The political events of 2021 have revealed the dangerous effects of underfunded and inadequate education systems. Education has the power to open minds and protect against falsehoods and misinformation. For the future of progress and our democracy, we must fully fund education and especially invest in social studies and civics education.

One of the most significant ways the COVID pandemic has affected students is through learning loss. Distance learning has exacerbated academic achievement gaps among students, particularly students from low-income communities of color. Low standardized test results and high absences are causing students to fall behind.

Despite Monday’s lifting of the statewide stay-at-home order, the vast majority of California’s public schools remain closed…

40 years ago, California was the model state for public schools across the nation. Now, they rank 43rd out of 50 in per-pupil spending, which is just one of the many problems California schools face due to a significant lack of funding.

According to a Department of Education survey, 94 percent of public school teachers pay out of pocket for their classes’ school supplies. It didn’t matter whether they taught in cities, suburbs, rural areas, almost all teachers had to pay for their classes without reimbursement.