The Morning Read
Your Daily Roundup of LAUSD news from across the web | 10.05.21
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Commentary: California helps schools treat kids with trauma before a crisis occurs. Other states should give students this kind of support
Twenty years ago, a groundbreaking study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the ubiquity of childhood trauma and its long-term impact on health and behavior. I was in my sixth year of college at the time, struggling to focus on my coursework as I recovered from years of watching my alcoholic...
By Alfredo Rubalcava | September 10, 2019
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‘I’ll make sure that they’re heard’: LAUSD’s new student board member outlines her priorities as the voice of 600,000
High school senior Frances Suavillo has always believed education is a right and not a privilege. She’s seen firsthand when it’s not. Born and raised in the Philippines until she was 9 years old, Suavillo saw deep-seated educational inequity in the Southeast Asian island country — how “money dictated who went to school and who didn’t,”...
By Taylor Swaak | September 9, 2019
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Elite schools, prized by parents and politicians alike, may actually hurt disadvantaged students more than they help, new research shows
Applying to one of Chicago’s 11 selective enrollment high schools is a little like banking on the Bears to triumph at the Super Bowl: probably futile and, at times, downright depressing. The elite public schools, which admit students on the basis of high grades and exam scores, attract thousands of high-achieving applicants each year. In...
By Kevin Mahnken | September 9, 2019
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Latest version of sweeping California charter school bill waters down original draft, is ‘setting the clock of progress way back,’ opponent says
California has more charter schools than any other state and has long served as a reliable source of growth for that sector of public education. But a sweeping bill, hammered out in a compromise last week between the governor and leaders of both legislative bodies, is likely to slow down expansion in the years ahead....
By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters | September 9, 2019
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Equity advocates push back at CSU hearing on new admissions requirement: “We’ll just be re-creating the same systemic inequities that already exist”
A California State University proposal to add an admissions requirement drew both interest and fervent criticism at a public hearing in Long Beach last week, highlighting the discord among education pundits and community members on how to fix educational inequity in the state. At question during the more than four-hour Board of Trustees committee hearing...
By Taylor Swaak | September 4, 2019
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Migrant children separated from parents experienced severe trauma, government watchdog finds. Here’s what that means for America’s schools
The Trump administration policy of separating migrant youth from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border has exacerbated mental health problems including post-traumatic stress among affected children, according to a new government watchdog report. Immigration and education experts predict the debilitating effects of family separation will be felt in K-12 classrooms across the country as the...
By Mark Keierleber | September 4, 2019
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Partnership between Inglewood Unified and City Year L.A. helping to build social-emotional learning, student success
Every morning, City Year AmeriCorps member Lizette Martinez scanned the sea of faces as she greeted students streaming through the doors of Locke High School. She wanted to be sure to spot Arthur, a quiet student who she noticed was skipping class often. After the first bell, City Year AmeriCorps member Christina Oluwole noticed if...
By Thelma Meléndez and Mary Jane Stevenson | September 4, 2019
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Analysis: Another year, another wide-ranging plan for California public education by United Teachers Los Angeles
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report It was an eventful year for the Los Angeles Unified School District, with the run-up and launch of the teacher strike, the District 5 school board election and the Measure EE parcel tax initiative. Behind them all was United Teachers Los Angeles and its president,...
By Mike Antonucci | September 3, 2019
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New report: Los Angeles needs powerful parents to help city’s schools improve — but LAUSD must first give families clear information about their children’s education
Every day that parents send their children to school represents a tremendous act of faith in their schools and the school system. Parents, however, should not have to act on blind faith. They deserve to know what their children are supposed to be learning and how they are actually doing in school. Unfortunately, in Los...
By Seth Litt | September 3, 2019
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Is homework too easy? With half of parents expressing concerns, new study says students’ assignments lack rigor, favor lower-level skills
Here’s a double dose of bad news for kids more keen on playing Fortnite than analyzing text: Not only is homework worthwhile, but much of the take-home exercises students receive today is too easy, according to a study from the Center for American Progress. These latest findings, released earlier this year, are based on an...
By Brendan Lowe | September 3, 2019