Mallika Seshadri

EdSource

In-depth coverage the Los Angeles Unified School District and beyond

EdSource •

LAUSD’s 100 priority schools show support for equity, but some say program isn’t enough

Thomas Jefferson High School has a rich history. 


It is one of the oldest schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District — established more than a century ago — and lies in Central Avenue, which used to be called “Little Harlem” during the 1920s and 1930s. 


Its graduates — from Ralph Bunche, the first Black Nobel laureate, to Alvin Ailey, the legendary choreographer — have had lasting impact.


Now, Jefferson High sits on LAUSD’s list of 100 priority schools — meaning that Superintend...
EdSource •

LAUSD families still struggling to access disability supports

When the Covid-19 pandemic led to school shutdowns in 2020, and students began plugging into their classes online, Naomi Burn saw her 17-year-old son’s grades soar. 


Her son seemed more engaged, completed his assignments and was in better spirits. The virtual classes seemed to serve him better. So, when face-to-face instruction returned, Burn decided to enroll him in one of the district’s virtual academies, where he would also be able to receive the counseling outlined in his individualized e...
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Safety concerns on the rise in LAUSD; Carvalho looks to police

Four years after removing district police from individual campuses, the Los Angeles Unified School District has temporarily restored officers to two schools — reviving longstanding debates and dissatisfaction over school policing.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho attempted to restore officers to 20 school sites to make campuses safer, according to a May 13 memo to school board members. Those campuses were chosen based on “relevant safety data.”

“As we near the end of the school year, we continu
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Grassroots contributions fueled bid to oust two from Orange County school board

A grassroots movement propelled by small contributions from teachers and local residents ousted two board members from an Orange County school district who supported controversial causes.

The victory came despite opposing big money contributions from conservative organizations, Republican political figures and business leaders.

More than 85% of the $227,000 raised by recall supporters came from over 400 individuals giving an average of about $450 each, with the rest coming mostly from teachers
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Unions allege LAUSD is misusing arts education funds

High school junior Maya Shtangrud may have given up on her childhood dream of learning to play the violin — but now, serving as an arts justice fellow at the ACLU of Southern California, she remains steadfast in her advocacy for arts education.

Like many, she hoped Proposition 28 — a ballot measure passed by roughly 65% of voters in November 2022 to allocate about $1 billion toward arts education each year — would lead to greater opportunities for her fellow students.

She’s not quite as optimi
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LAUSD celebrates 10 years of restorative justice, but progress remains uneven

This May, the Los Angeles Unified School District celebrated the 10th anniversary of the School Climate Bill of Rights — a resolution that halted suspensions for willful defiance and brought restorative justice practices into classrooms.

Social justice advocates and school board members applauded the nearly 80% reduction in overall suspensions in LAUSD since the new policy passed.

“The best thing that has happened is that LA Unified is seeing students for students, and that includes their boun
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LAUSD considers adjusting its Black Student Achievement Plan amid complaint

The Los Angeles Unified School District is considering broadening the language associated with the Black Student Achievement Plan in an attempt to avoid investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, a move supporters fear could steer the focus of the program away from Black student achievement and wellness.

The potential change in the Black Student Achievement Plan comes after Parents Defending Education, a conservative group with a track record of challenging schools’ efforts to promote e
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Research: Immigration enforcement hinders schoolwork; schools offer support

Immigrant students’ schoolwork and experience in the classroom often suffer in the presence of immigration enforcement — with 60% percent of teachers and school staff reporting poorer academic performance, and nearly half noting increased rates of bullying against these students, UCLA-based researchers found.

“Instead of focusing on their education, these students struggle with this uncertainty and, as a result, are often absent from school or inattentive. Their teachers also struggle to motiva
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Foster, homeless youth lose disproportionately more instruction to suspensions

Students in precarious living situations — especially foster and homeless youth —are much more likely to be suspended and lose instructional time vital to their academic success, according to a report released by the UCLA Civil Rights Project and the National Center for Youth Law.

In the 2021-2022 academic year alone, California students lost more than 500,000 days to out-of-school suspensions, where students are sent home as a form of discipline, the study said.

Across the state, foster youth
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A year after Alberto Carvalho vows to curb Covid learning loss, LAUSD struggles to recover

November 9, 2023 - Child development courses in Spanish are opening community college to nannies who had previously been locked out.

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Last fall, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he would recover Covid-19 pandemic learning loss in two years.

One year later — and half way to that goal post — the 2023 California Smarter Balanced test scores revealed a small improvement in math scores, a minimal decline in English language
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Learning at Temecula Valley Unified suffers as censorship fears rise

May 12 began as a typical school day for Temecula Valley High School drama teacher Greg Bailey.

But when he opened his mailbox, he found a printed copy of an email, sent on May 7, complaining that he taught the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America” by Tony Kushner, which deals with the AIDS epidemic in New York during the 1980s.

Allegations mounted that Bailey was grooming students and that he forced them to perform a short, explicit scene involving a gay man who makes questionable c
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LAUSD considering a policy to limit charter co-locations, prioritize vulnerable students

The Los Angeles Unified School District school board is considering a resolution that would exclude 346 schools serving its most vulnerable student populations from co-location arrangements with charter schools. Doing so could potentially undermine the integrity of Proposition 39, a statewide initiative that mandates public schools to share spaces with charter schools.

The resolution, authored by President Jackie Goldberg and member Rocio Rivas and discussed at a meeting Tuesday, would require
EdSource •

LAUSD considers limiting charter co-locations on vulnerable campuses

The Los Angeles Unified School District school board drew a mix of gratitude and frustration from communities throughout the region during its discussion of a policy that prevents charter schools from sharing a campus with its 100 priority schools, Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) schools and community schools. The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), along with charter supporters, said the board policy was discriminatory and threatened lawsuits against the district.

Borrowing fr
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North Valley Military Institute shuts down amid widespread controversy

The North Valley Military Institute — a grades six-12 charter school founded in 2013 — voluntarily surrendered its charter and closed its doors permanently on Aug. 25, leaving nearly 800 students and 180 employees in the Los Angeles area without a place to learn and work.

Both NVMI officials and community activists who called for the school’s shutdown have said the closure was months in the making.

Officials of the charter school blame the closing on accommodation problems as NVMI relied on sp
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‘My mission’: Dolores Huerta Elementary Principal Estela Lopez extends support to community

When Estela Lopez was about 7 years old, her brother told her she could join in on an adventure — provided she stayed strong, followed instructions and didn’t cry.

After school one day, Lopez and her older brother trekked across the street to their local school in what used to be South Central Los Angeles and climbed over the walls, jumping from one room to the next despite hearing their mother calling their names.

By chance, Lopez stumbled on a recycling bin packed with paper worksheets. She

Breaking News

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LAUSD board votes to add $9 billion school construction bond to November ballot 

Voters in November will decide whether to give the Los Angeles Unified School District $9 billion in bond money to upgrade and improve school facilities, the school board decided unanimously Wednesday. 


The bond is the largest ever put on the ballot by Los Angeles Unified and is just shy of a statewide school bond measure for $10 billion that will also be on the November ballot. For LAUSD’s bond measure to pass, at least 55% of voters will need to vote in favor — which would lead to an uptick...
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10 LAUSD schools get a chance to opt out of standardized testing, create alternative measurements

Ten Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) community schools will be given an opportunity to pilot new approaches to assessments in the 2025-26 academic year. 


And once the schools adopt alternative assessments, they won’t have to participate in standardized tests, other than those mandated by state and federal governments, the district school board decided in a 4-3 vote on Tuesday. 


The policy, which comes as part of the Supporting Meaningful Teaching and Learning in the LAUSD Commun...
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Backlash mounts as LAUSD approves policy preventing charters on vulnerable campuses

The Los Angeles Unified School District school board voted 4-3 Tuesday to adopt a policy that would prevent charter schools from sharing a campus with the district’s Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) schools, community schools and priority schools.

This decision means that when making co-location offers, the board will try to avoid offers that “compromise district schools’ capacity to serve neighborhood children” and that “result in grade span arrangements that negatively impact student saf
EdSource •

FAFSA delays are leaving students in limbo. California campuses don’t expect help

February 1, 2024 - Guillermo Tejeda is a jazz musician who is passionate about teaching and integrating music into the classroom.

The U.S. Department of Education is attempting to solve issues associated with this year’s rocky rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and ensure colleges and universities release financial aid packages in a timely manner through a new plan announced Monday — but some California campuses remain pessimistic about receiving support.

This year
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Chino Valley revamps parental notification policy; LGBTQ+ allies fear legal escalation

The Chino Valley Unified School District school board voted Thursday to adopt a revamped version of its transgender notification policy, which LGBTQ+ advocates fear would help the district withstand court battles and propel the case to the United States Supreme Court — a possibility previously expressed by Board President Sonja Shaw.

Unlike the original policy adopted in July, the new policy does not use words like “gender” or “bathroom.” Instead, it broadly states that school officials should
EdSource •

Bonta backs motion blocking censorship, transgender notification in Temecula schools

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is formally backing a motion to prevent the Temecula Valley Unified School District from implementing policies that could censor instruction about race and gender as well as those that force employees to notify parents if their child shows signs of being transgender.

In August, Public Counsel, the nation’s largest pro bono law firm, and Ballard Spahr LLP, filed a case against Temecula Valley Unified School District on behalf of its parents, teachers, the te
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Murrieta Valley Unified adopts Chino Valley’s policy notifying parents of student gender identity

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District board voted Thursday night to accept the policy passed by the Chino Valley Unified school board on July 20 “as is” — mandating that parents be told if their child shows any indication of being transgender.

Under the policy, parents and guardians will be notified in writing, within three days of learning, if their child asks to be identified with a gender or name different from what was assigned at birth and if their child uses a bathroom or participat
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Temecula Valley school board fires superintendent Jodi McClay as protests erupt outside

Behind closed doors, the Temecula Valley school board voted 3-1 to fire the district’s superintendent Jodi McClay Tuesday and hire former Assistant Superintendent Kimberly Velez to fill in as interim.

While the board met in a closed session at Temecula Valley High School, dozens of parents, teachers and students protested the district’s decision to ban the “Social Studies Alive!” textbook which leaves more than 11,000 students without reading materials for the coming year.

McClay’s termination

Collaborative reporting & contributions

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Helping students with mental health struggles may help them return to school

Students who are chronically absent from school are much more likely to struggle with mental health challenges, with pre-teen boys and teen girls reporting some of the highest signs of distress.


When students need help, availability of mental health support often depends on the income of families. “As household income increased, so did the availability of mental health services” in children’s schools, University of Southern California researchers found in a survey of 2,500 households nationwi...
Los Angeles Times •

Why are more students chronically absent in California, U.S.? Study examines troubling trend

Juan Ballina, right, stands with his mother, Carmen Ballina, near their home. Juan missed 94 days of school in 2022 because he didn’t have required medical assistance available, illustrating the complexity of the chronic absenteeism problem in California and nationwide.

Since the pandemic, the number of students across the country who are chronically absent — meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year — has nearly doubled to 13.6 million, according to estimates in a new study.

About 1
EdSource •

California’s dramatic jump in chronically absent students part of a nationwide surge

Veronica Lopez has twin fifth-grade daughters. One is working toward her school’s “perfect attendance” award. The other, Miranda, has been sick a lot and chronically absent from Los Angeles Unified’s Fair Avenue Elementary.

“If she’s not feeling well, then she shouldn’t go to school,” Lopez said. “She’s not going to learn. She’s not going to get better. She needs to rest.”

Lopez said having a child miss school is the “last thing you want” as a parent, both for their education and because it ca
EdSource •

When California schools summon police

Middle schooler allegedly attacks classmate twice, choking him severely. Police recommend attempted murder charges to district attorney.

School staff calls police to report squirrel with injured leg in school courtyard.

Unknown man in swimsuit briefs adorned with Australian flag trespassing at high school pool. Lifeguard sees a man follow boys 9 and 12, into the locker room. Man strips, pulls back the shower curtain to see the boy and asks: “Does this make you uncomfortable?” Man flees. Police
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San Bernardino County: Growing hot spot for school-run police

In eastern San Bernardino County, a cluster of five school districts take a different approach than nearly all the rest of California when it comes to school policing: they not only buy books for kids, they also buy bullets for cops. They run their own police departments.

There are just 19 school-run police forces in California spread over 10 counties. They include Los Angeles and San Diego unified, the state’s two largest districts. In all, 15% of California K-12 students — more than 863,000 k
EdSource •

Cellphone bans becoming more common in California schools

In California and across the United States this year, policies banning or restricting student cellphone use on school campuses are being enacted in an effort to curb bullying, classroom distractions and addiction to the devices.


“It’s part of the zeitgeist right now, and there is a trend toward cellphone restriction,” said Troy Flint, spokesperson for the California School Boards Association. “There’s more scrutiny of the issue now than there was previously.”


Lincoln Unified School Distric...
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As protests surge across college campuses, student journalists report from the front lines

June 20, 2024 - What happened at UC Riverside, a campus with a reputation for being welcoming to Middle Eastern students, was different.

A critical presence persists across the dozens of university campuses nationwide where students have organized demonstrations in support of Palestinians: student journalists reporting for their school newspapers, at times providing round-the-clock coverage and, increasingly, doing so under threats of arrest and violence.

“They recognize that the eyes of the w
EdSource •

Temecula board again votes to reject textbooks, despite warnings from Newsom

The Temecula Valley Unified school board did not back down Tuesday from its previous decision to reject Social Studies Alive textbooks recommended by a committee of its teachers, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s warnings that the district could be sanctioned if it didn’t use the updated state-approved curriculum.

In May, the school board voted 3-2 not to use the Social Studies Alive!” textbooks, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute, in grades one to five. Some board members objected to supplem
EdSource •

Temecula Valley Unified reverses course and adopts state-approved social studies curriculum

After vowing to defy pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Temecula Valley Unified’s school board reversed itself and adopted social studies textbooks for elementary grades, while also voting to exclude a chapter that highlights civil rights, including the gay rights movement.

Friday night’s unanimous approval for Social Studies Alive! textbooks and workbooks came two days after Newsom had again threatened to order and charge the district $1.6 million for the books, plus a fine of another $1.5 milli

Education Beat podcast appearances

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PODCAST: Mental health is key to getting students back in class

If Jennifer Hwang’s son made it to his first grade classroom, it was rarely without a fight. He was having violent outbursts and refusing to go to school many mornings.


University of Southern California researchers recently found that students who are chronically absent from school are much more likely to struggle with mental health challenges.


What can schools do to get these students back in class?


Guests:


Read more from EdSource:

If Jennifer Hwang’s son made it to his first grad...
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PODCAST: Student journalists on the frontlines of protest coverage

As a wave of protests on university campuses call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for universities to divest from companies with military ties to Israel, student journalists have emerged as crucial sources of information.

At some schools, student journalists are the only regular source of news on campus grounds, especially when campuses have shut down to non-students. In some cases, they’ve scooped mainstream media, with the most accurate, up-to-date coverage.

Increasingly, student journalists are
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PODCAST: A principal at the heart of her school and her community

Estela López grew up in South Central Los Angeles, and she still lives and works just minutes from her childhood home. She has served in neighborhood schools for 30 years, first as a teacher and now as the principal of Dolores Huerta Elementary School.

She has made it her mission to make sure her school is a refuge for children in the neighborhood, and her reach extends far beyond the walls of her school to help families secure housing, healthcare, and food.

When she was grieving the loss of h
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PODCAST: A teacher removed, a play censored, and the chilling effect that followed

A high school drama teacher was removed from the classroom in Temecula Valley Unified, after a parent complained students were reading the Pulitzer-prize-winning play, “Angels in America,” about the AIDS epidemic in New York during the 1980s.

It’s the latest in a series of efforts by newly elected conservative school board members to change curriculum in the district. What happened in the months after the teacher’s removal? And how is it affecting other teachers and students?
• Temecula board a
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PODCAST: This program turns parents into preschool teachers

A new program in Los Angeles County helps low-income parents take the early childhood education classes they need to become preschool teachers. The program aims to both help fill a shortage of early educators and help parents build their careers.

Listen to how one mom fulfills a childhood dream to become a teacher, even joining classes from a hospital bed.

Read more from EdSource: Nearly 100 parents in LA County are on the verge of becoming teachers through a new collaborative program

Educati