K-12 students returning to school this month face teacher shortages, pitched battles over curricula, and pandemic-era learning gaps, teachers and education officials explained at an August 18 briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.
Two bills aimed at equipping K-12 students with the ability to discern between accurate and false news — and teach them media literacy, more broadly – are currently progressing through the California legislature. Assembly Bill (AB) 873, authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), and AB 787 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland) would mandate that schools in California offer instruction at every grade level to promote a more informed and civically engaged society. As of June 7, both AB 873 and AB 787 are pending review on the Senate floor and have been referred to the Education Committee. “Children today