Dive Brief:
- Seven education bills in California currently awaiting approval from Gov. Jerry Brown could change the face of education in the Golden State.
- Among the bills, listed by education publication LA School Report, are bills addressing “willful defiance," aimed at curbing "zero-tolerance" suspensions and expulsions, and chronic truancy; mandating kindergarten attendance; creating 4-year degrees at community colleges; advocating for multilingual education; requiring child abuse training; and improving after-school programing.
- While many bills can sit for what might seem like ages without action, the list gives some idea of directions California will be taking, as well as current trends in education.
Dive Insight:
Looking at the list of seven, one can see California legislators have really worked to hit some of the main education themes and trends that have become priorities on a wider scale this year. The willful defiance bill, for example, attempts to decrease the number of suspensions and expulsions happening at schools — which so often disproportionately affect minority students. The after-school programming bill is a concept that has made some headway in New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio just expanded the city's after-school options and available slots.
