts like SFUSD face low enrollment numbers, less state funding and an emphasis on test scores.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bilingual education is also under pressure as districts like SFUSD face low enrollment numbers, less state funding and an emphasis on test scores.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2019 — 45 years after the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision — SFUSD \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2019-07-01-lau-consent-decree-sunsets-sfusd\">sunsetted\u003c/a> the Lau Consent Decree, relieving the district of the federal mandate to provide services for English language learners. Officials declared that the district remained committed to supporting students, even without the oversight. But Morita-Mullaney said many have expressed concerns. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2019 — 45 years after the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision — SFUSD \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2019-07-01-lau-consent-decree-sunsets-sfusd\">sunsetted\u003c/a> the Lau Consent Decree, relieving the district of the federal mandate to provide services for English language learners. Officials declared that the district remained committed to supporting students, even without the oversight. But Morita-Mullaney said many have expressed concerns. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106633\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106633\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of people I’ve talked to in Chinatown that are not happy about that because it was done very quietly.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of people I’ve talked to in Chinatown that are not happy about that because it was done very quietly.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She explained that as more Chinese Americans become English-dominant, some teachers may adopt the same expectations and norms that prioritize English proficiency, weakening support for accountability measures that were designed to protect English learners. That’s why remembering the legacy of fights like Lau v. Nichols helps place bilingual education’s importance into context, Morita-Mullaney said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She explained that as more Chinese Americans become English-dominant, some teachers may adopt the same expectations and norms that prioritize English proficiency, weakening support for accountability measures that were designed to protect English learners. That’s why remembering the legacy of fights like Lau v. Nichols helps place bilingual education’s importance into context, Morita-Mullaney said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What Lau does for us is it says go back to the people. We are talking about the humanity of language learners, and what is their rightful case for language access. And so it is about the curriculum, it is about progress … but the beneficiaries are the students, and you don’t see that foregrounded in policy in the same way.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What Lau does for us is it says go back to the people. We are talking about the humanity of language learners, and what is their rightful case for language access. And so it is about the curriculum, it is about progress … but the beneficiaries are the students, and you don’t see that foregrounded in policy in the same way.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Chew, the attacks on immigrants can be disheartening. But as she approaches 80, she remains committed to the work, drawing on the lessons of a life spent challenging who gets to belong: from her childhood as a Chinese student taught to reject her native language to her work as one of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual teachers. Each step has shaped her conviction that education should make room for everyone. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Chew, the attacks on immigrants can be disheartening. But as she approaches 80, she remains committed to the work, drawing on the lessons of a life spent challenging who gets to belong: from her childhood as a Chinese student taught to reject her native language to her work as one of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual teachers. Each step has shaped her conviction that education should make room for everyone. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I embrace this country for what it aspires to be … No matter how strange everything is nowadays, I still believe in [its] foundation, even though [the founders] were all flawed. Isn’t that interesting?” she said, with a laugh. “And yet, they had this idealistic version of what a country can be, and we’re all still trying to live by it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I embrace this country for what it aspires to be … No matter how strange everything is nowadays, I still believe in [its] foundation, even though [the founders] were all flawed. Isn’t that interesting?” she said, with a laugh. “And yet, they had this idealistic version of what a country can be, and we’re all still trying to live by it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "For generations, Chinese immigrants and their children have pursued educational equity. Their fights helped redefine what it means to belong in America.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laureen Chew, 78, still remembers her first day of kindergarten at Washington Irving Elementary School in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. It was the day she began to question her cultural heritage. Growing up in the city’s North Beach and Chinatown neighborhoods, Chew only spoke Cantonese. Born and raised in the U.S., Chew was raised primarily by her Chinese immigrant mother, who couldn’t speak English, and her world — up until then — was a tight-knit community of other Cantonese speakers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I remember going to school the first day being very excited because everybody said school was fun. All the kids there were Chinese Cantonese speakers; very few had English skills,” Chew said. “But then, the first thing that came out of the teacher’s mouth was English, and we were freaking out. And in fact, I didn’t wanna go back to school the next day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chew said that by the time she was in the third grade, the language barriers evolved into a source of shame.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The teachers did a very good job of downgrading our native language at school,” she said, reflecting on recess time in the schoolyard. “We’d be playing and speaking in Cantonese to each other, and they’d ring the bell and say, ‘You’re in American school now, speak English!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn’t until Chew became a student activist during college in the 1960s that she began to reclaim her cultural identity. She also discovered how to best help her community: by teaching and advocating for multilingual Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Bilingual ed is not only about language … It’s about identity so that you can feel that you’re worthy,” Chew said. “It’s about keeping a positive sense of who I am to help me express my voice in this country without feeling inferior.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-06-MC-KQED-18f00d22-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chinese community has played an important role in advancing bilingual education in San Francisco and across the country. The foundations of that advocacy trace back to the 19th-century Exclusion era when early Chinese immigrants fought for the most basic of education rights, like access to public schools. As they did in other arenas, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">due process and equal protection\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096279/chinese-immigrants-led-the-first-mass-resistance-to-americas-deportation-system\">the right to remain in the country\u003c/a>, Chinese immigrants leveraged the legal system and the resources afforded by a highly organized San Francisco Chinatown network to make their case for equal education. Their efforts have helped expand the protections available to immigrant families and their children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Chinese Americans and immigrants continue to grapple with questions of belonging, identity and equity in education. But as the Chinese population has changed over the generations, so too have the terms of their activism. The education debates within the community have become increasingly complex — and sometimes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">deeply divisive\u003c/a> — yet a throughline persists: a continuing negotiation over what meaningful inclusion looks like, and who gets to define it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Education organizing remains an important way for Chinese community members to assert their place in American society, and to claim a stake in its future. And people like Chew say it’s especially critical now as the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are impacting things like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12096573/under-proposed-trump-rule-head-start-would-be-english-only\">language rights\u003c/a> for student English learners. She said by fighting for bilingual education, she can help to protect and nurture a multiracial democracy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Before bilingual education, the fight for a seat in the classroom\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese immigrants in San Francisco began fighting in the 1850s for access to education. The concept of public education — universally available, state-funded and free — gained traction in the 1830s, and one of its stated goals was to prepare young people to be capable voters who could safeguard American democracy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That principle helps explain why public education has remained a contentious issue when it comes to immigrants, said Hiroshi Motomura, a professor and immigration law scholar at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Children become the source of a great hope and the source of a great threat,” Motomura said. “As a threat, I think it’s realizing that if you let kids become citizens or get educated, [there’s] the sense that they’re going to displace you … Education is the key to immigrant integration.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1338\" height=\"1099\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106752\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778.jpg 1338w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-02-KQED-45e99778-160x131.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1338px) 100vw, 1338px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portrait of Chinese Primary School students in 1890. As noted in historian Mae Ngai’s book “The Lucky Ones,” Mamie Tape is the girl sitting in the center of the second row. (Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 19th-century San Francisco, access to public education was largely reserved for white children. Although California law eventually required public schools to admit all children, Black, Asian and American Indian students were segregated from their white peers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1871, as animosity and violence against the Chinese community \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">intensified in San Francisco\u003c/a>, Chinese children were banned from even segregated public schools. Throughout the next decade, both the San Francisco school board and the state legislature ignored petitions by thousands of Chinese residents for admission to public schools. That is until one Chinese family in particular spoke up: the Tape family.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the 1880s, an estimated 1,000 Chinese school-age children were living in the city, and most of them were American-born, including 8-year-old Mamie Tape. Her parents, Joseph and Mary Tape, were atypical Chinese immigrants: they were Americanized, spoke excellent English, adopted Western-style manners and clothing and lived outside of Chinatown in a white, middle-class neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1884, Mamie’s parents attempted to enroll her at the all-white Spring Valley School. But when they arrived, the school’s principal, Jennie Hurley, refused to let her in, citing the district’s policy against admitting Chinese children. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, Mamie’s father Joseph waged a legal battle that garnered widespread attention, captivating white and Chinese people alike. There was a lot at stake: would the privileges and benefits of U.S. citizenship be afforded to the American-born children of the much-reviled Chinese immigrant population? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually, the Tapes won their case in San Francisco’s Superior Court, a decision that was upheld in the California Supreme Court in 1885’s historic case \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/1885/66-cal-473.html\">\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. The court affirmed that Chinese children born in the U.S. were entitled to public education under the Constitution. However, the school board rushed an act through the state legislature, authorizing segregated schools for Chinese students; Mamie could attend a public school, but only a segregated one for Chinese children. In response, Mamie’s mother Mary wrote a long fiery letter to the school board in a local newspaper.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Dear sirs, Will you please to tell me! Is it a disgrace to be Born a Chinese? … My children don’t dress like the other Chinese … It seems no matter how a Chinese may live and dress so long as you know they Chinese. Then they are hated as one. There is not any right or justice for them.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mary declared that Mamie would not attend any Chinese-only schools, but eventually she and her brother Frank were among the first students to enroll in the Chinese Primary School when it opened. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mae Ngai, a professor of history at Columbia University and author of \u003cem>The Lucky Ones\u003c/em>, a book about the Tape family, called the ruling a “partial victory.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“\u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was an exclusion case, not a segregation case,” she said. “In fact, the Chinese were so excluded that they got promoted to being segregated … they were not even on par with Black people and Native Americans in 19th-century California,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ngai believes that the Tape’s argument, that Mamie should be admitted because the family identified with the white population, shouldn’t be seen as an aspirational strategy for the Chinese community today: “I don’t think it’s healthy for us to say people of color are only worthy when they deny their own cultures and languages and heritages,” Ngai said. “[The case] is maybe cautionary … if your idea is to convince the mainstream that you’re just going to be like white people.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> was a fundamental case for the country’s earliest immigrants, Ngai said. “Education is a central issue of settlement. ‘We’re here, we’re not citizens, but our children are born here, they are citizens, and we are here to stay.’ That is the message.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the Civil Rights era reshaped San Francisco’s classrooms — and the fight for equity\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That tension — between gaining access to American institutions and submitting to cultural erasure — would become more explicit in the decades that followed, especially as the Chinese community fought for bilingual education. There were a series of historical milestones that set the stage for that fight, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education\">\u003cem>Brown v. Board of Education\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, arrivals to the U.S. dramatically shifted with the 1965 \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Immigration-and-Nationality-Act-of-1965/\">Immigration and Nationality Act\u003c/a>, which eliminated decades-long immigration restrictions from Asian and African countries. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco’s Chinese immigrant population surged, and with it, the school district’s Chinese student population. But while school segregation was legally unconstitutional, de facto segregation — driven primarily by redlining and discriminatory housing policies — meant that schools in areas like Chinatown reflected the segregation of the surrounding neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"480\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa.png 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/1495678.750x-f09c70aa-160x102.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Police arrest Black Student Union member John Cleveland during the student strike at San Francisco State College 1968-69, which resulted in the creation of a College of Ethnic Studies. (Courtesy of San Francisco State University Photographic Timeline Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of immigrant and Chinese-speaking youth emerged, which increased the need for different resources, including language services at schools. Being placed in English-only classrooms meant many Chinese students were effectively excluded from participating in class, and that their academic progress — if any — was significantly slower than their peers’.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 1974 California Law Review article describing those challenges said that Chinese students in these learning conditions were “doomed to poor achievement, illiteracy, and disproportionately high dropout rates” and that the isolating environment created psychological harm, making students feel inferior.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the social problems in Chinatown, a new political consciousness was growing. Chew was part of a generation of young Chinese Americans who were returning to the neighborhood after monumental social upheavals.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a student at San Francisco State, she participated in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11830384/how-the-longest-student-strike-in-u-s-history-created-ethnic-studies\">1968-69 Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) Strikes\u003c/a>, the longest student strike in U.S. history, where a coalition of student groups at SF State and UC Berkeley worked in solidarity to achieve their goals, including academic reforms and non-Eurocentric curricula. The term “Asian American” was formed at that time to create a political and organizing pan-ethnic identity, and the strike resulted in the formation of the nation’s first ethnic studies programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Up until then, Chew’s educational experience had left her feeling angry and invisible, but she said that joining the historic student movement was pivotal and “opened up a whole new world for me.” Working alongside Black, Chicano, Filipino, Native American and other student organizers, and questioning institutional power together, she learned to not only reembrace her community — she became motivated to fight for it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1478\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce.jpg 1478w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-03-MC-KQED-1ce735ce-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1478px) 100vw, 1478px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew taught second graders at Commodore Stockton during the 1970s. She said her roots in San Francisco Chinatown inspired her advocacy for Chinese English learner students. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I was so entrenched in the strike, but the strike wasn’t just about the strike,” Chew said. “That involvement made me think about [getting involved] in my community, in my context of being a Chinese American.” She wanted to help Chinese immigrant students embrace their language and cultural identity — an experience that she didn’t have growing up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After graduating in 1972 and enlisting in the National Teacher Corps, Chew began teaching at Commodore Stockton Elementary. The building, which was once the segregated school for Chinese students that Mamie Tape attended, was now the site of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual program, made possible by the Bilingual Education Act of 1968.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chew said it was a unique time to join the school because, in addition to the pilot bilingual program, the district had just implemented \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/facing-our-past-changing-our-future-part-ii-five-decades-desegregation-sfusd-1971-today\">busing\u003c/a> to integrate the city’s elementary schools following \u003ca href=\"https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/339/1315/1460757/\">\u003cem>Johnson v. SFUSD\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, in which Black families sued the district over school segregation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-01-MC_qed-2456ef2f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew holds a film slide showing a teaching event she attended in the past, in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese immigrant parents largely opposed the court-ordered school busing program. One of their chief concerns was that it would scatter their children away from critical language resources at their neighborhood schools, like Commodore Stockton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Chew, who spent six years teaching second graders at Commodore, the overlap of bilingual teaching and the busing effort proved to be challenging yet exciting. While there were racial frictions between the kids from Chinatown and the Black students bussed in from Bayview-Hunter’s Point, she saw the benefits of bilingual education beyond language itself. As students learned English and Chinese together, it bridged the differences between them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I came from a different frame because of the [TWLF] strikes,” she said. “I was able to try a lot of different things during that time in terms of building humanity in a classroom and then more importantly, building community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The case for bilingual education: a new kind of grassroots movement in Chinatown\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even as the pilot bilingual program at Commodore Stockton took shape, there still weren’t adequate linguistic resources for all Chinese students in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1970, a group of Chinese American students filed a class-action lawsuit against SFUSD arguing an estimated 1,800 Chinese-speaking students were unable to meaningfully participate in their education because they were in English-only classrooms without any language support.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the families in the case were low-income Chinese immigrant families who lived in Chinatown single room occupancy buildings. The lead plaintiff was Kinney Kinmon Lau, a Chinese American first grader attending Jean Parker Elementary School. The case was filed with the Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), one of the progressive Asian American civil rights and social services organizations that emerged in the late ’60s and early ’70s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1613\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106762\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261027-Fight-For-Education-and-Belonging-03-KQED-9a45685c-1536x1239.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students watching a Chinese New Year program at Jean Parker Elementary School in 1970. The San Francisco school was at the center of the 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols. (Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Political power was starting to shift in Chinatown. Since the 1800s, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association\u003c/a>, or the Chinese Six Companies — a group of family associations — had been the major player behind the fight for Chinese immigrant rights. The case for bilingual education demonstrated a new kind of grassroots resistance, one that was younger, multiracial, intersectional and based in self-determination. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They’re younger activists who are able to connect what they’re seeing in Chinatown to the broader civil rights movement,” CAA’s current co-Executive Director Vincent Pan said. “That’s the difference. And they’re marrying that with parents who do have a very important interest in seeing their kids get a better education.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trish Morita-Mullaney, author of the book \u003cem>Lau v. Nichols and Chinese American Language Rights,\u003c/em> called the \u003cem>\u003c/em>case an “emergency response” to what was happening in the community and indicative of the growing language rights movement across the country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There was precedent set within the Latino community … [and here], the thinking around language rights is that ‘I really want my kid to have access to the instruction and because my kids are not proficient, we need differentiation of instruction, and Cantonese should be one of those options.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The District Court ruled in favor of SFUSD, stating that there was no constitutional responsibility to provide special language programs, a decision later upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that SFUSD’s “English-only” policy denied them equal protection. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Chinese plaintiffs, deciding that not providing non-English-speaking students with supplemental language courses was a violation of several legal precedents, namely the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act\">Civil Rights Act of 1964\u003c/a>, delivering a victory for bilingual instruction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision set a national precedent that education needed to be responsive to the different language needs and identities of students, Morita-Mullaney said. While the Court didn’t specify the steps school districts needed to take, it mandated supplemental instruction for English language learners. SFUSD took the bilingual education route, entering into a federal legal agreement, called the Lau Consent Decree, which legally bound the district to provide specialized language instruction and equal educational access to all non-English-speaking students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pan sees the \u003cem>Lau victory\u003c/em> as part of the struggle for Chinese Americans and immigrants to participate fully in American society that \u003cem>Tape v. Hurley\u003c/em> began nearly 90 years earlier. While \u003cem>Tape\u003c/em> was a fight for the Chinese people to be “seen as humans,” Pan said \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> took it a step further “to get at the issue of ‘you’re human even if you don’t speak English well.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does fair and equitable public education mean now?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a recent evening at the Southeast Community Center in Bayview-Hunters Point, six candidates running for San Francisco’s District 10 supervisor’s seat addressed a room full of students and families. CAA was co-hosting the event, and managing director of policy Annie Lee posed questions to the candidates. One by one, they each weighed in on a wide range of community issues, including Flock cameras and mental health services inside schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the district is a historically Black community, \u003ca href=\"https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US0607507-san-francisco-county-south-central-bayview-hunters-point-puma-ca/\">nearly half\u003c/a> of its population is Asian, and more than 60% of the residents speak a language that isn’t English at home. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/chinese-americans-san-francisco-neighborhoods-22458761.php\">Recent reporting\u003c/a> from \u003cem>The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em> shows that the Chinese population grew by nearly two-thirds between 2010 and 2024. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102814\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 10 Supervisor candidate J.R. Eppler speaks during a youth-led candidate forum at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the crowd that evening were a few Chinese parents who wore headsets, as interpreters on the sidelines translated the conversation into Cantonese.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of them was 43-year-old Christina Ouyang, a single mother with a 13-year-old daughter who works part-time doing community outreach with CAA.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“I came here to learn more about the programming and opportunities available to children in the school district,” Ouyang said in Cantonese, sharing that she was most concerned about the safety and well-being of her daughter, who had faced bullying at her school.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the D10 candidates didn’t address that specific issue, the attendance of Chinese parents at events like these demonstrates that despite the language barriers, education remains a central way that they engage in the larger community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12106818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-ChineseEducation-JY-16-KQED-76919386-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christina Ouyang attends a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. Ouyang is a parent in the district and attended the forum to gather more information that might help her child. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12102818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interpreter Gladys Chiu holds a script while translating English into Chinese during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s the kind of work that CAA remains dedicated to today, and Pan sees it as a continuation of the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> case’s legacy. In the past, they’ve helped immigrant parents have a say in their children’s education, including with efforts like helping \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11680868/voter-registration-for-non-citizens-begins-in-s-f-school-board-election\">noncitizens vote in school board elections\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Who doesn’t want parents to be involved? … It’ll make the schools better for everyone, but because of all the rhetoric against immigrants, you can see that’s being demonized right now,” Pan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Education — often positioned as a gateway to American society — has become a contentious, hot-button issue for the Asian American community, especially around the recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11954612/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-affirmative-action-barring-california-private-universities-from-considering-race-in-admissions\">U.S. Supreme Court ban on affirmative action\u003c/a>, and the threats to ethnic studies. CAA often finds itself confronting divisions within the community, Pan said. Many Asian Americans were vocal and proactive in helping dismantle affirmative action, while others have called for the end of ethnic studies curriculum, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091955/lowell-high-school-group-sues-sfusd-over-newly-adopted-ethnic-studies-curriculum\">including recently at Lowell High School in San Francisco\u003c/a>. He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He notes these friction points reflect generational and class shifts: while some Chinese families advocate for strict meritocracy as the surest route to advancement, others see those moves as chipping away at the multiracial coalitions that secured rights for vulnerable learners in the first place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102817\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260930-CHINESEEDUCATION-JY-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ivy Zhou listens to a Chinese interpretation through an earpiece as Laura Quan translates behind her during a youth-led candidate forum for District 10 Supervisor at Southeast Community Center in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2026. The 3rd Street Youth Center and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) partnered to host the forum for local residents. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Unfortunately, when the stakes are high, people can get emotional. What we really also need to do is to be able to think clear-headed about what the effective public policies might be,” Pan said. “The more viable common sense practical path is to actually expand opportunity as opposed to fight for limited seats in a system that makes high quality education very scarce.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the second-term Trump administration has done the opposite of expanding opportunities for English learners. In addition to weakening federal civil rights oversight of language access and terminating grants and support for English-learner programs, President Trump signed \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/\">an executive order\u003c/a> last year, declaring English as the nation’s only official language. The order states: “Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s a sentiment that flies in the face of everything Laureen Chew feels about the power of bilingual education to help “newcomers” engage in their broader communities.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, she’s working with the CAA and The Association of Chinese Teachers (another advocacy organization founded in the 1960s) to reactivate the bilingual teacher training track at SF State, to ensure there are teachers to help replace the generation of Cantonese bilingual teachers who are retiring. While there have been some heritage language preservation efforts in the city, like “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11953666/city-college-of-san-francisco-withdraws-previously-approved-cantonese-program\">Save Cantonese\u003c/a>,” Chew said there’s still a need to provide bilingual language resources to the city’s most vulnerable Chinese students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bilingual education is also under pressure as districts like SFUSD face low enrollment numbers, less state funding and an emphasis on test scores.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2019 — 45 years after the \u003cem>Lau\u003c/em> decision — SFUSD \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2019-07-01-lau-consent-decree-sunsets-sfusd\">sunsetted\u003c/a> the Lau Consent Decree, relieving the district of the federal mandate to provide services for English language learners. Officials declared that the district remained committed to supporting students, even without the oversight. But Morita-Mullaney said many have expressed concerns. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106633\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/101926-TheFightForEducationandBelonging-13-MC-KQED-f516ded8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laureen Chew poses for a portrait in her home in San Francisco on Oct. 19, 2026. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s a lot of people I’ve talked to in Chinatown that are not happy about that because it was done very quietly.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She explained that as more Chinese Americans become English-dominant, some teachers may adopt the same expectations and norms that prioritize English proficiency, weakening support for accountability measures that were designed to protect English learners. That’s why remembering the legacy of fights like Lau v. Nichols helps place bilingual education’s importance into context, Morita-Mullaney said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What Lau does for us is it says go back to the people. We are talking about the humanity of language learners, and what is their rightful case for language access. And so it is about the curriculum, it is about progress … but the beneficiaries are the students, and you don’t see that foregrounded in policy in the same way.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Chew, the attacks on immigrants can be disheartening. But as she approaches 80, she remains committed to the work, drawing on the lessons of a life spent challenging who gets to belong: from her childhood as a Chinese student taught to reject her native language to her work as one of San Francisco’s first Cantonese bilingual teachers. Each step has shaped her conviction that education should make room for everyone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I embrace this country for what it aspires to be … No matter how strange everything is nowadays, I still believe in [its] foundation, even though [the founders] were all flawed. Isn’t that interesting?” she said, with a laugh. “And yet, they had this idealistic version of what a country can be, and we’re all still trying to live by it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "is-math-a-canary-in-the-ai-coal-mine-with-bryna-kra",
"title": "Is Math a Canary in the AI Coal Mine? (with Bryna Kra)",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"#Transcript\">View Full Episode Transcript\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What happens when AI can produce a mathematical proof before any human understands it? And what does that mean for the rest of us?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northwestern mathematician \u003ca href=\"https://www.math.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/bryna-kra.html\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, a former president of the American Mathematical Society, joins host Jess Love to explore how AI is changing mathematical discovery. Generative AI has already brought about extraordinary breakthroughs, but its use is also unsettling the culture of collaboration, upending how young mathematicians learn, and raising a deceptively difficult question: is solving a problem the same as understanding it?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kra explains why some mathematicians are becoming wary of sharing unfinished ideas and how she cautiously makes space for AI in her own research. Despite the disruption she still enthusiastically encourages students to enter the field.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Life, Automated is a production of the Ryan Institute on Complexity, at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. The host is Jess Love, senior director. Distributed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/lifeautomated\">KQED\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Reading:\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/deep-theorems-were-scarce-and-difficult-and-so-became-an-effective-mechanism-to-identify-deep-thought-ai-has-broken-this-system/\">Deep theorems were scarce and difficult and so became an effective mechanism to identify deep thought. AI has broken this system\u003c/a>. Bryna Kra, \u003ca href=\"http://terrytao.wordpress.com/\">TerryTao.wordpress.com\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/how-ai-math-breakthrough-ignited-controversy?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F\">How an AI math breakthrough ignited a controversy\u003c/a>. Celina Zhao and Adrian Cho, \u003cem>Science.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"Transcript\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Episode Transcript:\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This is Life, Automated, the show where we explore what it means to live, work, and make decisions in a world increasingly shaped by machines. Bryna Kra is a mathematician here at Northwestern University, where I work. She’s the real deal. She’s been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and spent a few years as president of the American Mathematical Society.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And she works on the kinds of math problems that are nothing like what you saw in high school. They’re weird problems, heady problems, like Nivat’s conjecture, which basically says, bear with me here, that if you have an infinite 2D grid, like an infinitely large floor with square tiles, and no matter where you look on that floor, the local patterns have surprisingly little variety, then the entire floor must repeat itself, at least in one direction.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you’re not totally following why, don’t worry. These kinds of problems can take decades to solve. Someone will put forth a conjecture, and then a bunch of mathematicians or teams of mathematicians will work together to solve bits and pieces of the problem. And as of a few months ago, Bryna was one of the mathematicians who’d done just this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with a coauthor, she’d put forth one of the major partial results for Nivat’s conjecture. And then, this September, everything changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So starting a few weeks ago when there were new models released by the AI companies, those of us who’d worked on it began to receive proofs. And the proofs came from people who none of us knew. That’s great. You know, mathematicians tend to welcome new people into the field. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> But there was something unsettling about these proofs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, they were very bad at tracing where the results came from. You know, what they were using from previous results. They didn’t highlight what was novel, which when you come to a breakthrough, you really want to write in the introduction, “This is what’s new.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. It was like missing the big story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah. It’s sort of putting everything on equal footing. And they seem to be correct. The problem is solved, but without any understanding of what was going into it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna wanted to talk to the mathematicians behind the proof.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> I wrote back to these people, and I asked, you know, “Would you like to meet and explain the proof?” There was always a reason why not. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> And Bryna came to suspect that the mathematicians couldn’t explain the proof because they didn’t really understand it because, well, it sure looked like they had gotten AI to just do it all for them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> One of them disclosed full AI use. That’s fine. You know, they disclosed what they did. They said they were undergraduates who didn’t really know much math. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Now, Bryna thinks there is some value in knowing that the conjecture can, in fact, be proven, some satisfaction even. But mostly she seems to think of it as a missed opportunity to actually understand something new, gain a tool, a new technique, a new way into the next problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because for a long time, this is what solving a proof meant. It meant you now understood something you didn’t before. And the Watts conjecture was hardly the biggest mathematical story of September. OpenAI announced that its models had solved one of the field’s crown jewels, the Navier-Stokes problem. On today’s episode, I speak with Bryna Kra about how AI is rocking the math world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And even if you don’t care about math, maybe you still have PTSD from Algebra 2, Bryna argues you should still care about what is happening here, because today AI can put forth solutions to problems that have long stumped the field’s best and brightest, all without a single human ever reading or understanding that solution, which means while AI might be solving a bunch of problems, we humans might not be really learning very much, all while destroying the ecosystem that has long led to new discoveries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what does this mean for the future of math, for the humans who’ve devoted their lives to doing it, for the next generation of humans who are still learning it? And how does that apply to other intellectual pursuits? Because what happens in math doesn’t stay in math.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is Life, Automated, a project from Kellogg’s Ryan Institute on Complexity, distributed by KQED. I started by asking Bryna about why OpenAI’s solving of the Navier-Stokes problem is such a big deal. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this problem is one of the millennium problems, which was posed in 2000 with a million dollars prize for each of them. There are seven millennium problems, only up till now, only one had been solved. That was by a human. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Thanks for clarifying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And some time ago. And the others were open, and they really guide the community in what directions we’re going to do research. So it’s about more than just solving the problems. It’s about understanding the methods, understanding stopping places along the way, partial results. It’s a much bigger picture than just solving this problem. What happened in early September was that they announced the solution, and it was immediately filled with controversy. There were some mathematicians who were working on it using AI, fully disclosed that they were using AI to work on it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And they had made significant progress, and there were a lot of questions immediately as to how the results from OpenAI were released, what access they had to what the mathematicians had been doing, was it independent, and how this was a complete change in the norms of the field. Mathematics typically is slow. We check each other’s work. We share results even along the way, partial, and this was just a very different way of doing math. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Part of what makes it different is that apparently OpenAI rushed to solve the problem after learning that two mathematicians, including one associated with Anthropic, its big corporate rival, were close to a breakthrough. This is according to a published account by NYU mathematician Tristan Buckmaster, one of the collaborators. OpenAI apparently decided they wanted to beat the team to the punch and diverted massive computing resources, including thousands of AI agents, to solving the problem. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is turning math into a competition in a way that it never has. Our community, the math community, has for ages been a very collaborative place, a place where we share our results before they are published. We put them on the archive, which is an open registry for this, where people can upload the results even before they’ve been reviewed by journals for publication by referees. We have an extremely rigorous refereeing policy, and this was just a completely different way to do it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so it’s almost destabilizing for several different reasons. There’s the sense that, “oh my gosh, it actually solved this problem.” Like, but then there’s also the sense that it’s being used potentially to impress investors, to get them to pour more money into some of these companies. And so you’re taking these problems, and instead of letting them be guideposts to where mathematicians can orient their own efforts, it’s taking that and using it for something, like hijacking it for a completely different purpose. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. There’s a complete misalignment in the interests of the AI companies and the interests of the mathematical community. For the AI companies, this is a way to benchmark, to show their investors that they have done something hard. Right. Most people agree math is hard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this is one way that they can show that they’ve really achieved something that the humans did not do, that they’ve gone beyond what humans were capable of. For the math community, our incentives are quite different. Of course, we wanna solve problems, and I think most mathematicians would agree it’s amazing that these problems have been solved, and we’re all delighted to see that these problems are solved. But it goes well beyond just solving problems. We wanna understand what the solutions are and what they tell us and what they give us as guideposts for future research and future directions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> I wanted to know how Bryna would compare these discoveries in math to those in, say, drug development, where the goal seems like it should be to discover as much as possible as quickly as possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So we love to discover. Mathematicians love to uncover new, deep results. This is great. But there isn’t the same pressure to hurry the discoveries out. Let’s say the solutions in Navier-Stokes had come out a month later, giving the humans time to finish writing up their portions, the humans involved in the discovery that led to the huge breakthroughs by OpenAI, to write up their part and carefully explain it to the community and finish their work versus coming out exactly as it did under pressure in a tweet, in a press release. This… Math is not done by tweet or press release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, had OpenAI come up with a cure for cancer, the rush to announce it, to share it with the world, I think is completely understandable. This is just a very different culture of how math is done and the immediate importance of the result versus something like a drug company.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This point about the immediate importance of a mathematical result versus, say, a cure for cancer is really worth spending a bit of time with, because as abstract and frankly out there as some of these problems sound infinite grids, they really can lead to these enormous breakthroughs; but the breakthroughs don’t just follow from the solution. They come from understanding that occurs along the way. Solutions need to be absorbed, mulled, and picked apart, and mulled again, and the normal pace of math has always allowed for that because what’s the rush? The practical uses from these breakthroughs when they do occur could be decades away. Techniques developed by the mathematician Joseph Fourier two hundred years ago help to power medical imaging today. Or here’s another example.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, you probably use your credit card online, all the time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I do, too much. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Behind that is deep number theory that was developed, some of it 100 years ago, some of it 50 years ago, and some of it is still being developed. Number theory is about the positive integers and their properties, like the numbers one, two, three, four, five, and so on, and what kind of properties they have. But inside that study of number theory, there were these tools that were developed that allow the encryption that allows you to use your credit card securely and most of the time without getting the number stolen, right? So, so that is a tool that was developed for the sake of understanding- \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> How fascinating … \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> …And yet it gets used every day all the time now. So we don’t know all of the applications that are coming out of the foundational research that is happening in mathematics, and we cannot predict that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna’s fear is that reams of AI-generated proofs hitting the field all at once will lead to little actual understanding, fewer new tools and insights, all while discouraging human mathematicians from continuing their own investigations into these conjectures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What it did is close off this area. What’s the incentive now for somebody to go through and understand that? Unless it’s gonna lead somewhere new. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna thinks that simply having AI systems that can solve, and maybe in their own way understand the math behind a proof, isn’t adequate. We need humans to understand the math in order to keep directing the field, keep inquiring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And she does see some ways of using AI that could bring that about. In these cases, the AI follows the human’s lead, helps them follow their own intuition and curiosity to discover new things, rather than AI just doing everything and leaving humans to deal with the aftermath. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong>So, I have started using it to explore new directions. I use it if there’s something I’m reading and I don’t understand. It’s a fantastic way to ask it, like, “Explain how you get from this statement to that statement.” It’s really good at that. Or, “Explain where this comes from, this idea.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you ask it to go search for an idea, because I like to understand where the ideas come from, it’s actually very good. It says, “Well, there seems to be something similar in this paper from 10 years ago, and another one from 20 years ago,” that I would probably not have found. I’ve started using it to code up things. And it can write computer programs and execute computer programs for me, and test thousands of examples in a way that would take me months, if not years to do.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not just saying, “Solve this problem.” You direct it. You say, “Well, now explore that direction, because that’s interesting.” And that’s where the human understanding of what’s going on in the math is super important, because many of us know things that cannot work for some reason, or are not the right direction to search, and it might be an intuition or it might be an actual math fact.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But we can direct it to look in these areas because we have spent so much time thinking about these problems. And so we can really guide the AI to help us look, here’s where you might be thinking about a technique, a tool, an approach, or a counterexample. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So even as there’s more human-machine collaboration, do you wonder what will happen to human-human collaboration? And I just kept thinking that the second you present one of these partial results where you’re kinda like, “Hey, we got to this new point in the road,” does it then just trigger a bunch of AI-enabled mathematicians? Or maybe forget the mathematician, just AI-enabled AI to go ahead and solve the rest. Does it make it less likely to want to discuss the things that you are learning along the way?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so this is exactly one of the issues that the field is grappling with now, that it’s a complete change in our culture. A year ago when I gave a talk at a conference, I would always pepper it with open questions and other directions of research because I would be delighted if someone in the audience would go and work on those and come back to me and say, “Hey, you asked this question, and I came up with this answer. Can we discuss?” Or if they write it on their own, either of these things would be delicious and wonderful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. Right. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is now complete change. If you go and you pose a problem as part of a natural open, you know, next direction that you are thinking about, and you don’t know the audience, and there’s somebody there who wants to just take it and put it in AI, of course, they’re welcome to do that. But if it’s a problem, for example, that I want to work on or that I want one of my students to work on, this is now a very dangerous thing to do. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So it has destroyed the trust that the community has in other people because there are people there who are just wanting to take it and put all the problems into AI and keep moving forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That cultural norm of openness and sharing has really been destroyed in an instant, and I really hope we find a way to go back to that because it is one of the things that made mathematics such an amazing place to be. The community is a great bunch of people that shared and worked together in the collaborative environment, and if we destroy that, then I think we will really have destroyed the role of human mathematicians.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, there are many of us fighting hard to keep that. This can be local. We have a local seminar, working group, which has about 10 to 15 people each week, and we have all agreed that nothing goes into AI… unless the speaker agrees. So nobody will be doing that in our local group, and we all trust each other. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think people have to come with those types of agreements, with their collaborators. There are different types of collaborations, and whether or not you include AI, put the problems in or not, that is something every collaborator needs to discuss.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Different agreements, tortured discussions about when and how AI will be used and disclosed. People genuinely afraid to present their results at conferences because analyses that would have taken months can be done in hours, making the likelihood of getting scooped that much higher. This sounds very familiar because I’m seeing this play out in so many academic disciplines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working at a university, I have a front row seat to the ways different fields, different subfields, different individuals are approaching this moment. I walk through campus and can feel the undercurrent of shock and wariness and excitement and anxiety. I can hear an entire lecture hall hush as everyone reckons with the magnitude of the changes that are coming, changes that may already be here now that the work of knowledge production no longer happens at human scale.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it’s not just academia. This is happening wherever ideas are generated and codified and shared with others. AI is coding up complex software and designing sophisticated marketing campaigns and writing prize-winning literature. It’s just that it’s all happening so clearly in mathematics with like actual proofs attached.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent blog post, Bryna described her field as, “a canary in the coal mine.” We discuss after the break.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So one of the things that really caught my attention in your blog post about recent events is that you mentioned that AI’s abilities in mathematics are a bit of a “canary in the coal mine” for a lot of different disciplines. Can you say more about what you mean? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. So the issues that mathematics is dealing with right now are not going to stay just a problem for mathematicians. It is already happening in theoretical computer science, which, you know, is part of math in some way, another close field. But I do not believe that it will stay there. I think it will come for all intellectual fields. It’s coming for law already. I think people understand how much the AI can actually absorb case law and produce what read and look like briefs. And so I see no reason why it won’t develop for other ones as it gets better. Math was first in some way because our training data was so excellent and because it was such a good proving ground for the companies to benchmark of what they’re doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, I think it’s naive to think that it will stop with math and theoretical computer science and law. Fields will need to decide what their values are, which ones they want to keep with the changes, it can’t be all because they won’t all get kept, and then figure out the ways to implement keeping those.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what steps does the field take to make sure that their values are still there at the end of this AI revolution? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, which might involve really at the core making sure that the incentives of the broader field are in some way aligned with the incentives of individuals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. Right now, we have a complete misalignment on many levels. We have a misalignment between what the AI companies want from mathematics and what mathematicians want. We have a misalignment between the ways we use mathematical results to judge people and what can be produced now, making it very hard to judge people. So the math community is grappling with these issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, there’s recently a report that came out of a group, there was a conference at Harvard on the future of the PhD in mathematics. Mathematicians are deeply concerned about how we will train the next generation because we really do believe that this is a time, if anything, for more mathematical input and more mathematical insight, the human type, not just the AI type.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if we have cut ourselves off at the knees and don’t have a way to train the next generation, how will we have that? So there’s great concern on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, because you might be, instead of relying on a PhD student or two to assist you with your research, it can be very tempting to go to AI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, no, I think it’s a different issue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Okay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> In mathematics, it’s quite different than the lab sciences. PhD students typically don’t assist us with our research, but rather it’s the opposite. We kinda give them, at the beginning, things that we sort of know how to do, maybe not the details- certainly not all the details, but that we see the path forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There’s a lot of work to do, and they gotta go do the work themselves. But we kinda see that. That’s how we start training them. And then after they’ve worked on such a problem, we help them explore new directions so they find their own way- to find their own problem that they can do, and we still help them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> And so how does… Can you just flesh out how AI disrupts that? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> The AI disrupts this completely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I’d love to hear how. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Completely, because that first problem that we sort of see the path, and it’s missing some hard work. Every problem I can come up with like that, if I were to put it into the AI, it would just give me the solution.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There’s a big difference between coming up with it on your own, and therefore having to do the work, the pen and paper work, and actually reading somebody else’s. And we are trying to exactly train them to do that, the difference between reading and understanding something that you get from elsewhere, and being able to develop it yourself and writing it up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I see. So it’s almost like the types of problems that a PhD student would even be able, like a new PhD student would be able to handle, are the exact types of problems that AI can one-shot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. So I think we have to change our training programs. We have to train the students more to think about how do we go outside the box? What are the right questions to be asking about this, rather than just getting them from their advisor, “Here’s a good question to ask.” Because it’s, it- that’s a skill that we have not had to develop as early in a student’s training. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Would you still advise a student who is very interested in mathematics to go into the field?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So to me, somebody who’s interested in mathematics, the answer is yes. Absolutely, resoundingly yes. I spoke to some students and I said to them, “You know, I’d like to think about it this way. The first, few lines of, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ – \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. And so in some sense, in mathematics, it was, this is the best of times. We’re going to see huge conjectures fall. We’re going to see new understanding of areas that we couldn’t have possibly hoped to understand 10 years ago. This is amazing, and for a student to be at the forefront of that and really in that, great. The part that is the worst of times is that we need to completely adapt and do it really quickly of how we’re doing this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it’s gonna be a turbulent time, so that’s gonna be complicated. But I think the community is working hard to do that, to ensure that there are jobs for the next generation, to ensure that we have a way to train the next generation, and to meet the need because I think we need more mathematicians right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We don’t want AI systems that we can’t understand at all on any level. The math that developed these systems now needs to be turned towards developing safety for these systems. There are new uses of math that are coming, and so yeah, in some sense it is the best of times for mathematics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of falling conjectures. It was the age of new conjectures rising. It was the epoch of dauntingly capable AI systems transforming math. It was the epoch of new kinds of math desperately needed to make these systems safe. It was the season of human irrelevance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the season of humans reasserting themselves, reminding everyone who this is all supposed to be for. I feel this all so much. Maybe you do too, because right now it seems true for a lot of fields. Take my own world of science communication. I’ve spent 15 years trying to become excellent at my work, making complex ideas accessible and helping others do the same, and the truth is, AI can do this really well now at superhuman scale, at least the technical parts of it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I got into this work because I felt it was important, so on some level, an on-demand complexity demystifying machine that everyone can use is amazing. It is the best of times. But on another level, it feels terrible. Will another generation of science writers even bother learning this craft? Will they be able to connect human to human to the people they’re doing this for? What is the role for humans in these kinds of intellectual pursuits? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So we talked about the difference earlier between discoveries in math versus, say, cancer research, drugs development. I wanna bring a different discipline into the mix, art. With art, the process is the point. So fully AI-generated art is certainly already having commercial uses, but it’s hard to imagine it ever fully replacing human-generated art because how art is done, by whom, when, why, all of these things, like, that’s the ballgame with art.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That’s why we still love oil paintings even though we have cameras. That’s why my eight-year-old will draw a squiggle and I will love it, but it will have zero market value, and then Picasso will draw a squiggle and it has… You know, I might also love it, but it will also have market value. So there seems to be an interesting continuum, a different one, between disciplines where the outcome is really what matters, and disciplines where the process is what matters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What do you think of this way of thinking about it, and how would math fit into that? So I’m an optimist about the future of mathematics. I believe that the human role will continue, and it will remain key. And, one can do exactly like AI-generated art. There’s a lot of AI-generated math out there. And it’s overwhelming the community because who’s gonna read it all? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And who’s gonna check it all, and who’s gonna use it all? But it still seems to me that the role for human understanding and human use of this mathematics is extremely important for many of the same reasons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See, we get to decide what are the interesting directions for research. We get to decide what are the interesting questions that we want answered. I don’t think anyone knows now if the AI companies will reach superhuman intelligence in mathematics. Maybe they will, but I find it hard to believe that even with superhuman intelligence of problem-solving, that the AIs will develop the same interest of what we find interesting, and what are the right directions to search. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this sense, it’s very different than, something like the game of ‘Go’, which an AI is just simply better at- and developed new – \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Chess.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra: \u003c/strong> ‘Go’, ‘Chess’. Coming up with the next direction, what’s the next interesting thing, to me seems unbounded in a way that is quite different from those games. And so for this reason, I really believe that there will be a human role in the future. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Questions, asking the right questions, and going in the right directions may become a new proxy for the field for judging things. I don’t know. But it’s certainly much more important than it has been in the past.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were always the people who were great at posing questions. Erdős is a famous mathematician who had thousands of publications and thousands of co-authors because he was so good at posing questions all over the place, and his influence is seen in so many parts of mathematics now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so many applications outside of math. You know, questions he posed relate to sphere packing, and sphere packing relates to how your cell phone works in a crowded room, for example. And his ability to pose questions was not the same as his ability maybe to build theories and prove things.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think this role for humans continues as to posing questions and building theories and finding what we think is interesting. To me, that doesn’t change with AI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Thank you. It was really a delight to talk with you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> For fun, here’s our credits in the form of a mathematical proof. Let Jess Love be your host. Given Life, Automated is a project of the Ryan Institute on Complexity at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Assume distribution by KQED. This assumption is justified by the fact that we are distributed by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the combined efforts of Jesse Dukes and Tom Dixon, the show was produced. Add music by Steven Jackson and recording assistance from Will Feeney and George Christensen. To extend our results to a wider audience, apply the marketing efforts of Ananya Mallapragada and Lauren Ko. We acknowledge Laura Pavin and Rob Mitchum, whose contributions merit special thanks, though the full demonstration is omitted here for reasons of space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, this episode exists. Whether you understood it is left as an exercise for the listener.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Northwestern mathematician \u003ca href=\"https://www.math.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/bryna-kra.html\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, a former president of the American Mathematical Society, joins host Jess Love to explore how AI is changing mathematical discovery. Generative AI has already brought about extraordinary breakthroughs, but its use is also unsettling the culture of collaboration, upending how young mathematicians learn, and raising a deceptively difficult question: is solving a problem the same as understanding it?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Northwestern mathematician \u003ca href=\"https://www.math.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/bryna-kra.html\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, a former president of the American Mathematical Society, joins host Jess Love to explore how AI is changing mathematical discovery. Generative AI has already brought about extraordinary breakthroughs, but its use is also unsettling the culture of collaboration, upending how young mathematicians learn, and raising a deceptively difficult question: is solving a problem the same as understanding it?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kra explains why some mathematicians are becoming wary of sharing unfinished ideas and how she cautiously makes space for AI in her own research. Despite the disruption she still enthusiastically encourages students to enter the field.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kra explains why some mathematicians are becoming wary of sharing unfinished ideas and how she cautiously makes space for AI in her own research. Despite the disruption she still enthusiastically encourages students to enter the field.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Life, Automated is a production of the Ryan Institute on Complexity, at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. The host is Jess Love, senior director. Distributed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/lifeautomated\">KQED\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Life, Automated is a production of the Ryan Institute on Complexity, at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. The host is Jess Love, senior director. Distributed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/lifeautomated\">KQED\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/deep-theorems-were-scarce-and-difficult-and-so-became-an-effective-mechanism-to-identify-deep-thought-ai-has-broken-this-system/\">Deep theorems were scarce and difficult and so became an effective mechanism to identify deep thought. AI has broken this system\u003c/a>. Bryna Kra, \u003ca href=\"http://terrytao.wordpress.com/\">TerryTao.wordpress.com\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/deep-theorems-were-scarce-and-difficult-and-so-became-an-effective-mechanism-to-identify-deep-thought-ai-has-broken-this-system/\">Deep theorems were scarce and difficult and so became an effective mechanism to identify deep thought. AI has broken this system\u003c/a>. Bryna Kra, \u003ca href=\"http://terrytao.wordpress.com/\">TerryTao.wordpress.com\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/how-ai-math-breakthrough-ignited-controversy?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F\">How an AI math breakthrough ignited a controversy\u003c/a>. Celina Zhao and Adrian Cho, \u003cem>Science.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/how-ai-math-breakthrough-ignited-controversy?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F\">How an AI math breakthrough ignited a controversy\u003c/a>. Celina Zhao and Adrian Cho, \u003cem>Science.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This is Life, Automated, the show where we explore what it means to live, work, and make decisions in a world increasingly shaped by machines. Bryna Kra is a mathematician here at Northwestern University, where I work. She’s the real deal. She’s been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and spent a few years as president of the American Mathematical Society.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This is Life, Automated, the show where we explore what it means to live, work, and make decisions in a world increasingly shaped by machines. Bryna Kra is a mathematician here at Northwestern University, where I work. She’s the real deal. She’s been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and spent a few years as president of the American Mathematical Society.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And she works on the kinds of math problems that are nothing like what you saw in high school. They’re weird problems, heady problems, like Nivat’s conjecture, which basically says, bear with me here, that if you have an infinite 2D grid, like an infinitely large floor with square tiles, and no matter where you look on that floor, the local patterns have surprisingly little variety, then the entire floor must repeat itself, at least in one direction.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And she works on the kinds of math problems that are nothing like what you saw in high school. They’re weird problems, heady problems, like Nivat’s conjecture, which basically says, bear with me here, that if you have an infinite 2D grid, like an infinitely large floor with square tiles, and no matter where you look on that floor, the local patterns have surprisingly little variety, then the entire floor must repeat itself, at least in one direction.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re not totally following why, don’t worry. These kinds of problems can take decades to solve. Someone will put forth a conjecture, and then a bunch of mathematicians or teams of mathematicians will work together to solve bits and pieces of the problem. And as of a few months ago, Bryna was one of the mathematicians who’d done just this.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you’re not totally following why, don’t worry. These kinds of problems can take decades to solve. Someone will put forth a conjecture, and then a bunch of mathematicians or teams of mathematicians will work together to solve bits and pieces of the problem. And as of a few months ago, Bryna was one of the mathematicians who’d done just this.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Along with a coauthor, she’d put forth one of the major partial results for Nivat’s conjecture. And then, this September, everything changed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Along with a coauthor, she’d put forth one of the major partial results for Nivat’s conjecture. And then, this September, everything changed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So starting a few weeks ago when there were new models released by the AI companies, those of us who’d worked on it began to receive proofs. And the proofs came from people who none of us knew. That’s great. You know, mathematicians tend to welcome new people into the field. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So starting a few weeks ago when there were new models released by the AI companies, those of us who’d worked on it began to receive proofs. And the proofs came from people who none of us knew. That’s great. You know, mathematicians tend to welcome new people into the field. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> But there was something unsettling about these proofs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> But there was something unsettling about these proofs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, they were very bad at tracing where the results came from. You know, what they were using from previous results. They didn’t highlight what was novel, which when you come to a breakthrough, you really want to write in the introduction, “This is what’s new.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, they were very bad at tracing where the results came from. You know, what they were using from previous results. They didn’t highlight what was novel, which when you come to a breakthrough, you really want to write in the introduction, “This is what’s new.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. It was like missing the big story. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. It was like missing the big story. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah. It’s sort of putting everything on equal footing. And they seem to be correct. The problem is solved, but without any understanding of what was going into it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah. It’s sort of putting everything on equal footing. And they seem to be correct. The problem is solved, but without any understanding of what was going into it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna wanted to talk to the mathematicians behind the proof.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> I wrote back to these people, and I asked, you know, “Would you like to meet and explain the proof?” There was always a reason why not. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> I wrote back to these people, and I asked, you know, “Would you like to meet and explain the proof?” There was always a reason why not. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> And Bryna came to suspect that the mathematicians couldn’t explain the proof because they didn’t really understand it because, well, it sure looked like they had gotten AI to just do it all for them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> And Bryna came to suspect that the mathematicians couldn’t explain the proof because they didn’t really understand it because, well, it sure looked like they had gotten AI to just do it all for them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> One of them disclosed full AI use. That’s fine. You know, they disclosed what they did. They said they were undergraduates who didn’t really know much math. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> One of them disclosed full AI use. That’s fine. You know, they disclosed what they did. They said they were undergraduates who didn’t really know much math. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Now, Bryna thinks there is some value in knowing that the conjecture can, in fact, be proven, some satisfaction even. But mostly she seems to think of it as a missed opportunity to actually understand something new, gain a tool, a new technique, a new way into the next problem.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Now, Bryna thinks there is some value in knowing that the conjecture can, in fact, be proven, some satisfaction even. But mostly she seems to think of it as a missed opportunity to actually understand something new, gain a tool, a new technique, a new way into the next problem.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because for a long time, this is what solving a proof meant. It meant you now understood something you didn’t before. And the Watts conjecture was hardly the biggest mathematical story of September. OpenAI announced that its models had solved one of the field’s crown jewels, the Navier-Stokes problem. On today’s episode, I speak with Bryna Kra about how AI is rocking the math world.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Because for a long time, this is what solving a proof meant. It meant you now understood something you didn’t before. And the Watts conjecture was hardly the biggest mathematical story of September. OpenAI announced that its models had solved one of the field’s crown jewels, the Navier-Stokes problem. On today’s episode, I speak with Bryna Kra about how AI is rocking the math world.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And even if you don’t care about math, maybe you still have PTSD from Algebra 2, Bryna argues you should still care about what is happening here, because today AI can put forth solutions to problems that have long stumped the field’s best and brightest, all without a single human ever reading or understanding that solution, which means while AI might be solving a bunch of problems, we humans might not be really learning very much, all while destroying the ecosystem that has long led to new discoveries.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And even if you don’t care about math, maybe you still have PTSD from Algebra 2, Bryna argues you should still care about what is happening here, because today AI can put forth solutions to problems that have long stumped the field’s best and brightest, all without a single human ever reading or understanding that solution, which means while AI might be solving a bunch of problems, we humans might not be really learning very much, all while destroying the ecosystem that has long led to new discoveries.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So what does this mean for the future of math, for the humans who’ve devoted their lives to doing it, for the next generation of humans who are still learning it? And how does that apply to other intellectual pursuits? Because what happens in math doesn’t stay in math.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So what does this mean for the future of math, for the humans who’ve devoted their lives to doing it, for the next generation of humans who are still learning it? And how does that apply to other intellectual pursuits? Because what happens in math doesn’t stay in math.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is Life, Automated, a project from Kellogg’s Ryan Institute on Complexity, distributed by KQED. I started by asking Bryna about why OpenAI’s solving of the Navier-Stokes problem is such a big deal. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is Life, Automated, a project from Kellogg’s Ryan Institute on Complexity, distributed by KQED. I started by asking Bryna about why OpenAI’s solving of the Navier-Stokes problem is such a big deal. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this problem is one of the millennium problems, which was posed in 2000 with a million dollars prize for each of them. There are seven millennium problems, only up till now, only one had been solved. That was by a human. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this problem is one of the millennium problems, which was posed in 2000 with a million dollars prize for each of them. There are seven millennium problems, only up till now, only one had been solved. That was by a human. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Thanks for clarifying. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Thanks for clarifying. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And some time ago. And the others were open, and they really guide the community in what directions we’re going to do research. So it’s about more than just solving the problems. It’s about understanding the methods, understanding stopping places along the way, partial results. It’s a much bigger picture than just solving this problem. What happened in early September was that they announced the solution, and it was immediately filled with controversy. There were some mathematicians who were working on it using AI, fully disclosed that they were using AI to work on it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And some time ago. And the others were open, and they really guide the community in what directions we’re going to do research. So it’s about more than just solving the problems. It’s about understanding the methods, understanding stopping places along the way, partial results. It’s a much bigger picture than just solving this problem. What happened in early September was that they announced the solution, and it was immediately filled with controversy. There were some mathematicians who were working on it using AI, fully disclosed that they were using AI to work on it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And they had made significant progress, and there were a lot of questions immediately as to how the results from OpenAI were released, what access they had to what the mathematicians had been doing, was it independent, and how this was a complete change in the norms of the field. Mathematics typically is slow. We check each other’s work. We share results even along the way, partial, and this was just a very different way of doing math. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And they had made significant progress, and there were a lot of questions immediately as to how the results from OpenAI were released, what access they had to what the mathematicians had been doing, was it independent, and how this was a complete change in the norms of the field. Mathematics typically is slow. We check each other’s work. We share results even along the way, partial, and this was just a very different way of doing math. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Part of what makes it different is that apparently OpenAI rushed to solve the problem after learning that two mathematicians, including one associated with Anthropic, its big corporate rival, were close to a breakthrough. This is according to a published account by NYU mathematician Tristan Buckmaster, one of the collaborators. OpenAI apparently decided they wanted to beat the team to the punch and diverted massive computing resources, including thousands of AI agents, to solving the problem. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Part of what makes it different is that apparently OpenAI rushed to solve the problem after learning that two mathematicians, including one associated with Anthropic, its big corporate rival, were close to a breakthrough. This is according to a published account by NYU mathematician Tristan Buckmaster, one of the collaborators. OpenAI apparently decided they wanted to beat the team to the punch and diverted massive computing resources, including thousands of AI agents, to solving the problem. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is turning math into a competition in a way that it never has. Our community, the math community, has for ages been a very collaborative place, a place where we share our results before they are published. We put them on the archive, which is an open registry for this, where people can upload the results even before they’ve been reviewed by journals for publication by referees. We have an extremely rigorous refereeing policy, and this was just a completely different way to do it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is turning math into a competition in a way that it never has. Our community, the math community, has for ages been a very collaborative place, a place where we share our results before they are published. We put them on the archive, which is an open registry for this, where people can upload the results even before they’ve been reviewed by journals for publication by referees. We have an extremely rigorous refereeing policy, and this was just a completely different way to do it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so it’s almost destabilizing for several different reasons. There’s the sense that, “oh my gosh, it actually solved this problem.” Like, but then there’s also the sense that it’s being used potentially to impress investors, to get them to pour more money into some of these companies. And so you’re taking these problems, and instead of letting them be guideposts to where mathematicians can orient their own efforts, it’s taking that and using it for something, like hijacking it for a completely different purpose. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so it’s almost destabilizing for several different reasons. There’s the sense that, “oh my gosh, it actually solved this problem.” Like, but then there’s also the sense that it’s being used potentially to impress investors, to get them to pour more money into some of these companies. And so you’re taking these problems, and instead of letting them be guideposts to where mathematicians can orient their own efforts, it’s taking that and using it for something, like hijacking it for a completely different purpose. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. There’s a complete misalignment in the interests of the AI companies and the interests of the mathematical community. For the AI companies, this is a way to benchmark, to show their investors that they have done something hard. Right. Most people agree math is hard. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. There’s a complete misalignment in the interests of the AI companies and the interests of the mathematical community. For the AI companies, this is a way to benchmark, to show their investors that they have done something hard. Right. Most people agree math is hard. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this is one way that they can show that they’ve really achieved something that the humans did not do, that they’ve gone beyond what humans were capable of. For the math community, our incentives are quite different. Of course, we wanna solve problems, and I think most mathematicians would agree it’s amazing that these problems have been solved, and we’re all delighted to see that these problems are solved. But it goes well beyond just solving problems. We wanna understand what the solutions are and what they tell us and what they give us as guideposts for future research and future directions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this is one way that they can show that they’ve really achieved something that the humans did not do, that they’ve gone beyond what humans were capable of. For the math community, our incentives are quite different. Of course, we wanna solve problems, and I think most mathematicians would agree it’s amazing that these problems have been solved, and we’re all delighted to see that these problems are solved. But it goes well beyond just solving problems. We wanna understand what the solutions are and what they tell us and what they give us as guideposts for future research and future directions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> I wanted to know how Bryna would compare these discoveries in math to those in, say, drug development, where the goal seems like it should be to discover as much as possible as quickly as possible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> I wanted to know how Bryna would compare these discoveries in math to those in, say, drug development, where the goal seems like it should be to discover as much as possible as quickly as possible. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So we love to discover. Mathematicians love to uncover new, deep results. This is great. But there isn’t the same pressure to hurry the discoveries out. Let’s say the solutions in Navier-Stokes had come out a month later, giving the humans time to finish writing up their portions, the humans involved in the discovery that led to the huge breakthroughs by OpenAI, to write up their part and carefully explain it to the community and finish their work versus coming out exactly as it did under pressure in a tweet, in a press release. This… Math is not done by tweet or press release. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So we love to discover. Mathematicians love to uncover new, deep results. This is great. But there isn’t the same pressure to hurry the discoveries out. Let’s say the solutions in Navier-Stokes had come out a month later, giving the humans time to finish writing up their portions, the humans involved in the discovery that led to the huge breakthroughs by OpenAI, to write up their part and carefully explain it to the community and finish their work versus coming out exactly as it did under pressure in a tweet, in a press release. This… Math is not done by tweet or press release. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the other hand, had OpenAI come up with a cure for cancer, the rush to announce it, to share it with the world, I think is completely understandable. This is just a very different culture of how math is done and the immediate importance of the result versus something like a drug company.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the other hand, had OpenAI come up with a cure for cancer, the rush to announce it, to share it with the world, I think is completely understandable. This is just a very different culture of how math is done and the immediate importance of the result versus something like a drug company.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This point about the immediate importance of a mathematical result versus, say, a cure for cancer is really worth spending a bit of time with, because as abstract and frankly out there as some of these problems sound infinite grids, they really can lead to these enormous breakthroughs; but the breakthroughs don’t just follow from the solution. They come from understanding that occurs along the way. Solutions need to be absorbed, mulled, and picked apart, and mulled again, and the normal pace of math has always allowed for that because what’s the rush? The practical uses from these breakthroughs when they do occur could be decades away. Techniques developed by the mathematician Joseph Fourier two hundred years ago help to power medical imaging today. Or here’s another example.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This point about the immediate importance of a mathematical result versus, say, a cure for cancer is really worth spending a bit of time with, because as abstract and frankly out there as some of these problems sound infinite grids, they really can lead to these enormous breakthroughs; but the breakthroughs don’t just follow from the solution. They come from understanding that occurs along the way. Solutions need to be absorbed, mulled, and picked apart, and mulled again, and the normal pace of math has always allowed for that because what’s the rush? The practical uses from these breakthroughs when they do occur could be decades away. Techniques developed by the mathematician Joseph Fourier two hundred years ago help to power medical imaging today. Or here’s another example.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, you probably use your credit card online, all the time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, you probably use your credit card online, all the time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I do, too much. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I do, too much. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Behind that is deep number theory that was developed, some of it 100 years ago, some of it 50 years ago, and some of it is still being developed. Number theory is about the positive integers and their properties, like the numbers one, two, three, four, five, and so on, and what kind of properties they have. But inside that study of number theory, there were these tools that were developed that allow the encryption that allows you to use your credit card securely and most of the time without getting the number stolen, right? So, so that is a tool that was developed for the sake of understanding- \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Behind that is deep number theory that was developed, some of it 100 years ago, some of it 50 years ago, and some of it is still being developed. Number theory is about the positive integers and their properties, like the numbers one, two, three, four, five, and so on, and what kind of properties they have. But inside that study of number theory, there were these tools that were developed that allow the encryption that allows you to use your credit card securely and most of the time without getting the number stolen, right? So, so that is a tool that was developed for the sake of understanding- \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> \u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> How fascinating … \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp> \u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> How fascinating … \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> …And yet it gets used every day all the time now. So we don’t know all of the applications that are coming out of the foundational research that is happening in mathematics, and we cannot predict that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> …And yet it gets used every day all the time now. So we don’t know all of the applications that are coming out of the foundational research that is happening in mathematics, and we cannot predict that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna’s fear is that reams of AI-generated proofs hitting the field all at once will lead to little actual understanding, fewer new tools and insights, all while discouraging human mathematicians from continuing their own investigations into these conjectures.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna’s fear is that reams of AI-generated proofs hitting the field all at once will lead to little actual understanding, fewer new tools and insights, all while discouraging human mathematicians from continuing their own investigations into these conjectures.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What it did is close off this area. What’s the incentive now for somebody to go through and understand that? Unless it’s gonna lead somewhere new. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What it did is close off this area. What’s the incentive now for somebody to go through and understand that? Unless it’s gonna lead somewhere new. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna thinks that simply having AI systems that can solve, and maybe in their own way understand the math behind a proof, isn’t adequate. We need humans to understand the math in order to keep directing the field, keep inquiring. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna thinks that simply having AI systems that can solve, and maybe in their own way understand the math behind a proof, isn’t adequate. We need humans to understand the math in order to keep directing the field, keep inquiring. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And she does see some ways of using AI that could bring that about. In these cases, the AI follows the human’s lead, helps them follow their own intuition and curiosity to discover new things, rather than AI just doing everything and leaving humans to deal with the aftermath. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And she does see some ways of using AI that could bring that about. In these cases, the AI follows the human’s lead, helps them follow their own intuition and curiosity to discover new things, rather than AI just doing everything and leaving humans to deal with the aftermath. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong>So, I have started using it to explore new directions. I use it if there’s something I’m reading and I don’t understand. It’s a fantastic way to ask it, like, “Explain how you get from this statement to that statement.” It’s really good at that. Or, “Explain where this comes from, this idea.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong>So, I have started using it to explore new directions. I use it if there’s something I’m reading and I don’t understand. It’s a fantastic way to ask it, like, “Explain how you get from this statement to that statement.” It’s really good at that. Or, “Explain where this comes from, this idea.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if you ask it to go search for an idea, because I like to understand where the ideas come from, it’s actually very good. It says, “Well, there seems to be something similar in this paper from 10 years ago, and another one from 20 years ago,” that I would probably not have found. I’ve started using it to code up things. And it can write computer programs and execute computer programs for me, and test thousands of examples in a way that would take me months, if not years to do.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And if you ask it to go search for an idea, because I like to understand where the ideas come from, it’s actually very good. It says, “Well, there seems to be something similar in this paper from 10 years ago, and another one from 20 years ago,” that I would probably not have found. I’ve started using it to code up things. And it can write computer programs and execute computer programs for me, and test thousands of examples in a way that would take me months, if not years to do.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is not just saying, “Solve this problem.” You direct it. You say, “Well, now explore that direction, because that’s interesting.” And that’s where the human understanding of what’s going on in the math is super important, because many of us know things that cannot work for some reason, or are not the right direction to search, and it might be an intuition or it might be an actual math fact.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is not just saying, “Solve this problem.” You direct it. You say, “Well, now explore that direction, because that’s interesting.” And that’s where the human understanding of what’s going on in the math is super important, because many of us know things that cannot work for some reason, or are not the right direction to search, and it might be an intuition or it might be an actual math fact.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But we can direct it to look in these areas because we have spent so much time thinking about these problems. And so we can really guide the AI to help us look, here’s where you might be thinking about a technique, a tool, an approach, or a counterexample. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But we can direct it to look in these areas because we have spent so much time thinking about these problems. And so we can really guide the AI to help us look, here’s where you might be thinking about a technique, a tool, an approach, or a counterexample. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So even as there’s more human-machine collaboration, do you wonder what will happen to human-human collaboration? And I just kept thinking that the second you present one of these partial results where you’re kinda like, “Hey, we got to this new point in the road,” does it then just trigger a bunch of AI-enabled mathematicians? Or maybe forget the mathematician, just AI-enabled AI to go ahead and solve the rest. Does it make it less likely to want to discuss the things that you are learning along the way?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So even as there’s more human-machine collaboration, do you wonder what will happen to human-human collaboration? And I just kept thinking that the second you present one of these partial results where you’re kinda like, “Hey, we got to this new point in the road,” does it then just trigger a bunch of AI-enabled mathematicians? Or maybe forget the mathematician, just AI-enabled AI to go ahead and solve the rest. Does it make it less likely to want to discuss the things that you are learning along the way?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so this is exactly one of the issues that the field is grappling with now, that it’s a complete change in our culture. A year ago when I gave a talk at a conference, I would always pepper it with open questions and other directions of research because I would be delighted if someone in the audience would go and work on those and come back to me and say, “Hey, you asked this question, and I came up with this answer. Can we discuss?” Or if they write it on their own, either of these things would be delicious and wonderful. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so this is exactly one of the issues that the field is grappling with now, that it’s a complete change in our culture. A year ago when I gave a talk at a conference, I would always pepper it with open questions and other directions of research because I would be delighted if someone in the audience would go and work on those and come back to me and say, “Hey, you asked this question, and I came up with this answer. Can we discuss?” Or if they write it on their own, either of these things would be delicious and wonderful. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. Right. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. Right. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is now complete change. If you go and you pose a problem as part of a natural open, you know, next direction that you are thinking about, and you don’t know the audience, and there’s somebody there who wants to just take it and put it in AI, of course, they’re welcome to do that. But if it’s a problem, for example, that I want to work on or that I want one of my students to work on, this is now a very dangerous thing to do. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is now complete change. If you go and you pose a problem as part of a natural open, you know, next direction that you are thinking about, and you don’t know the audience, and there’s somebody there who wants to just take it and put it in AI, of course, they’re welcome to do that. But if it’s a problem, for example, that I want to work on or that I want one of my students to work on, this is now a very dangerous thing to do. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So it has destroyed the trust that the community has in other people because there are people there who are just wanting to take it and put all the problems into AI and keep moving forward.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So it has destroyed the trust that the community has in other people because there are people there who are just wanting to take it and put all the problems into AI and keep moving forward.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That cultural norm of openness and sharing has really been destroyed in an instant, and I really hope we find a way to go back to that because it is one of the things that made mathematics such an amazing place to be. The community is a great bunch of people that shared and worked together in the collaborative environment, and if we destroy that, then I think we will really have destroyed the role of human mathematicians.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That cultural norm of openness and sharing has really been destroyed in an instant, and I really hope we find a way to go back to that because it is one of the things that made mathematics such an amazing place to be. The community is a great bunch of people that shared and worked together in the collaborative environment, and if we destroy that, then I think we will really have destroyed the role of human mathematicians.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the other hand, there are many of us fighting hard to keep that. This can be local. We have a local seminar, working group, which has about 10 to 15 people each week, and we have all agreed that nothing goes into AI… unless the speaker agrees. So nobody will be doing that in our local group, and we all trust each other. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the other hand, there are many of us fighting hard to keep that. This can be local. We have a local seminar, working group, which has about 10 to 15 people each week, and we have all agreed that nothing goes into AI… unless the speaker agrees. So nobody will be doing that in our local group, and we all trust each other. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I think people have to come with those types of agreements, with their collaborators. There are different types of collaborations, and whether or not you include AI, put the problems in or not, that is something every collaborator needs to discuss.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I think people have to come with those types of agreements, with their collaborators. There are different types of collaborations, and whether or not you include AI, put the problems in or not, that is something every collaborator needs to discuss.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Different agreements, tortured discussions about when and how AI will be used and disclosed. People genuinely afraid to present their results at conferences because analyses that would have taken months can be done in hours, making the likelihood of getting scooped that much higher. This sounds very familiar because I’m seeing this play out in so many academic disciplines.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Different agreements, tortured discussions about when and how AI will be used and disclosed. People genuinely afraid to present their results at conferences because analyses that would have taken months can be done in hours, making the likelihood of getting scooped that much higher. This sounds very familiar because I’m seeing this play out in so many academic disciplines.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Working at a university, I have a front row seat to the ways different fields, different subfields, different individuals are approaching this moment. I walk through campus and can feel the undercurrent of shock and wariness and excitement and anxiety. I can hear an entire lecture hall hush as everyone reckons with the magnitude of the changes that are coming, changes that may already be here now that the work of knowledge production no longer happens at human scale.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Working at a university, I have a front row seat to the ways different fields, different subfields, different individuals are approaching this moment. I walk through campus and can feel the undercurrent of shock and wariness and excitement and anxiety. I can hear an entire lecture hall hush as everyone reckons with the magnitude of the changes that are coming, changes that may already be here now that the work of knowledge production no longer happens at human scale.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And it’s not just academia. This is happening wherever ideas are generated and codified and shared with others. AI is coding up complex software and designing sophisticated marketing campaigns and writing prize-winning literature. It’s just that it’s all happening so clearly in mathematics with like actual proofs attached.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And it’s not just academia. This is happening wherever ideas are generated and codified and shared with others. AI is coding up complex software and designing sophisticated marketing campaigns and writing prize-winning literature. It’s just that it’s all happening so clearly in mathematics with like actual proofs attached.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a recent blog post, Bryna described her field as, “a canary in the coal mine.” We discuss after the break.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a recent blog post, Bryna described her field as, “a canary in the coal mine.” We discuss after the break.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So one of the things that really caught my attention in your blog post about recent events is that you mentioned that AI’s abilities in mathematics are a bit of a “canary in the coal mine” for a lot of different disciplines. Can you say more about what you mean? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So one of the things that really caught my attention in your blog post about recent events is that you mentioned that AI’s abilities in mathematics are a bit of a “canary in the coal mine” for a lot of different disciplines. Can you say more about what you mean? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. So the issues that mathematics is dealing with right now are not going to stay just a problem for mathematicians. It is already happening in theoretical computer science, which, you know, is part of math in some way, another close field. But I do not believe that it will stay there. I think it will come for all intellectual fields. It’s coming for law already. I think people understand how much the AI can actually absorb case law and produce what read and look like briefs. And so I see no reason why it won’t develop for other ones as it gets better. Math was first in some way because our training data was so excellent and because it was such a good proving ground for the companies to benchmark of what they’re doing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. So the issues that mathematics is dealing with right now are not going to stay just a problem for mathematicians. It is already happening in theoretical computer science, which, you know, is part of math in some way, another close field. But I do not believe that it will stay there. I think it will come for all intellectual fields. It’s coming for law already. I think people understand how much the AI can actually absorb case law and produce what read and look like briefs. And so I see no reason why it won’t develop for other ones as it gets better. Math was first in some way because our training data was so excellent and because it was such a good proving ground for the companies to benchmark of what they’re doing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But, I think it’s naive to think that it will stop with math and theoretical computer science and law. Fields will need to decide what their values are, which ones they want to keep with the changes, it can’t be all because they won’t all get kept, and then figure out the ways to implement keeping those.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But, I think it’s naive to think that it will stop with math and theoretical computer science and law. Fields will need to decide what their values are, which ones they want to keep with the changes, it can’t be all because they won’t all get kept, and then figure out the ways to implement keeping those.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So what steps does the field take to make sure that their values are still there at the end of this AI revolution? \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, which might involve really at the core making sure that the incentives of the broader field are in some way aligned with the incentives of individuals. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, which might involve really at the core making sure that the incentives of the broader field are in some way aligned with the incentives of individuals. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. Right now, we have a complete misalignment on many levels. We have a misalignment between what the AI companies want from mathematics and what mathematicians want. We have a misalignment between the ways we use mathematical results to judge people and what can be produced now, making it very hard to judge people. So the math community is grappling with these issues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. Right now, we have a complete misalignment on many levels. We have a misalignment between what the AI companies want from mathematics and what mathematicians want. We have a misalignment between the ways we use mathematical results to judge people and what can be produced now, making it very hard to judge people. So the math community is grappling with these issues.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Right now, there’s recently a report that came out of a group, there was a conference at Harvard on the future of the PhD in mathematics. Mathematicians are deeply concerned about how we will train the next generation because we really do believe that this is a time, if anything, for more mathematical input and more mathematical insight, the human type, not just the AI type.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Right now, there’s recently a report that came out of a group, there was a conference at Harvard on the future of the PhD in mathematics. Mathematicians are deeply concerned about how we will train the next generation because we really do believe that this is a time, if anything, for more mathematical input and more mathematical insight, the human type, not just the AI type.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if we have cut ourselves off at the knees and don’t have a way to train the next generation, how will we have that? So there’s great concern on this. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And if we have cut ourselves off at the knees and don’t have a way to train the next generation, how will we have that? So there’s great concern on this. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, because you might be, instead of relying on a PhD student or two to assist you with your research, it can be very tempting to go to AI. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, because you might be, instead of relying on a PhD student or two to assist you with your research, it can be very tempting to go to AI. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, no, I think it’s a different issue.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Okay. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> In mathematics, it’s quite different than the lab sciences. PhD students typically don’t assist us with our research, but rather it’s the opposite. We kinda give them, at the beginning, things that we sort of know how to do, maybe not the details- certainly not all the details, but that we see the path forward.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> In mathematics, it’s quite different than the lab sciences. PhD students typically don’t assist us with our research, but rather it’s the opposite. We kinda give them, at the beginning, things that we sort of know how to do, maybe not the details- certainly not all the details, but that we see the path forward.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of work to do, and they gotta go do the work themselves. But we kinda see that. That’s how we start training them. And then after they’ve worked on such a problem, we help them explore new directions so they find their own way- to find their own problem that they can do, and we still help them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of work to do, and they gotta go do the work themselves. But we kinda see that. That’s how we start training them. And then after they’ve worked on such a problem, we help them explore new directions so they find their own way- to find their own problem that they can do, and we still help them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> And so how does… Can you just flesh out how AI disrupts that? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> And so how does… Can you just flesh out how AI disrupts that? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> The AI disrupts this completely. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> The AI disrupts this completely. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I’d love to hear how. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I’d love to hear how. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Completely, because that first problem that we sort of see the path, and it’s missing some hard work. Every problem I can come up with like that, if I were to put it into the AI, it would just give me the solution.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Completely, because that first problem that we sort of see the path, and it’s missing some hard work. Every problem I can come up with like that, if I were to put it into the AI, it would just give me the solution.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s a big difference between coming up with it on your own, and therefore having to do the work, the pen and paper work, and actually reading somebody else’s. And we are trying to exactly train them to do that, the difference between reading and understanding something that you get from elsewhere, and being able to develop it yourself and writing it up.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s a big difference between coming up with it on your own, and therefore having to do the work, the pen and paper work, and actually reading somebody else’s. And we are trying to exactly train them to do that, the difference between reading and understanding something that you get from elsewhere, and being able to develop it yourself and writing it up.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I see. So it’s almost like the types of problems that a PhD student would even be able, like a new PhD student would be able to handle, are the exact types of problems that AI can one-shot. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I see. So it’s almost like the types of problems that a PhD student would even be able, like a new PhD student would be able to handle, are the exact types of problems that AI can one-shot. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. So I think we have to change our training programs. We have to train the students more to think about how do we go outside the box? What are the right questions to be asking about this, rather than just getting them from their advisor, “Here’s a good question to ask.” Because it’s, it- that’s a skill that we have not had to develop as early in a student’s training. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. So I think we have to change our training programs. We have to train the students more to think about how do we go outside the box? What are the right questions to be asking about this, rather than just getting them from their advisor, “Here’s a good question to ask.” Because it’s, it- that’s a skill that we have not had to develop as early in a student’s training. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Would you still advise a student who is very interested in mathematics to go into the field?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Would you still advise a student who is very interested in mathematics to go into the field?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So to me, somebody who’s interested in mathematics, the answer is yes. Absolutely, resoundingly yes. I spoke to some students and I said to them, “You know, I’d like to think about it this way. The first, few lines of, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ – \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So to me, somebody who’s interested in mathematics, the answer is yes. Absolutely, resoundingly yes. I spoke to some students and I said to them, “You know, I’d like to think about it this way. The first, few lines of, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ – \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. And so in some sense, in mathematics, it was, this is the best of times. We’re going to see huge conjectures fall. We’re going to see new understanding of areas that we couldn’t have possibly hoped to understand 10 years ago. This is amazing, and for a student to be at the forefront of that and really in that, great. The part that is the worst of times is that we need to completely adapt and do it really quickly of how we’re doing this.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. And so in some sense, in mathematics, it was, this is the best of times. We’re going to see huge conjectures fall. We’re going to see new understanding of areas that we couldn’t have possibly hoped to understand 10 years ago. This is amazing, and for a student to be at the forefront of that and really in that, great. The part that is the worst of times is that we need to completely adapt and do it really quickly of how we’re doing this.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So it’s gonna be a turbulent time, so that’s gonna be complicated. But I think the community is working hard to do that, to ensure that there are jobs for the next generation, to ensure that we have a way to train the next generation, and to meet the need because I think we need more mathematicians right now.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So it’s gonna be a turbulent time, so that’s gonna be complicated. But I think the community is working hard to do that, to ensure that there are jobs for the next generation, to ensure that we have a way to train the next generation, and to meet the need because I think we need more mathematicians right now.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We don’t want AI systems that we can’t understand at all on any level. The math that developed these systems now needs to be turned towards developing safety for these systems. There are new uses of math that are coming, and so yeah, in some sense it is the best of times for mathematics.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We don’t want AI systems that we can’t understand at all on any level. The math that developed these systems now needs to be turned towards developing safety for these systems. There are new uses of math that are coming, and so yeah, in some sense it is the best of times for mathematics.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of falling conjectures. It was the age of new conjectures rising. It was the epoch of dauntingly capable AI systems transforming math. It was the epoch of new kinds of math desperately needed to make these systems safe. It was the season of human irrelevance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of falling conjectures. It was the age of new conjectures rising. It was the epoch of dauntingly capable AI systems transforming math. It was the epoch of new kinds of math desperately needed to make these systems safe. It was the season of human irrelevance.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was the season of humans reasserting themselves, reminding everyone who this is all supposed to be for. I feel this all so much. Maybe you do too, because right now it seems true for a lot of fields. Take my own world of science communication. I’ve spent 15 years trying to become excellent at my work, making complex ideas accessible and helping others do the same, and the truth is, AI can do this really well now at superhuman scale, at least the technical parts of it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It was the season of humans reasserting themselves, reminding everyone who this is all supposed to be for. I feel this all so much. Maybe you do too, because right now it seems true for a lot of fields. Take my own world of science communication. I’ve spent 15 years trying to become excellent at my work, making complex ideas accessible and helping others do the same, and the truth is, AI can do this really well now at superhuman scale, at least the technical parts of it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I got into this work because I felt it was important, so on some level, an on-demand complexity demystifying machine that everyone can use is amazing. It is the best of times. But on another level, it feels terrible. Will another generation of science writers even bother learning this craft? Will they be able to connect human to human to the people they’re doing this for? What is the role for humans in these kinds of intellectual pursuits? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I got into this work because I felt it was important, so on some level, an on-demand complexity demystifying machine that everyone can use is amazing. It is the best of times. But on another level, it feels terrible. Will another generation of science writers even bother learning this craft? Will they be able to connect human to human to the people they’re doing this for? What is the role for humans in these kinds of intellectual pursuits? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So we talked about the difference earlier between discoveries in math versus, say, cancer research, drugs development. I wanna bring a different discipline into the mix, art. With art, the process is the point. So fully AI-generated art is certainly already having commercial uses, but it’s hard to imagine it ever fully replacing human-generated art because how art is done, by whom, when, why, all of these things, like, that’s the ballgame with art.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So we talked about the difference earlier between discoveries in math versus, say, cancer research, drugs development. I wanna bring a different discipline into the mix, art. With art, the process is the point. So fully AI-generated art is certainly already having commercial uses, but it’s hard to imagine it ever fully replacing human-generated art because how art is done, by whom, when, why, all of these things, like, that’s the ballgame with art.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s why we still love oil paintings even though we have cameras. That’s why my eight-year-old will draw a squiggle and I will love it, but it will have zero market value, and then Picasso will draw a squiggle and it has… You know, I might also love it, but it will also have market value. So there seems to be an interesting continuum, a different one, between disciplines where the outcome is really what matters, and disciplines where the process is what matters.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s why we still love oil paintings even though we have cameras. That’s why my eight-year-old will draw a squiggle and I will love it, but it will have zero market value, and then Picasso will draw a squiggle and it has… You know, I might also love it, but it will also have market value. So there seems to be an interesting continuum, a different one, between disciplines where the outcome is really what matters, and disciplines where the process is what matters.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What do you think of this way of thinking about it, and how would math fit into that? So I’m an optimist about the future of mathematics. I believe that the human role will continue, and it will remain key. And, one can do exactly like AI-generated art. There’s a lot of AI-generated math out there. And it’s overwhelming the community because who’s gonna read it all? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What do you think of this way of thinking about it, and how would math fit into that? So I’m an optimist about the future of mathematics. I believe that the human role will continue, and it will remain key. And, one can do exactly like AI-generated art. There’s a lot of AI-generated math out there. And it’s overwhelming the community because who’s gonna read it all? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And who’s gonna check it all, and who’s gonna use it all? But it still seems to me that the role for human understanding and human use of this mathematics is extremely important for many of the same reasons.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And who’s gonna check it all, and who’s gonna use it all? But it still seems to me that the role for human understanding and human use of this mathematics is extremely important for many of the same reasons.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>See, we get to decide what are the interesting directions for research. We get to decide what are the interesting questions that we want answered. I don’t think anyone knows now if the AI companies will reach superhuman intelligence in mathematics. Maybe they will, but I find it hard to believe that even with superhuman intelligence of problem-solving, that the AIs will develop the same interest of what we find interesting, and what are the right directions to search. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>See, we get to decide what are the interesting directions for research. We get to decide what are the interesting questions that we want answered. I don’t think anyone knows now if the AI companies will reach superhuman intelligence in mathematics. Maybe they will, but I find it hard to believe that even with superhuman intelligence of problem-solving, that the AIs will develop the same interest of what we find interesting, and what are the right directions to search. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In this sense, it’s very different than, something like the game of ‘Go’, which an AI is just simply better at- and developed new – \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In this sense, it’s very different than, something like the game of ‘Go’, which an AI is just simply better at- and developed new – \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Chess.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra: \u003c/strong> ‘Go’, ‘Chess’. Coming up with the next direction, what’s the next interesting thing, to me seems unbounded in a way that is quite different from those games. And so for this reason, I really believe that there will be a human role in the future. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra: \u003c/strong> ‘Go’, ‘Chess’. Coming up with the next direction, what’s the next interesting thing, to me seems unbounded in a way that is quite different from those games. And so for this reason, I really believe that there will be a human role in the future. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Questions, asking the right questions, and going in the right directions may become a new proxy for the field for judging things. I don’t know. But it’s certainly much more important than it has been in the past.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Questions, asking the right questions, and going in the right directions may become a new proxy for the field for judging things. I don’t know. But it’s certainly much more important than it has been in the past.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There were always the people who were great at posing questions. Erdős is a famous mathematician who had thousands of publications and thousands of co-authors because he was so good at posing questions all over the place, and his influence is seen in so many parts of mathematics now.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There were always the people who were great at posing questions. Erdős is a famous mathematician who had thousands of publications and thousands of co-authors because he was so good at posing questions all over the place, and his influence is seen in so many parts of mathematics now.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"#Transcript\">View Full Episode Transcript\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What happens when AI can produce a mathematical proof before any human understands it? And what does that mean for the rest of us?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northwestern mathematician \u003ca href=\"https://www.math.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/bryna-kra.html\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>, a former president of the American Mathematical Society, joins host Jess Love to explore how AI is changing mathematical discovery. Generative AI has already brought about extraordinary breakthroughs, but its use is also unsettling the culture of collaboration, upending how young mathematicians learn, and raising a deceptively difficult question: is solving a problem the same as understanding it?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kra explains why some mathematicians are becoming wary of sharing unfinished ideas and how she cautiously makes space for AI in her own research. Despite the disruption she still enthusiastically encourages students to enter the field.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Life, Automated is a production of the Ryan Institute on Complexity, at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. The host is Jess Love, senior director. Distributed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/lifeautomated\">KQED\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Reading:\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/deep-theorems-were-scarce-and-difficult-and-so-became-an-effective-mechanism-to-identify-deep-thought-ai-has-broken-this-system/\">Deep theorems were scarce and difficult and so became an effective mechanism to identify deep thought. AI has broken this system\u003c/a>. Bryna Kra, \u003ca href=\"http://terrytao.wordpress.com/\">TerryTao.wordpress.com\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/how-ai-math-breakthrough-ignited-controversy?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F\">How an AI math breakthrough ignited a controversy\u003c/a>. Celina Zhao and Adrian Cho, \u003cem>Science.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"Transcript\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Episode Transcript:\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This is Life, Automated, the show where we explore what it means to live, work, and make decisions in a world increasingly shaped by machines. Bryna Kra is a mathematician here at Northwestern University, where I work. She’s the real deal. She’s been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and spent a few years as president of the American Mathematical Society.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And she works on the kinds of math problems that are nothing like what you saw in high school. They’re weird problems, heady problems, like Nivat’s conjecture, which basically says, bear with me here, that if you have an infinite 2D grid, like an infinitely large floor with square tiles, and no matter where you look on that floor, the local patterns have surprisingly little variety, then the entire floor must repeat itself, at least in one direction.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you’re not totally following why, don’t worry. These kinds of problems can take decades to solve. Someone will put forth a conjecture, and then a bunch of mathematicians or teams of mathematicians will work together to solve bits and pieces of the problem. And as of a few months ago, Bryna was one of the mathematicians who’d done just this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with a coauthor, she’d put forth one of the major partial results for Nivat’s conjecture. And then, this September, everything changed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So starting a few weeks ago when there were new models released by the AI companies, those of us who’d worked on it began to receive proofs. And the proofs came from people who none of us knew. That’s great. You know, mathematicians tend to welcome new people into the field. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> But there was something unsettling about these proofs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, they were very bad at tracing where the results came from. You know, what they were using from previous results. They didn’t highlight what was novel, which when you come to a breakthrough, you really want to write in the introduction, “This is what’s new.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. It was like missing the big story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah. It’s sort of putting everything on equal footing. And they seem to be correct. The problem is solved, but without any understanding of what was going into it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna wanted to talk to the mathematicians behind the proof.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> I wrote back to these people, and I asked, you know, “Would you like to meet and explain the proof?” There was always a reason why not. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> And Bryna came to suspect that the mathematicians couldn’t explain the proof because they didn’t really understand it because, well, it sure looked like they had gotten AI to just do it all for them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> One of them disclosed full AI use. That’s fine. You know, they disclosed what they did. They said they were undergraduates who didn’t really know much math. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Now, Bryna thinks there is some value in knowing that the conjecture can, in fact, be proven, some satisfaction even. But mostly she seems to think of it as a missed opportunity to actually understand something new, gain a tool, a new technique, a new way into the next problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because for a long time, this is what solving a proof meant. It meant you now understood something you didn’t before. And the Watts conjecture was hardly the biggest mathematical story of September. OpenAI announced that its models had solved one of the field’s crown jewels, the Navier-Stokes problem. On today’s episode, I speak with Bryna Kra about how AI is rocking the math world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And even if you don’t care about math, maybe you still have PTSD from Algebra 2, Bryna argues you should still care about what is happening here, because today AI can put forth solutions to problems that have long stumped the field’s best and brightest, all without a single human ever reading or understanding that solution, which means while AI might be solving a bunch of problems, we humans might not be really learning very much, all while destroying the ecosystem that has long led to new discoveries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what does this mean for the future of math, for the humans who’ve devoted their lives to doing it, for the next generation of humans who are still learning it? And how does that apply to other intellectual pursuits? Because what happens in math doesn’t stay in math.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is Life, Automated, a project from Kellogg’s Ryan Institute on Complexity, distributed by KQED. I started by asking Bryna about why OpenAI’s solving of the Navier-Stokes problem is such a big deal. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this problem is one of the millennium problems, which was posed in 2000 with a million dollars prize for each of them. There are seven millennium problems, only up till now, only one had been solved. That was by a human. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Thanks for clarifying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And some time ago. And the others were open, and they really guide the community in what directions we’re going to do research. So it’s about more than just solving the problems. It’s about understanding the methods, understanding stopping places along the way, partial results. It’s a much bigger picture than just solving this problem. What happened in early September was that they announced the solution, and it was immediately filled with controversy. There were some mathematicians who were working on it using AI, fully disclosed that they were using AI to work on it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And they had made significant progress, and there were a lot of questions immediately as to how the results from OpenAI were released, what access they had to what the mathematicians had been doing, was it independent, and how this was a complete change in the norms of the field. Mathematics typically is slow. We check each other’s work. We share results even along the way, partial, and this was just a very different way of doing math. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Part of what makes it different is that apparently OpenAI rushed to solve the problem after learning that two mathematicians, including one associated with Anthropic, its big corporate rival, were close to a breakthrough. This is according to a published account by NYU mathematician Tristan Buckmaster, one of the collaborators. OpenAI apparently decided they wanted to beat the team to the punch and diverted massive computing resources, including thousands of AI agents, to solving the problem. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is turning math into a competition in a way that it never has. Our community, the math community, has for ages been a very collaborative place, a place where we share our results before they are published. We put them on the archive, which is an open registry for this, where people can upload the results even before they’ve been reviewed by journals for publication by referees. We have an extremely rigorous refereeing policy, and this was just a completely different way to do it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so it’s almost destabilizing for several different reasons. There’s the sense that, “oh my gosh, it actually solved this problem.” Like, but then there’s also the sense that it’s being used potentially to impress investors, to get them to pour more money into some of these companies. And so you’re taking these problems, and instead of letting them be guideposts to where mathematicians can orient their own efforts, it’s taking that and using it for something, like hijacking it for a completely different purpose. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. There’s a complete misalignment in the interests of the AI companies and the interests of the mathematical community. For the AI companies, this is a way to benchmark, to show their investors that they have done something hard. Right. Most people agree math is hard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So this is one way that they can show that they’ve really achieved something that the humans did not do, that they’ve gone beyond what humans were capable of. For the math community, our incentives are quite different. Of course, we wanna solve problems, and I think most mathematicians would agree it’s amazing that these problems have been solved, and we’re all delighted to see that these problems are solved. But it goes well beyond just solving problems. We wanna understand what the solutions are and what they tell us and what they give us as guideposts for future research and future directions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> I wanted to know how Bryna would compare these discoveries in math to those in, say, drug development, where the goal seems like it should be to discover as much as possible as quickly as possible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So we love to discover. Mathematicians love to uncover new, deep results. This is great. But there isn’t the same pressure to hurry the discoveries out. Let’s say the solutions in Navier-Stokes had come out a month later, giving the humans time to finish writing up their portions, the humans involved in the discovery that led to the huge breakthroughs by OpenAI, to write up their part and carefully explain it to the community and finish their work versus coming out exactly as it did under pressure in a tweet, in a press release. This… Math is not done by tweet or press release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, had OpenAI come up with a cure for cancer, the rush to announce it, to share it with the world, I think is completely understandable. This is just a very different culture of how math is done and the immediate importance of the result versus something like a drug company.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> This point about the immediate importance of a mathematical result versus, say, a cure for cancer is really worth spending a bit of time with, because as abstract and frankly out there as some of these problems sound infinite grids, they really can lead to these enormous breakthroughs; but the breakthroughs don’t just follow from the solution. They come from understanding that occurs along the way. Solutions need to be absorbed, mulled, and picked apart, and mulled again, and the normal pace of math has always allowed for that because what’s the rush? The practical uses from these breakthroughs when they do occur could be decades away. Techniques developed by the mathematician Joseph Fourier two hundred years ago help to power medical imaging today. Or here’s another example.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, you probably use your credit card online, all the time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I do, too much. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Behind that is deep number theory that was developed, some of it 100 years ago, some of it 50 years ago, and some of it is still being developed. Number theory is about the positive integers and their properties, like the numbers one, two, three, four, five, and so on, and what kind of properties they have. But inside that study of number theory, there were these tools that were developed that allow the encryption that allows you to use your credit card securely and most of the time without getting the number stolen, right? So, so that is a tool that was developed for the sake of understanding- \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> How fascinating … \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> …And yet it gets used every day all the time now. So we don’t know all of the applications that are coming out of the foundational research that is happening in mathematics, and we cannot predict that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna’s fear is that reams of AI-generated proofs hitting the field all at once will lead to little actual understanding, fewer new tools and insights, all while discouraging human mathematicians from continuing their own investigations into these conjectures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What it did is close off this area. What’s the incentive now for somebody to go through and understand that? Unless it’s gonna lead somewhere new. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Bryna thinks that simply having AI systems that can solve, and maybe in their own way understand the math behind a proof, isn’t adequate. We need humans to understand the math in order to keep directing the field, keep inquiring. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And she does see some ways of using AI that could bring that about. In these cases, the AI follows the human’s lead, helps them follow their own intuition and curiosity to discover new things, rather than AI just doing everything and leaving humans to deal with the aftermath. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong>So, I have started using it to explore new directions. I use it if there’s something I’m reading and I don’t understand. It’s a fantastic way to ask it, like, “Explain how you get from this statement to that statement.” It’s really good at that. Or, “Explain where this comes from, this idea.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you ask it to go search for an idea, because I like to understand where the ideas come from, it’s actually very good. It says, “Well, there seems to be something similar in this paper from 10 years ago, and another one from 20 years ago,” that I would probably not have found. I’ve started using it to code up things. And it can write computer programs and execute computer programs for me, and test thousands of examples in a way that would take me months, if not years to do.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not just saying, “Solve this problem.” You direct it. You say, “Well, now explore that direction, because that’s interesting.” And that’s where the human understanding of what’s going on in the math is super important, because many of us know things that cannot work for some reason, or are not the right direction to search, and it might be an intuition or it might be an actual math fact.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But we can direct it to look in these areas because we have spent so much time thinking about these problems. And so we can really guide the AI to help us look, here’s where you might be thinking about a technique, a tool, an approach, or a counterexample. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So even as there’s more human-machine collaboration, do you wonder what will happen to human-human collaboration? And I just kept thinking that the second you present one of these partial results where you’re kinda like, “Hey, we got to this new point in the road,” does it then just trigger a bunch of AI-enabled mathematicians? Or maybe forget the mathematician, just AI-enabled AI to go ahead and solve the rest. Does it make it less likely to want to discuss the things that you are learning along the way?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so this is exactly one of the issues that the field is grappling with now, that it’s a complete change in our culture. A year ago when I gave a talk at a conference, I would always pepper it with open questions and other directions of research because I would be delighted if someone in the audience would go and work on those and come back to me and say, “Hey, you asked this question, and I came up with this answer. Can we discuss?” Or if they write it on their own, either of these things would be delicious and wonderful. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right. Right. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> This is now complete change. If you go and you pose a problem as part of a natural open, you know, next direction that you are thinking about, and you don’t know the audience, and there’s somebody there who wants to just take it and put it in AI, of course, they’re welcome to do that. But if it’s a problem, for example, that I want to work on or that I want one of my students to work on, this is now a very dangerous thing to do. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So it has destroyed the trust that the community has in other people because there are people there who are just wanting to take it and put all the problems into AI and keep moving forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That cultural norm of openness and sharing has really been destroyed in an instant, and I really hope we find a way to go back to that because it is one of the things that made mathematics such an amazing place to be. The community is a great bunch of people that shared and worked together in the collaborative environment, and if we destroy that, then I think we will really have destroyed the role of human mathematicians.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, there are many of us fighting hard to keep that. This can be local. We have a local seminar, working group, which has about 10 to 15 people each week, and we have all agreed that nothing goes into AI… unless the speaker agrees. So nobody will be doing that in our local group, and we all trust each other. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think people have to come with those types of agreements, with their collaborators. There are different types of collaborations, and whether or not you include AI, put the problems in or not, that is something every collaborator needs to discuss.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> Different agreements, tortured discussions about when and how AI will be used and disclosed. People genuinely afraid to present their results at conferences because analyses that would have taken months can be done in hours, making the likelihood of getting scooped that much higher. This sounds very familiar because I’m seeing this play out in so many academic disciplines.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working at a university, I have a front row seat to the ways different fields, different subfields, different individuals are approaching this moment. I walk through campus and can feel the undercurrent of shock and wariness and excitement and anxiety. I can hear an entire lecture hall hush as everyone reckons with the magnitude of the changes that are coming, changes that may already be here now that the work of knowledge production no longer happens at human scale.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it’s not just academia. This is happening wherever ideas are generated and codified and shared with others. AI is coding up complex software and designing sophisticated marketing campaigns and writing prize-winning literature. It’s just that it’s all happening so clearly in mathematics with like actual proofs attached.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent blog post, Bryna described her field as, “a canary in the coal mine.” We discuss after the break.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So one of the things that really caught my attention in your blog post about recent events is that you mentioned that AI’s abilities in mathematics are a bit of a “canary in the coal mine” for a lot of different disciplines. Can you say more about what you mean? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. So the issues that mathematics is dealing with right now are not going to stay just a problem for mathematicians. It is already happening in theoretical computer science, which, you know, is part of math in some way, another close field. But I do not believe that it will stay there. I think it will come for all intellectual fields. It’s coming for law already. I think people understand how much the AI can actually absorb case law and produce what read and look like briefs. And so I see no reason why it won’t develop for other ones as it gets better. Math was first in some way because our training data was so excellent and because it was such a good proving ground for the companies to benchmark of what they’re doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, I think it’s naive to think that it will stop with math and theoretical computer science and law. Fields will need to decide what their values are, which ones they want to keep with the changes, it can’t be all because they won’t all get kept, and then figure out the ways to implement keeping those.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what steps does the field take to make sure that their values are still there at the end of this AI revolution? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, which might involve really at the core making sure that the incentives of the broader field are in some way aligned with the incentives of individuals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. Right now, we have a complete misalignment on many levels. We have a misalignment between what the AI companies want from mathematics and what mathematicians want. We have a misalignment between the ways we use mathematical results to judge people and what can be produced now, making it very hard to judge people. So the math community is grappling with these issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, there’s recently a report that came out of a group, there was a conference at Harvard on the future of the PhD in mathematics. Mathematicians are deeply concerned about how we will train the next generation because we really do believe that this is a time, if anything, for more mathematical input and more mathematical insight, the human type, not just the AI type.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if we have cut ourselves off at the knees and don’t have a way to train the next generation, how will we have that? So there’s great concern on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Right, because you might be, instead of relying on a PhD student or two to assist you with your research, it can be very tempting to go to AI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Well, no, I think it’s a different issue.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Okay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> In mathematics, it’s quite different than the lab sciences. PhD students typically don’t assist us with our research, but rather it’s the opposite. We kinda give them, at the beginning, things that we sort of know how to do, maybe not the details- certainly not all the details, but that we see the path forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There’s a lot of work to do, and they gotta go do the work themselves. But we kinda see that. That’s how we start training them. And then after they’ve worked on such a problem, we help them explore new directions so they find their own way- to find their own problem that they can do, and we still help them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> And so how does… Can you just flesh out how AI disrupts that? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> The AI disrupts this completely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I’d love to hear how. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Completely, because that first problem that we sort of see the path, and it’s missing some hard work. Every problem I can come up with like that, if I were to put it into the AI, it would just give me the solution.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There’s a big difference between coming up with it on your own, and therefore having to do the work, the pen and paper work, and actually reading somebody else’s. And we are trying to exactly train them to do that, the difference between reading and understanding something that you get from elsewhere, and being able to develop it yourself and writing it up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> I see. So it’s almost like the types of problems that a PhD student would even be able, like a new PhD student would be able to handle, are the exact types of problems that AI can one-shot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Correct. So I think we have to change our training programs. We have to train the students more to think about how do we go outside the box? What are the right questions to be asking about this, rather than just getting them from their advisor, “Here’s a good question to ask.” Because it’s, it- that’s a skill that we have not had to develop as early in a student’s training. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Would you still advise a student who is very interested in mathematics to go into the field?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> So to me, somebody who’s interested in mathematics, the answer is yes. Absolutely, resoundingly yes. I spoke to some students and I said to them, “You know, I’d like to think about it this way. The first, few lines of, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ – \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Right. And so in some sense, in mathematics, it was, this is the best of times. We’re going to see huge conjectures fall. We’re going to see new understanding of areas that we couldn’t have possibly hoped to understand 10 years ago. This is amazing, and for a student to be at the forefront of that and really in that, great. The part that is the worst of times is that we need to completely adapt and do it really quickly of how we’re doing this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it’s gonna be a turbulent time, so that’s gonna be complicated. But I think the community is working hard to do that, to ensure that there are jobs for the next generation, to ensure that we have a way to train the next generation, and to meet the need because I think we need more mathematicians right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We don’t want AI systems that we can’t understand at all on any level. The math that developed these systems now needs to be turned towards developing safety for these systems. There are new uses of math that are coming, and so yeah, in some sense it is the best of times for mathematics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of falling conjectures. It was the age of new conjectures rising. It was the epoch of dauntingly capable AI systems transforming math. It was the epoch of new kinds of math desperately needed to make these systems safe. It was the season of human irrelevance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the season of humans reasserting themselves, reminding everyone who this is all supposed to be for. I feel this all so much. Maybe you do too, because right now it seems true for a lot of fields. Take my own world of science communication. I’ve spent 15 years trying to become excellent at my work, making complex ideas accessible and helping others do the same, and the truth is, AI can do this really well now at superhuman scale, at least the technical parts of it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I got into this work because I felt it was important, so on some level, an on-demand complexity demystifying machine that everyone can use is amazing. It is the best of times. But on another level, it feels terrible. Will another generation of science writers even bother learning this craft? Will they be able to connect human to human to the people they’re doing this for? What is the role for humans in these kinds of intellectual pursuits? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> So we talked about the difference earlier between discoveries in math versus, say, cancer research, drugs development. I wanna bring a different discipline into the mix, art. With art, the process is the point. So fully AI-generated art is certainly already having commercial uses, but it’s hard to imagine it ever fully replacing human-generated art because how art is done, by whom, when, why, all of these things, like, that’s the ballgame with art.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That’s why we still love oil paintings even though we have cameras. That’s why my eight-year-old will draw a squiggle and I will love it, but it will have zero market value, and then Picasso will draw a squiggle and it has… You know, I might also love it, but it will also have market value. So there seems to be an interesting continuum, a different one, between disciplines where the outcome is really what matters, and disciplines where the process is what matters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> What do you think of this way of thinking about it, and how would math fit into that? So I’m an optimist about the future of mathematics. I believe that the human role will continue, and it will remain key. And, one can do exactly like AI-generated art. There’s a lot of AI-generated math out there. And it’s overwhelming the community because who’s gonna read it all? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Yeah. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> And who’s gonna check it all, and who’s gonna use it all? But it still seems to me that the role for human understanding and human use of this mathematics is extremely important for many of the same reasons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See, we get to decide what are the interesting directions for research. We get to decide what are the interesting questions that we want answered. I don’t think anyone knows now if the AI companies will reach superhuman intelligence in mathematics. Maybe they will, but I find it hard to believe that even with superhuman intelligence of problem-solving, that the AIs will develop the same interest of what we find interesting, and what are the right directions to search. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this sense, it’s very different than, something like the game of ‘Go’, which an AI is just simply better at- and developed new – \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Chess.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra: \u003c/strong> ‘Go’, ‘Chess’. Coming up with the next direction, what’s the next interesting thing, to me seems unbounded in a way that is quite different from those games. And so for this reason, I really believe that there will be a human role in the future. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Questions, asking the right questions, and going in the right directions may become a new proxy for the field for judging things. I don’t know. But it’s certainly much more important than it has been in the past.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were always the people who were great at posing questions. Erdős is a famous mathematician who had thousands of publications and thousands of co-authors because he was so good at posing questions all over the place, and his influence is seen in so many parts of mathematics now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so many applications outside of math. You know, questions he posed relate to sphere packing, and sphere packing relates to how your cell phone works in a crowded room, for example. And his ability to pose questions was not the same as his ability maybe to build theories and prove things.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think this role for humans continues as to posing questions and building theories and finding what we think is interesting. To me, that doesn’t change with AI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love:\u003c/strong> Well, thank you so much for chatting with me today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Bryna Kra:\u003c/strong> Thank you. It was really a delight to talk with you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jess Love [Voiceover]:\u003c/strong> For fun, here’s our credits in the form of a mathematical proof. Let Jess Love be your host. Given Life, Automated is a project of the Ryan Institute on Complexity at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Assume distribution by KQED. This assumption is justified by the fact that we are distributed by KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the combined efforts of Jesse Dukes and Tom Dixon, the show was produced. Add music by Steven Jackson and recording assistance from Will Feeney and George Christensen. To extend our results to a wider audience, apply the marketing efforts of Ananya Mallapragada and Lauren Ko. We acknowledge Laura Pavin and Rob Mitchum, whose contributions merit special thanks, though the full demonstration is omitted here for reasons of space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, this episode exists. Whether you understood it is left as an exercise for the listener.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "As Costs Crush Families, This Bay Area County Could Be Latest to Subsidize Childcare",
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"headTitle": "As Costs Crush Families, This Bay Area County Could Be Latest to Subsidize Childcare | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A regional movement to help families afford childcare and support its littlest learners is reaching Marin County, home to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/topics/childcare/price-by-age-care-setting-2022\">some of the highest childcare prices in the nation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If voters approve Measure P, a parcel tax that would raise about $12.5 million per year over 15 years, Marin would become the fourth Bay Area county in eight years to come up with a dedicated funding stream for childcare. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2018, San Francisco, Alameda and Sonoma counties have raised several hundred million dollars through special taxes to subsidize childcare spots for families, add more childcare facilities and increase wages for early childhood educators to help them stay in the field. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco, for example, uses revenue from a tax on commercial buildings to cover up to $36,000 per year in childcare for low-income families. Meanwhile, Alameda County uses funds from a sales tax to boost \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055336/alameda-county-is-giving-cash-to-child-care-providers-other-bay-area-counties-are-envious\">early childhood educators\u003c/a>’ wages to at least $25 per hour. A statewide survey shows their pay often starts \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-wages-2020-to-2025/\">below the $20 state minimum wage\u003c/a> for fast-food workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More recently, revenue from a parcel tax approved by voters in 2024 in a small San Mateo County school district is starting to flow to families and childcare providers in East Palo Alto and a section of Menlo Park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marcela Bonilla (left) works with Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, at All Five in Menlo Park on Sept. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates say a local fund is needed to \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/The-Economics-of-Childcare-Supply-09-14-final.pdf\">fix a broken market\u003c/a> where parents struggle to afford the full cost of childcare, yet providers barely break even. To do so, they need to keep costs down by minimizing what they spend on labor. But low wages have also led to high turnover at childcare programs, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-program-profiles-2024/\">research by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment\u003c/a> at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s a math problem,” said Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, a nonprofit receiving some of the parcel tax revenue from the Ravenswood City School District. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We need to charge tuition that matches what families can pay and still have a nice life, and we need to pay early childhood educators enough to live in the community and support their families and have a nice life,” she said. “There has to be other financial support.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Statewide, demand for childcare far exceeds supply. Nearly 2 million children across California are eligible for state-subsidized childcare programs, but there isn’t enough funding to meet demand, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/understanding-californias-1-8-million-gap-in-publicly-funded-child-care/\">analysis by the California Budget and Policy Center\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was the scenario in Marin County a decade ago when hundreds of low-income families couldn’t get a spot. A coalition of parents and advocates put forward a sales tax measure to augment the state’s funding and subsidize childcare for residents. But the measure didn’t pass.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, the cost of licensed childcare in the county went up by nearly 40%, averaging $2,315 per month in 2024, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1727976979/marinschoolsorg/mgyhudxyu1ukj6pjmyzd/2024LPCNeedsAssessment.pdf\">report by the Marin County Child Care Commission\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the high cost of living in Marin has made it tough to attract and retain childcare staff, leading to reduced capacity and long waiting lists for families, the report said. Fewer than half of children in working families had access to a licensed childcare space in Marin County, and early childhood educators who can’t afford to live there often commute from other counties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the North Bay Children’s Center opened a new facility in Novato a year ago, the center had state and federal funding to fill a classroom and more than 80 children on a waitlist for subsidized care. But it couldn’t enroll them because it couldn’t find qualified teachers, according to Susan Gilmore, the center’s CEO.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It took us about eight months before we had the teaching team we needed to open that classroom,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shortage of childcare has rippling consequences for businesses like grocery stores and senior living facilities, said Paula Reynolds, director of strategic projects for the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They’re so dependent on an enormous workforce showing up for work on a consistent basis,” she said. “It’s the reliability of childcare that has an impact on businesses and their ability to plan and get through their day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But opponents of Measure P say employers, not taxpayers, should contribute to the childcare fund. The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers has urged voters to reject the measure, warning it is among a “tsunami” of proposed taxes, bonds and fees coming before Marin County voters at a time when they’re already pinched by inflation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Affordability is at a breaking point,” the coalition said on its website. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103074\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The “Wobbly Walkers” head to the playground at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lucy Dilworth, a member of the coalition’s board, declined a request for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But proponents of the measure say it might be too risky to wait for another election. \u003ca href=\"https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/43/index.htm\">Proposition 43\u003c/a>, a statewide measure on this November’s ballot, would require future citizen-led ballot initiatives to secure a supermajority, or two-thirds support, to pass. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, voters in Marin County fell just 3 percentage points shy of meeting that supermajority threshold when it first tried to pass a childcare funding measure. But since then, a series of court decisions made it easier to pass similar citizen-led tax initiatives. But if voters approve Prop 43 this November, that may not be the case in the future. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joanne Webster, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a public advocacy group backing the measure, said she sympathizes with people who are skeptical of new taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I agree that we should scrutinize every tax,” Webster said. “But we should also consider the cost of doing nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said, “Ten years ago, when we tried this and needed two-thirds [of the vote to pass], it was a slim margin, and that’s a shame because we could’ve collected some $50 million since then, and we wouldn’t be in this situation we’re in now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers also said the measure lacks a clear plan for how the money will be spent, but supporters argue that flexibility is part of the design. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If approved, an advisory council appointed by county supervisors will assess the biggest needs and recommend a spending plan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s structured that way so we can be nimble and react to what’s happening in our local community with childcare, and be able to pivot if we need to lean heavily one year into [investing in the] workforce or lean more heavily into building more facilities another year,” Gilmore said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Ravenswood, the school district proposed the parcel tax to fund several priorities, including childcare, after conducting surveys and finding that it was a high priority for residents within its boundaries. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play in a yard at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Voters passed the measure in 2024, and revenue from the tax began to reach the working-class community over the summer. Pace said home-based childcare providers are starting to get funding to cover tuition for families who qualify for subsidized care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pace said her staff visits childcare programs to verify the money is directly benefiting residents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are being hyper vigilant and intentional about the tax fund only serving families and providers in this community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the funding also goes toward recruiting people who live in the district to become early childhood educators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has helped stabilize staffing at All Five, a preschool in Menlo Park, and it’s given parents like Gloria Pirir a chance to go from volunteering in the classroom to working in one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirir said she was inspired to become an early educator after seeing her daughter’s teachers help young kids manage their emotions and resolve conflicts. She said the teachers helped her sign up for classes, and she connected to a county program that provided tuition assistance and coaching to help her earn an associate teacher permit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Everything became possible because the teachers encouraged me. They said, ‘I know you’re a single mom, but you can do it, Gloria,’” she said. “The teachers believed in me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated how the parcel tax in the Ravenswood City School District gets distributed.\u003c/em> \u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A regional movement to help families afford childcare and support its littlest learners is reaching Marin County, home to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/topics/childcare/price-by-age-care-setting-2022\">some of the highest childcare prices in the nation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If voters approve Measure P, a parcel tax that would raise about $12.5 million per year over 15 years, Marin would become the fourth Bay Area county in eight years to come up with a dedicated funding stream for childcare. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If voters approve Measure P, a parcel tax that would raise about $12.5 million per year over 15 years, Marin would become the fourth Bay Area county in eight years to come up with a dedicated funding stream for childcare. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2018, San Francisco, Alameda and Sonoma counties have raised several hundred million dollars through special taxes to subsidize childcare spots for families, add more childcare facilities and increase wages for early childhood educators to help them stay in the field. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco, for example, uses revenue from a tax on commercial buildings to cover up to $36,000 per year in childcare for low-income families. Meanwhile, Alameda County uses funds from a sales tax to boost \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055336/alameda-county-is-giving-cash-to-child-care-providers-other-bay-area-counties-are-envious\">early childhood educators\u003c/a>’ wages to at least $25 per hour. A statewide survey shows their pay often starts \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-wages-2020-to-2025/\">below the $20 state minimum wage\u003c/a> for fast-food workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco, for example, uses revenue from a tax on commercial buildings to cover up to $36,000 per year in childcare for low-income families. Meanwhile, Alameda County uses funds from a sales tax to boost \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055336/alameda-county-is-giving-cash-to-child-care-providers-other-bay-area-counties-are-envious\">early childhood educators\u003c/a>’ wages to at least $25 per hour. A statewide survey shows their pay often starts \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-wages-2020-to-2025/\">below the $20 state minimum wage\u003c/a> for fast-food workers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More recently, revenue from a parcel tax approved by voters in 2024 in a small San Mateo County school district is starting to flow to families and childcare providers in East Palo Alto and a section of Menlo Park.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>More recently, revenue from a parcel tax approved by voters in 2024 in a small San Mateo County school district is starting to flow to families and childcare providers in East Palo Alto and a section of Menlo Park.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marcela Bonilla (left) works with Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, at All Five in Menlo Park on Sept. 25, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103078\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marcela Bonilla (left) works with Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, at All Five in Menlo Park on Sept. 25, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Advocates say a local fund is needed to \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/The-Economics-of-Childcare-Supply-09-14-final.pdf\">fix a broken market\u003c/a> where parents struggle to afford the full cost of childcare, yet providers barely break even. To do so, they need to keep costs down by minimizing what they spend on labor. But low wages have also led to high turnover at childcare programs, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-program-profiles-2024/\">research by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment\u003c/a> at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Advocates say a local fund is needed to \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/The-Economics-of-Childcare-Supply-09-14-final.pdf\">fix a broken market\u003c/a> where parents struggle to afford the full cost of childcare, yet providers barely break even. To do so, they need to keep costs down by minimizing what they spend on labor. But low wages have also led to high turnover at childcare programs, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-program-profiles-2024/\">research by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment\u003c/a> at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s a math problem,” said Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, a nonprofit receiving some of the parcel tax revenue from the Ravenswood City School District. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s a math problem,” said Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, a nonprofit receiving some of the parcel tax revenue from the Ravenswood City School District. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need to charge tuition that matches what families can pay and still have a nice life, and we need to pay early childhood educators enough to live in the community and support their families and have a nice life,” she said. “There has to be other financial support.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We need to charge tuition that matches what families can pay and still have a nice life, and we need to pay early childhood educators enough to live in the community and support their families and have a nice life,” she said. “There has to be other financial support.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Statewide, demand for childcare far exceeds supply. Nearly 2 million children across California are eligible for state-subsidized childcare programs, but there isn’t enough funding to meet demand, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/understanding-californias-1-8-million-gap-in-publicly-funded-child-care/\">analysis by the California Budget and Policy Center\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Statewide, demand for childcare far exceeds supply. Nearly 2 million children across California are eligible for state-subsidized childcare programs, but there isn’t enough funding to meet demand, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/understanding-californias-1-8-million-gap-in-publicly-funded-child-care/\">analysis by the California Budget and Policy Center\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That was the scenario in Marin County a decade ago when hundreds of low-income families couldn’t get a spot. A coalition of parents and advocates put forward a sales tax measure to augment the state’s funding and subsidize childcare for residents. But the measure didn’t pass.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That was the scenario in Marin County a decade ago when hundreds of low-income families couldn’t get a spot. A coalition of parents and advocates put forward a sales tax measure to augment the state’s funding and subsidize childcare for residents. But the measure didn’t pass.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since then, the cost of licensed childcare in the county went up by nearly 40%, averaging $2,315 per month in 2024, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1727976979/marinschoolsorg/mgyhudxyu1ukj6pjmyzd/2024LPCNeedsAssessment.pdf\">report by the Marin County Child Care Commission\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since then, the cost of licensed childcare in the county went up by nearly 40%, averaging $2,315 per month in 2024, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1727976979/marinschoolsorg/mgyhudxyu1ukj6pjmyzd/2024LPCNeedsAssessment.pdf\">report by the Marin County Child Care Commission\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the high cost of living in Marin has made it tough to attract and retain childcare staff, leading to reduced capacity and long waiting lists for families, the report said. Fewer than half of children in working families had access to a licensed childcare space in Marin County, and early childhood educators who can’t afford to live there often commute from other counties.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the high cost of living in Marin has made it tough to attract and retain childcare staff, leading to reduced capacity and long waiting lists for families, the report said. Fewer than half of children in working families had access to a licensed childcare space in Marin County, and early childhood educators who can’t afford to live there often commute from other counties.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When the North Bay Children’s Center opened a new facility in Novato a year ago, the center had state and federal funding to fill a classroom and more than 80 children on a waitlist for subsidized care. But it couldn’t enroll them because it couldn’t find qualified teachers, according to Susan Gilmore, the center’s CEO.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When the North Bay Children’s Center opened a new facility in Novato a year ago, the center had state and federal funding to fill a classroom and more than 80 children on a waitlist for subsidized care. But it couldn’t enroll them because it couldn’t find qualified teachers, according to Susan Gilmore, the center’s CEO.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It took us about eight months before we had the teaching team we needed to open that classroom,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It took us about eight months before we had the teaching team we needed to open that classroom,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The shortage of childcare has rippling consequences for businesses like grocery stores and senior living facilities, said Paula Reynolds, director of strategic projects for the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The shortage of childcare has rippling consequences for businesses like grocery stores and senior living facilities, said Paula Reynolds, director of strategic projects for the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re so dependent on an enormous workforce showing up for work on a consistent basis,” she said. “It’s the reliability of childcare that has an impact on businesses and their ability to plan and get through their day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They’re so dependent on an enormous workforce showing up for work on a consistent basis,” she said. “It’s the reliability of childcare that has an impact on businesses and their ability to plan and get through their day.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But opponents of Measure P say employers, not taxpayers, should contribute to the childcare fund. The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers has urged voters to reject the measure, warning it is among a “tsunami” of proposed taxes, bonds and fees coming before Marin County voters at a time when they’re already pinched by inflation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But opponents of Measure P say employers, not taxpayers, should contribute to the childcare fund. The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers has urged voters to reject the measure, warning it is among a “tsunami” of proposed taxes, bonds and fees coming before Marin County voters at a time when they’re already pinched by inflation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Affordability is at a breaking point,” the coalition said on its website. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Affordability is at a breaking point,” the coalition said on its website. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103074\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The “Wobbly Walkers” head to the playground at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103074\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The “Wobbly Walkers” head to the playground at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lucy Dilworth, a member of the coalition’s board, declined a request for an interview.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But proponents of the measure say it might be too risky to wait for another election. \u003ca href=\"https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/43/index.htm\">Proposition 43\u003c/a>, a statewide measure on this November’s ballot, would require future citizen-led ballot initiatives to secure a supermajority, or two-thirds support, to pass. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But proponents of the measure say it might be too risky to wait for another election. \u003ca href=\"https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/43/index.htm\">Proposition 43\u003c/a>, a statewide measure on this November’s ballot, would require future citizen-led ballot initiatives to secure a supermajority, or two-thirds support, to pass. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2016, voters in Marin County fell just 3 percentage points shy of meeting that supermajority threshold when it first tried to pass a childcare funding measure. But since then, a series of court decisions made it easier to pass similar citizen-led tax initiatives. But if voters approve Prop 43 this November, that may not be the case in the future. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2016, voters in Marin County fell just 3 percentage points shy of meeting that supermajority threshold when it first tried to pass a childcare funding measure. But since then, a series of court decisions made it easier to pass similar citizen-led tax initiatives. But if voters approve Prop 43 this November, that may not be the case in the future. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Joanne Webster, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a public advocacy group backing the measure, said she sympathizes with people who are skeptical of new taxes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I agree that we should scrutinize every tax,” Webster said. “But we should also consider the cost of doing nothing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103075\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said, “Ten years ago, when we tried this and needed two-thirds [of the vote to pass], it was a slim margin, and that’s a shame because we could’ve collected some $50 million since then, and we wouldn’t be in this situation we’re in now.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said, “Ten years ago, when we tried this and needed two-thirds [of the vote to pass], it was a slim margin, and that’s a shame because we could’ve collected some $50 million since then, and we wouldn’t be in this situation we’re in now.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers also said the measure lacks a clear plan for how the money will be spent, but supporters argue that flexibility is part of the design. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If approved, an advisory council appointed by county supervisors will assess the biggest needs and recommend a spending plan.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s structured that way so we can be nimble and react to what’s happening in our local community with childcare, and be able to pivot if we need to lean heavily one year into [investing in the] workforce or lean more heavily into building more facilities another year,” Gilmore said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s structured that way so we can be nimble and react to what’s happening in our local community with childcare, and be able to pivot if we need to lean heavily one year into [investing in the] workforce or lean more heavily into building more facilities another year,” Gilmore said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In Ravenswood, the school district proposed the parcel tax to fund several priorities, including childcare, after conducting surveys and finding that it was a high priority for residents within its boundaries. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play in a yard at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103076\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play in a yard at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voters passed the measure in 2024, and revenue from the tax began to reach the working-class community over the summer. Pace said home-based childcare providers are starting to get funding to cover tuition for families who qualify for subsidized care. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Voters passed the measure in 2024, and revenue from the tax began to reach the working-class community over the summer. Pace said home-based childcare providers are starting to get funding to cover tuition for families who qualify for subsidized care. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pace said her staff visits childcare programs to verify the money is directly benefiting residents.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are being hyper vigilant and intentional about the tax fund only serving families and providers in this community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some of the funding also goes toward recruiting people who live in the district to become early childhood educators. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That has helped stabilize staffing at All Five, a preschool in Menlo Park, and it’s given parents like Gloria Pirir a chance to go from volunteering in the classroom to working in one.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That has helped stabilize staffing at All Five, a preschool in Menlo Park, and it’s given parents like Gloria Pirir a chance to go from volunteering in the classroom to working in one.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pirir said she was inspired to become an early educator after seeing her daughter’s teachers help young kids manage their emotions and resolve conflicts. She said the teachers helped her sign up for classes, and she connected to a county program that provided tuition assistance and coaching to help her earn an associate teacher permit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Pirir said she was inspired to become an early educator after seeing her daughter’s teachers help young kids manage their emotions and resolve conflicts. She said the teachers helped her sign up for classes, and she connected to a county program that provided tuition assistance and coaching to help her earn an associate teacher permit.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everything became possible because the teachers encouraged me. They said, ‘I know you’re a single mom, but you can do it, Gloria,’” she said. “The teachers believed in me.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Everything became possible because the teachers encouraged me. They said, ‘I know you’re a single mom, but you can do it, Gloria,’” she said. “The teachers believed in me.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated how the parcel tax in the Ravenswood City School District gets distributed.\u003c/em> \u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated how the parcel tax in the Ravenswood City School District gets distributed.\u003c/em> \u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Marin County’s Measure P proposes adopting a special parcel tax to increase access to childcare. If it passes, the Bay Area county would be the fourth in eight years to create a local solution to a broken market. ",
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"title": "As Costs Crush Families, This Bay Area County Could Be Latest to Subsidize Childcare | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A regional movement to help families afford childcare and support its littlest learners is reaching Marin County, home to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/topics/childcare/price-by-age-care-setting-2022\">some of the highest childcare prices in the nation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If voters approve Measure P, a parcel tax that would raise about $12.5 million per year over 15 years, Marin would become the fourth Bay Area county in eight years to come up with a dedicated funding stream for childcare. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2018, San Francisco, Alameda and Sonoma counties have raised several hundred million dollars through special taxes to subsidize childcare spots for families, add more childcare facilities and increase wages for early childhood educators to help them stay in the field. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San Francisco, for example, uses revenue from a tax on commercial buildings to cover up to $36,000 per year in childcare for low-income families. Meanwhile, Alameda County uses funds from a sales tax to boost \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055336/alameda-county-is-giving-cash-to-child-care-providers-other-bay-area-counties-are-envious\">early childhood educators\u003c/a>’ wages to at least $25 per hour. A statewide survey shows their pay often starts \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-wages-2020-to-2025/\">below the $20 state minimum wage\u003c/a> for fast-food workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More recently, revenue from a parcel tax approved by voters in 2024 in a small San Mateo County school district is starting to flow to families and childcare providers in East Palo Alto and a section of Menlo Park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marcela Bonilla (left) works with Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, at All Five in Menlo Park on Sept. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates say a local fund is needed to \u003ca href=\"https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/The-Economics-of-Childcare-Supply-09-14-final.pdf\">fix a broken market\u003c/a> where parents struggle to afford the full cost of childcare, yet providers barely break even. To do so, they need to keep costs down by minimizing what they spend on labor. But low wages have also led to high turnover at childcare programs, according to \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/data-snapshot/california-program-profiles-2024/\">research by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment\u003c/a> at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s a math problem,” said Karen Pace, executive director of Ravenswood Early Learning, a nonprofit receiving some of the parcel tax revenue from the Ravenswood City School District. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We need to charge tuition that matches what families can pay and still have a nice life, and we need to pay early childhood educators enough to live in the community and support their families and have a nice life,” she said. “There has to be other financial support.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Statewide, demand for childcare far exceeds supply. Nearly 2 million children across California are eligible for state-subsidized childcare programs, but there isn’t enough funding to meet demand, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/understanding-californias-1-8-million-gap-in-publicly-funded-child-care/\">analysis by the California Budget and Policy Center\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was the scenario in Marin County a decade ago when hundreds of low-income families couldn’t get a spot. A coalition of parents and advocates put forward a sales tax measure to augment the state’s funding and subsidize childcare for residents. But the measure didn’t pass.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, the cost of licensed childcare in the county went up by nearly 40%, averaging $2,315 per month in 2024, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1727976979/marinschoolsorg/mgyhudxyu1ukj6pjmyzd/2024LPCNeedsAssessment.pdf\">report by the Marin County Child Care Commission\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the high cost of living in Marin has made it tough to attract and retain childcare staff, leading to reduced capacity and long waiting lists for families, the report said. Fewer than half of children in working families had access to a licensed childcare space in Marin County, and early childhood educators who can’t afford to live there often commute from other counties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the North Bay Children’s Center opened a new facility in Novato a year ago, the center had state and federal funding to fill a classroom and more than 80 children on a waitlist for subsidized care. But it couldn’t enroll them because it couldn’t find qualified teachers, according to Susan Gilmore, the center’s CEO.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It took us about eight months before we had the teaching team we needed to open that classroom,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shortage of childcare has rippling consequences for businesses like grocery stores and senior living facilities, said Paula Reynolds, director of strategic projects for the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They’re so dependent on an enormous workforce showing up for work on a consistent basis,” she said. “It’s the reliability of childcare that has an impact on businesses and their ability to plan and get through their day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But opponents of Measure P say employers, not taxpayers, should contribute to the childcare fund. The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers has urged voters to reject the measure, warning it is among a “tsunami” of proposed taxes, bonds and fees coming before Marin County voters at a time when they’re already pinched by inflation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Affordability is at a breaking point,” the coalition said on its website. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103074\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The “Wobbly Walkers” head to the playground at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lucy Dilworth, a member of the coalition’s board, declined a request for an interview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But proponents of the measure say it might be too risky to wait for another election. \u003ca href=\"https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/43/index.htm\">Proposition 43\u003c/a>, a statewide measure on this November’s ballot, would require future citizen-led ballot initiatives to secure a supermajority, or two-thirds support, to pass. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, voters in Marin County fell just 3 percentage points shy of meeting that supermajority threshold when it first tried to pass a childcare funding measure. But since then, a series of court decisions made it easier to pass similar citizen-led tax initiatives. But if voters approve Prop 43 this November, that may not be the case in the future. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joanne Webster, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a public advocacy group backing the measure, said she sympathizes with people who are skeptical of new taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I agree that we should scrutinize every tax,” Webster said. “But we should also consider the cost of doing nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103075\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said, “Ten years ago, when we tried this and needed two-thirds [of the vote to pass], it was a slim margin, and that’s a shame because we could’ve collected some $50 million since then, and we wouldn’t be in this situation we’re in now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers also said the measure lacks a clear plan for how the money will be spent, but supporters argue that flexibility is part of the design. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If approved, an advisory council appointed by county supervisors will assess the biggest needs and recommend a spending plan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s structured that way so we can be nimble and react to what’s happening in our local community with childcare, and be able to pivot if we need to lean heavily one year into [investing in the] workforce or lean more heavily into building more facilities another year,” Gilmore said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Ravenswood, the school district proposed the parcel tax to fund several priorities, including childcare, after conducting surveys and finding that it was a high priority for residents within its boundaries. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260925-ChildcareBallotMeasure-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students play in a yard at All Five, an early childhood education program in Menlo Park, on Sept. 25, 2026. The nonprofit serves children from 6 weeks old until they start kindergarten, drawing families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Voters passed the measure in 2024, and revenue from the tax began to reach the working-class community over the summer. Pace said home-based childcare providers are starting to get funding to cover tuition for families who qualify for subsidized care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pace said her staff visits childcare programs to verify the money is directly benefiting residents.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are being hyper vigilant and intentional about the tax fund only serving families and providers in this community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the funding also goes toward recruiting people who live in the district to become early childhood educators. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has helped stabilize staffing at All Five, a preschool in Menlo Park, and it’s given parents like Gloria Pirir a chance to go from volunteering in the classroom to working in one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirir said she was inspired to become an early educator after seeing her daughter’s teachers help young kids manage their emotions and resolve conflicts. She said the teachers helped her sign up for classes, and she connected to a county program that provided tuition assistance and coaching to help her earn an associate teacher permit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Everything became possible because the teachers encouraged me. They said, ‘I know you’re a single mom, but you can do it, Gloria,’” she said. “The teachers believed in me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated how the parcel tax in the Ravenswood City School District gets distributed.\u003c/em> \u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "former-benicia-elementary-teacher-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-his-students",
"title": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students",
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"headTitle": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A Solano County jury found Matthew Shelton guilty of sexually abusing Benicia students. He was acquitted of similar allegations in Napa.\n",
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"title": "‘Justice Was Served’: Former Benicia Elementary Teacher Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Students | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s Note: This story includes details of alleged sexual misconduct against minors.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A jury on Thursday found a former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/benicia\">Benicia\u003c/a> teacher guilty of sexually abusing four students at Robert Semple Elementary School, bringing to a close a criminal case that rocked the waterfront community and highlighted statewide gaps in educator vetting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Shelton, 44, faced 12 felony counts of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted of 11 of those counts. The jury declared a mistrial for the remaining count. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not the first time Shelton had been on trial for sexually abusing elementary students. Nearly two decades ago, Shelton stood trial over similar allegations that he sexually abused students at Phillips Edison Elementary School, a charter school in Napa. The jury acquitted him in 2008 after deliberating for just 20 minutes. The Benicia Unified School District hired him months later. Shelton then taught at the West Contra Costa Unified School District before returning to Benicia in 2015. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the victims of the alleged abuse in Napa, who testified in Shelton’s trial this month, said the verdict felt like a long time coming. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Justice was served. We’re finally here. Almost 20 years later,” she told KQED. This news organization does not name victims of alleged abuse without their consent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman, now in her 20s, said she testified on behalf of the girls in Benicia — and to make sure Shelton did not escape justice a second time.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“It brought me back to being that third-grader and not being believed,” she said, adding that testifying as an adult felt different. “I felt like I had a voice this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The woman was among seven former students from two school districts, ranging in ages from teens to adults in their late 20s, who took the stand over three weeks to testify against Shelton. They alleged that between 2007 and late 2022, he touched their butts, their crotch area, or that he made them touch his penis. Most of the abuse occurred in his classroom, including while other students were present. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101867\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Shelton holds hands with his wife Brandy Shelton as he walks into the Solano County Law and Justice Center for his court hearing in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton was acquitted in 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the state agency charged with determining who is fit to teach in California public schools — considered whether to discipline him, ultimately issuing a private admonishment. Such punishments, which are rare, are hidden from the public and must be expunged by the state and employers within three years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While making the case to the state for why he should be allowed to continue teaching, Shelton said he was willing to “put this event behind him” for future students who could benefit from his educational experience. He told the state panel of volunteers who reviewed his case that he changed his teaching practices, putting neon orange tape on the floor by his desk to create a physical barrier students were not allowed to cross, according to audio from the review played for the jury. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state allowed him to keep his license, and Shelton worked hard to ingratiate himself with Benicia parents and school administrators so future victims would not be believed, Shapiro said. Shapiro said when girls first reported inappropriate touching by Shelton to the Robert Semple Elementary principal, Christina Moore, in December 2022, they did not think their principal believed them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trial, prosecutors played footage showing she told an officer the girls in Shelton’s class were 10 years old and hormonal, and that there was “a lot of emotion” in the classroom. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moore was put on leave the day after the verdict. Reached by phone, she declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“[Shelton] thought that if he were valued by the school district, even if those students and victims did come forward, they likely would not make their way to the police department and certainly would not have the strength to make it into court,” Shapiro said. “The defendant was wrong.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton’s defense attorney, Amanda Bevins, declined to comment on the verdict on Thursday. She had argued in her closing statement on Tuesday that multiple girls making allegations did not mean the claims were true.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Repetition is not corroboration,” Bevins said. “The argument assumes the accounts developed independently. The evidence shows the opposite.”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>She told the jury that the Benicia victims’ allegations became more detailed and egregious over time, beginning with claims of hugs and pinches on the arm that eventually morphed into accusations of sexual abuse. The girls’ memories, she said, had become “contaminated” by outside influences, from classmates and parents to attorneys posting ads online seeking victims of Shelton to represent in civil lawsuits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton acknowledged that he hugged students at Robert Semple Elementary School, and Bevins noted the school had no policy against touching students. She said no other students in Shelton’s classroom independently corroborated the girls’ claims that he touched their butts.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“If the prosecution’s theory is true, and Shelton was touching girls’ bottoms every day, multiple times a day, in front of the classroom, where is the corroboration? Where is the immediate outcry?” Bevins said. “It’s not there.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said another one of the girls’ claims that Shelton reached in the back seat of the car he was driving — then touched her crotch while he smiled — was either impossible or nearly impossible. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101868\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/20260928_BeniciaTeacherTrial_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Solano County Law and Justice Center in Fairfield on Sept. 28, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the girls who accused Shelton of sexually abusing them at Phillips Edison Elementary School in Napa testified again at this trial. Bevins described the students as obstructive during their testimonies. One answered several of the defense attorney’s questions by saying she could not remember. Bevins said the other student appeared “angry” and “out for vengeance.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Napa student alleged during the trial that Shelton touched her crotch and made her touch his penis when she was in the third grade. Shapiro asked her to describe his demeanor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said Shelton would smile. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Like he’s doing now,” she said from the witness stand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with KQED after the verdict, the former student said she could feel him looking at her “deep within her soul” and his expression brought her back to being a third-grader in his classroom all over again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is still dealing with the trauma, she said, and struggles to trust male teachers around her own daughter. Sending her daughter to third-grade was the hardest, she said. But she said the guilty verdict closes a painful chapter for her. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She now works for an organization that advocates for victims of domestic violence and assault. “Being the voice for others is the whole purpose I’m put on this earth for.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the criminal trial is over, Benicia Unified still faces three lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect its students when administrators hired Shelton in 2008. During the trial, the prosecutor presented evidence that appeared to show the state had notified the school district that it privately admonished Shelton. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They really dropped the ball,” said the mother of one of the girls suing Benicia Unified, who also testified at the trial. KQED is not naming her to protect her daughter’s identity. “They allowed someone like this inside of our school system. Somebody who was supposed to be a trusted figure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a written statement, the Benicia Unified superintendent, Chris Calabrese, said the district’s focus is on the well-being and safety of its students.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We are committed to maintaining strong hiring and screening practices, clear reporting procedures, staff training, and a school culture where students feel safe and heard,” Calabrese said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the mom said the issue extends beyond the district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Shelton agreed to resign from Benicia Unified in 2023 following complaints he touched students inappropriately, he was hired as an assistant principal at Helms Middle School in West Contra Costa Unified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the job application, Shelton listed as his supervisor a former teaching colleague and identified her as a principal, which she was not. Shelton acknowledged to the jury he lied and that he expected the teacher to provide a favorable reference. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why didn’t they protect the children there?” the mother said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for West Contra Costa Unified said the district conducts reference checks when hiring and information during that process is “carefully vetted.” The district spokesperson said officials there placed Shelton on administrative leave in August 2023 after receiving an anonymous complaint.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2025, California public school administrators have been required to ask every single previous employing school whether teaching candidates were reported to the state for credible or substantiated reports of egregious misconduct. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12097322/california-teacher-misconduct-bill-administrator-discipline-al-muratsuchi\">new law\u003c/a>, which goes into effect next year and was prompted by a \u003ca href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/california-fired-teacher-sexual-harassment\">KQED-ProPublica investigation\u003c/a>, clarifies administrators who fail to do so may be subject to discipline by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some school administrators say contacting every former employing school and getting their responses leaves room for error, since prospective teachers can omit information, or lie. Two California bills proposed this year would have created a searchable database to allow hiring schools to determine whether prospective teachers had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093249/california-teacher-misconduct-database-bill-failed-al-muratsuchi\">both killed\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shelton is scheduled for sentencing in December. He faces life in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> Faculty Association union members and students rallied in San José on Thursday to protest a speech by the state university system’s chancellor, demanding higher pay and more job security protections against AI.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lecturers, faculty members and students from Sacramento and San José State University marched in the rain in front of the city’s Signia Hilton Hotel, which hosted California State University’s 2026 Student Success Symposium.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Holding signs that read “CSU unfair to labor” and “Step up or strike out,” they called on CSU Chancellor Mildred García, who was giving a speech at the event. They chanted, “What do we want? Fair contracts! When do we want it? Now!”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We want to be heard at the bargaining table and let her know that faculty is present at San José State,” said Ginevra Marta Scherini, a lecturer at the university. “We want fair bargaining and good outcomes for our contracts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tower Hall at San José State University on April 3, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July, the faculty union declared an impasse in contract negotiations after \u003ca href=\"https://www.calfac.org/cfa-declares-impasse-in-contract-bargaining-negotiations/\">CSU returned with a proposal\u003c/a> that would cut their health benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scherini, who said she’s been working at the university for five years and teaches in three different departments, still has to work a second job to afford living in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also said she’s worried about how SJSU and CSU’s interest in AI will impact her job security.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/technology/ai-empowered-csu/Pages/ai-timeline.aspx\">CSU launched its AI Initiative in 2025\u003c/a> with the goal of becoming the “nation’s first and largest AI-empowered university system,” partnering with the governor’s office, Adobe, OpenAI, NVIDIA and other tech companies to implement more AI tools for students, staff and faculty members.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upstairs, above the lobby, administrators and presidents from each of the 22 CSU campuses listened to García’s plans for increasing academic success, graduation rates and hiring rates in the coming few years. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The CSU has never been and will not now be reckless with our students’ futures,” García said at the symposium.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Personally, I’m a waitress on Fridays so that I can make ends meet,” Scherini said. “If we’re having to juggle two, three jobs to make ends meet, that’s going to directly impact their learning outcomes.” She said she has been going to AI training sessions, but the policies around how AI usage on campus are still vague.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“One of the major guardrails I hope to see come out is to make sure that artificial intelligence isn’t used to replace faculty and substitute for classroom learning,” Scherini added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San José State University spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald told KQED at the event that the university is keeping its AI policies “more open” to allow professors and lecturers to freely decide how they want it to be used in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The university hears those concerns, the provost hears those concerns, and it’s a matter of how prescriptive you are about AI and AI usage,” McDonald said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lecturers, faculty members and students from Sacramento and San José State University marched in the rain in front of the city’s Signia Hilton Hotel, which hosted California State University’s 2026 Student Success Symposium.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Holding signs that read “CSU unfair to labor” and “Step up or strike out,” they called on CSU Chancellor Mildred García, who was giving a speech at the event. They chanted, “What do we want? Fair contracts! When do we want it? Now!”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We want to be heard at the bargaining table and let her know that faculty is present at San José State,” said Ginevra Marta Scherini, a lecturer at the university. “We want fair bargaining and good outcomes for our contracts.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/technology/ai-empowered-csu/Pages/ai-timeline.aspx\">CSU launched its AI Initiative in 2025\u003c/a> with the goal of becoming the “nation’s first and largest AI-empowered university system,” partnering with the governor’s office, Adobe, OpenAI, NVIDIA and other tech companies to implement more AI tools for students, staff and faculty members.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Personally, I’m a waitress on Fridays so that I can make ends meet,” Scherini said. “If we’re having to juggle two, three jobs to make ends meet, that’s going to directly impact their learning outcomes.” She said she has been going to AI training sessions, but the policies around how AI usage on campus are still vague.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José State University spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald told KQED at the event that the university is keeping its AI policies “more open” to allow professors and lecturers to freely decide how they want it to be used in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> Faculty Association union members and students rallied in San José on Thursday to protest a speech by the state university system’s chancellor, demanding higher pay and more job security protections against AI.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lecturers, faculty members and students from Sacramento and San José State University marched in the rain in front of the city’s Signia Hilton Hotel, which hosted California State University’s 2026 Student Success Symposium.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Holding signs that read “CSU unfair to labor” and “Step up or strike out,” they called on CSU Chancellor Mildred García, who was giving a speech at the event. They chanted, “What do we want? Fair contracts! When do we want it? Now!”\u003cbr>\u003cbr>“We want to be heard at the bargaining table and let her know that faculty is present at San José State,” said Ginevra Marta Scherini, a lecturer at the university. “We want fair bargaining and good outcomes for our contracts.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20240403_SJSUFILE_GC-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tower Hall at San José State University on April 3, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July, the faculty union declared an impasse in contract negotiations after \u003ca href=\"https://www.calfac.org/cfa-declares-impasse-in-contract-bargaining-negotiations/\">CSU returned with a proposal\u003c/a> that would cut their health benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scherini, who said she’s been working at the university for five years and teaches in three different departments, still has to work a second job to afford living in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also said she’s worried about how SJSU and CSU’s interest in AI will impact her job security.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/technology/ai-empowered-csu/Pages/ai-timeline.aspx\">CSU launched its AI Initiative in 2025\u003c/a> with the goal of becoming the “nation’s first and largest AI-empowered university system,” partnering with the governor’s office, Adobe, OpenAI, NVIDIA and other tech companies to implement more AI tools for students, staff and faculty members.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upstairs, above the lobby, administrators and presidents from each of the 22 CSU campuses listened to García’s plans for increasing academic success, graduation rates and hiring rates in the coming few years. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“The CSU has never been and will not now be reckless with our students’ futures,” García said at the symposium.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Personally, I’m a waitress on Fridays so that I can make ends meet,” Scherini said. “If we’re having to juggle two, three jobs to make ends meet, that’s going to directly impact their learning outcomes.” She said she has been going to AI training sessions, but the policies around how AI usage on campus are still vague.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“One of the major guardrails I hope to see come out is to make sure that artificial intelligence isn’t used to replace faculty and substitute for classroom learning,” Scherini added.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">San José State University spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald told KQED at the event that the university is keeping its AI policies “more open” to allow professors and lecturers to freely decide how they want it to be used in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The university hears those concerns, the provost hears those concerns, and it’s a matter of how prescriptive you are about AI and AI usage,” McDonald said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "new-study-shows-low-income-students-gain-most-from-transitional-kindergarten",
"title": "New Study Shows Low-Income Students Gain Most From Transitional Kindergarten",
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"headTitle": "New Study Shows Low-Income Students Gain Most From Transitional Kindergarten | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first children to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082904/as-transitional-kindergarten-grows-hundreds-of-child-care-centers-close\">attend transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> when it began in California public schools more than a decade ago made significant learning gains that persisted into later elementary school years, according to a new UC Berkeley study.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children from lower-income families \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989955/what-to-expect-when-enrolling-your-child-in-transitional-kindergarten\">benefited the most from TK\u003c/a>, according to \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/universal-prek-california-education-reforms-brief\">a research brief published Thursday\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They gained about seven more months of learning in reading and math by third grade compared to students from the same school who did not attend TK. What’s more, the children who got an extra year of preschool in addition to TK made the biggest strides. The effects were larger and longer-lasting when they attended well-funded elementary schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers said the evidence shows that two major education reforms that happened around the time TK started in 2012 combined to narrow deep and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-k-12-test-scores/\">longstanding achievement gaps\u003c/a> in California schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069031\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Children at Mission Kids Preschool in San Francisco raise their hands to ask Senator Alex Padilla a question on June 1, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those changes include the expansion of the California State Preschool Program, or CSPP, which is free to income-eligible 3- and 4-year-olds, and the Local Control Funding Formula, which directs more resources to high-need students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s this trifecta of public policies — TK, State Preschool and more equitable school funding — that has been the catalyst accelerating young children’s growth,” said Rucker Johnson, an economist and public policy professor at UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California introduced transitional kindergarten to address disparities that begin even before children enter kindergarten. The state’s previous Dec. 2 cutoff date to begin kindergarten was among the latest in the nation, which meant that some kids who were turning 5 in the fall were entering kindergarten when they were still 4. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This led families who could afford childcare or preschool on their own to delay entry, giving their kids a developmental advantage, while lower-income families typically couldn’t. By shifting the cutoff date to Sept. 1, and enrolling kids who were almost 5 in TK, lawmakers hoped that an extra year of early education would help them develop the necessary skills to succeed in kindergarten. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson said his research found that TK alone doesn’t solve the achievement gap. Instead, its efficacy hinges on what happens to children before, during and after they complete the grade. The benefits of TK were greater for low-income kids who first attended CSPP when they were 3 and persisted when they were in elementary schools that had more resources. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You could think of each of these three policies having an independent effect that you could add, like two plus two plus two is six,” Johnson said. “But what we’re finding is that the effects are not additive but multiplicative. When you invest early, they actually make the efficacy of subsequent investments more effective. And so two plus two might equal eight.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin Land, a policy analyst and co-author of the study, said the findings suggest that children who attended CSPP might have gotten more out of TK because they started in a high-quality program. The program is modeled after Head Start but is less known than the federal antipoverty program. It provides play-based learning and family support services. Classroom sizes are smaller than TK and are often staffed by educators who speak children’s home languages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An adult's hands lay on top of a little kid's hands while making something with clay.\" class=\"wp-image-12007545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Preschoolers work with clay and flowers under a tented canopy at the North Bay Children’s Center in Healdsburg on Oct. 2, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“CSPP appears to have played an important role,” Land said. “If they have that year of preschool where it’s not so academic and they’re around other children their age before entering these more formal TK environments, that was important for them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two years of early education made a difference for her family, said Selam Mulatu, a Bay Area mom who enrolled all three of her children in CSPP. She said her oldest, who is 9, began reading when he started kindergarten and now, “I can’t get him off of books.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“He really enjoyed the hands-on activities [in preschool],” Mulatu said. “He would come home with so many crafts and tracing and artwork. I think that really helped with coordination and just got him really excited to learn. We read a lot at home too — we’re big readers — so I think that contributes, as well.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mulatu said when she became a first-time parent, she assumed that children couldn’t enroll in public schools until they were 6 years old. But a relative told her about Franklin Preschool, a CSPP program run by the Berkeley Unified School District, and she learned she qualified for it based on her income as a waitress.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The preschool does a great job exposing them to so many different activities like gardening, reading, socializing. You cannot do all of that as a working mother,” she said. “I think it’s so important to have these systems because they fill in the gap that parents cannot meet.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the evidence of CSPP’s benefits, enrollment has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent data show only 18% of eligible 3-year-olds are enrolled in CSPP, even though in recent years the program has expanded to reach two-thirds of young children in California, including those from middle-income families, Land said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2603.asp\">Families who earn up to 100% of the state median income\u003c/a>, which is $136,044 for a family of four, qualify. The program can be offered in elementary schools, licensed child care centers or community-based organizations like the YMCA.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1391\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-1536x1079.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chalk art decorates pavement outside of an old bus operating as a preschool at the Aspire Monarch Academy school in Oakland on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. (Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Land said now that TK is universally available to all 4-year-olds, regardless of their family’s income, the state could focus on strengthening CSPP and getting more eligible 3-year-olds into the program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Because enrollment is lower than the budget suggests it should be, I think there’s a temptation to say, ‘Oh, families don’t want that because they’re not showing up for it and we should fund other things,’” he said. “That would be a tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson, meanwhile, said that given that more than half of young children in California are learning English alongside their home language, the state could do more to meet the needs of these dual language learners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research unrelated to this study has found that encouraging home language use in classrooms leads to stronger outcomes for these children. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We put a lot of emphasis on making sure children are ready for school, but we want to make sure schools are ready for children,” he said. “We’re the largest and most diverse state system in the country, so the lessons that we’re drawing out for California are a roadmap for many other state systems.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Children from lower-income families \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989955/what-to-expect-when-enrolling-your-child-in-transitional-kindergarten\">benefited the most from TK\u003c/a>, according to \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/universal-prek-california-education-reforms-brief\">a research brief published Thursday\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They gained about seven more months of learning in reading and math by third grade compared to students from the same school who did not attend TK. What’s more, the children who got an extra year of preschool in addition to TK made the biggest strides. The effects were larger and longer-lasting when they attended well-funded elementary schools. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Researchers said the evidence shows that two major education reforms that happened around the time TK started in 2012 combined to narrow deep and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-k-12-test-scores/\">longstanding achievement gaps\u003c/a> in California schools. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those changes include the expansion of the California State Preschool Program, or CSPP, which is free to income-eligible 3- and 4-year-olds, and the Local Control Funding Formula, which directs more resources to high-need students. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Those changes include the expansion of the California State Preschool Program, or CSPP, which is free to income-eligible 3- and 4-year-olds, and the Local Control Funding Formula, which directs more resources to high-need students. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s this trifecta of public policies — TK, State Preschool and more equitable school funding — that has been the catalyst accelerating young children’s growth,” said Rucker Johnson, an economist and public policy professor at UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s this trifecta of public policies — TK, State Preschool and more equitable school funding — that has been the catalyst accelerating young children’s growth,” said Rucker Johnson, an economist and public policy professor at UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California introduced transitional kindergarten to address disparities that begin even before children enter kindergarten. The state’s previous Dec. 2 cutoff date to begin kindergarten was among the latest in the nation, which meant that some kids who were turning 5 in the fall were entering kindergarten when they were still 4. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California introduced transitional kindergarten to address disparities that begin even before children enter kindergarten. The state’s previous Dec. 2 cutoff date to begin kindergarten was among the latest in the nation, which meant that some kids who were turning 5 in the fall were entering kindergarten when they were still 4. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This led families who could afford childcare or preschool on their own to delay entry, giving their kids a developmental advantage, while lower-income families typically couldn’t. By shifting the cutoff date to Sept. 1, and enrolling kids who were almost 5 in TK, lawmakers hoped that an extra year of early education would help them develop the necessary skills to succeed in kindergarten. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Johnson said his research found that TK alone doesn’t solve the achievement gap. Instead, its efficacy hinges on what happens to children before, during and after they complete the grade. The benefits of TK were greater for low-income kids who first attended CSPP when they were 3 and persisted when they were in elementary schools that had more resources. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You could think of each of these three policies having an independent effect that you could add, like two plus two plus two is six,” Johnson said. “But what we’re finding is that the effects are not additive but multiplicative. When you invest early, they actually make the efficacy of subsequent investments more effective. And so two plus two might equal eight.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You could think of each of these three policies having an independent effect that you could add, like two plus two plus two is six,” Johnson said. “But what we’re finding is that the effects are not additive but multiplicative. When you invest early, they actually make the efficacy of subsequent investments more effective. And so two plus two might equal eight.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Austin Land, a policy analyst and co-author of the study, said the findings suggest that children who attended CSPP might have gotten more out of TK because they started in a high-quality program. The program is modeled after Head Start but is less known than the federal antipoverty program. It provides play-based learning and family support services. Classroom sizes are smaller than TK and are often staffed by educators who speak children’s home languages.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Austin Land, a policy analyst and co-author of the study, said the findings suggest that children who attended CSPP might have gotten more out of TK because they started in a high-quality program. The program is modeled after Head Start but is less known than the federal antipoverty program. It provides play-based learning and family support services. Classroom sizes are smaller than TK and are often staffed by educators who speak children’s home languages.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An adult's hands lay on top of a little kid's hands while making something with clay.\" class=\"wp-image-12007545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Preschoolers work with clay and flowers under a tented canopy at the North Bay Children’s Center in Healdsburg on Oct. 2, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An adult's hands lay on top of a little kid's hands while making something with clay.\" class=\"wp-image-12007545\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Preschoolers work with clay and flowers under a tented canopy at the North Bay Children’s Center in Healdsburg on Oct. 2, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“CSPP appears to have played an important role,” Land said. “If they have that year of preschool where it’s not so academic and they’re around other children their age before entering these more formal TK environments, that was important for them.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“CSPP appears to have played an important role,” Land said. “If they have that year of preschool where it’s not so academic and they’re around other children their age before entering these more formal TK environments, that was important for them.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two years of early education made a difference for her family, said Selam Mulatu, a Bay Area mom who enrolled all three of her children in CSPP. She said her oldest, who is 9, began reading when he started kindergarten and now, “I can’t get him off of books.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two years of early education made a difference for her family, said Selam Mulatu, a Bay Area mom who enrolled all three of her children in CSPP. She said her oldest, who is 9, began reading when he started kindergarten and now, “I can’t get him off of books.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He really enjoyed the hands-on activities [in preschool],” Mulatu said. “He would come home with so many crafts and tracing and artwork. I think that really helped with coordination and just got him really excited to learn. We read a lot at home too — we’re big readers — so I think that contributes, as well.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“He really enjoyed the hands-on activities [in preschool],” Mulatu said. “He would come home with so many crafts and tracing and artwork. I think that really helped with coordination and just got him really excited to learn. We read a lot at home too — we’re big readers — so I think that contributes, as well.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mulatu said when she became a first-time parent, she assumed that children couldn’t enroll in public schools until they were 6 years old. But a relative told her about Franklin Preschool, a CSPP program run by the Berkeley Unified School District, and she learned she qualified for it based on her income as a waitress.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mulatu said when she became a first-time parent, she assumed that children couldn’t enroll in public schools until they were 6 years old. But a relative told her about Franklin Preschool, a CSPP program run by the Berkeley Unified School District, and she learned she qualified for it based on her income as a waitress.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The preschool does a great job exposing them to so many different activities like gardening, reading, socializing. You cannot do all of that as a working mother,” she said. “I think it’s so important to have these systems because they fill in the gap that parents cannot meet.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The preschool does a great job exposing them to so many different activities like gardening, reading, socializing. You cannot do all of that as a working mother,” she said. “I think it’s so important to have these systems because they fill in the gap that parents cannot meet.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite the evidence of CSPP’s benefits, enrollment has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent data show only 18% of eligible 3-year-olds are enrolled in CSPP, even though in recent years the program has expanded to reach two-thirds of young children in California, including those from middle-income families, Land said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Despite the evidence of CSPP’s benefits, enrollment has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent data show only 18% of eligible 3-year-olds are enrolled in CSPP, even though in recent years the program has expanded to reach two-thirds of young children in California, including those from middle-income families, Land said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2603.asp\">Families who earn up to 100% of the state median income\u003c/a>, which is $136,044 for a family of four, qualify. The program can be offered in elementary schools, licensed child care centers or community-based organizations like the YMCA.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2603.asp\">Families who earn up to 100% of the state median income\u003c/a>, which is $136,044 for a family of four, qualify. The program can be offered in elementary schools, licensed child care centers or community-based organizations like the YMCA.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086449\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chalk art decorates pavement outside of an old bus operating as a preschool at the Aspire Monarch Academy school in Oakland on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Land said now that TK is universally available to all 4-year-olds, regardless of their family’s income, the state could focus on strengthening CSPP and getting more eligible 3-year-olds into the program.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Land said now that TK is universally available to all 4-year-olds, regardless of their family’s income, the state could focus on strengthening CSPP and getting more eligible 3-year-olds into the program.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Because enrollment is lower than the budget suggests it should be, I think there’s a temptation to say, ‘Oh, families don’t want that because they’re not showing up for it and we should fund other things,’” he said. “That would be a tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Because enrollment is lower than the budget suggests it should be, I think there’s a temptation to say, ‘Oh, families don’t want that because they’re not showing up for it and we should fund other things,’” he said. “That would be a tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Johnson, meanwhile, said that given that more than half of young children in California are learning English alongside their home language, the state could do more to meet the needs of these dual language learners. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Johnson, meanwhile, said that given that more than half of young children in California are learning English alongside their home language, the state could do more to meet the needs of these dual language learners. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Research unrelated to this study has found that encouraging home language use in classrooms leads to stronger outcomes for these children. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Research unrelated to this study has found that encouraging home language use in classrooms leads to stronger outcomes for these children. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We put a lot of emphasis on making sure children are ready for school, but we want to make sure schools are ready for children,” he said. “We’re the largest and most diverse state system in the country, so the lessons that we’re drawing out for California are a roadmap for many other state systems.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We put a lot of emphasis on making sure children are ready for school, but we want to make sure schools are ready for children,” he said. “We’re the largest and most diverse state system in the country, so the lessons that we’re drawing out for California are a roadmap for many other state systems.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "UC Berkeley researchers found that children from lower-income families benefited the most from TK, and that those who got an extra year of preschool in addition to TK made even bigger strides.",
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"title": "New Study Shows Low-Income Students Gain Most From Transitional Kindergarten | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first children to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12082904/as-transitional-kindergarten-grows-hundreds-of-child-care-centers-close\">attend transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> when it began in California public schools more than a decade ago made significant learning gains that persisted into later elementary school years, according to a new UC Berkeley study.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children from lower-income families \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11989955/what-to-expect-when-enrolling-your-child-in-transitional-kindergarten\">benefited the most from TK\u003c/a>, according to \u003ca href=\"https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/universal-prek-california-education-reforms-brief\">a research brief published Thursday\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They gained about seven more months of learning in reading and math by third grade compared to students from the same school who did not attend TK. What’s more, the children who got an extra year of preschool in addition to TK made the biggest strides. The effects were larger and longer-lasting when they attended well-funded elementary schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers said the evidence shows that two major education reforms that happened around the time TK started in 2012 combined to narrow deep and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/publication/californias-k-12-test-scores/\">longstanding achievement gaps\u003c/a> in California schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069031\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/020_SanFrancisco_AlexPadillaMissionKids_06012021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Children at Mission Kids Preschool in San Francisco raise their hands to ask Senator Alex Padilla a question on June 1, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those changes include the expansion of the California State Preschool Program, or CSPP, which is free to income-eligible 3- and 4-year-olds, and the Local Control Funding Formula, which directs more resources to high-need students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It’s this trifecta of public policies — TK, State Preschool and more equitable school funding — that has been the catalyst accelerating young children’s growth,” said Rucker Johnson, an economist and public policy professor at UC Berkeley. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California introduced transitional kindergarten to address disparities that begin even before children enter kindergarten. The state’s previous Dec. 2 cutoff date to begin kindergarten was among the latest in the nation, which meant that some kids who were turning 5 in the fall were entering kindergarten when they were still 4. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This led families who could afford childcare or preschool on their own to delay entry, giving their kids a developmental advantage, while lower-income families typically couldn’t. By shifting the cutoff date to Sept. 1, and enrolling kids who were almost 5 in TK, lawmakers hoped that an extra year of early education would help them develop the necessary skills to succeed in kindergarten. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson said his research found that TK alone doesn’t solve the achievement gap. Instead, its efficacy hinges on what happens to children before, during and after they complete the grade. The benefits of TK were greater for low-income kids who first attended CSPP when they were 3 and persisted when they were in elementary schools that had more resources. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“You could think of each of these three policies having an independent effect that you could add, like two plus two plus two is six,” Johnson said. “But what we’re finding is that the effects are not additive but multiplicative. When you invest early, they actually make the efficacy of subsequent investments more effective. And so two plus two might equal eight.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin Land, a policy analyst and co-author of the study, said the findings suggest that children who attended CSPP might have gotten more out of TK because they started in a high-quality program. The program is modeled after Head Start but is less known than the federal antipoverty program. It provides play-based learning and family support services. Classroom sizes are smaller than TK and are often staffed by educators who speak children’s home languages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"An adult's hands lay on top of a little kid's hands while making something with clay.\" class=\"wp-image-12007545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241002-CHILDCARE-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Preschoolers work with clay and flowers under a tented canopy at the North Bay Children’s Center in Healdsburg on Oct. 2, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“CSPP appears to have played an important role,” Land said. “If they have that year of preschool where it’s not so academic and they’re around other children their age before entering these more formal TK environments, that was important for them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two years of early education made a difference for her family, said Selam Mulatu, a Bay Area mom who enrolled all three of her children in CSPP. She said her oldest, who is 9, began reading when he started kindergarten and now, “I can’t get him off of books.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“He really enjoyed the hands-on activities [in preschool],” Mulatu said. “He would come home with so many crafts and tracing and artwork. I think that really helped with coordination and just got him really excited to learn. We read a lot at home too — we’re big readers — so I think that contributes, as well.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mulatu said when she became a first-time parent, she assumed that children couldn’t enroll in public schools until they were 6 years old. But a relative told her about Franklin Preschool, a CSPP program run by the Berkeley Unified School District, and she learned she qualified for it based on her income as a waitress.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“The preschool does a great job exposing them to so many different activities like gardening, reading, socializing. You cannot do all of that as a working mother,” she said. “I think it’s so important to have these systems because they fill in the gap that parents cannot meet.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the evidence of CSPP’s benefits, enrollment has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent data show only 18% of eligible 3-year-olds are enrolled in CSPP, even though in recent years the program has expanded to reach two-thirds of young children in California, including those from middle-income families, Land said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2603.asp\">Families who earn up to 100% of the state median income\u003c/a>, which is $136,044 for a family of four, qualify. The program can be offered in elementary schools, licensed child care centers or community-based organizations like the YMCA.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1391\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-1408498187-1536x1079.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chalk art decorates pavement outside of an old bus operating as a preschool at the Aspire Monarch Academy school in Oakland on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. (Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Land said now that TK is universally available to all 4-year-olds, regardless of their family’s income, the state could focus on strengthening CSPP and getting more eligible 3-year-olds into the program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Because enrollment is lower than the budget suggests it should be, I think there’s a temptation to say, ‘Oh, families don’t want that because they’re not showing up for it and we should fund other things,’” he said. “That would be a tragedy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson, meanwhile, said that given that more than half of young children in California are learning English alongside their home language, the state could do more to meet the needs of these dual language learners. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research unrelated to this study has found that encouraging home language use in classrooms leads to stronger outcomes for these children. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We put a lot of emphasis on making sure children are ready for school, but we want to make sure schools are ready for children,” he said. “We’re the largest and most diverse state system in the country, so the lessons that we’re drawing out for California are a roadmap for many other state systems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
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"soldout": {
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