Students are protesting in support of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s programs for Black students after President Donald Trump vowed to take aim at such efforts.  Last month, the U.S. Department of Education announced it may withhold funding for any schools with race-based programming. In a memo sent to districts nationwide, the department ordered...

It is a sunny Friday afternoon in South Central LA, music blasting through the speakers at Figueroa Street Elementary School as nine-year-old Alan runs around the playground with friends, a smile across his face.  “Everyone is very nice to me, and I feel like I belong here,” said Alan, a third grader. “I feel like...

The Los Angeles Unified School District showed improvement on state test scores released this month, but most students are still not hitting state proficiency standards.  Like other school systems across the country, LA Unified saw student achievement plummet during COVID-19. LAUSD scores have risen some since then, with underperforming student groups making particularly big gains.    ...

The number of homeless students who attend Los Angeles Unified schools rose by more than a quarter in the last school year, new statistics show.  As of the 2023-2024 school year, LAUSD enrolled 17,245 homeless students, up 26% from the previous school year, according to data the district made public last month. The dramatic jump...

Early next year the Los Angeles Unified School District will become one of the largest school districts in the country to ban cell phones on campus.  Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will roll out a district-wide smartphone ban after the LAUSD school board passed a resolution calling for the prohibition.   School board members expressed concerns over the...

Los Angeles Unified parents of children with special needs say they are facing a backlash after the district tried to remove members of a state panel advocating for improved services for the students.  The Improving Special Education Resolution, aimed at making services better for special needs children, was proposed by members of the Community Advisory...

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...

Los Angeles Unified schools are facing an increasing number of homeless students at the same time the district is losing more than $5 billion in federal COVID-19 funding.  Of the $5 billion, $7.4 million is allocated for programs aimed at homeless students. According to the California Department of Education and U.S Department of Education, the...

From teacher to congressional candidate, Nick Melvoin has accomplished much in his years of public service. Now he is one of 18 candidates running in the March 4, 2024 primary for U.S. House of Representatives California District 30.  Melvoin started his career as an English teacher at Markham Middle School in Watts. Motivated to see...