Arun Ramanathan

Nov 25, 2023 | desertsun.com | Arun Ramanathan

School districts around the nation are facing a terrible financial problem. During the pandemic, they received billions in federal funding under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund (ESSER), which they are required tospend or commit by the fall of 2024. Meanwhile, many districts, especially ones in California, received massive increases in state funding. Recently, because of declining revenues, states are projecting  and education budget cuts.

Oct 30, 2023 | edsource.org | Arun Ramanathan

School districts around the nation are facing a terrible financial problem. During the pandemic, they received billions in federal funding under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund (ESSER), which they are required tospend or commit by the fall of 2024. Meanwhile, many districts, especially ones in California, received massive increases in state funding. Recently, because of declining revenues, states are projecting and education budget cuts.

Oct 1, 2023 | edsource.org | Arun Ramanathan

For folks in the literacy world, the bitter fight over California’s math framework sounded eerily familiar. On one side, proponents of the framework argued that students need to learn to love math, see themselves as math people and grapple with math concepts. On the other, traditionalists argued that the framework spends too much time on unproven, poorly researched ideas that fail to equip students with the foundational knowledge they need to learn more complex math.

Aug 29, 2023 | edsource.org | Arun Ramanathan

There’s a saying in politics that most people will vote for the candidate they’d rather have a beer with. I’ve been thinking about this a lot after hearing that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to a televised debate. Personally, I’m dreading it. Our national political discourse has already degenerated below the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It’s impossible to escape the constant fighting in the press, social media and text chains of family and friends.

Jul 19, 2023 | edsource.org | Arun Ramanathan

Credit: Alison Yin/EdSourceCredit: Alison Yin/EdSourceLast year, I got Covid on Christmas Eve and had to isolate until I was negative. Insanely bored and sick as a dog, I took a large dose of NyQuil and fell asleep watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” back to back. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a strange, ghostly figure at the end of my bed. “Get the hell out of here. I’ve got Covid!” I yelled. “It’s OK. I’m already dead,” said the figure.