Category: Education

Over 200 students from San Jose gathered to discuss the current conditions of public education, and to imagine the schools of the future that can inspire and prepare the next generation. The precedent setting event was supported by educators, policy-makers and community advocates who are supportive these pioneering youth. Writing by Daniel Zapien, video by Fernando Perez.

Organizer Cesar Juarez has been advocating for immigration reform for his community for years. Deferred Action was not what he fought for, but he puts the policy in the context of his own life, and the larger call for change.

Elected and community leaders met with DREAM youth at San Francisco’s City Hall to celebrate the close of DREAM Summer.

Future Arts Now & Tezkatlipoka Dance & Drum, two organizations serving the San José community came together recently for a special school presentation to teach youth about drumming and dancing.

"Immigration" may seem key to what will determine the Latino vote but Angela Clexton interviews Zelica Rodriguez-Deams, a community organizer for Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network(SIREN) who explains why education matters most.

This piece looks at Proposition 209 as The Supreme Court prepares to review the case and UC Santa Cruz's efforts to achieve diversity are highlighted with recent success and student reactions are noted.

While many undocumented youth signed up for President Obama’s program deferring their deportation, others are awaiting the election results.

Oakland Unified School District has been changing the landscape in a number of its school cafeterias to check the epidemic of obesity among school kids.

California's largest community college San Francisco City College is up at stake for closure next coming March. Students, Teachers, Organizers and the community come together to fight the closure.

For two Oakland teens, caring adults and mentors were the difference in creating a life -- and a future -- worth leading.

At institutions of higher education across the nation, students have been engaged in efforts to create new Asian American-related programs.

The Supreme Court could end leeway at colleges on affirmative action. Asian advocates say that could hit API students, despite their bookish stereotype.

Documentary photographer Jean Melesaine explains a Pacific Islander's month in photography as May is Asian Pacific Islander month.

India Currents author Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan makes the argument for the value of education beyond the limited framing of employment preparation.

A new report identifies eight stress factors that make it more difficult for a school to provide quality education to all of its students.

Faculty at San Francisco State University returned to the bargaining table over contract disputes even as a strike continues to loom.

Patients at a clinic in East Palo Alto are finding new ways to manage their chronic disease by eating and cooking healthy.

San Jose Poet Yosimar Reyes brings to you another episode of queer conversations with artist/activistundocuqueer Julio Salgado, the mastermind of DreamersAdrift.com.

Health care advocates worry that more than 100,000 Californians who are eligible to purchase affordable insurance through the Health Benefit Exchange will not enroll.

California's migrant preschool programs are an educational safety net. But limited access to them is stifling success for Latino children -- and the state's economic future.

Block2Block radio host, David Madrid, talks with Chicano comic book creator, Fernando Rodriguez, about his latest release of “Aztec of The City” one of America’s first and only Chicano/Latino super heroes, originating out of San Jose.

While achievement levels have improved considerably for minority elementary and middle school students, studies show academic performance among high school age African Americans and Hispanics has fallen to levels not seen in thirty years.

Check out this special edition of De-Bug magazine, a revealing inside look into our public education system, written by South Bay high school students.

A new pre-kindergarten program, which readies children for kindergarten, is supposed to take off this coming November, but is now in danger of being gutted before it can be fully implemented.

Proposals aimed at tying funding to students who fast track their way through California's community colleges could deny access to those in need.

2012 could be a decisive year for the future of anti-immigration state laws, from the Supreme Court to the White House.

For the first time this past year, more Latino students than white students applied for admission to California State University’s 23 campuses. These numbers not only reflect the growing Latino population, but the impact of early education programs.

Budget cuts have forced Gardener Academy in West San Jose to utilize a cost saving mechanism which combines classes from different grades. Educators say the students are the ones paying the price.

Educators of “gifted” students focus on the individual. But students tagged as “low performing” are often lumped together.

Altagracia Hernandez is raising two children with her husband on less than $2,000 a month. Access to affordable, healthy food is a challenge in East Palo Alto, Calif. and both kids are struggling with obesity.

As four former Tri Valley University officials pleaded not guilty to committing visa fraud, hundreds of the sham college’s former students have received notices from immigration officials which amount to the first step in deportation proceedings.

After spending a night in the tents, author Marco Reyes comments on the significance of the Occupy Wall Street movement locally in San Jose, and what the movement means in the backdrop of history.

Ever since youth counselor David Madrid lost his job as the City of San Jose slashed youth programs, he has worried most of all of the young people he knew who no longer have support systems, and the future they face without them.

California Governor Jerry Brown has until Oct. 9 to sign legislation which would give the state’s 41,000 undocumented students access to Cal Grants, UC grants and other state-funded scholarships for college education.

Block2Block Radio host David Madrid talks with Mario Ozuna-Sanchez of the National Compadres Network about the mental health and healing needs of men & boys in our communities.

Daniel Zapien reflects on his relationship to school -- sometimes exciting, sometimes demoralizing. This video was done as part of a media package in partnership with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

A recent study found that 93% of therapists are seeing more students coming to college already on psychiatric medication.

While California’s economic environment has hit summer programs hard, school districts came up with ways to offer summer classes for struggling students.

Omar Rosales, came to San Jose with his family from Michoacan, Mexico when he was five years old. Now 16, Omar shares his story of learning English from friends, how teacher's treat him and his overall educational experience in San Jose public schools.

California's budget woes are causing local governments to put the squeeze on school districts, and students are paying the price in more ways than one.

NHU now offers a Master's in Education program in East Palo Alto, and is accepting applications.

Silicon Valley De-Bug's Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project presents a new publication that shares the stories of eight families who changed the outcome of their criminal cases through their active participation. The book is also a guide on how communities can measurably impact their local criminal justice system.

An attorney with Equal Rights Advocates argues that passage of the federal DREAM Act would have a direct impact on immigrant women.

U.S. schools lost 20,000 students this year to the fields — many of them child workers who suffer injury or death.

From an orphanage in India to a Mount Madonna School in Watsonville, Soma Sharan has defied all odds. She now has been given the unique honor of being named a Gates Millennium Scholar.

Local, Grammy Award winning music group teams up with the Mexican Heritage Corporation to throw a benefit concert for San Jose schools.

The number of Asian Americans with AIDS has climbed a remarkable 10 percent in each of the last five years. Health educator Malaya Arevalo is working to reduce those statistics.

A 20-city tour organized by the Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) aims to energize and refocus immigrant rights supporters.

High school student body presidents in the Bay Area say budget cutbacks are damaging their shot at a college education.

The local theater group performs plays that both entertain and educate the community.

Writer Diane Solomon, a San Jose State graduate, profiles a current student and reflects on how their different economic landscapes impacted their educational pursuits.

Susana Ruiz, artist/video game designer and co-founder of Take Action Games, presented her work at the Euphrat Museum of Art in Cupertino, California. Her games take on social justice issues such as criminal justice and gender violence.

Author Jean Melesaine reflects on how preconceived notions of size and physicality impact her two younger brothers and a generation of Polynesian young men.

In a unique bridge building effort that rose above prison walls, Abe Menor, through the efforts of United Playaz, facilitated a writing project where the women from Chowchilla Prison wrote letters to San Jose youth about their lives, prison, and their hopes for the community.

The Obama administration has focused on pushing green technology development. At the Center for Employment Training (CET), students learn practical skills needed in today's job market, while learning how to work on hybrid cars and how to install solar panels.

The early months of 2011 have already registered 11 homicides in East San Jose. Young men of color have been both victims and perpetrators of the attacks. De-Bug gathered young men from the Eastside to talk about what they are seeing on the streets, and what can be done to stop the violence.

In Santa Clara County's 2009 graduating class, one out of every six students dropped out. That was the same year one De-Bug writer dropped out. This year, he dropped back in.

If California voters don't OK a tax extension to fund public education, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer warns, the K-12 school year could be slashed by six weeks.

When the world grows too complicated and spins out of our control, as happened in Tucson, Americans turn to a parlor game called “conservatives vs. progressives.”

Students enrolled in Latino College Preparatory's drama program are getting a lesson in culture and self-esteem while they perform in the modern adaption of a five-century-old Mexican play.

In the scramble of holiday consumerism, some Bay Area stores and advocates are trying to separate authentic gift giving from corporate-driven buying.

National Hispanic University honors select group of inspiring students.

With the county in a recession, it is those who are often heard the least from — youth and elders — who are baring the brunt of a deep economic crisis. The moment of dwindling resources though may by an opportunity for a now veteran youth movement to lead, not just for other youth, but for all generations.

An undocumented immigrant writes, "The way I look at it , I don’t need the DREAM Act for me to live my American dream. I will always be a dreamer, no matter what."

Salman Khan started his online "Khan Academy" to help a young cousin learn math. Now his online YouTube math, science as well as history and economics videos have garnered 22 millions views worldwide.

Growing up as an immigrant Socorro Castaneda-Liles was told she would never go far. Thanks to a benefactor and an education at Santa Clara University she now teaches and dedicates her time providing scholarship opportunities for Latino students from working-class families.

A young Indian student takes pride in living up to the stereotype... of being different.

On the heels of a Congressional vote on the Dream Act, a bill that would offer a path to legalization for some immigrant youth, one San Jose writer shares his story of being undocumented and American.

Bay Area non-profit AchieveKids uses drama to teach special needs kids social skills.

Why are people surprised about a recent Vanderbilt University study that shows paying teachers extra money doesn't improve student performance?

Silicon Valley De-Bug's Block2Block Radio talks with J. Manuel Herrera, who is running for Eastside Union School Board. Herrera talks about his family history on the eastside, school test scores, and his view on charter schools in the district.

Mountain View high school student Vivek Vinayak is raising money to help provide basic necessities like electricity, a roof and books for kids in a primary school across from his grandparents' house in Bangalore, India.

When one new educator started volunteering at a homework center at Willow Glen library, she saw students grow in confidence and skills in the classroom. This year's budget cuts has eliminated after-school programs like hers, and she writes, the damage may cost more than we can account for.

SB 1381 would change the kindergarten entry date in California, so that only 5-year-olds could enroll, while creating a pre-K program to better prepare younger kids.

A multi-ethnic coalition has launched "Immigrant Vote!," a statewide effort to help immigrant communities be heard on the November 2nd ballot. They will be campaigning for Proposition 24 and 25, as well as Santa Clara County's Measure A.

Block2Block Radio host David Madrid talks with Bernie Kotlier, an East Side San Jose parent and Co-Chair of the Community Association for Supporting Summit High School. Summit High is an acclaimed college preparatory charter school from Redwood City that is proposing to open up two sites in East San Jose.

Arizona's anti-immigrant laws have brought the border debate to campuses across the country. At Stanford University, students are connecting with workers who maintain the campus to talk through a just vision for immigration reform.

When Ray Nelson went looking for guitars, he also found also a way to serve the community and provide opportunity for youth in the form of music.

There are many obstacles that hinder immigrant communities from pursuing their education. But at the National Hispanic University, GED classes have opened up new educational opportunities.

In 2006 Nancy Gutierrez faced plenty of challenges as she became principal of Fischer Middle School in East San Jose. She has since drawn upon her own East Side roots to connect with the students, and provide them an educational path to success.

Artists and activists gathered recently at the Mexican Heritage Plaza to celebrate the Chicano Movement in San Jose and remember their work in connecting culture and community, art and politics, history and the generations.

A draining budget crisis has meant that 16 of California's 30 largest school district are slashing the number of days in the academic year.

The CORAL program, a project of Catholic Charities, supports the educational needs of youth with learning disabilities through personalized attention and innovative teaching techniques.

Educational opportunities in prisons have been taken away, and society, not just prisoners, will be hurt in the long run, writes Malik Alayube, an inmate at High Desert State Prison. Alayube, 24 years old, is originally from San Jose, where he hopes to return one day.

National Hispanic University, located in east San Jose, recently celebrated its 25th commencement ceremony. More than 150 students obtained their degrees in the institution that is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for San Jose's Latino community.

This year's Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held at the San Jose Convention Center attracted over 1,500 brilliant young minds.

One of the most comprehensive community service hubs in San Jose, the Mayfair Community Center has been changing lives for years. They share their latest programs and perspectives on the biggest issues today's youth face.

Block to Block radio host David Madrid chops it up with Reymundo Armendariz of Public Allies, an organization that trains up the next generation of community leaders. Tune in and learn how to get involved.

In indigenous Nahuatl language in Mexico, "cochitlehua-li" means "dream." It's also the name of a San Jose group ran by Latino youth to advocate for the "DREAM Act", or the AB 540, a California law which provides a path of higher education to undocumented immigrant students.

A survey by the non-profit California Watch found that many schools in the state are pushing class sizes up. California ranks 49th in the nation in terms of student-to-teacher ratios. Journalist and high school student Melissa Vargas reports from her experiences at Lincoln High School.