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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Students who are not fluent in English have received D’s and F’s at significantly higher rates than their peers during distance learning. -
Officials say that dire projection, while possible, is not likely given the strong chance of state and federal help. -
KPBS Midday EditionEarly numbers from some large districts in the county show a jump in D's and F's during the first full semester of distance learning.
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Students say there's even more uncertainty in the already stressful process. And with in-person tours and campus visits cancelled, university officials must rely on virtual experiences to recruit students. -
Planned campus reopenings are on indefinite hold, but the district will continue offering in-person instruction to a small group of struggling students. -
After months of slumping sales and businesses toppling into bankruptcy, Black Friday is offering a small beacon of hope. But a spike in coronavirus cases is threatening the economy’s recovery from the sudden plunge in the spring.
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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.
- Two San Diego nonprofits are poised to lose promised environmental justice grants — but the EPA has yet to tell them
- Bob Filner, disgraced ex-mayor of San Diego, dies at 82
- Trump administration considers immigration detention on Bay Area military base, records show
- San Diego County releases dashboard compiling on South County sewage
- California sent investigators to ICE facilities. They found more detainees, and health care gaps