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How a Sacramento Charter School Misused $180 Million and Became a Poster Child for Reform
This story was originally published on EdSource. Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools opened in Sacramento in 2014 with high ideals — to help adult students, many formerly incarcerated or new immigrants, to earn a diploma, improve English language skills, or learn a trade. Now, the school is one reason state legislators are considering increased...
By Diana Lambert, EdSource | September 10, 2025
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Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure?
A quarter-century ago, David Saylor shepherded the epic Harry Potter fantasy series onto U.S. bookshelves. As creative director of children’s publisher Scholastic, he helped design and execute the American editions of the first three novels in the late 1990s. But when the manuscript for J.K. Rowling’s fourth book landed on his desk, Saylor sat up...
By Greg Toppo | September 9, 2025
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Kids Shouldn’t Access Social Media Until They’re Old Enough to Drive, Book Says
Jean M. Twenge holds an unusual place among Ph.D. psychologists. For the past two decades, she has toggled between the obscurity of the academy and the glare of academic fame. The author of two college textbooks and five books for non-academic readers, she is equally at home researching and writing about adolescent mental health, sleep...
By Greg Toppo | September 4, 2025
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‘We’ve Been Successful at Protecting Our Kids’: Los Angeles Unified Claims Safety From ICE So Far
Last year, the Los Angeles YMCA held backpack giveaways for migrant families and needy students in public parks and community centers. This year the giveaways were held in classrooms, afraid that crowds of Hispanic families out in public would prompt an ICE raid. “We’ve had to modify how we do things,” said Omar Torres, senior...
By Ben Chapman | September 3, 2025
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LAUSD’s Black Student Achievement Plan Remains Resilient Amid Complaint and Opposition
This story was originally published on EdSource. Many supporters and advocates of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Black Student Achievement Plan are beginning the school year with renewed hope after the school board voted to boost the program’s 2025-26 funding with an additional $50 million. Their optimism comes after years of challenges, from the...
By Mallika Seshadri | August 28, 2025
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Report: L.A. County’s Failure to Educate Incarcerated Youth is ‘Systemic’
This story was originally published on EdSource. Local government agencies in charge of youth violated the educational and civil rights of students in Los Angeles County’s juvenile justice facilities for decades by punting responsibility and inaction, according to a report released Wednesday. “Who has the power? Chronicling Los Angeles County’s systemic failures to educate incarcerated...
By Betty Márquez Rosales, EdSource | August 27, 2025
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Strong First-Day Attendance at LAUSD Schools Despite Immigration Fears
This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter. Four days after a 15-year-old with a disability was mistakenly detained and handcuffed by immigration agents outside of Arleta High School, the first day of the new school year in the Los Angeles Unified School District seemed normal. Students at Arleta High walked through the...
By Mallika Seshadri | August 26, 2025
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Becoming School Superintendent in an Age of Uncertainty and Anxiety
This story was originally published at EdSource It is hard to imagine a more “homegrown” school superintendent than Cheryl Cotton, who in June assumed the top post in the West Contra Costa Unified School District on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay. Increasingly, school boards have turned to candidates like Cotton, who are...
By Louis Freedberg, EdSource | August 21, 2025
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Nearly 70% of Child Care Workers Report Struggling to Afford a Basic Need, Survey Finds
This story was originally published at LAist The number of child care workers who struggle to meet basic needs like food, healthcare and housing is on the rise, according to a new report. The Stanford Center on Early Childhood’s RAPID project started surveying child care providers around the country back in 2021, when about 40% of...
By Elly Yu, LAist | August 20, 2025
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Ed Tech Company That Provides Telehealth to L.A. Students Experiences Data Breach
An education technology company that built an app for Los Angeles students to receive telehealth services during the school day has fallen victim to a data breach that puts students’ sensitive information in jeopardy, a disclosure to state regulators reveals. The company, Kokomo Solutions, also hosts an anonymous tip line where Los Angeles community members...
By Mark Keierleber | August 19, 2025