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‘A grain of salt’: LAUSD parents question leaders’ sincerity as strike approaches
Updated March 20 They sympathize with the workers. Some plan to join them on the picket line at LA Unified schools. But when it comes to union and district leaders, LAUSD parents are skeptical and angry. SEIU Local 99, LAUSD’s 30,000-member union representing employees like custodians, bus drivers, and special education assistants, plans to strike...
By Will Callan | March 17, 2023
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Unhappy anniversary: Year after invasion, mixed emotions for Ukrainians in U.S.
It’s been nearly 11 months since Anastasiia Puzhalina and her family arrived in Tacoma, Washington, after a white-knuckled journey out of Ukraine. With no home, no income and no idea of how their children would adjust to a new school, they were consumed with worry. But, a year after Russia invaded its neighbor, upending the...
By Jo Napolitano | March 15, 2023
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Video: A California teen’s research on bees’ memory is helping avert colony collapse disorder
When Rory Hu came across a news article about the global decline in honey bee populations, she was inspired to do something about it. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, it puts the global food supply at serious risk. The teen from San Jose, California, dug deeper, discovering in her research that harmful pesticides can damage...
By Jim Fields | March 10, 2023
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LAUSD service workers move another step closer to a strike
Update, March 13: SEIU Local 99 announced over the weekend that it plans to hold a 3-day unfair labor practice strike to protest what it characterizes as harassment from LAUSD. The union will announce dates for the strike this Wednesday at a joint rally with the teachers union, UTLA. An FAQ on UTLA’s website says...
By Will Callan | March 8, 2023
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LAUSD senior scores highest in nation on college-level computer science course
For Los Angeles Unified senior Yanxi Rodriguez, there was no sign the school day would deviate from any of the others that had passed in January — until her computer science teacher told her to check her email. “Mr. Flores told me, ‘Congratulations, did you see your email?’ And I’m like, ‘What email? I don’t...
By Cari Spencer | March 7, 2023
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Exclusive: Despite K-2 reading gains, results flat for 3rd grade ‘COVID kids’
The percentage of third graders on track in reading hasn’t budged since this time last year, new data shows — a reminder of the literacy setbacks experienced by kindergartners when schools shut down in 2020. Even so, the test’s administrators are interpreting the flatline at 54% as good news. Paul Gazzerro, director of data analysis at curriculum...
By Linda Jacobson | March 6, 2023
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Watch: 17-year-old makes history by sequencing genome of pet fish
Indeever Madireddy, 17, is an avid fish lover. Not as food, but as pets. The San Jose, California teen meticulously raises his freshwater angelfish from egg to adulthood. But when one of his prized fish died, he was struck with an idea: use the fish for genetic mapping. Indeever says this is important for use...
By The 74 | March 1, 2023
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Nearly 1 in 5 teen girls ‘engulfed’ in wave of sexual violence; many suicidal
Public health officials have been sounding the alarm about young girls’ mental health, pointing to rises in hospitalization for suicide attempts and depression, especially during the pandemic. Now, new national data unveil one factor that could be exacerbating the crisis: a record increase in sexual violence. Nearly 1 in 5 teen girls experienced sexual violence...
By Marianna McMurdock | February 28, 2023
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In student loan case, Supreme Court to weigh pandemic’s ‘profound’ effect on borrowers
Even as it plans to end the COVID public health emergency, the Biden administration will make its case before the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday that the ongoing financial hardship caused by the pandemic continues to necessitate a one-time student loan forgiveness plan. The court will hear two cases that say the administration exceeded its authority when it...
By Linda Jacobson | February 27, 2023
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L.A. Schools admits sensitive student records leaked after 74 investigation
After The 74 and LA School Report published an investigation revealing that hundreds — if not thousands — of student psychological assessments were posted on the dark web, Los Angeles public schools acknowledged that the highly sensitive information had been exposed. Its admission on Wednesday, which included the news that 60 current students’ records had...
By The 74 | February 23, 2023