-
LA Schools Reopen, But Recovery Will Be Long and Painful
It was just after 1 am when Los Angeles charter school superintendent Ian McFeat started getting text messages and phone calls at a relative’s house where he was sheltering from the fires. His neighbors said his house was burning down in the wildfires – along with his entire Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles. Aveson School...
By Balin Schneider & Ben Chapman | January 21, 2025
-
What to Expect on Child Care from Trump’s Second Presidency
Anticipating what Donald Trump and his allies will do can be as much an exercise in scrying as deep analysis. That said, it’s still useful to try and read the tea leaves to at least define the likely contours of possibility. Thus, I want to lay out what I think we might expect from the...
By Elliot Haspel | January 16, 2025
-
Shut Out: High School Students Learn About Careers — But Can’t Try One That Pays
Jubei Brown-Weaver knows he was lucky to land a rare apprenticeship with IT and consulting giant Accenture when he was a junior at McKinley Technology High School in Washington, D.C. He won one of 20 available slots in a new high school apprenticeship program — just one of three at Accenture — in a city...
By Patrick O'Donnell | January 15, 2025
-
LA Schools Struggle To Reopen As Fires Still Rage
Los Angeles Unified schools reopened Monday, as educators worked to provide respite for shell-shocked students seeking refuge from uncontrolled fires still raging across the city. LAUSD officials said Sunday night the nation’s second-largest district would reopen all but seven schools that were destroyed, badly damaged or immediately threatened by flames. Questions about the district’s reopening...
By Balin Schneider & Ben Chapman | January 14, 2025
-
Study: Math Scores Matter More for Adult Earnings Than Reading, Health Factors
When it comes to factors that affect a student’s well-being in adulthood, better math skills might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But as it turns out, increasing math scores helps deliver stronger long-term returns for students — especially related to earnings — than improvements in reading scores and factors involving health....
By Lauren Camera | January 13, 2025
-
LA Schools To Remain Closed As Fires Rage
Los Angeles school officials on Thursday refused to commit to when classes would resume as the worst fires in the city’s history continued to destroy entire residential neighborhoods and displace thousands from their homes. All Los Angeles Unified School District campuses were closed Thursday after four historic blazes engulfed the city earlier in the week,...
By Balin Schneider & Ben Chapman | January 9, 2025
-
Los Angeles Schools Prepare For Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Los Angeles school officials have a message for President-elect Donald Trump about his promised immigration crackdown: we’re ready for you. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who came to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant from Portugal, said this week the nation’s second largest district is preparing for the incoming administration’s planned mass...
By Ben Chapman | January 9, 2025
-
Girls Face Stereotypes about STEM Abilities as Early as 6, Study Finds
When she taught third grade in Houston, Summer Robinson invited a friend, a female mechanical engineer at Chevron, to visit her class. She wanted to introduce students, especially girls, to a STEM practitioner who didn’t conform to the socially awkward stereotype in popular culture. “She communicates really well, and the kids just loved it so...
By Linda Jacobson | January 8, 2025
-
California Trying to Protect Schools from Deportation Efforts
California lawmakers are proposing steps to protect K-12 students and families from mass deportations — although the real value of those proposals may be symbolic. A pair of bills in the Legislature — AB 49 and SB 48 — aim to keep federal agents from detaining undocumented students or their families on or near school property without a warrant....
By Carolyn Jones, CalMatters | January 7, 2025
-
Students Need More Than In-School Cellphone Restrictions
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently sent a letter to K-12 leaders urging them to restrict students’ use of smartphones while in school. As the governor noted, regulating phone use leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions among students. I applaud Gov. Newsom’s call for thoughtful cellphone policies during school hours. But...
By Erica Fener Sitkoff | January 6, 2025