KQED's Forum

According to research, before the pandemic, half of California’s third graders did not read at grade level, and the state’s fourth graders lagged behind the national average in reading. Additionally, in 800 schools around the state, 75% of the students failed to read at grade level. Despite these dire numbers, the state lacks a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction, and in 2017, California became the first state to be sued for denying children the civil right to literacy. But the solutions to these problems are not simple. Controversy exists over how to teach reading and in recent years, a push to implement evidence-based reading instruction has caused schools around the country to re-evaluate their approach. We talk to experts about the science of reading and California’s approach to teaching kids to read.Guests:Kareem Weaver, co-founder, Fulcrum, a non-profit focused on improving reading outcomes for students. Weaver is also a member of the Oakland NAACP Education Committee, a senior fellow for the National Council on Teacher Quality, and an award-winning teacher and administrator in Oakland.Emily Hanford, senior producer and correspondent, American Public Media. Hanford is the creator of the podcast "Hard Words," which focuses on why children aren't being taught to read. She is working on "Sold a Story," a new podcast about the missteps in teaching children how to read.John Fensterwald, editor-at-large, EdSource, an independent not-for-profit research and reporting organization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the roar of wind against mountains and the slam of waves on the shore to early morning birdsong, the sounds that fill our natural world are not only beautiful, they’re at risk, writes biologist David George Haskell in his new book, “Sounds Wild and Broken.” Haskell describes a global sonic landscape that’s threatened by human-induced habitat destruction and noise pollution and warns that by smothering the earth’s many voices, we’re not only imperiling species but losing our connection to the natural world. Haskell joins to share more about our world’s sonic diversity and guide us in listening to it.Guests:David George Haskell, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee; author of the book, “Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In some parts of the country, barbecue is a fighting word. It launches hot debates on vinegar versus tomato-based sauce and the right ways to rub, spice and smoke. KQED Food editor Luke Tsai has a different take. His new series, BBQ in the Bay, highlights the region’s unique barbecue cultures from various traditions of cooking food outdoors over an open flame and how it brings communities together. As part of Forum’s regular segment on food cultures of the Bay Area, called All You Can Eat, we’ll dish on Mongolian barbecue, lechon, barbacoa, barbecue oysters, brisket and much more.Guests:Pendarvis "Pen" Harshaw , columnist, KQED Arts; host, KQED's "Rightnowish" podcastLuke Tsai , food editor, KQEDRay Castro, dentist in East Bay; Amateur barbecue competitorRocky Rivera, emcee and writer; part of KQED's BBQ in the Bay series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California state lawmakers were up until the early morning hours Thursday, casting votes on the remaining bills of the legislative session. Measures to combat climate change, protect abortion rights and expand affordable housing are among the hundreds of bills now headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has until September 30 to sign or veto them. We'll talk with political reporters about what passed, what failed and what’s ahead.Guests:Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government DeskAlexei Koseff, reporter, CalMattersLara Korte, state politics reporter, Politico; co-author, Politico's California Playbook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area native Emma Chamberlain was a kid who used to complain about the DMV on Youtube a few years ago and now is one of Gen Z’s top fashion influencers who works with global brands. She has advice on what to wear this summer, what coffee to buy – her line, of course – and you can follow her exploits during Paris Fashion week. But is Emma Chamberlain a celebrity or an influencer or a content creator or… all three? Gen Z, born between roughly 1997 to 2012, has a different relationship with social media than older cohorts since it’s been with them most of their lives. We’ll discuss influencers such as Chamberlain and how Gen Z has reshaped what it means to be a social media star.Guests:Madison Semarjian, founder, Mada, an app for styling and buying clothingMoises Mendez II, culture reporter, Time MagazineSteffi Cao, social news reporter, BuzzFeedGreisy Hernandez, mental health and wellness advocate and social media personality Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s hot outside and getting hotter. Excessive heat warnings are in effect this week for Southern and Central California, with temperatures as high as 112 degrees in the San Fernando and San Joaquin Valleys and 115 degrees in the Inland Empire expected by Labor Day. And temperatures in Northern California are expected to be up to 20 degrees warmer than normal through Tuesday. We’ll talk about who’s most at risk, how to stay cool and how California’s state and local officials are thinking about mitigating the effects of heat and record temperatures induced by climate change.Guests:David Lawrence, meteorologist and Emergency Response Specialist, National Weather ServiceV. Kelly Turner, co-director, Luskin Center for Innovation; associate professor of Urban Planning and Geography, UCLADr. Gina Solomon, director of the Achieving Resilient Communities project, Public Health Institute; clinical professor of Medicine, University of California San FranciscoAssemblymember Eduardo Garcia, representing California's 56th State Assembly District; lead sponsor, Assembly Bills 2238 and 2243 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have always been plenty of sad songs to help us wallow in the loss of romantic love, but during the pandemic, and through these last several difficult years, more musicians have been processing other kinds of grief through their music. We’ll talk with Bay Area musicians grappling with the death of parents, siblings and children through their music. Others have taken on the deep sadness of the pandemic, gun violence and living with systemic racism. We’ll talk about the music of grief and we’ll hear from listeners: what song helps you mourn?Guests:Nastia Voynovskaya, associate editor, KQED ArtsRexx Life Raj , rapper, musician, most recent album is "The Blue Hour"Karega Bailey, musician, Sol DevelopmentFelicia Gangloff-Bailey, musician, SOL DevelopmentSamora Pinderhughes, musician, most recent album is "Grief"Brijean Murphy, musician, her band, Brijean's new EP, "Angelo," released in August Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By 2035, California plans to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars. The new regulations announced last week by the California Air Resource Board formalize Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2020 executive order which proposed banning the sale of cars that run on fossil fuels. Environmentalists have hailed this move as a much-needed step to address climate change. We’ll talk about what it means for the world’s fifth largest economy and the state that invented car culture to go electric, and we’ll hear from you: are you ready to get an electric car or will you be hanging on to your gas-powered car as long as you can?Guests:Russ Mitchell, Automotive Editor, Los Angeles Times. He is based in Berkeley and covers the automotive industry.Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host of the podcast, Climate BreakMargo Oge, Former director, US EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality; Author of "Driving the Future: Combating Climate Change with Cleaner, Smarter Cars" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

QAnon, the far right conspiracy movement, hasn’t dominated the headlines lately, but is still an active force in politics. Even locally, members of a QAnon group harassed Los Gatos town council members and shut down a meeting last year. We talk with the creators and hosts of ViceTV’s documentary series “QAnon: The Search for Q.” Now in its second season, the series looks into how the viral movement continues leading people down a path of misinformation, anti-democratic ideologies and violence. We’ll talk about the evolution of the QAnon movement and the danger posed by its followers.Guests:Bayan Joonam, film producer, creator and host, "QAnon: The Search for Q" for ViceTVMarley Clements, documentary filmmaker, host and creator of "QAnon: The Search For Q" for ViceTV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tinder — the world’s most downloaded dating app — turns 10 in September. Many see the app as having transformed online dating from a last resort for older people to a young person’s game: according to Tinder, more than half of its members are between the ages of 18 and 25. More than 75 billion matches have taken place on the app — and we want to hear if you were part of any of them. How was your relationship with the app kindled — or extinguished — and what have you learned from the times you swiped right?Guests:Jesús G. Smith, assistant professor of Ethnic Studies, Lawrence UniversityEmily Witt, staff writer, The New Yorker; author, "Future Sex: A New Kind of Free Love"Alina Liu, clinical psychologist in San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices