Innovate Public Schools

We are proud to announce our newest report, on Black educators. As our country continues to face the long standing threat of White supremacy; educators, parents, and school districts must also wrestle with the systemic racism students of color navigate daily in our public schools. In California, more than 78,000 Black students are in schools with no Black educator. This crisis pushed a team of Black educators in Los Angeles to collaborate with Innovate Public Schools to laun...ch the Black Educator Advocates Network. Last year, we listened to educators and administrators to learn how schools can better support Black educators and students. Our findings are summarized in a data brief we call, Seen and Affirmed: What Black Educators and Students need to thrive. Read the full report here https://blackeducatorsadvocate.org/

The work of our Black Educator Advocates Network, collects the voices and experiences of Black Educators across systems, stay connected Black Educator Advocates Network. Ultimately, what we found was that even when we account for salary, age, genderall of those other things that people have accounted for before in previous studiesracist micro-aggressions had a lot of explanatory power in our model, said Frank. And it was statistically significant. It was one of those things that really weighed on teachers and their thoughts of leaving.

"As California figures out how to transition from distance learning to safely reopening schools, we must also figure out how to provide the extra support that k...ids need to recover, catch up academically, and thrive. Researchers are already seeing widespread mental health needs and estimate that a majority of CA public school students will need to catch up by a year or more. In this blog series, you will learn how the pandemic is affecting students from underserved communities, the impact of learning loss, and effective solutions to reverse learning loss. The actions we take now will have a major impact on our children’s futures." Read more in our newest blog post

We are proud of our SELA parent leader, whose story was in the LA Times today. Vega has long pushed for extra help so her child can master the language. Early last year, she felt confident that a breakthrough was at hand her daughter’s teachers had a plan to start additional tutoring in March. "Then schools closed. Tutoring was canceled, except for a short stint during the fall semester. Vega says her daughter’s schooling became a constant struggle. There are days when Vega has found her in tears next to her computer. In the fall, after teachers said her daughter was failing all of her classes, Vega began taking jobs cleaning homes and offices to pay $45 an hour for a private tutor. But she worries her daughter is still falling behind."

Most students in the district have experienced learning loss, and school closures have deepened and accelerated existing inequities, the authors wrote. While attendance and engagement has improved since spring 2020, many students are still not actively engaging, and large gaps across race, income and student need persist.

"Families and the public are saying, ‘Who is making these decisions?’

"Based on reviews of union agreements in five large districts in California, the report notes that Los Angeles Unified students have the least average number of... daily live instructional minutes this year 114 at the elementary level compared to 255 in Long Beach Unified, which had the most." https://www.the74million.org//report-learning-loss-data-s/

Families are taking legal action to protect LAUSD students. Listen to our stories & help us fight to make sure that our children get the education they deserveeven during distance learning. #WorthMoreLA https://www.facebook.com/WorthMoreLA/videos/344564926687349

We took over the Los Angeles Times to cut through the spin and say that LA’s kids are worth more. LAUSD can do better. #WorthMoreLA Worth More LA

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"A group of parents is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging its distance learning plan fails to adequately educate every child and that such violation of students’ Constitutional right to a free and appropriate education particularly for low-income Black and Latino students, English learners and students with disabilities amounts to race and wealth discrimination."

LAUSD families are taking legal action to defend their children's constitutional right to an education. Families being left behind by LAUSD stood in solidarity on Thursday as they filed their case, letting LAUSD know that the district can and must do better. Learn more: worthmorela.org

My daughter and the children of my community...they’ve been failed by the district... The poor education our students receive this year is going to have an impact for years to come. - Judith Larson Read more from the Los Angeles Times on how parents are suing the district for denying students their right to an education below: https://www.latimes.com//parents-sue-lausd-blasting-its-on

A poco más de un mes de haber comenzado las clases en las escuelas del distrito de Los Angeles (LAUSD), estudiantes y padres se sienten perdidos, frustrados y desmoralizados con las clases a distancia de las escuelas públicas. https://laopinion.com//presentan-demanda-en-contra-de-lau/

Keshara Shaw and Akela Wroten Jr., two plaintiffs on a lawsuit against LAUSD, stood outside the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse with other families, blasting the district’s remote learning plan that they said disproportionately impacts Black and Latino students as well as those with disabilities.

Nueve padres de niños de El Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles presentaron una demanda colectiva propuesta el jueves alegando que los planes del distrito para la educación a distancia son inadecuados y violan los derechos de los estudiantes a un nivel básico de la educación pública bajo la constitución estatal. https://www.telemundo52.com//demanda-alega-que-e/2118829/

A solo 34 días de haber iniciado el aprendizaje a distancia, son varios los que manifiestan disparidad de acceso a la educación remota y esto ha hecho que se emprenda una acción legal contra el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles (LAUSD). Los demandantes alegan que se tenga en cuenta la situación socioeconómica de las minorías para que los niños no se atrasen en su formación académica y, además, que se brinde entrenamiento a los padres para que acompañen de manera adecuada a sus hijos. https://www.univision.com//por-que-el-lausd-fue-demandado-

Yesterday was a big day for our parent leaders, who are taking legal action against LAUSD to protect their students. Last Spring, Black and Latino students were 20% less likely to be engaged in online instruction. This Fall, too many students are still left on their own to learn a majority of the time, and their parents are not being provided with the necessary tools to help their children learn remotely. Our children are #WorthMore, stay up to date with the case by following Worth More LA.

Our parent leaders, organized together with Parent Revolution announced the filing of a lawsuit claiming LAUSD’s plans for remote learning falls short of providing students what they need to learn.