Karen D’Souza

Trauma, upheaval, fear: Students and families caught in the crosshairs of immigration enforcement Schools across California report that parents and students have been detained or deported. In the aftermath, teachers are trying to help.

Schools across California report that parents and students have been detained or deported. In the aftermath, teachers are trying to help.

California’s fishermen are struggling. Is this tiny catch their last big chance? Salmon season has been canceled. Dungeness crab season is shorter. So fishermen are fighting for what might be the last lucrative catch in California, if tariffs don’t stop them.

Salmon season has been canceled. Dungeness crab season is shorter. So fishermen are fighting for what might be the last lucrative catch in California, if tariffs don’t stop them.

Carl Sagan in 1986 on the problems with media and science literacy.

Film program empowers Berkeley teens to tell their stories Hands-on learning is the heart of this immersive documentary project, which culminated in a sold-out film festival at Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood.

Berkeley High School's Future Filmmakers program mentors teens in documentary filmmaking, culminating in a sold-out festival. Nico Lee's short film, "Changing Shapes," explores masculinity and identity, reflecting the program's focus on real-world readiness and pride in work.

Film program empowers Berkeley teens to tell their stories Hands-on learning is the heart of this immersive documentary project, which culminated in a sold-out film festival at Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood.

Hands-on learning is the heart of this immersive documentary project, which culminated in a sold-out film festival at Berkeley’s Rialto Cinemas Elmwood.

Someone at SNL is frantically measuring Walton Goggins for a pope costume as we speak.

So what? The literary world is always in the first detonation blast zone. Run towards the searing light. You don't want to live in the world without the arts. Become a writer.

The sound of music returns to students traumatized by the Eaton fire For arts students who lost so much as fires swept through the Los Angeles area in January, a new musical instrument is a big step back toward normalcy.

The sound of music returns to Altadena students in the wake of the LA fires. edsource.org/2025/the-sou... @guitarcenter.bsky.social @edsource.org @pasadenaunified.bsky.social

This is from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson aired on May 20th, 1977.

Carl Sagan says something very important, a strong message that didn't lose any validity since then.

Amid deadly measles outbreak, California’s childhood vaccination rates are falling While California's childhood immunization rates remain higher than the rest of the nation, 16 counties now fall below the threshold for herd immunity against measles.

Sixteen California counties have fallen below the herd immunity marker against measles, one of the world’s most contagious diseases, amid a sprawling outbreak.

My (and @karendsouza.bsky.social’s) (let’s be honest, it’s been a rough couple weeks, mostly Karen’s) latest from EdSource! It’s not cheerful.

Old mobile phones and keyboards. Overlaid text reads: FT Exclusive: EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones to avoid espionage

Breaking news: The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage — a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China www.ft.com/content/20d0...

It always boggles my mind that I, a journalist, am expressly forbidden from trading stocks, but members of Congress, with vastly greater knowledge of market-moving news, are allowed to profit by front-running markets, and so may profit by in essence stealing from the public they represent.

The In-Between: Intimate and Candid Moments of Broadway Stars photographed by Jenny Anderson Is that Sarah Paulson brushing her teeth in her dressing room at the Belasco, during the run of the play “Appropriate?” It’s one of some one hundred black-and-white photographs that Jenny Anderson has taken over the past 17 years backstage – during the moments “before a show begins” – that are collected in "The In-Between" (Applause, 144 pages.) Anderson has been a theater lover “since my memories began,” she writes in a short preface. But if she’s loved watching the actors on stage, “I loved the world backstage more," starting at the age of seven, when she hung out in the wings while her mother was performing in a production of “Annie” in her native Mississippi.

The In-Between: Intimate and Candid Moments of Broadway Stars photographed by Jenny Anderson

Is that Sarah Paulson brushing her teeth in her dressing room at the Belasco, during the run of the play “Appropriate?” It’s one of some one hundred black-and-white photographs that Jenny Anderson has…

Many hope that parental empowerment will remain robust even as the Covid years recede into memory. They are optimistic that families will continue to push for more transparency about academic standards and practices in the wake of falling test scores.

Learn more: bit.ly/4kY7AJc

My Cool Friend Michelle Other kids called Trachtenberg a bitch, but in our group of child stars, we all wanted to be like her.

I wrote about my kind, funny childhood friend Michelle Trachtenberg, and the group of friends that saved my life when I was a kid.

www.vulture.com/article/mara...

Children playing outside far less amid ‘no ball games’ culture, study shows Researchers also warned of the growing dominance of smartphones, social media and gaming

“There are now so many barriers restricting play... As a result, children are spending less time outdoors than previous generations, less time socialising with friends, and less time playing." www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02...

If you're affected by the DOE OCR closure in SF, or the DOE layoffs in California, or anything that affects education in the state, @edsource.org (specifically Emma) wants to hear from you! That number is also how to get in touch with her via Signal.

Leah Nanako Winkler’s ‘Thirty-Six’ wins Will Glickman Award for best new play in Bay Area The romantic dramedy, which Shotgun Players premiered, gets its title from a 2015 New York Times article headlined “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.”

I am such a fan of #LeahNanakoWinkler, a playwright with some big upcoming projects.
I'm honored to sit on this committee for the 4th year along with Jean Schiffman, @lilyjaniak.bsky.social @karendsouza.bsky.social & @enkohl.bsky.social. Congrats Leah! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

The LA Times published an op-ed warning of AI’s dangers. It also published its AI tool’s reply ‘Insight’ labeled the argument ‘center-left’ and created a reply insisting AI will make storytelling more democratic

Utterly mortifying. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

AOL warned us of the dangers of logging on. It would play for us the screams of the damned. But we didn’t listen. We didn’t listen.

Cars will need fewer screens and more buttons to earn five-star safety rating in Europe Euro NCAP will release new testing guidelines in 2026.

Next year, the EU will require cars to have buttons & dials -- not just touchscreens -- to get a top safety rating.

This is a great move. Drivers can fiddle with knobs & buttons without taking their eyes off the road, but they can't do that with touchscreens.

(Even better: Tesla will hate this)

PODCAST: Is LAUSD misusing its money for arts education? Parents joined a lawsuit against LAUSD and superintendent Alberto Carvalho, claiming that the district was misusing its Proposition 28 funds.

PODCAST: Is LAUSD misusing its money for arts education?

Guest Vicky Martinez says her children need a robust arts education in the wake of the pandemic, but LAUSD isn’t providing that.

Special thanks to @mallikaseshadri.bsky.social and @karendsouza.bsky.social

edsource.org/podcast/laus...

Nearly 40% of new US homes were built in climate high-risk zip codes at the end of 2024. www.ft.com/content/f8c0...

UPDATE: Bay Area teen rejected by 16 colleges files racial discrimination lawsuit against UC The latest education news updates from EdSource.

Stanley Zhong had a 4.42 GPA from prestigious Gunn High School and a near perfect SAT score, 1590 out of 1600. He also founded his own tech startup and tutored low-income kids in coding. The Palo Alto teen was so impressive that he was hired by Google right out of high school.

UPDATE: Forty percent of 2-year-olds have their own tablets, survey says The latest education news updates from EdSource.

The most significant change the screen time survey tracked was that children are watching very short form videos on algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok, Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. Also, AI is now a common presence.

Tablets for tots? Survey says kids watch videos on their own devices by age 2 A.I. is the other big change in the media landscape for kids and parents, the report from Common Sense Media finds.

A.I. is the other big change in the media landscape for kids and parents, the report from Common Sense Media finds.

One of the funniest, smartest plays I’ve seen in a while.

oh cool I’ve been meaning to learn anxiety

Drama teacher Catherine Borek has empowered her students to be cultural ambassadors, combating long-held stereotypes of Compton. Read more: bit.ly/3WRQCBH