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Q&A: National Parent Union’s Keri Rodrigues on public school disenrollment amid the COVID crisis
America’s education system continues to reckon with the enormous disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some students and families became well-acclimated with the distance learning process overall, many others found it challenging — and often impossible — to participate in because of persistent barriers like job losses, lack of stable housing, insufficient internet access...
By The 74 | May 5, 2021
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LA parent voice: ‘This has to change’ — how one mom is working to boost African-American families’ engagement in their South Los Angeles schools
In this series, Los Angeles parents talk about their students, their schools and the questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Tyrese McKie has a mission: increasing African-American families’ engagement in their South Los Angeles schools. She joined the L.A. Unified Board District 5’s Family Problem-Solving Group in October...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | January 16, 2019
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LA parent voice: What I learned in 25 years of being a Latino parent engagement advocate – ‘Knowing the school system can really transform everything’
In this series, Los Angeles parents talk about their students, their schools and the questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) María Elena Meraz has spent 25 years, as both a mother and an advocate, learning and sharing about how public schools in California can better serve the needs of Latino...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | December 3, 2018
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LA parent voice: After-school tutoring, literacy programs, finding community partners — this mom has learned to ‘do whatever it takes’ to help English learners
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Hilda Ávila has a very clear educational goal for her fourth-grade son this year: She wants him to move out of the English learner...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | October 24, 2018
Investigation: Nearly 1,000 Native Children Died in Federal Boarding Schools
Podcast: What a Mentorship Mindset Can Do for Student Motivation
Black and Hispanic Voters Say Democrats Aren’t Focused Enough on K-12 Education
Teen Activist Rhea Maniar on the Power of Abortion to Turn Out Young Voters
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LA parent voice: ‘The district is making it harder and harder for parents to be engaged’
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) As vice president of her school’s PTA, Alicia Liotta is getting an earful from parents who want to volunteer but are being held up by a new...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | October 15, 2018
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LA parent voice: Schools ‘need to be sensitive to the differences’ of children with dyslexia and partner with their parents
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Faith Wroten’s son has dyslexia, and finding the right support for him has been a challenge as he’s been in different schools and school districts. She’s...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | October 1, 2018
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LA parent voice: The search for a good school ‘couldn’t wait. The foundation for a successful education begins at home and then in kindergarten’
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Mónica Otlika is thrilled that her two children have started kindergarten and first grade at the ideal school for her family, after a years-long search that...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | September 19, 2018
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LA parent voice: ‘We want to have a voice,’ says a mom who showed up at LAUSD before dawn to make sure her community was represented
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Sara Martínez, an LA Unified mom living in the southeast boundaries of Board District 5, had to put everything aside for one day so her voice...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | August 28, 2018
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LA parent voice: To find better school options for your kids, ‘You really have to fight for it!’
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Finding the right school where her son could succeed was a struggle for Mary Najera. For years, she didn’t know how to find other public school...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | August 21, 2018
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LA parent voice: My daughter has perfect attendance, but my goal is to help all parents take responsibility for making sure their kids are in school
Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Of all the things Magda Karina Vargas has learned while volunteering at her daughter’s school, what concerns her the most is how big an impact students’...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | August 14, 2018