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Five years ago in 2021, EdSource launched Education Beat for the first time. Today, we say goodbye. This will be the final episode. Over the years, we've aimed to bring you personal stories of students, teachers, parents — regular people who bring EdSource stories alive by showing how education policy affects their lives. In this final episode, editor-at-large John Fensterwald interviews Zaidee Stavely about the essence of Education Beat and what she aimed to accomplish, and we share some of the most memorable moments of the podcast over the years. Guests: John Fensterwald, editor-at-large, EdSource Zaidee Stavely, Education Beat podcast host Coby McDonald, Education Beat podcast producer Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

On a sweltering hot day at UC Merced in May 2025, three siblings crossed the stage in blue gowns and caps, to receive their diplomas. Watching with pride from the audience were their mother, father and younger sister. This moment, with all of them celebrating together, was the culmination of years of struggle, dedication, and overcoming the challenges of a family navigating the U.S. immigration system.  This episode is a peek back at a family featured on one of our very first episodes in 2021, after the older siblings' college dreams were temporarily derailed when their dad was forced to remain in Mexico after being denied a green card. Here's how they got back on track. Guests: José Luis Ruiz Arévalos Armanda Ruiz Elena Gutiérrez Ramírez Nathan Gutiérrez Ramírez Ignacio Gutiérrez Ramírez Priscila Ruiz Ramírez Listen to past episodes about the Ruiz Gutiérrez family: A family separated and their education derailed Family reunited after four years separated by immigration policy Read more from EdSource: A family separation could not stop three California siblings from getting UC diplomas How immigration policy forced a California family apart and disrupted their education Family reunited after four years separated by Trump-era immigration policy Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Liliana Messinger was in fourth grade when she first turned to an AI chatbot for help with panic attacks. Over the years, she turned to AI again and again. For a growing number of teenagers, AI chatbots have become a first stop when things get tough, in part because of the shortage of mental health therapists and counselors in schools. This episode of Education Beat is a sneak preview of a special project about teenagers’ use of AI for mental health support. Guests: Liliana Messinger, high school graduate Mallika Seshadri, reporter, EdSource Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

As teachers and students get ready to go back to school, Education Beat brings you this special repeat episode: With the expansion of transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds, California schools need smaller toilets, smaller sinks and a whole new understanding of the importance of play in the classroom. Think Play-Doh, finger painting, make-believe and dress-up. Some 4-year-olds also need help going to the bathroom and wiping afterward. But teachers — and principals — are not always educated about these aspects of early education, making the rollout of TK somewhat bumpy. In this episode, a TK teacher and our reporters discuss some of the challenges to making sure every California school is offering a high-quality early education tailored to 4-year-olds’ developmental needs. Guests: Elyse Doerflinger, TK Teacher, Woodlake Unified School District Lasherica Thornton, Reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: Play, potties, preschool: TK for all Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Thousands of UC STEM professors have signed an open letter calling on UC to again require the SAT or ACT for admissions. They say they are seeing more and more students arriving to college so poorly prepared that they can't solve middle-school math equations. But not all faculty agree that reinstating standardized tests would help with the lack of preparation. Many are concerned that requiring the SAT or ACT could exclude students from less privileged backgrounds. Guests: Zvezda Stankova, mathematics professor, UC Berkeley Bjorn Birnir, chair of the mathematics department, UC Santa Barbara Michael Burke, reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: UC freshmen increasingly are not ready for college math. Some professors want to require the SAT again Why the University of California should bring back the SAT/ACT now (Commentary) Why the University of California should not reinstate the SAT/ACT for admissions (Commentary) Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud

Texas offers more bilingual education than California and backs it up with more funding. We visit an elementary school and a middle school in Austin, Texas, where students learn in Spanish and English. And we talk with a researcher about why Texas is so much farther ahead than California in bilingual education. This episode, originally from 2025, recently won a Best Podcast Award from the California News Publishers Association. Guests: Conor Williams, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Wendell Norris Marquez, Pre-AP Spanish Teacher, Lively Middle School, Austin Independent School District Yadi Landaverde, Teacher, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District Caroline Sweet, Dual-language Instructional Coach, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District Emil, Hennri Jossue, Iker, Luis and Mathilda, Fourth graders, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District Ximena Macias, Student Teacher, Perez Elementary School, Austin Independent School District Antonia Vincent, AP Spanish Teacher, Lively Middle School, Austin Independent School District Read more from EdSource: Why Texas is ahead of California on bilingual education Education Beat is a weekly podcast, hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud

Under the current Trump administration, nearly 700 children in California have been detained and more than 400 deported, according to an EdSource analysis of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley. One 9 year-old's deportation triggered a wave of grief and anger among her classmates at Downer Elementary School in San Pablo, in West Contra Costa Unified School District. Guests: Diana Ortega, third-grade teacher, West Contra Costa Unified School District Emma Gallegos, reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: Special Report: Detained and deported: California kids caught up by ICE ICE has detained more than 650 children in California under Trump’s deportation crackdown ‘Wendy isn’t here.’ Bay Area third graders grieve a classmate’s deportation Interactive map: ICE detainments of children in California shift under Trump Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

When Bobbie Simpson decided to run for her local school board in Gateway Unified School District, in the far northern county of Shasta, she knew it might be difficult to win as a transgender woman. More than half the voters in Shasta County are registered Republican. A conservative Christian church that promotes LGBTQ conversion therapy and “believes in the ever-increasing government of God,” according to its website, is very influential in local politics. But Bobbie ran anyway because she cares about schools. She pledged to bring the focus back to education and preserve the district’s social emotional learning programs, which had benefited her own kids. And she won, with 57 percent of the vote, becoming the first transgender person known to be elected to a California school board. For the most part, she says she's found acceptance and respect on the board and in her community. Guests: Bobbie Simpson, school board member, Gateway Unified School District Thomas Peele, investigative reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: The journey of Bobbie Simpson: Transgender woman making strides on school board in deep red Shasta County Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Children with disabilities at Marie Bauer Early Education Center in Paso Robles are learning alongside peers who do not require special education services. That’s unusual in California, where only 1 in 3 students with disabilities receive their preschool education in classrooms with their peers. EdSource visited the Paso Robles Joint Unified school to talk with teachers, parents, specialists and administrators about why inclusive classrooms are so important for students with disabilities throughout their academic careers — and how they can help school districts financially. Read more from EdSource: Could early education bring down rising costs to serve California students with disabilities? California’s $2.4 billion special education boost addresses critical needs, but challenges remain How the governor’s budget proposal addresses rising numbers of students in special education Special education has become a flash point in negotiations with teachers Roundtable: Special education experts urge California schools to invest in early education amid rising costs Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This week’s episode was hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

For 27 years, Yolanda Thomas has run a childcare business called Best Beginnings in her home in Contra Costa County. She usually has children start with her as babies and stay until they’re in kindergarten. But in recent years, many parents are choosing to unenroll when their children are four and can attend public transitional kindergarten. Across California, childcare and preschool providers say the state’s expansion of transitional kindergarten for all four-year-olds is drawing students out of existing programs while offering little support to help providers adapt. Many providers like Yolanda Thomas say they feel left behind. Guests: Yolanda Thomas, childcare provider, Best Beginnings Betty Márquez Rosales, reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: California’s childcare and preschool providers struggle amid transitional kindergarten expansion Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

California State University Humboldt converted to a California State Polytechnic University in 2022, joining Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona. This episode dives into what this new status means — from new degrees offered to career possibilities for graduates — and why students are attracted to this type of education. Guests: Jack Conti, graduate, BFA in media arts, Cal Poly Humboldt Jonathan Juarez, data science student, Cal Poly Humboldt Kate Rix, interim reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: Cal State’s newest polytechnic campus hopes a rebranding will bring enrollment gains Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Healthcare premiums have become one of the most contentious issues in labor negotiations for California teachers unions this year. Teachers say escalating costs are swallowing their raises, while district leaders say schools can’t shoulder the cost without having to cut elsewhere, especially as they grapple with declining enrollment, expiring federal aid and rising pension costs. Guests: Michelle Bird, teacher, Twin Rivers Unified School District Diana Lambert, senior reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource: Soaring healthcare costs put California school districts and teachers at odds Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Miliani Rodriguez is a senior at Coachella Valley High School. The school buildings are old, she says, and they show it. The air conditioning often breaks in over 100-degree heat. When it rains, the ceilings leak. The sinks in her ceramics classroom broke and flooded the classroom. Miliani thought these kinds of things were  normal, after attending school in the Coachella Valley Unified School District since kindergarten. But last year she visited her cousin’s high school, just a couple of miles away from her, and found modern buildings, spacious athletic fields, and working air conditioning. Now, she is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit, Miliani R. v. State of California, which claims the way the state subsidizes school renovations perpetuates vast inequalities for students, sending more money to districts that already have more property wealth, and locking out poor districts from accessing funding. Guests: Miliani Rodriguez, Lead plaintiff, Miliani R. v. State of California John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource Read more from EdSource:  Equity advocates to ask California court to suspend billions in school construction funding California sued over bond program that sends more money to fix facilities in wealthy school districts Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Jair Solis became his family’s first-ever college graduate last weekend. It’s a milestone that had long felt out of reach because of the long-lasting fallout from his dad’s detention in an immigration facility. With the return of the federal administration that once detained Jair’s father, more than 100,000 children — most of them U.S. citizens — have had parents detained or deported, according to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institute. In this episode we interview Jair about how his family’s experiences with the immigration system shaped his life and education. Guests: Jair Solis, graduate, UC Merced Read more from EdSource:  He once considered leaving school after his father’s detention. This spring, he graduated from college. Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Betty Márquez Rosales and produced by Coby McDonald.

Students at four Los Angeles high schools are learning firefighting and emergency medical skills as part of the school district's career and technical education pathways. The students say they haven't just learned how to fight fires. They've also gained communication skills, leadership and confidence, which they can take with them to any career. Guests: Yasmin Lopez, Alexa Alvarez, Andrea Aguirre and Sergio Garcia, fire academy students, Los Angeles Unified School District Vani Sanganeria, reporter, EdSource Read more from EdSource:  'We put the sweat, the tears, the dirt into it': High school cadets showcase skills in first-ever LAUSD firefighting competition ‘This academy has brought out leadership in me’: Career tech programs offer head start for high school students Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube