Joe Hong
Education ReporterJoe Hong covered education stories across KPBS platforms. Prior to joining the KPBS newsroom, he covered three school districts for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. He has written about school finance, negligence in special education, and school board misconduct. Previously, he covered equity issues and historically black colleges and universities for Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine based in Fairfax, Virginia. Before a career in journalism, he was pursuing a doctorate in comparative literature at Rutgers University. He pivoted to journalism in 2016 and earned a master's degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2017, specializing in investigative reporting. In September 2019, he completed The Data Institute, a two-week workshop for journalists of color taught by ProPublica in collaboration with the Ida B. Wells Society.
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Although learning loss is a concern, parents and teachers shouldn’t hyper-focus on it given the anxiety many students have about going back to in-person school. -
The district hopes to close a yawning gap between the number of students who identify as people of color and the number of teachers who do the same. -
Some councilmembers and residents say money should be diverted from police to fund community health initiatives. Others point to increased violent crime as justification for a higher budget. -
Educators attribute the decline, which is also happening statewide, to economic factors and challenges in communication during the pandemic. -
Countywide enrollment dropped by 17,000, according to state data. Local officials attribute the decline to parents who sought alternatives to distancing learning. -
In some schools, students are being put in overflow rooms because class sizes are limited due to distancing requirements agreed upon by the district and teachers union.
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KPBS Midday EditionThree San Diego Unified educators will be honored Tuesday as the school district's 2021 Teachers of the Year following a school year filled with unprecedented challenges. -
KPBS Midday EditionProtesters gathered outside the San Diego Police Department headquarters Wednesday night after video surfaced that appears to show an officer pointing his gun at a young boy during a traffic stop in Hillcrest this week. -
KPBS Midday EditionCalifornia’s public schools could get $6.6 billion from the state Legislature if they return to in-person instruction by the end of March, according to a new agreement announced Monday between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s legislative leaders.
- Bob Filner, disgraced ex-mayor of San Diego, dies at 82
- Mild, warmer weather expected this week in San Diego County
- Firings and a ‘no confidence’ vote rock Imperial County government
- San Diego County releases dashboard compiling on South County sewage
- As a diversity grant dies, young scientists fear it will haunt their careers