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Los Angeles board plan would make some district schools off limits to charters
Actions in the nation’s two largest school districts are testing the idea that charter and traditional schools can exist under one roof. In Los Angeles, the school board is expected to vote this fall on a measure that could significantly limit the practice, known as co-location. And in New York, the United Federation of Teachers plans to appeal a...
By Linda Jacobson | August 22, 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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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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‘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
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Inside the celebrity-backed Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet, classrooms connect teens to Hollywood careers
This profile marks one stop in a national tour of high school campuses organized by our parent organization The 74. Follow the coast-to-coast road trip. The outdoor walkways of the Roybal Learning Center offer a panoramic view of the Los Angeles skyline that would be a fitting backdrop for any Hollywood movie. That’s what grabbed...
By Linda Jacobson | June 20, 2023
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A ruling against Harvard might not end diversity-based admissions, experts say
With a conservative U.S. Supreme Court widely expected to overturn race-conscious admissions in higher education, attention in the education community has already shifted to what happens next. One likely effect is obvious. “There is going to be some closing of doors,” said Halley Potter, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank....
By Linda Jacobson | June 12, 2023
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Pre-K enrollment nearly bounces back from pandemic amid push for universal access
The nation’s public pre-K programs saw a rebound last year as enrollment nearly reached pre-pandemic levels, new data shows. Thirty-two percent of 4-year-olds attended a state-funded program in the 2021-22 school year — up from 28% the year before, when the National Institute for Early Education Research, which publishes the annual “yearbook,” reported that COVID had “erased”...
By Linda Jacobson | May 22, 2023
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As post-pandemic enrollment lags, schools compete for fewer students
Three years and counting since the pandemic shuttered schools and tethered students to their laptops, new data shows that enrollment in the vast majority of the nation’s largest school districts has yet to recover. Kindergarten counts continue to dwindle in many states — evidence of falling birth rates and an ever-growing array of options luring...
By Linda Jacobson | May 11, 2023
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GOP parents rights bill passes House, but faces likely ‘dead end’ in Senate
The GOP-led House on Friday passed a bill that would force schools to offer parents far greater transparency about what their children learn, but that Democrats argue could lead to book bans and discrimination against LGBTQ students. The Parents Bill of Rights passed 213 to 208, with five Republicans voting against it. “Teachers unions and education bureaucrats...
By Linda Jacobson | March 27, 2023
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Carvalho faces ‘defining moment’ as L.A.’s largest unions prepare to strike
8 p.m. Update: Los Angeles Unified workers will proceed with a strike early Tuesday morning after efforts to prevent the walkout fell apart Monday afternoon. News of a “confidential mediation” session leaked to the press before Service Employees International Union Local 99’s bargaining team knew about it, according to a union statement. During an afternoon...
By Linda Jacobson | March 20, 2023