The San Ysidro School District in Southern California has reported as much as one-third of its students are homeless — the highest concentration in its region. In 2019, the district kicked a homeless student out of school over a paperwork issue. Voice of San Diego reporter Lisa Halverstadt got a tip and followed the story. This is our last episode of the season! Thanks for listening. You can keep up with other Voice of San Diego podcasts at vosd.org/pod Follow us on your favorite social media platform @voiceofsandiego

Good Schools For All

S2 Ep 7 - Breaking Down Barriers for Homeless Youth

The mindset around school shootings is changing. They were once so horrific to comprehend that they seemed like freak occurrences – not events that would happen regularly. In this new normal, schools and students must ask difficult questions: Not if a next school shooting will occur, but when and where. This week, we hear from students, a parent and a VOSD reporter on how things are changing in the age of gun violence, what's working in local schools — and what's not.  vosd.org/learningcurve vosd.org/schoolspod

S2 Ep 6 - School Safety in the Age of Gun Violence

We're working on our next episode about school safety in the age of gun violence. It'll drop next week and you still have a chance to help us make it. If you have experienced a shooting incident, taken part in a school shooter drill, or have a related story to share, here's how you can do that: Email producer Nate John at nate@vosd.org Leave a voicemail at our podcast line, 619-354-1085

Teaser - In the Age of Gun Violence

One parent found out that she could choose a different school for her child just two weeks before the deadline. This week, we hear how she scrambled to make the best decision for her family in time. You can follow all of our school stories at vosd.org/learningcurve. Talk to us onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram.

S2 Ep 5 - How To Choose A School in 10 Days

We break down the story behind an alleged charter scam that cost California $80 million. In this episode of Good Schools for All, Will Huntsberry sits down with host Scott Lewis to unveil the culture and mechanics behind A3 Education. You can follow all of our school stories at vosd.org/learningcurve. Talk to us onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram.   

S2 Ep 4 - A Charter School Empire

Voice of San Diego has been investigating sexual misconduct in schools for two years now. It all started with one teacher at one school in La Jolla. Kayla Jimenez and Ashly McGlone, who've been reporting the series, sit down with Will Huntsberry to talk about the case that kicked things off. You can follow all of our school stories at vosd.org/learningcurve. Talk to us onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram.   

S2 Ep 3 - How Predatory Teachers Stay in the Classroom

Pre-K is more important than ever. But access to it remains elusive for many parents. In this episode, Will Huntsberry visits a preschool and its parent organization to try to get some answers about the future of universal pre-K. You can follow all of our school stories at vosd.org/learningcurve. Talk to us onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram.   

S2 Ep 2 - Universal Pre-K Is Still Far From a Reality

This year, Will Huntsberry revealed some serious problems plaguing an elementary school in San Diego's South Bay. We take a close look at the school after it was put on a list of California's lowest-performing schools. You can follow all of our school stories at vosd.org/learningcurve. Talk to us onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram.     

S2 Ep 1 - The Problems Plaguing Porter

We're back! In this new season of Good Schools For All, Voice of San Diego's Scott Lewis and Will Huntsberry dig in to the biggest stories our team has uncovered in the last year. Plus, we're accepting your ideas for new episodes. Tell us your story — or what you want to hear — at vosd.org/goodschools New episodes start Sept. 25. Subscribe now.

Season 2 Trailer

Schools are back in session.  Good Schools for All hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn introduce Voice of San Diego’s new education reporter Will Huntsberry, and the trio unpacks the latest education news you might have missed over summer break. Huntsberry discusses the misuse of Associated Student Body funds in San Diego Unified schools, new developments in the district’s 2016 graduation rate controversy and offers his take on what makes education reporting in San Diego unique. The crew also discuss teacher misconduct and the slow-moving state system that allowed two Poway Unified teachers to continue working in education even after being forced out of schools for having romantic relationships with students. What's Working Immediate Access: It's a new program at San Diego State University that allows students to access course material, such as e-textbooks, for free by the first day of school. If students decide to stay in the class for the rest of the semester, they can buy the material at a reduced price. SDSU officials estimate the new program could save students close to $2 million. Number of the Week 10 percent: That's the percentage of educators who rent out their homes on Airbnb. In San Diego alone, educators reportedly made $2.7 million using Airbnb. Got thoughts, opinions or experiences with this? Call 619-354-1085 and leave your name, neighborhood and story so we can play the voicemail on future episodes.

A Back-to-School Crash Course

At first glance, California schools seem to be doing well. The state plans to steadily increase education funding through 2022, giving school districts with higher numbers of low-income students, English-learners, foster youth and homeless children more money and control over how to spend it. But despite the cushion of financial support, school districts across the state, including San Diego Unified, are preparing to make big budget cuts to stay afloat. Jason Willis and Kelsey Krausen, education researchers at WestEd, say the rising cost of pensions, declining enrollment and increased special education costs are some of the reasons why school districts are being forced to cut back. They joined the Good Schools for All podcast to discuss their recent study. “While the state of California has made significant strides over the last four or five years to make investments in K-12 education … it's making it more and more difficult for school districts to continue to stay focused on investments that will enhance the education of kids,” Willis said. In the first part of the podcast, hosts Laura Kohn and Scott Lewis go over San Diego Unified's pitch for a new $3.5 billion bond. If approved, the measure will be the school district's third multi-billion bond in 10 years. Got thoughts, opinions or experiences with this? Call 619-354-1085 and leave your name, neighborhood and story so we can play the voicemail on future episodes.  

Districts Struggle to Stay Afloat Despite Increased State Funding

After-school programs are crucial for many families. From the time school gets out around 2 or 3 p.m. to the time most parents get off work at 5 or 6 p.m., after-school program providers offer kids expanded academics and enrichment activities like arts or physical education. But while the need is clear, many state and federally funded after-school programs are struggling to survive. Almost all of the quality after-hours programs in the county are have long waitlists, and not every family can access them. On the latest Good Schools for All podcast, Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn talk with Brad Lupien, CEO of after-school program provider arc, and the San Diego County Office of Education's Daymon Beach about the importance of such programs and the issues impacting them. Also on the podcast: an update on local school board election results and a quick look back at Cindy Marten’s five years as San Diego Unified’s superintendent. What’s Working Proposition 49: Prop. 49 is a California law passed in 2002 that set aside funding for after-school programs. While many of the programs need more funding, the state was still rated No. 1 in the country for its after-school offerings by the Afterschool Alliance. Number of the Week 8.8 percent: That's the state’s increase, from $7.50 to $8.16, in the daily reimbursement rate for each student in after-school programs. If the number kept up with inflation, it should be $9.32.

The After-School Care Gap

The San Diego County Office of Education has its hands in lots of things. But one of its biggest tasks is making sure the regions's most vulnerable students don't slip through the cracks. On the latest podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn talk to Paul Gothold, the new superintendent of the San Diego County Office of Education, about efforts to get underserved students the tools they need to succeed. Also the podcast, Lewis and Kohn discuss San Diego Unified's recent decision to move forward with deleting all emails older than a year and the upcoming Board of Education races. Number of the Week 15 percent: That's the percentage of public schoolchildren in San Diego who attended charter schools this school year. That's an increase from 12 percent in the 2014-2015 school year. What's Working Superintendent Paul Gothold: He's only held his post for a year and has already started to repair broken trust between the county office and school districts across San Diego.

Good Schools for All: Serving San Diego’s Most Vulnerable Youth

Lincoln High is a struggling school. A string of administrative problems and increasing violence between students at Lincoln continues to prompt many families to send their kids to schools outside their neighborhood. But Karly Van Holten saw something she liked about Lincoln. Despite having other high school options, she told her mom she wanted to stay in her neighborhood and go to Lincoln. "Everything about Lincoln screams community," she said. "I learned how to be in a community and how to be one with others rather than just being a high school student." The Lincoln High senior has excelled at the school. She's been accepted to more than 30 colleges. Van Holten joins Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about her experience at Lincoln High and how it shaped her for success. Also on the podcast, Gina Gianzero, executive of Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership, joins Lewis and Kohn to talk about how the nonprofit is helping kids in southeastern San Diego stay in the educational pipeline. "We emerged with a common understanding of the problem," she said. "Which we say are leaks in this pipeline that runs from cradle to college to career. And we focus on stopping those early leaks." She said one of the common hurdles families face is the months of learning students lose during summer break. More commonly known as the "summer slide," research shows kids from low-income communities usually suffer the most during this time. That’s why every summer, DEEP gives students from southeastern San Diego the opportunity to continue their education outside of school by offering literacy support, field trips, arts activities and more. “The research shows that all these kinds of enrichment activities are pretty critical to making this an experience for these children that will ultimately empower them,” Gianzero said.

A Lincoln High Success Story

Voice of San Diego education reporter Mario Koran is leaving his post. His reporting on San Diego schools over the past five years has pulled back the curtain on several policies and practices that affect local families. He’s tackled everything from school discipline, graduation rates, administrative scandals, bilingual education and more. Koran sits down with hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to look back at some of his most impactful work and the hurdles he had to overcome to report those stories. Koran said one of the biggest challenges education reporters face is access to students and faculty. Having a good idea of what happens inside classrooms isn’t just essential to knowing how a community can improve their schools, but it keeps those in power accountable. When local school districts start denying reporters access, transparency fades. After Koran unveiled a series of scandals involving former board trustee Marne Foster, the San Diego Unified School District began shutting out Koran, making it difficult for him to get the information he needed. “That was the moment where I had to sort of chart my own course,” he said. “I think that took me some time to try to navigate that, but eventually I think I found a way to keep reporting, to keep doing my job." Koran went on to break important stories, including the district's practice of sending parents to collections when they don't pay school bus fees, he covered an alleged rape of a student at Lincoln High and the torment it caused a teacher there, and he dug into how San Diego Unified counseled some struggling students to transfer to charter schools.

'I Found a Way to Keep Reporting'

A podcast about education. Every episode, Voice of San Diego's Scott Lewis and Will Huntsberry bring you a new story about schools and the system that makes them work (or not). This season, we’ll have stories about a scam that cost California millions of dollars, what happens when a school stops feeling safe and the future of early education. Subscribe now to get every episode. We’re back from summer vacation Sept. 25th.

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Good Schools For All

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