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Carolyn Jones

K-12 Education Reporter

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Carolyn Jones covers K-12 education at CalMatters. A longtime news reporter, she’s covered education for nearly a decade, focusing on everything from special education to state funding policies to inequities in student achievement. She’s won numerous awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and was a finalist in 2020 for beat reporter of the year (small newsroom) by the Education Writers Association. In 2023, she spent five weeks in Albania as a Fulbright Specialist working on media literacy and promoting a free press. At CalMatters, she’s written about how culture wars play out in schools, the challenges facing Native American students, lack of funds for rural school repair, the revolution in school meals and other topics. She always tries to include student voices in stories, linking broader policy issues to their impacts on young people, their families and communities. Previously, she worked at EdSource, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune, covering government, breaking news, the environment and other beats. Jones attended public schools in California, where she got her start in journalism at the San Rafael High Red & White, and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English. A longtime Oakland resident, she has two children and a Siberian husky.

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Latest Stories

A group of young children sit in a canoe and paddle down a stream on a river in the middle of a sunny day. Down the river in the background is a group of more children paddling in their canoes.
K-12 Education
Their families keep California farms running. Trump cuts just stripped a ‘lifeline’ from them
Migrant Education programs serve students whose parents work in California’s agricultural fields, dairies, fisheries and timberlands.
By Carolyn Jones • July 23, 2025
A group of students walks and chats in a shaded outdoor corridor between school buildings. Some are looking at papers or phones, while others carry backpacks and wear casual clothing. Sunlight filters through the space, casting shadows along the walkway. The atmosphere is lively and social.
Education
Trump administration releases after school grant money — with a catch
Trump withheld about $7 billion in education funds for various school programs nationwide, including about $800 million for California.
By Carolyn Jones • July 21, 2025
The backs of people wearing grey shirts with the AmeriCorp logo on it as they stand and raise their right hands up during a swearing-in ceremony.
K-12 Education
‘Like having a hand cut off’: California schools reeling after AmeriCorps cuts
Trump cut AmeriCorps, laying off over 5,600 of California’s public service workers. Because of a lawsuit, the state’s program can restart, at least temporarily, but schools and disaster relief sites are still reeling from staffing shortages.
By Adam Echelman and Carolyn Jones • July 18, 2025
A dimly lit elementary school classroom with a whiteboard displaying vocabulary and grammar lessons written in marker. Above the board, an alphabet banner with illustrated objects runs across the wall. A “MASK REQUIRED” sign is prominently posted. In the foreground, children wearing face masks are partially visible and out of focus, seated at desks. A projector and children's book are seen on a cart near the board, contributing to the classroom setting.
K-12 Education
Heinous, heartbreaking — and expensive. California schools face avalanche of sex abuse claims
A California law took effect in 2020 that dropped the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits, provided a three-year window for victims to file claims and otherwise made it easier for them to sue school districts and counties.
By Carolyn Jones • July 10, 2025
Students line up in the courtyard at Stege Elementary School in Richmond on Feb. 6, 2023. Photo by Shelby Knowles for CalMatters
K-12 Education
Homeless student counts in California are up. Some say that’s a good thing
In the latest state enrollment data released, California had 230,443 homeless students — a 9.3% increase from the previous year.
By Carolyn Jones • July 2, 2025
A lively elementary school classroom is filled with students engaged in various activities. Two children sit across from each other, one reading aloud from a book while the other leans in, listening attentively with a smile. In the background, a teacher assists a student wearing a headscarf at a desk, while other students stand and interact. The walls are covered in colorful educational posters and student artwork, and the classroom is furnished with bookshelves, desks, and storage bins, creating a vibrant learning environment.
K-12 Education
Trump is withholding $800 million from California schools. How kids will be affected
California districts have not received Congressionally appropriated money for after school programs, academic enrichment, English-learner services, teacher professional development and migrant education.
By Tara García Mathewson and Carolyn Jones • July 1, 2025
Education
It’s expensive to become a teacher in California. This bill would pay those who try
To earn a teaching credential, students are required to complete a one-year program combining coursework and 600 hours of classroom experience. A new bill would provide money to pay them for that work.
By Carolyn Jones • June 4, 2025
A young graduate stands in front of a home wearing a colorful stole that reads "Class of 2025" and holds ceremonial feathers in both hands. The stole features bright stripes in red, blue, green, and yellow, symbolizing Native American heritage. Warm evening light casts soft shadows across the house behind him.
K-12 Education
California lets students wear tribal regalia at graduations. Why it’s still controversial
Many school districts require students to undergo a lengthy process if they want to wear tribal or other cultural regalia at graduation. A new bill would eliminate those obstacles.
By Carolyn Jones • May 16, 2025
A group of young children gather around a table under a canopy, learning how to plant seeds. Two children wearing matching pink unicorn shirts and sunglasses watch closely as an adult hands out small pots. Another child in a purple outfit handles planting materials, while a woman leans in to guide them. Soil and seed packets are scattered across the table.
Education
Head Start gets a reprieve from Trump budget cuts, but the fight isn’t over
Head Start staff and advocates launched a nationwide campaign to save the program, which Trump eliminated in his budget draft.
By Carolyn Jones • May 8, 2025
A close-up of a student holding an open book at a classroom desk, with other students reading in the background. Some students wear face masks, and the classroom walls are decorated in bright colors. Books and school supplies are scattered across the desks.
K-12 Education
The ‘science of reading’ won’t be required in California schools, at least for now
The original proposal would have mandated phonics instruction in K-12 classrooms. The latest version makes that optional.
By Carolyn Jones • April 30, 2025

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