Marshall Tuck Says There are Two Californias

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Educator Marshall Tuck came within a hair of becoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction twice, narrowly losing both the 2014 and 2018 elections (first to incumbent Tom Torlakson, and then to Tony Thurmond).  Tuck first came to statewide prominence as an education advisor to LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who tapped him to head the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Following his two runs for office, Tuck looked for other opportunities to “make a difference,” as he put it, and landed a gig late last year as the head of EdVoice, a philanthropist-founded Education nonprofit with a mission of eliminating educational inequality and bringing underperforming schools up to par.

He joined us today to talk about his priorities at EdVoice, the potential for program cuts as the state budget tightens, and why he wanted the  job as State Superintendent. Tuck is a passionate advocate for improving educational opportunities for all of California’s children, and denounced the wide disparity between the highest and lowest performing schools- what he calls ‘Two Californias.’

Plus we tell you who – or in this case “what” – had the worst week in California politics.

Episode Notes

1:16 The new gig

3:48 Priorities for 2023?

4:48 #SB691 – Dyslexia screening

6:12 What reading level are California’s kids at?

8:09 Is there opposition to screening?

12:23 What does the budget deficit mean for education?

15:45 “This state was so far behind…”

17:34 The impact of COVID

20:30 Data points

23:14 Gov. Newsom has dyslexia – where is he on SB691?

25:08 What is the role of Superintendent of Public Instruction?

28:02 What are other states doing differently?

32:00 Tuck: The wealthiest state in the wealthiest nation that has ever existed has a system that doesn’t work for a lot of people

33:09 #WWCA