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On-the-job training prevails as students’ disinterest in college grows
A new study has found more than 80 percent of high schoolers value on-the-job training over other postsecondary options, including a four-year degree — laying bare students’ interest in immediate employment and disdain for a college education. The study, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, surveyed more than 1,700 high school juniors and seniors, with 83 percent saying...
By Joshua Bay | March 18, 2024
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Journalist Natasha Alford on race, identity & her new memoir, ‘American Negra’
In Natasha Sonia Alford’s newly released memoir, American Negra, she describes an early childhood memory of being the new kid at school: “What are you?” another student asked. “I’m Puerto Rican and Black,” she responded, noting these were “the only words I had at the time to explain my identity in terms that made...
By Amanda Geduld | March 14, 2024
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Job focused community college programs grow — but grim transfer trend continues
A new report has found community college enrollment grew nationwide — but few students are transferring to four-year institutions as their interest in immediate employability rises. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found community colleges led overall undergraduate enrollment growth in the fall of 2023 by 2.6 percent, or 118,000 students, compared to the previous...
By Joshua Bay | March 13, 2024
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Parent poll: It’s the economy — not culture wars— worrying them & cell phones OK
This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. Parents from across the political spectrum support providing public funds directly to families for resources like tutoring, internet access and mental health care, according to a...
By Amanda Geduld | March 12, 2024
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How high-quality leadership pipeline promotes home-grown talent in California
Well-prepared, well-supported school and district leaders can make incredible differences in student success. Schools and districts need capable administrators for both the challenges they face today and what lies ahead tomorrow. High-quality leadership pipeline programs can supply exactly these kinds of professionals. In California’s Long Beach Unified School District, that fact is being proven every...
By Jill Baker and Julia Rafal-Baer | March 11, 2024
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Oscar or no, LA schools’ ‘Last Repair Shop’ at center of nominated documentary has already won big
Even if they don’t win an Oscar, they’ve already won a makeover. Surrounded by blocks of choking Los Angeles traffic, homeless encampments and garbage, a windowless warehouse encircled by a security fence is the unlikely setting for “The Last Repair Shop,” an inspiring documentary now up for an Academy Award on March 10. “You don’t...
By Ben Chapman | March 7, 2024
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Coalition challenges residency requirements for public schools
More than 40 education advocacy organizations have teamed up to fight longstanding residency requirements that tie children to their local public schools — rather than letting them transfer to places that might serve them better. The No More Lines Coalition aims to end what it calls “discriminatory public school district boundary lines” in all 50 states by...
By Jo Napolitano | March 6, 2024
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LAUSD rolls out new food truck program with Chef Roy Choi teaching students how to get cooking in the real world
Los Angeles Unified students will soon have the chance to run a food truck on the city’s streets, showcasing the best of their cooking skills while learning to run their own business. Earlier this year, LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the district’s new food truck program in collaboration with software company Intuit and Roy Choi,...
By Jinge Li | March 5, 2024
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Lost Learning = Lost earning, an equation that could cost the U.S. $31 trillion
American students are lagging behind their international peers in the aftermath of the pandemic, according to a new analysis unveiled by Stanford University economist Eric Hanushek. The ultimate costs of the last few years of incomplete learning will total $31 trillion over the course of the 21st century, the scholar finds — greater than the...
By Kevin Mahnken | March 4, 2024
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Leader’s view: Black History Month requires action, not just celebration
Black History Month. It’s easy to celebrate, but harder to take action that demonstrates your commitment to who and what you celebrate. Two years ago the Los Angeles Unified School Board demonstrated its commitment to Black students, educators and families by passing the Black Student Excellence Through Educator Diversity, Preparation, and Retention Resolution. The resolution...
By Dr. Laura McGowan-Robinson | February 29, 2024