At John C. Fremont High School STEAM Magnet in hardscrabble South Central Los Angeles, students face an uphill battle against social and economic hardship, with violence from the neighborhood sometimes filtering onto campus.  This school year Fremont High has seen security-related lockdowns on a nearly a monthly basis, including an incident at the beginning of...

Federal prosecutors have indicted the founder and former CEO of the once-celebrated education technology company AllHere, accusing her of defrauding investors of nearly $10 million as the startup that made AI chatbots for schools fell into bankruptcy. Joanna Smith-Griffin, a Forbes “30 Under 30” recipient and Harvard graduate, was arrested at her home in Raleigh,...

The majority of states, 26, saw declines in high school graduation rates following the pandemic, new research shows. In 2020, for example, 10 states had graduation rates of 90% or higher, but only five did in 2022, according to Tuesday’s analysis from the Grad Partnership, a network of nonprofits working to improve student outcomes. But the...

A teacher union-backed incumbent has prevailed in a high-stakes LAUSD school board race,  dealing another setback to the nation’s largest charter school sector.   Charter-backed upstart Dan Chang failed in the Nov. 5 elections to unseat Scott Schmerelson, the longtime LAUSD educator and policymaker who won the election and will begin his third and final term...

LA Unified’s plan to scrap standardized tests at ten schools has parents questioning accountability — and teachers welcoming less testing stress. Next year, students from ten community schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District will not take the district’s standardized tests. Following a 4-3 decision by the district school board on Sep.10, these schools...

Update Nov. 20:  LA voters overwhelmingly approved a $9 billion bond measure to repair and upgrade LAUSD’s aging school buildings. Measure US was backed by LAUSD school board members, district superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the teachers union and local construction groups; and passed with 68% of the vote. Measure US would be LAUSD’s largest ever school...

The re-election of Donald Trump is certain to bring a period of conflict, tension and litigation between the White House and California’s political and education leaders whose policies and values the president castigates. It also could potentially have major implications for California schools. Trump, whose position on education has focused more on cultural ideology than...

High school seniors in various parts of the state will have new pathways to the Cal State system for the fall of 2025.  Cal State East Bay announced partnerships with the San Leandro and Hayward Unified School Districts to provide guaranteed admission to students who have completed A-G coursework and sustained at least a 2.5...

Candidates bring a variety of strengths to America’s thousands of annual school board elections: generous donors, compelling personal stories, impressive CVs and even a few doses of charm. But according to research from political scientists at Ohio State University and Boston College, one of the most valuable assets of all is the endorsement of the...

The future of LA Unified School District’s signature program for Black students is in question after a federal civil rights complaint prompted changes to its efforts. This summer LAUSD overhauled its $120 million Black Student Achievement Program after a Virginia-based advocacy group Parents Defending Education filed a complaint challenging its policies related to race-based admissions...