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Opinion: After I got shot, my school did nothing to save me from failure. I’m fixing that
This article has been produced in partnership between LA School Report’s parent company, The 74, and the XQ Institute. I never heard the shot, but the impact of the bullet that struck my leg just below the knee has reverberated throughout my life. As I laid on the ground of my East Oakland neighborhood, next...
By Christian Martinez | July 27, 2023
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Opinion: Without affordable child care, graduating from college can be nearly impossible
In 2003, I accomplished something that seemed unfeasible for students like me: I graduated from the College of William & Mary as a young mother. I’d navigated the many hurdles that student-parents encounter in higher education, including housing and food insecurity, the need for more hours in the day for schoolwork and to care for...
By Nicole Lynn Lewis | July 26, 2023
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Analysis: State laws are leaving schools across the country unprepared for a ‘fiscal cliff’ — including California districts that are ‘running out of cash’
For the past three years, districts have received more federal money than ever — $190 billion — to hire staff, dole out hefty bonuses and address the learning loss and mental health problems fueled by the pandemic. The expiration of these funds in about 14 months could be the biggest jolt to school finances that...
By Linda Jacobson | July 25, 2023
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Opinion: Three ways to help students gain the career connections they need to succeed
Between 2012 and 2018, rates of loneliness in school among teens nearly doubled. COVID-19 school closures only added fuel to the fire, leaving students feeling even more isolated and withdrawn. In response to this nationwide epidemic, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recent advisory urges institutions, including schools and community organizations, to reimagine their structures, policies and programs to support the development...
By Robert Markle | July 24, 2023
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After Harvard ruling, will admissions policies at elite K-12 schools be next?
A landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to ban race-conscious admissions at colleges could apply more broadly to a handful of federal cases that center on efforts to diversify selection at elite K-12 schools. “What cannot be done directly cannot be done indirectly,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion in the case against...
By Linda Jacobson | July 20, 2023
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Gen Z entrepreneurs tackle youth mental health crisis with music therapy
As the youth mental health crisis impacts schools nationwide, two Gen Z entrepreneurs created a new way for educators to understand students’ emotional needs — through the power of sound. SoundMind, a music therapy app created by founders Brian Femminella and Travis Chen, reduces students’ stress and anxiety through audio and visual beats tailored to...
By Joshua Bay | July 19, 2023
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LAUSD graduates reflect on challenges in their K-12 education
In a roundtable event hosted by Equity Alliance for LA’s Kids, recent LAUSD graduates reflected on their navigation of an often difficult, educational experience. Graduates from East LA and South LA high schools, identified by the Student Equity Needs Index (SENI) as some of the highest concentrations of high-need schools, shared their challenges from policing...
By LeeAnna Villarreal | July 18, 2023
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Opinion: Why the science of reading is right for my young learner
I’m writing this for all the parents out there: Don’t leave your child’s reading success to chance. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I was one of those parents. Sure, my wife and I read to our son every night, and we had plenty of books, newspapers and magazines around the house. Our local public...
By Chad Aldeman | July 17, 2023
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Q&A: Harvard ruling will put spotlight on college elitism, Georgetown economist says
What now? That’s the question confronting university administrators, faculty, applicants and their families in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. The 6-3 ruling by the Court’s conservative majority struck down race-conscious admissions policies at both Harvard and the University of North Carolina, overturning the decades-old...
By Kevin Mahnken | July 13, 2023
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‘Education’s long COVID’: New data shows recovery stalled for most students
Pandemic recovery has essentially stalled for most of the nation’s students, new data shows, and upper elementary and middle school students actually lost ground this year in reading and math. On average, students need four more months in school to catch up to pre-pandemic levels, according to the results from NWEA, a K-12 assessment provider. This...
By Linda Jacobson | July 12, 2023