A state task force newly assigned to narrowing California’s achievement gap got further proof of the challenges ahead with this month’s first-ever release of the California Science Test scores, showing that less than 1 in 5 low-income black and Latino students met or exceeded the standards. The results released by the California Department of Education...

Children who lack access to healthy food options — at home and in schools — have a more difficult time learning. Kids who are hungry or not well nourished are more likely to have trouble focusing, exhibit behavioral problems, and struggle academically. We see this in classrooms and schools across the country, and for students...

This interview is one in a series spotlighting Los Angeles teachers, their unique and innovative classroom approaches, and their thoughts on how the education system can better support teachers in guiding students to success. Suzanne Nagata was not aware of the kind of a unique educational upbringing she had until after she graduated from UC...

How do you get America’s youngest voters to actually turn out on Election Day? It’s a question that experts have asked for the last half-century, and one that may determine the outcome of the 2020 elections. Abundant survey data indicates that voters under the age of 40 don’t favor the prospect of a second term...

The world of 4K microscopes is generally limited to high-level research universities. These ultra-high-definition scopes allow for enhanced detail that make a regular microscope look downright analog. But a push by the National Science Foundation and a nonprofit organization called US Ignite is opening 4K science research for under-resourced high schools across the country, bringing...

How has California’s third-largest school district, serving mostly low-income Latinos and blacks, been propelling its students to college by raising their SAT scores and boosting their state test scores? Chris Steinhauser, superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District for the last 18 years, will tell you that forging the first formal partnership with Khan Academy...

Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. Two Bay Area teacher union locals followed the lead of United Teachers Los Angeles and endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. The Oakland Education Association (2,605 active members) and United Teachers of Richmond (1,666 active members) issued...

In West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kimberly Eckert felt as if she had been beating the same drum for years: Teaching is a challenging profession. Being a person of color in the United States is challenging, in a whole different way. Put them together and, for many, the obstacles are insurmountable. Eckert had been tasked with strengthening...

What’s the secret sauce for academic success? A great teacher? More school funding? At-home support? This is a subject that generates impassioned debate in the halls of government as well as around kitchen tables across the country. Parents often think the key to their child’s academic success lies in which teacher they are assigned to...

The Trump administration announced a proposal Monday to cut billions of dollars in education aid, in part by merging dozens of federal education initiatives, from charter school expansions to educating homeless children, into a single grant program. The move, which is practically assured not to win House approval, is part of the fiscal 2021 budget proposal...