Back to school
Sweeping changes in school curriculum, finance, testing and teacher training are transforming schools. A two-part series explores those changes and their implications.
Opportunities and challenges: Over the next two years, California's school districts will roll out a new national curriculum and take control of their finances with more flexibility than they've had in 35 years.
New science standards: Even as schools implement the Common Core State Standards for math and English, the state is reviewing proposed science standards that place a premium on hands-on learning.
Finance: How local districts are planning for 2013-14.
Local control: A breakdown of the key elements of the new school funding system.
Teacher training: California is embarking on a two-year overhaul of teacher preparation programs, an effort designed to train teachers for the demands of the Common Core State Standards and an increasing push for more-effective science, technology, engineering and math education.
Parent preparation: The changes will place more pressure on students and, thus, on their parents to assist them. A primer on how parents can help their children.
First-person perspectives: Local school officials, teachers, students and parents discuss their hopes for the new curriculum and finance systems.