When Los Angeles sophomore Marco Sanchez quit Chatsworth Charter High School’s baseball team, he needed to find a new outlet to build on the teamwork skills he left behind. He said his parents were worried too, wondering “what is Marco going to do now?” The 16-year-old started to consider the school’s Esports program at the...

This story was originally published on CalMatters.org. More than 17,400 high school seniors last fall got the sweetest news any anxious student can get: Congratulations, because of your high school GPA, you’re automatically admitted to one of 10 California State University campuses of your choice — and they’re all relatively affordable. Even with less than...

A little more than one month in, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s cell phone ban is getting praise from parents – and hatred from students.   LAUSD launched its cell phone prohibition on February 18th of this year. It allows schools to design their own policies for banning the use of phones by students on...

Eric Kinley, a student support coordinator at Aveson Charter School, has seen firsthand the devastation of the deadly Eaton fire in Altadena – but he’s also seeing how students, parents and teachers are adapting post-fire. Aveson was one of the schools destroyed in the historic wildfires that swept through Los Angeles in January. More than...

Los Angeles school district officials are preparing for the Trump administration to change, cut, or significantly diminish federal public school funding.  President Donald Trump issued an executive order Thursday to shut down the U.S. Department of Education where leaders have already laid off more than 1,300 employees — and has also threatened to withhold funding...

The Los Angeles Unified School District is at a critical turning point, with fresh obstacles from both the recent wildfires and changes in federal aid and policies under the Trump administration, a new report argues. The 26-page document, “Looking Ahead as LAUSD Confronts Fire Recovery and Federal Policy Uncertainty,” found those twin events will place...

This post was originally posted on LAist. The U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into 52 universities in 41 states, accusing the schools of using “racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.” On Friday, the department’s Office of Civil Rights said that 45 schools, particularly their graduate programs, violated the 1964 Civil Rights...

Los Angeles Unified School District families and educators are grappling with the impact of federal immigration policies as increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has left many living in fear. Reports of students skipping school due to concerns over immigration enforcement have raised alarms, with district officials warning declining attendance could have long-term...

When historic wildfires burned across Los Angeles earlier this year, L.A. high school teacher and young adult author Veronica Bane identified an issue that wasn’t being addressed — the loss of classroom libraries. Bane, an English teacher at Alliance Susan & Eric Smidt Technology High School, drew from her deep belief in the power of...

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...