News From the Field
Catch top headlines sharing relevant news and stories about Linked Learning practices, schools, and students.
L.A. Unified, California showcase record graduation rates; other measures show setbacks
The state of California and the Los Angeles Unified School District achieved record-high graduation rates last year despite the lingering effects of the crippling pandemic and a historic spike in student absences, prompting both praise and skepticism over the new numbers.
With teachers in short supply, states ease job requirements
Decisions to put a teacher without traditional training in charge of a classroom involve weighing tradeoffs: Is it better to hire uncertified candidates, even if they aren’t fully prepared, or instruct children in classes that are crowded or led by substitutes?
Overwhelming demand for online classes is reshaping California’s community colleges
The demand for virtual classes represents a dramatic shift in how instruction is delivered in one of the nation’s largest systems of public higher education and stands as an unexpected legacy of the pandemic.
Will California’s $4.1-billion bet on ‘community schools’ transform K-12 education?
California is making a mega-bet — with an unprecedented $4.1-billion investment over seven years — that converting hundreds of campuses in high-poverty neighborhoods into schools like Humanitas offers the best chance to save children’s pandemic-damaged education and address entrenched inequities.
California bill would give $1,000 a month in short-term guaranteed income to homeless high school seniors
Joining a growing tide of guaranteed-income programs across California, a state bill making its way through the Legislature would give $1,000 a month to unhoused high school seniors.
More than half of California community colleges refuse to drop dead-end remedial courses
Despite a California law that requires community colleges to direct students like Medina away from remedial education, more than half of the state’s 116 campuses have not made the change, which took effect in 2019.
LAUSD expects enrollment to plummet by ‘alarming’ 30% in the next decade
Enrollment in Los Angeles public schools is expected to plunge by nearly 30% over the next decade, leading to tough choices ahead about academic programs, campus closures, jobs and employee benefits — and forcing, over that time, a dramatic remake of the nation’s second-largest school system.
Why the quest for academic perfection is toxic for teens
The drive for young people to be perfect in body, mind and career has increased significantly since the 1980s, according to research from the American Psychological Assn. And it’s likely taking a toll on their mental health. Perfectionism has been linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and what social researcher Brene Brown calls “life paralysis” — all the opportunities we miss because we’re too afraid to put anything out into the world that might be imperfect.
New threat to COVID-era education: Black and Latino teachers are leaving the profession
A national survey published by the National Education Assn. on Feb. 1 found that 55% of teachers planned to exit earlier than anticipated, up from 37% in August 2021. The numbers were highest among Black (62%) and Latino (59%) educators.