Inside California Education, a unique and innovative television program, presents stories from across the state’s public school system to inform and inspire audiences. This award-winning series, produced by Sacramento-based PBS KVIE, airs locally on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. It also airs on PBS stations throughout California and can be viewed online anytime via the insidecaled.org website or PBS streaming app. 

Premiering in 2017, Inside California Education is in its fifth season, with more than 60 half-hour episodes and 200 unique stories covering all grade levels from early education through elementary, middle, and high school, as well as community colleges.

“Our mission is to inform the public about public education through PBS-quality video journalism,” says Paul Richman, one of the show’s executive producers. “The topics range from math, science, language, and the arts to innovative programs and partnerships, sports, student health and safety, educator training, school transportation, funding, and more.”

Stories are captured from across California. Recent stories include a Bay Area school district building affordable housing to help recruit and retain faculty, a sportsmanship initiative in San Diego County teaching students how to engage in positive ways at sporting events, and a cutting-edge food literacy and nutrition program and a student journalism training program, both in Sacramento County. 

“We often cover issues pertaining to schools throughout the state by showcasing a specific school or district,” says series executive producer Christina Salerno. “For instance, we 
told the story about transitional kindergarten by featuring a successful program at a school in El Monte in Los Angeles County. Viewers see a local example of this new TK grade level but also learn about it as a statewide initiative.”

“There is truly no other television and online series like this in the U.S. that produces so many top-quality stories about schools.” Paul Richman, Executive Producer

The show’s core team consists of series producer Salerno and assistant general manager and executive producer Michael Sanford, who both lead production at KVIE, and executive producers Rick Launey, Larry Miles, and Richman. Launey and Miles, longtime Sacramento-area civic leaders who served on the San Juan Unified School Board together, launched the Inside California Education concept. The team credits the engagement of nearly every major education organization in the state with making the series so relevant. An advisory board made up of current and former leaders representing teachers, administrators, school staff, parents, community groups and more offers key input.

The show won a regional Emmy award in 2020 for a story on a community college program offering a new four-year degree. It is also a three-time winner of the annual John Swett Award for Media Excellence, presented by the California Teachers Association.