Can computers be trained to give feedback on student writing as well as a human can? To assess essay elements like convincing evidence and well-crafted conclusions? I’ve been working on these questions for years together with a group of colleagues since long before the advent of ChatGPT. After working with hundreds of data scientists from...

In 2022, the National Science Foundation’s Science and Engineering report sounded an alarm. The report showed that the United States is falling behind in science, technology, engineering and math, the STEM fields. According to the foundation, America no longer produces the most science and engineering research publications — that’s China. We no longer produce the...

Last week, I sat down and read the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, the landmark case that overturned many affirmative action policies at the nation’s elite universities. The case has generated significant outrage. The right was outraged that Harvard wants to use (and did use) race as a factor in its admissions decisions. The left...

As the mother of a 37-year-old son with special needs who is living a full and independent life, I often think about what it took to get here. Alex was one of the original members of the POINT (Pursuing our INdependence Together) residential community in White Plains, New York, which was founded in 2008 by families of...

Teacher satisfaction has reached an all time low in recent years. This is due to many of the new challenges brought on by the pandemic — including teacher turnover, compounded by teachers feeling undervalued — and leads to a larger question: What can we do to increase teacher retention in our schools and help teachers...

The devastation of the opioid crisis on families and communities is well documented, but its long-term effects on future generations of American children are still unknown. In 2017 alone, an estimated 2.2 million children in the United States were directly affected by parental opioid use or their own. In the 21st century, annual opioid-related overdose deaths among 15-...

“Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds have hit their lowest scores in decades.” When the recent NAEP long-term trend results for 13-year-olds were published, the reactions were predictable: short pieces in the national press and apologetics in education blogs. COVID-19, we were told, was continuing to cast its long shadow. Despite nearly $200 billion in...

Between 2012 and 2018, rates of loneliness in school among teens nearly doubled. COVID-19 school closures only added fuel to the fire, leaving students feeling even more isolated and withdrawn. In response to this nationwide epidemic, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recent advisory urges institutions, including schools and community organizations, to reimagine their structures, policies and programs to support the development...

I’m writing this for all the parents out there: Don’t leave your child’s reading success to chance. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I was one of those parents. Sure, my wife and I read to our son every night, and we had plenty of books, newspapers and magazines around the house. Our local public...

As engaged LAUSD parents of color, we are focused on our children’s academic success and well-being. As such, we often talk about how the education system is not working for enough of our students.  Imagine our delight when superintendent Carvalho announced his plan to expand a highly successful literacy intervention program, Primary Promise, by expanding...