In the school year 2019-20, the Partnership graduation rates increased seven percentage points from last year to 87%, an all-time high for us. By comparison, the state of California’s 2020 graduation rate is 84%, down from 85% in 2019. LA Unified’s 2020 graduation rate is 80%, up two percentage points from the previous year. The...
On January 19, 2021, we published our third funding policy report entitled, “Worth It: Eight Ways to Prioritize Equity in LA Unified’s Budget.” Investing in our students is worth it and we have developed several funding recommendations for LA Unified to help level the playing field for high-need schools through 2024. Our policy brief focuses...
In early November, we joined over 40 organizations to call on all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the City and County of Los Angeles to address digital inequities in our city’s under-resourced neighborhoods. These organizations, who represent 250,000 students, also called for the LA City Mayor, City Council, and County Board of Supervisors to pressure...
In July 2020, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) partnered to conduct a survey of more than 1,100 Los Angeles Unified School District families. The survey was instrumental to our newly published brief, “Listening to Learn: What Los Angeles Families Say They Need During Distance Learning,”...
On August 26, 2020, the Partnership hosted a webinar that featured Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project. This conversation with educators focused on the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and 400+ years of anti-Black racism and oppression. Ryan Smith, Chief External Officer at the Partnership, moderated the panel which included Nikole Hannah-Jones;...
On August 20, 2020, the Partnership joined more than 50 social justice and education equity organizations to urge state leaders to take action on policy recommendations to close the digital divide. Read more here.
The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with countless others who have lost their lives because of the fatal disparities and injustices that people of color face in America, are a heartbreaking and infuriating reminder of the long-standing impact of systemic and institutional racism that plagues our country. We, the...
On May 26, 2020, Sandy Banks of the LA Times published a heartwarming column about Keith Wallick, graduating senior from Santee Education Complex, who has overcome obstacles including homelessness to graduate. Keith is a talented young artist who has accepted an offer to the Art Academy of Cincinnati with a scholarship. The column also highlights...
On May 26, 2020, national education leaders explored the idea of punctuated equilibrium in education and how this moment of rapid change prompts us to examine what we are learning in the wake of the spread of COVID-19. Panelists discussed what we’re learning, how we address issues of equity and access, and how we seize...
On May 16, 2020, CNN featured two Partnership students, along with their most inspirational teachers, during its “Class of 2020: In This Together” segment. The students and teachers from Santee Education Complex and Roosevelt High School briefly shared success stories. Learn more about each below. Keith Wallick is a graduating senior at Santee Education Complex. Learn...
Increasing Access to WiFi and Technology for Low-Income Communities and Communities of Color On April 22, 2020, we published a research brief entitled “Bridging LA’s Digital Divide: Increasing Access to WiFi and Technology for Low-Income Communities and Communities of Color,” which highlights the lack of digital devices and internet access in low-income communities like Watts,...
Amidst the many challenges facing our students during this time, we are deeply concerned about our high school seniors who are planning to go to college. Students in our communities already face many challenges on the path to a college degree, but we fear that the COVID-19 health crisis will further exacerbate equity gaps in...
