LA School Report

“Yo me siento muy feliz porque yo hace mi proyecto”, dice un pequeño estudiante rubio de tercer grado, sentado en la alfombra. “Hice mi proyecto”, corrige la profesora María Lomeli a través de un micrófono conectado a unos altavoces situados a un lado de los que se encuentran reunidos. Es un comienzo tranquilo del 100º...

Leer en español aquí “Yo me siento muy feliz porque yo hace mi proyecto,” says a small blond third grader, sitting on the carpet (“I feel very happy because I does my project.”) “Hice mi proyecto,” corrects teacher Maria Lomeli, speaking through a microphone linked to speakers set off to the side of the gathering...

This story was published in partnership with The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting on gun violence. You can sign up for its newsletters here. In a video posted to YouTube, 24-year-old school shooting survivor David Hogg points to a whiteboard and outlines a five-step plan to reshape America. Ever since Hogg survived the...

This year, I’ve been speaking with everyday Americans to hear their ideas about the purpose of public schools and how to improve them. One aspiration cuts across all perspectives: Everyone wants their children to feel a sense of belonging in school. Parents can’t understand why this isn’t more of a priority in education policy, and...

Most people who know me would probably say I’m a data and accountability advocate. I’m on the board of the Data Quality Campaign and I’ve written extensively (and favorably) about the role of accountability in promoting educational improvement. But I’ve also been critical of accountability, especially so-called public accountability organized around the idea that parents...

Aug. 21 marks 50 years since the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was passed into law. Back then, student privacy looked a lot different than it does today: The classrooms and textbooks of yesteryear presented much less risk than Google or artificial intelligence do, but education officials still had growing concerns over databases...

It is a bromide in a presidential election year to fret that young people will not turn out to vote, and that the election will therefore be dominated — as in so many past years — by wealthy older voters. As thoughtful observers have already pointed out, that notion is — statistically and philosophically — a red...

In the last few weeks news media outlets have reported problems with Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) new AI chatbot portal.  But while district officials work through the program’s kinks, for many Latino and Indigenous families, talk about the use of advanced technologies to improve or simplify communication with schools is daunting. Even parents...

Hey, young people: Want a good job? You might consider becoming a teacher. You won’t get rich, but teachers earn more money than you might think. Plus, you’ll have a much easier time landing (and keeping) a job than many of your peers. This might sound like counterintuitive career advice given the current state of...

The Child Tax Credit isn’t a subject you’d expect to receive much attention in the middle of a heated presidential campaign. Somewhat technocratic in nature, invisible to a large share of the electorate, the benefit was established in 1997 to provide relief to parents while their kids were young. Its reach is impressive, granting up...