As a high school student in 1980, I served as a Senate Page. Every morning, I attended school on the third floor of the Library of Congress and then crossed the street to work in the Senate for rest of the day. Even the Library of Congress couldn’t help me do my homework when it […]
Educators and parents of all backgrounds are worried about learning losses suffered by their students during the pandemic. It has become clear that teachers can’t effectively serve 120+ high school students a day doing remote learning by trying to replicate the classroom experience through Zoom. Dr. Caprice Young, our national superintendent, offers New Year’s resolutions […]
Think about the sounds when you’re cooking. The tick, tick of the gas burner…the sizzle when your steak hits the hot pan…the bubbling pops of boiling liquid or the beeping timer for a proper cook time. But, when you are hearing impaired, how do you compensate for these kitchen nuances most people don’t even think […]
What is one of the most powerful tools to prevent teens from taking a troubled path, skipping school or dropping out? Experts agree – it’s mentoring. Oprah Winfrey credits her teacher/mentor for helping her overcome a troubled childhood and putting her on a path to success. January is National Mentoring Month, and a reminder of […]
Since March, our students have faced more challenges than ever – yet 2,500+ kept working hard and earned their diploma. Each of our schools has been creative to make sure that graduating during the school closures was fun and befitting of their achievement. So, we created a video to capture some great graduation moments of […]
It’s an all-too-common situation for struggling students in agricultural communities like Fresno where Uriel Ramirez, 20, grew up. Without a diploma, options for supporting themselves and their family are limited. High school dropouts are the lowest paid workers and have the highest unemployment rate. They make about $27,000 less per year than those with a […]
Ever since Julia Childs stepped in front of a TV camera 57 years ago to prepare an omelet, people have been learning culinary skills via television cooking shows. So, it was an easy transition for Learn4Life high schools to continue their Career Technical Education (CTE) classes for aspiring chefs during distance learning. Under the direction […]
When we transitioned to distance learning, distributing laptops and hotspots to all students was fairly easy. The challenge was the increase in requests to the Learn4Life information technology (IT) help desk. The staff had been serving about 2,800 employees with tech problems. Now, the IT help desk needed to respond to 23,000 students as well. […]
Davina C., 18, is one of the students in our Mendota, rural school. She describes her town as “friendly but limited because there aren’t many jobs available other than harvest work.” It’s not surprising since California is the largest producer of fruits, vegetables and nuts, contributing to more than $50 billion in revenue to the […]
The agricultural town of Mendota with a population of 11,000 lies 35 miles west of Fresno, Calif. There’s no bank, no pharmacy, and most of these rural students lack technology and internet access. Although it is ranked at the top of the 50 worst cities to live in the country, it’s home to one of […]