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Denying education to immigrant children is morally wrong — and practically dumb
These are tough times for parents and caregivers. To raise a child in 2024 is to live with a heightened awareness of school’s social, emotional, and academic value to children’s short- and long-term well-being. As the United States continues to wrestle with the aftermath of pandemic-wrecked school years, as we struggle to respond with something resembling a coherent agenda for improving public education, the...
By Conor Williams and Alejandra Vázquez Baur | April 18, 2024
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Exclusive: Microschools fill niche for students with disabilities, survey shows
When Steve and Jenny Balbaugh’s daughter turned 5, they were hesitant to enroll her in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, schools. Ali was born with a rare brain defect that affects her learning and had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. “I didn’t want her to get lost,” Jenny said. But private options fell short. A...
By Linda Jacobson | April 17, 2024
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LAUSD opens housing complex to combat rising student homelessness
As homeless student numbers rise in LA Unified schools, a 26-unit housing complex for unhoused families was opened last month. It took five years for the project to be completed — a timeline that did not go unmentioned by representatives of the organizations involved. “Once we know better, we need to do better,” said LAUSD...
By Katie VanArnam | April 16, 2024
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A Cautionary AI tale: Why IBM’s dazzling Watson supercomputer made a lousy tutor
In the annals of artificial intelligence, Feb. 16, 2011, was a watershed moment. That day, IBM’s Watson supercomputer finished off a three-game shellacking of Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Trailing by over $30,000, Jennings, now the show’s host, wrote out his Final Jeopardy answer in mock resignation: “I, for one, welcome our computer...
By Greg Toppo | April 15, 2024
Schools After COVID: 6 Ways For Districts to Better Engage Parents Amid Concerns About COVID Learning Loss
74 Interview: Why Social Media is Being Blamed for the Youth Suicide Crisis
Thousands of Schools at Risk of Closing Due to Enrollment Loss
Free New AI Tool to Help Americans Search and Compare Student Test Scores Across All 50 States
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Q&A: USC’s Morgan Polikoff on new poll data & the ‘purple classroom’
A recent poll from a pair of University of Southern California researchers found broad agreement among Americans about the value of public education but partisan divides regarding what schools should teach and at what grade levels. Respondents also favor parental rights as a concept but don’t appear to have considered the practical aspects of how...
By Beth Hawkins | April 11, 2024
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AI can fine-tune teaching with quicker, more frequent & more affordable feedback
It seems counterintuitive to think that artificial intelligence can help teachers reach children in the classroom more effectively. After all, what could be more distinctively human than lighting that flame of learning inside a child’s mind? And who better to coach a teacher on what works than another human? The short answer is no one....
By David Adams and Lynette Guastaferro | April 10, 2024
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Teacher’s view: Why universal screening for reading difficulties without the science of reading is futile
I remember the sting like it was yesterday; the moment a school psychologist sat across from me during my daughter’s IEP, looked me straight in the eye, and said, “Mrs. O’Leary, you might as well accept the fact that your daughter will never be a rocket scientist.” As I sat motionless and fearful, she pointed...
By Darla O'Leary | April 9, 2024
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Exclusive: Over 80% of women leaders in education experience bias, survey shows
At 5 feet tall, Uyen Tieu doesn’t tower over anyone, including many students. So when a superior said she was too petite to be anything but an elementary school principal, she figured he was probably right. “I accepted it, because I didn’t know any better,” said Tieu, who didn’t find encouragement from her own Vietnamese...
By Linda Jacobson | April 8, 2024
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Why school’s new normal post-COVID must emphasize attendance, tutoring, summer class
Four years after the global COVID shutdowns, the pandemic’s effects are still being felt. Within education, a variety of data sources — including NWEA’s MAP Growth and state, national,and international tests — all show that students today are well behind their peers from four years ago. However, focusing on that type of COVID recovery framework...
By Lindsay Dworkin | April 4, 2024
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New poll finds overwhelming support for more trade classes in L.A. high schools
A new survey of Los Angeles County voters, parents and students finds strong support for the expansion of skilled trades education in Los Angeles public high schools. More than 80% of those surveyed believe trade classes can better prepare students for a career, and the majority think it can be valuable for both college- and...
By Sierra Lyons | April 3, 2024