Ashley Smith

reporter for EdSource who covers higher education

Ashley Smith on KCRW

For decades, Californians have been able to earn associate degrees behind bars. This fall, a new slate of bachelor’s degree programs will start.

Behind bars, Californians are still earning bachelor’s degrees

For decades, Californians have been able to earn associate degrees behind bars. This fall, a new slate of bachelor’s degree programs will start.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

KCRW talks to students from UC Irvine and UC Berkeley about life on campus this fall during the pandemic.

Zoom classes, no dorm parties, daily symptom checks: Living on-campus during the pandemic

KCRW talks to students from UC Irvine and UC Berkeley about life on campus this fall during the pandemic.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

More from KCRW

Nonprofit Heal the Bay is out with its annual report card on water quality at CA beaches. It found that rainy winters may be making the ocean more toxic.

from KCRW Features

Train passengers up and down California and Oregon say it’s worth keeping Amtrak as a vital lifeline and a nostalgic leisure activity.

from KCRW Features

The California Energy Commission unanimously adopted a strategic plan to build the state’s offshore wind industry. Much of that will happen at the Port of Long Beach.

from KCRW Features

Proposition 3 would enshrine the right for same-sex couples to marry in the California constitution. It would also repeal and replace language from 2008 that says otherwise.

from KCRW Features

Marina Del Rey Middle School went phone-free a year ahead of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s 2025 mandate. It changed everything.

from KCRW Features

The tobacco-free nicotine pouch Zyn has been in short supply all summer. How did flavored pouches become the hottest nic fix?

from KCRW Features

The new Hollywood Sign Digital Time Capsule is a place for everyone to submit art, photos, essays, and audio clips of what the iconic block letters mean to them.

from KCRW Features

The founder of Famous Amos Cookies, Wallace “Wally” Amos, died this week at age 88.

from KCRW Features

Are Trump’s campaign promises a cause for concern? KCRW also discusses activism in journalism and the role of school vouchers in closing achievement gaps.

from Left, Right & Center