-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
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
-
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
-
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
-
Final push to save expanded child tax credit as Senate hopes dim
The last time Congress increased the child tax credit — during the pandemic — Sarah Izabel used the extra cash to enroll her son in an afterschool program so she could apply to graduate school. “If my son was home, then I would be taking care of him,” said the Stanford University student, who’s...
By Linda Jacobson | March 28, 2024
-
Slowdown in health care expenses is saving school districts billions
Thirteen years ago this month, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare. In theory, the ACA shouldn’t have affected public school districts all that much. Most already offered health care plans that met the ACA’s requirements to at least cover 10 “essential benefits,” and a “Cadillac Tax” on high-cost plans that...
By Chad Aldeman | March 27, 2024
-
‘Battle of the Minds’: Students compete in LAUSD’s 43rd Decathlon
The gym was silent as the next question was presented. Each team gathered at their station, and each member focused intently, while spectators in the stands quietly whispered to themselves trying to decipher the answer. This was the scene at LA Unified’s annual Academic Decathlon held last month — where students spend countless hours training...
By Kailee Bryant | March 26, 2024
-
Stress leading cause why Black and Latino students leave college
A new report has found Black and Latino students continue to be more likely than their white peers to leave postsecondary education even as college enrollment has slowly increased since the pandemic. The report from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation surveyed more than 14,000 respondents in the fall of 2023 — including about 6,000 enrolled...
By Joshua Bay | March 25, 2024