Charlotte West

Charlotte West is a reporting coach and training coordinator with CalMatters' College Journalism Network. Her work on education, justice and politics has appeared in national publications such as The Hechinger Report, the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, PBS Newshour and KQED's Mindshift. She has received reporting grants and fellowships from the Kiplinger Program at Ohio University, the Solutions Journalism Network, the Education Writers Association and the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. Charlotte was a Fulbright scholar to Sweden, where she earned her master's degree in politics from Stockholm University.

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Latest Stories

CalMatters en Español

¿Ese estudiante en tu clase de colegio comunitario podría ser un bot?

En resumen Los bots están llenando las clases de los colegios comunitarios en un posible intento de los estafadores de acceder de manera fraudulenta a las subvenciones de ayuda COVID-19 y otras ayudas financieras. Al menos 10 distritos o universidades individuales le dijeron a CalMatters que se habían visto afectados, y el sistema de universidades […]

By Matthew Reagan, Charlotte West, Mikhail Zinshteyn and Felicia Mello • September 2, 2021

College Beat

That student in your community college class could be a bot

Bots are filling up community college classes in a likely attempt by scammers to fraudulently access COVID-19 relief grants and other financial aid. At least 10 districts or individual colleges told CalMatters they've been affected, and the community college system has announced new security measures to combat the scam.

By Charlotte West, Mikhail Zinshteyn, Matthew Reagan and Emma Hall • September 2, 2021

CalMatters en Español

Las nuevas universidades tribales ofrecen un ‘sentido de pertenencia’ a los estudiantes nativos, pero se enfrentan con obstáculos

En resumen LasLas universidades tribales brindan educación culturalmente relevante para los estudiantes nativos. Pero en California, enfrentan una batalla cuesta arriba debido a la falta de financiamiento y un largo proceso de acreditación. Read this article in English. Se suponía que Victoria Chubb estudiaría fotografía en una universidad en Nuevo México después de graduarse de la […]

By Charlotte West and Felicia Mello • August 5, 2021

College Beat

New tribal colleges offer ‘sense of belonging’ for Native students but hit roadblocks

Tribal colleges provide culturally relevant education for Native students. But in California, they face an uphill battle because of lack of funding and a lengthy accreditation process.

By Emma Hall and Charlotte West • August 5, 2021

CalMatters en Español

California carece de datos sobre qué estudiantes de secundaria van a la universidad. Esto podría arreglar eso.

Read this article in English. En resumen Las escuelas secundarias de California dicen que preparan a los estudiantes para la universidad, pero rara vez el público tiene los datos para ver si los estudiantes realmente llegaron a la universidad y prosperaron. California está atrasada a nivel nacional en datos públicos que muestran cómo los estudiantes se […]

By Mikhail Zinshteyn and Charlotte West • July 15, 2021

Education

California lacks timely data on which high schoolers go to college. This might fix that.

California high schools say they make students college-ready, but rarely does the public have the data to see if students actually made it to college and thrived. California lags the nation in public data that shows how students move from school to college and the workforce. A statewide fix is on the horizon.

By Mikhail Zinshteyn and Charlotte West • July 12, 2021

Higher Education

How some college counselors are fighting back against pandemic-induced enrollment decline

Thousands of California high school graduates didn’t go to college last year due to the pandemic. The drop, which mostly affected community colleges, might be temporary, but it showed the need to provide more support for students going from high school to college. A new counseling program in Riverside County aims to do just that.

By Charlotte West and Angel Fabre • June 16, 2021

Higher Education

International students heading to California colleges navigate vaccine, visa hurdles

More California colleges are planning to require students to get COVID-19 vaccinations. For international students, that often means only vaccines approved by the World Health Organization will be accepted, even though not all students have access to those.

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, Charlotte West and Elena Shao • May 6, 2021

CalMatters en Español

Los estudiantes internacionales que se dirigen a las universidades de California superan los obstáculos de vacunas y visas

Más universidades de California planean exigir que los estudiantes se vacunen contra COVID-19. Para los estudiantes internacionales, eso a menudo significa que solo se aceptarán las vacunas aprobadas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, aunque no todos los estudiantes tienen acceso a ellas.

By Mikhail Zinshteyn, Charlotte West and Elena Shao • May 6, 2021

College Beat

Photo Essay: When Our Roommate Got COVID

Shae Hammond, a senior at California State University Northridge, was relaxing on her front porch after returning from a weekend camping trip in September when she got an unexpected text from her roommate, Jen Martinez. Martinez’s boyfriend — who had recently been in the women’s apartment — had contracted COVID-19. The first thing to run […]

By Angel Fabre, Shae Hammond and Charlotte West • April 15, 2021