She wanted to earn credentials that would allow her to advance in the field, but it was slow going. Briones, 55, was working 40 hours a week at the San Francisco Bay area child care center and tending to her own family. It was tough to find the time and money to attend classes on...

This story was originally published on EdSource. Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools opened in Sacramento in 2014 with high ideals — to help adult students, many formerly incarcerated or new immigrants, to earn a diploma, improve English language skills, or learn a trade.  Now, the school is one reason state legislators are considering increased...

A quarter-century ago, David Saylor shepherded the epic Harry Potter fantasy series onto U.S. bookshelves. As creative director of children’s publisher Scholastic, he helped design and execute the American editions of the first three novels in the late 1990s. But when the manuscript for J.K. Rowling’s fourth book landed on his desk, Saylor sat up...

Jean M. Twenge holds an unusual place among Ph.D. psychologists. For the past two decades, she has toggled between the obscurity of the academy and the glare of academic fame.  The author of two college textbooks and five books for non-academic readers, she is equally at home researching and writing about adolescent mental health, sleep...

Last year, the Los Angeles YMCA held backpack giveaways for migrant families and needy students in public parks and community centers.  This year the giveaways were held in classrooms, afraid that crowds of Hispanic families out in public would prompt an ICE raid. “We’ve had to modify how we do things,” said Omar Torres, senior...

This story was originally published on EdSource. Many supporters and advocates of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Black Student Achievement Plan are beginning the school year with renewed hope after the school board voted to boost the program’s 2025-26 funding with an additional $50 million.    Their optimism comes after years of challenges, from the...

This story was originally published on EdSource. Local government agencies in charge of youth violated the educational and civil rights of students in Los Angeles County’s juvenile justice facilities for decades by punting responsibility and inaction, according to a report released Wednesday. “Who has the power? Chronicling Los Angeles County’s systemic failures to educate incarcerated...

This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter. Four days after a 15-year-old with a disability was mistakenly detained and handcuffed by immigration agents outside of Arleta High School, the first day of the new school year in the Los Angeles Unified School District seemed normal. Students at Arleta High walked through the...

This story was originally published at EdSource It is hard to imagine a more “homegrown” school superintendent than Cheryl Cotton, who in June assumed the top post in the West Contra Costa Unified School District on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay.  Increasingly, school boards have turned to candidates like Cotton, who are...

This story was originally published at LAist The number of child care workers who struggle to meet basic needs like food, healthcare and housing is on the rise, according to a new report. The Stanford Center on Early Childhood’s RAPID project started surveying child care providers around the country back in 2021, when about 40% of...