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USC Professor Warns of LA Fires’ Trauma Impact for Children
Firefighters have now contained deadly wildfires that just after the new year devastated whole swaths of Los Angeles. Schools are reopening and, for some families, life is returning to normal. But the historic blazes, which in January prompted the emergency closure of the nation’s second-largest district and burned some schools completely, made a lasting impression...
By Ben Chapman | February 4, 2025
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Q&A: Ex-Star Teacher and LAUSD Board Member On What’s Ailing LAUSD, Post-Fires
As usual, David Tokofsky is annoyed about something at LA Unified. This time it’s the school board, which Tokofsky says is failing to post materials for public meetings online in a timely enough manner. He peppers reporters with unheeded calls for stories on the scandal. Tokofsky is the guy who shows up at board meetings...
By Ben Chapman | January 22, 2025
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Los Angeles Schools Prepare For Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Los Angeles school officials have a message for President-elect Donald Trump about his promised immigration crackdown: we’re ready for you. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who came to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant from Portugal, said this week the nation’s second largest district is preparing for the incoming administration’s planned mass...
By Ben Chapman | January 9, 2025
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New Los Angeles School Board President Targets District’s Shrinking Enrollment
The new president of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education says he wants to fight the district’s cratering enrollment with new policies and approaches. Scott Schmerelson, who has worked in the LA Unified School District for nearly four decades and has served on the board since 2015, was elected and installed as...
By Ben Chapman | December 16, 2024
Investigation: Nearly 1,000 Native Children Died in Federal Boarding Schools
Podcast: What a Mentorship Mindset Can Do for Student Motivation
Black and Hispanic Voters Say Democrats Aren’t Focused Enough on K-12 Education
Teen Activist Rhea Maniar on the Power of Abortion to Turn Out Young Voters
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Union-Backed Incumbent Prevails in High-Stakes LA School Board Race
A teacher union-backed incumbent has prevailed in a high-stakes LAUSD school board race, dealing another setback to the nation’s largest charter school sector. Charter-backed upstart Dan Chang failed in the Nov. 5 elections to unseat Scott Schmerelson, the longtime LAUSD educator and policymaker who won the election and will begin his third and final term...
By Ben Chapman | November 18, 2024
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LA School Board Race Tightens As Voters Show Support for $9 Billion School Bond
Update Nov. 20: LA voters overwhelmingly approved a $9 billion bond measure to repair and upgrade LAUSD’s aging school buildings. Measure US was backed by LAUSD school board members, district superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the teachers union and local construction groups; and passed with 68% of the vote. Measure US would be LAUSD’s largest ever school...
By Ben Chapman | November 13, 2024
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LAUSD Overhauls $120 Million Black Students Program After Activists File Complaint
Los Angeles Unified has revised its leading effort to boost academic outcomes for Black students after conservative Virginia-based activists filed a civil rights complaint, charging the program uses race as a criteria for admission. The district’s $120 million Black Student Achievement Plan had a clear goal: lifting the academic performance of Black students, who trail...
By Ben Chapman | November 4, 2024
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LA Unified Seeks Voters’ Support for $9 Billion School Bond
Los Angeles Unified is seeking voters’ approval for a $9 billion bond measure to repair and upgrade its aging school buildings. The bond, which Californians will vote on Tuesday as Measure US, would be LAUSD’s largest ever and paid for with property tax increases. It requires a 55% majority in order to pass. LAUSD Board...
By Ben Chapman | October 31, 2024
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Q&A: Charter School Founder and LAUSD Teacher Runs for School Board District 3
LAUSD teacher and charter school booster Dan Chang is running to unseat incumbent Scott Schmerelson in LA Unified’s Board District 3, covering the West San Fernando Valley and Studio City. Chang, who is endorsed by a statewide charter school group, is a math teacher at James Madison Middle School in North Hollywood, who routinely calls...
By Ben Chapman | October 21, 2024
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Q&A: Veteran Educator and Board Incumbent Runs for LA School Board District 3
Former LAUSD teacher and principal Scott Schmerelson is running to keep his seat in LA Unified’s Board District 3, covering the West San Fernando Valley and Studio City. Schmerelson, who is endorsed by the teachers union, is running for his third consecutive four-year term against upstart Dan Chang, a math teacher with a fondness for...
By Ben Chapman | October 17, 2024