It turns out that educational disruptions are bad for kids. Perhaps you already knew that? In a series of posts in 2020 and 2021, I wrote about the research on past educational disruptions and predicted what they might mean for children going through COVID-19. This month marks the fifth anniversary of the pandemic. What have...

More than two decades of working as an educator couldn’t prepare Juliet Herman for the night of January 7, when her school, Palisades Charter Elementary School, burnt to the ground, along with the homes of many of her students and teachers. Wildfires devastated the Los Angeles community of the Pacific Palisades that night, destroying homes...

Dear Madam Secretary, Congratulations and welcome to a place we once knew well. You face any number of tough challenges on behalf of American students, parents, educators and taxpayers, as well as the administration you serve, but your “Department’s Final Mission” speech shows that you’re well prepared to meet them. We particularly admire your commitment to making...

This was originally published on CalMatters. California sends mixed messages when it comes to serving dyslexic students. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the most famous dyslexic political official in the country, even authoring a children’s book to raise awareness about the learning disability. And yet, California is one of 10 states that doesn’t require dyslexia screening for...

Burned in the LA wildfires, the Palisades Charter High School campus is still closed to students.  But that hasn’t stopped the school’s student choir from making music. In fact, they just sang at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards show last month, sharing the stage with Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock. Classes are still virtual for...

This story was originally published on LAist. With the statewide March 2 deadline less than three weeks away, the California Student Aid Commission is urging counselors to double down on outreach to students who haven’t submitted an application for financial aid. Completion rates are down across the board — whether it’s for federal or state-based...

When Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School in Los Angeles went up in flames on Jan. 8, Armenian families living in the tight-knit neighborhood of Altadena also lost a lifeline to their homeland.  Located in the San Gabriel Valley of L.A., Sahag Mesrob was one of about a dozen Armenian schools in Los Angeles offering a...

In May, the Long Beach Unified School District in California will open the Center for Black Student Excellence, which it calls a “bold step in the district’s ongoing efforts to address systemic harm” by providing extra support for Black students. Leaders say they have no plans to hit pause on the project despite a Feb....

Maria Nichols, leader of the principals union for the Los Angeles Unified School District, likes to show up for contract negotiations well-prepared.  Less than a year into her role as president of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, the former community schools administrator in December moved to officially affiliate her union with the International Brotherhood...

More than two decades ago, Regis Inge showed a shy Kendrick Lamar the power of a thesaurus. Just two weeks ago, he watched the Grammy winner perform “a salute to Black history” at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. A 30-year educator in the Compton Unified School District, Inge is a 2015 California League of Middle...