How South L.A.’s Santee Education Complex’s Graduation Rate Jumped Nearly 60 Percent in 11 Years

Two Assistant Principals Learned Their High School Didn’t Need a Special Status to Be Academically Rigorous and Locally Respected

Back in 2005, when South Los Angeles’ Santee Education Complex opened, we were among the very first teachers hired. At the time, Santee was the first new high school constructed by L.A. Unified in 35 years.

Today, we’re still here—we’re assistant principals (and a little sick of each other, we joke)—in a very different Santee and a very different South L.A. Over the past 11 years, we’ve learned a lot about how to build and improve a school, and a community.

The biggest lesson is that a school doesn’t have to …

By Terri Grinner and Pablo Mejia | July 7, 2016

Teaching South L.A.’s Kids to Believe That They Are Scholars, Leaders, and Good Citizens

The Principal of Dolores Huerta Elementary Uses Her Own Struggles With Adversity to Inspire Her Students

By Susana Ansley-Gutierrez | July 7, 2016

Four years ago, when I was asked to be the summer principal at Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary in Watts, I was nervous about working in South Los Angeles.

I grew …

Why California Keeps Failing to Grade Its Schools

The State Is Inexcusably Late in Delivering a Revamped Public School Index

By Joe Mathews | May 19, 2016

It’s a California educational reality worthy of Kafka. Our state’s leaders keep asking parents and communities to take bigger roles in making local schools better—even as those same leaders keep …

Can We Close the Empathy Gap?

Sixth Annual Zócalo Book Prize Winner Sherry Turkle Thinks We Can Learn How to Talk—and Connect—Again as Humans

By Sarah Rothbard | May 12, 2016

Zócalo Publisher Gregory Rodriguez said he was terrified as he opened a discussion onstage at MOCA Grand Avenue with MIT’s Sherry Turkle.

It wasn’t, however, because he was moderating in front …

Head Start Can Make Entire Families Healthier

Teaching a Culture of Wellness in Classrooms Keeps Kids and Their Parents Out of Emergency Rooms

By Ariella Herman | May 11, 2016

Head Start is already great at helping kids succeed in life. Now it’s working at helping families become healthier too.

The National Center for Early Childhood Health and Wellness has …

Your Kid’s College Degree Might Be Worthless

Author Jeff Selingo Says Students Aren’t Getting the Skills They Need for Today’s Economy

By Sarah Rothbard | May 4, 2016

For decades, a college degree “was a signal that people were ready for the workforce,” a sign to parents that their children “were going to be golden in the job …

For College Prep Charter Schools Serving Underprivileged Communities, High School Graduation Is Just the Beginning

With a Majority of Students From South L.A., USC Hybrid High School Rejected Teaching to the Test to Focus on Getting 90 Percent of Graduates Through College

Californians, Let’s Talk About Ditching School This Fall

Instead of Weighing Bad Options, Put Educational Resources and Personnel Toward Fighting the Pandemic

How Universities Migrated into Cities and Democratized Higher Education

Colleges Once Thought the Countryside Bred Character. Now They Use Cities for "Hands-On Learning"

How Do You Measure a Teacher’s Worth?

A New Evaluation Method Shows Promise in Rebuilding Trust Between Educators and Those Who Are Grading Them

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