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Back-to-school reads: The 6 most popular articles we published this summer about the state of Los Angeles schools

With students back in the classroom and LAUSD officials back in action tackling several urgent issues, we thought we’d pause for a moment, look back at the summer break, and resurface our six most popular articles you might have missed while traveling, surfing or ditching your e-mail for a beach read. Here are our top...
By LA School Report | August 21, 2019
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America divided: Public support for charter schools is growing — but so is opposition, new poll finds

This is the latest article in The 74’s ongoing ‘Big Picture’ series, bringing American education into sharper focus through new research and data. Go Deeper: See our full series. Public opinion on charter schools has grown polarized as the number of people who either support or oppose the schools has increased, according to a new...
By Mark Keierleber | August 20, 2019
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Back-to-school rundown: 5 things LAUSD parents should know as school starts

*Updated L.A. Unified’s nearly half-a-million district students are headed back to school on Tuesday for the 2019-20 year. While students were away, district officials and advocates began laying the groundwork for the upcoming year’s priorities. On the heels of a failed parcel tax bid, L.A. Unified will continue clamoring for more funding and proposing initiatives...
By Taylor Swaak | August 19, 2019
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Teacher Spotlight: Alliance’s Molly Carmody on how a companion dog is bringing emotional support to her students and breaking down learning barriers in her special education classroom

This interview is one in a series spotlighting Los Angeles teachers, their unique and innovative classroom approaches, and their thoughts on how the education system can better support teachers in guiding students to success. Early in her career as a special education teacher, Molly Carmody knew her most vulnerable students needed additional support in the classroom....
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | August 14, 2019
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Schools keep punishing girls — especially students of color — who report sexual assaults, and the Trump administration’s Title IX reforms won’t stop it

This article was produced in partnership with The74Million.org Early in the morning on Nov. 7, 2017, a teacher noticed a 14-year-old girl crying in the hallway at Carol City High School in Miami-Dade County. The girl, who was later referred to in court papers as Jane Doe, reportedly told the teacher, “I think I was...
By Tyler Kingkade | August 14, 2019
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‘Nudging’ students to college matriculation: How KIPP schools are using text messages to combat summer melt and ensure alumni make it to their first day on campus

While cell phones in the classroom can detract from student learning, one school program is taking advantage of the fact that a generation of digital natives can’t stay off their phones. KIPP Public Charter Schools, a national charter school network of more than 200 schools, rolled out the National Nudge Texting Pilot this summer. The...
By Lauren Costantino | August 12, 2019
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Teacher Spotlight: Mendez High’s Alicia Morris on her ‘Computer Science for All’ initiative and letting innovation take place by ‘not being so risk-averse’

This interview is one in a series spotlighting Los Angeles teachers, their unique and innovative classroom approaches, and their thoughts on how the education system can better support teachers in guiding students to success. Alicia Morris’s career as a production auditor in Hollywood was in full swing when she became a parent and decided to switch...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | August 7, 2019
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Report: As tuition rises, how private schools and microschools are working to increase access for low- and middle-income families

More than 5 million students in the U.S. attend 35,000 private K-12 schools, but recent changes to the types of schools that remain open mean there are fewer affordable options for low- and middle-income parents who want a private education for their children. Many Catholic schools, which historically have sought to educate students from low-...
By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters | August 7, 2019
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‘We’ve got a real crisis:’ Half of U.S. teachers have considered leaving profession, PDK poll finds

Half of the nation’s teachers have seriously considered quitting in recent years, amid concerns about low pay, stress and lack of respect, a new poll finds. “We’ve got a real crisis going on,” said Joshua P. Starr, CEO of PDK International, the teachers’ professional association that conducts the annual poll. “There’s absolutely a real issue,...
By Carolyn Phenicie | August 5, 2019
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What’s an emotion scientist? Inside the new concept shaping social-emotional learning

When Nilda Irizarry was a sophomore in her Springfield, Massachusetts, high school, she didn’t raise her hand and she didn’t participate in class discussions. Although she loved learning, she was certain she didn’t fit in. But her teacher Patricia Gardner saw something very different. One day, she pulled Irizarry aside and asked why she didn’t...
By Kate Stringer | August 5, 2019