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Jemma K Stephenson

@jemmakstephenson.bsky.social
1.6K followers 283 following 25 posts

K-12 education reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune

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Jemma K Stephenson @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Professor Gorra’s Edith Wharton seminar was one of my favorite classes in college
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
…and here’s the San Diego communities reporter job listing: myworkdaycenter.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/MNG/jo... Whether you’re interested in one of the 2 jobs or know somebody who might be, please apply & share! And reach out with any questions.
myworkdaycenter.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Reporter
Summary: The San Diego Union-Tribune is seeking an ambitious, resourceful, thoughtful and tenacious reporter to cover and serve the diverse communities of California’s second-largest city and beyond. ...
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Journalism job alert: I’m hiring two reporters at the @sandiegouniontribune.com — one to cover San Diego communities (this is a great beat) and one focused on investigative and enterprise reporting with our watchdog team. Here’s the watchdog job… myworkdaycenter.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/MNG/jo...
myworkdaycenter.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Reporter
Summary: The San Diego Union-Tribune is seeking an ambitious, accomplished, and tenacious reporter to join its Watchdog team and hold power to account in California’s second-largest city and beyond. T...
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 07/08/2026
Flowers, mouthwash and a podcast: How one San Diego charter school leader spent tens of thousands in public money
sandiegouniontribune.com
Flowers, mouthwash and a podcast: How one San Diego charter school leader spent tens of thousands in public money
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Beth Hawkins @bethhawkins.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
When your friend builds an investigative reporting site and starts populating it.... Are you interested in education news out of New Orleans? @martajewson.bsky.social got you!
lamplighter.news
Incremental Journalism in Action
Lamplighter: This is what incremental journalism looks like.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Meanwhile, in San Diego, where a number of people have died in jail in isolation cells, these high schoolers are bringing the fight against solitary in county jails to their sheriff and other elected officials: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/07/15/t...
sandiegouniontribune.com
The teen activists working to end solitary confinement in San Diego County
‘We do want a fundamental restructuring,’ says the founder of Youth to End Solitary SD. His group will sit down Wednesday with Sheriff Kelly Martinez.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Kelly was an extraordinary, wise, inspiring, deeply compassionate reporter who made so many of us better journalists & better people, & who made so many lives richer. I can’t quite believe she’s gone. But please read this beautiful obituary by her longtime collaborator @byjeffmcdonald.bsky.social.
sandiegouniontribune.com
Kelly Davis, intrepid reporter who exposed death and despair in San Diego County jails and gave voice to the downtrodden, dies at 53
The 2023 San Diego journalist of the year beat cancer for more than a decade before being diagnosed with a new tumor earlier this year; she leaves a lasting legacy in her adopted hometown.
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EdSource @edsource.org · 27/06/2026
In leaving office, Gov. Newsom is on the verge of achieving what others had recommended for decades: replacing the elected state superintendent as manager of the Department of Education with a new education director reporting to the governor. edsource.org/2026/califor...
edsource.org
State Superintendent will no longer manage California schools under deal Newsom cuts with Legislature
In leaving office, Gov. Newsom is on the verge of achieving what others had recommended for decades: replacing the elected state superintendent as manager of the Department of Education with a new…
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 10/06/2026
Barrio Logan post office could be renamed for local education leader Armando Rodriguez
sandiegouniontribune.com
Barrio Logan post office could be renamed for local education leader Armando Rodriguez
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Education Writers Association @edwriters.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Congratulations to the top winners of EWA’s National Awards for Education Reporting! Learn which journalists received recognition during EWA’s 79th National Seminar today. ewa.org/members-news... #ewa26 #ewaAWARDS #journalistSKY #eduSKY
ewa.org
EWA Names 2025 Top Prize Winners
The Education Writers Association announces the winners of EWA's Ronald D. Moskowitz & Fred M. Hechinger Prizes.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 03/06/2026
Oceanside Unified will rename Cesar Chavez Middle School, choosing name that echoes future high school
sandiegouniontribune.com
Oceanside Unified will rename Cesar Chavez Middle School, choosing name that echoes future high school
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 22/05/2026
Thousands mourn three victims killed in mosque shooting. ‘These men were my brothers.’
sandiegouniontribune.com
Thousands mourn three victims killed in mosque shooting. ‘These men were my brothers.’
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 22/05/2026
County urges: Don’t eat wild mushrooms
sandiegouniontribune.com
County urges: Don’t eat wild mushrooms
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Alabama Reflector @alabamareflector.com · 21/05/2026
Via Anna Barrett: At least eight state lawmakers lost in Tuesday’s primary election, with two incumbents set for a June primary runoff. ow.ly/aPQr50Z2tzM
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 21/05/2026
As Islamic Center reopens after deadly attack, San Diego Muslims express uneasiness, defiance
sandiegouniontribune.com
As Islamic Center reopens after deadly attack, San Diego Muslims express uneasiness, defiance
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 13/05/2026
Prominent San Diego civil rights leader, former SDSU administrator Harold K. Brown dies at 92
sandiegouniontribune.com
Prominent San Diego civil rights leader, former SDSU administrator Harold K. Brown dies at 92
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Alabama Reflector @alabamareflector.com · 08/05/2026
Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social and @rchapoco.bsky.social: “My aunt bludgeoned on the Edmund Pettus Bridge . . . trampled over for the right to vote not a long time ago,” said Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma. “We didn’t even have the Voting Rights Act intact for 50 years. That is a sin and a shame.”
alabamareflector.com
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs primary bills as state seeks to redistrict | Alabama Reflector
The new primaries would be scheduled if federal courts allow the state to use maps previously deemed racially discriminatory.
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Brian Lyman @brianlyman.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Alabama House recessed debate over the primary bill after protestors in the gallery began chanting. One protestor was taken out despite efforts by Reps. Juandalynn Givan and Mary Moore, both D-Birmingham, to intervene on her behalf.
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Brian Lyman @brianlyman.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Cries of “No Justice No Peace” erupt at an Alabama House hearing on a bill to set new primaries should federal courts allow the state to revert to maps previously deemed discriminatory to Black voters.
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Brian Lyman @brianlyman.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, addresses the committee: “All we are asking for is an opportunity.”
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Brian Lyman @brianlyman.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Words fail me; Alabama Senate is meeting as the building is being vacated.
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oliver haug @cohaug.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
a couple weeks ago my friend and I journeyed all the way around the bay on public transit only. i wrote about the things we saw, for @oaklandreviewofbooks.org:
oaklandreviewofbooks.org
Seeing from public transit
Around the sun, around the bay, the day after the Spring Equinox
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Jemma K Stephenson @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Investigating Smith College Over Transgender Admissions
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 01/05/2026
Mass animal rescue under way at sanctuary outside Julian. ‘Never seen anything like this.’
sandiegouniontribune.com
Mass animal rescue under way at sanctuary outside Julian. ‘Never seen anything like this.’
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Jemma K Stephenson @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
How the Voting Rights Act Bolstered Black Representation in the House (Gift Article)
See more charts on how the passage of the landmark law in 1965 helped increase Black representation in the U.S. House, especially in the South, according to a Times analysis.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 20/04/2026
Advocates for young San Diegans decry mayor’s proposed cuts to youth services, libraries and parks
sandiegouniontribune.com
Advocates for young San Diegans decry mayor’s proposed cuts to youth services, libraries and parks
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 11/04/2026
San Diegans gather at watch parties, along shoreline to glimpse Artemis II splashdown off coast
sandiegouniontribune.com
San Diegans gather at watch parties, along shoreline to glimpse Artemis II splashdown off coast
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 11/04/2026
Photos: Artemis II splashdown
sandiegouniontribune.com
Photos: Artemis II splashdown
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 29/03/2026
Its schools are falling apart, and voters won’t pass a bond. Could a little-used tactic help this district?
sandiegouniontribune.com
Its schools are falling apart, and voters won’t pass a bond. Could a little-used tactic help this district?
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 21/03/2026
San Diego mayor, school district move to strip Cesar Chavez’s name from public places of honor
sandiegouniontribune.com
San Diego mayor, school district move to strip Cesar Chavez’s name from public places of honor
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
So many other outlets get this story wrong. Long before the Supreme Court weighed in on Mirabelli v. Olson on its shadow docket, Kristen Taketa's been covering it with care for @sandiegouniontribune.com & getting it right from the beginning. Here's our story. And here's what's gotten missed... 🧵
sandiegouniontribune.com
Supreme Court sides with Escondido teachers in ongoing lawsuit over transgender student privacy, parents’ rights
A federal appeals court is still considering whether parents have a right to be informed of possible changes to their child’s gender.
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Beth Hawkins @bethhawkins.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Strib is reporting man ICE shot is dead, witnesses in ICE custody. ICE ordered MPD to leave scene but Chief O'Hara refused, instructed officers to preserve the scene. BCA enroute. All available MPD officers have been called into work, days off cancelled. www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
startribune.com
Live: Man shot by federal agents in south Minneapolis this morning, witnesses say
A video appears to shows federal agents wrestling a man to the ground then shooting him.
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EdSource @edsource.org · 17/01/2026
Send us pictures of your school — the good and the bad SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS: bit.ly/3NqoTX5
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Alabama Reflector @alabamareflector.com · 14/01/2026
“For these historical, iconic women I had been taught so much about, I just couldn’t move,” Colvin told the Montgomery Advertiser in 2019. “I just couldn’t move. That’s the only way I knew how to resist, to not move. So they just dragged me off the bus.”
alabamareflector.com
Claudette Colvin, who challenged Alabama's segregation laws, dies at 86 | Alabama Reflector
Colvin was just 15 years old when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery bus.
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Rebecca Griesbach @greezbock.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Some personal news…. This project was my last for @aldotcom. I’m starting a new position at Tulane’s Cowen Institute this week, where I’ll continue to work with education data to help improve outcomes for New Orleans students.
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Jemma K Stephenson @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
www.latimes.com/science/stor...
latimes.com
Autistic kids are at higher risk of suicide. Why don't their parents and doctors know?
Autistic kids are far more likely to think about and die from suicide than their neurotypical peers. Autism researchers and advocates are working towards developing better screening tools, safety plan...
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Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
“Calling the meeting to order”. Postcard from my collection, mailed 1907.
Black and white photo of an indignant longhaired tabby kitten sitting up in a porcelain cup with float design around the rim. White text across the top reads “Calling the meeting to order”.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
The model Learn4Life schools use is non-classroom-based (kids mostly work remotely) and independent-study (kids don't attend remote classes but rather complete assignments on their own). To some teachers, that lack of structure was especially tough for their vulnerable student population. 4/x
sandiegouniontribune.com
‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools
The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
What schools really cared about, teachers said, was posting high average daily attendance, or ADA — the basis for school funding in California. “You gotta get ADA. That was the real driver,” one said. But they had qualms about how they say they were expected to do it.
sandiegouniontribune.com
‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools
The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
“It just felt like I’m perpetuating this problem of this kid falling further and further behind even when they’re trying. I remember feeling at the time, ‘This isn’t right, it shouldn’t be this way.’” “We didn’t graduate enough students.” “We didn’t treat them like we should’ve.”
sandiegouniontribune.com
‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools
The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
First up: The education. Kristen Taketa spoke with a dozen current and former teachers and administrators. They shared a sense of frustration at their schools’ priorities and regret at the schools' track records. 2/x
sandiegouniontribune.com
‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools
The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.
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Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
The Learn4Life charter school network enrolls 20k of CA's most vulnerable teens. But its stated mission of helping students succeed may be at odds with what teachers suggest it's best at: steering public money to an obscure nonprofit. I'll explain. 1/x www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/10/05/t...
sandiegouniontribune.com
‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools
The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.
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Emma Gallegos @emmagallegos.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
I'm thrilled to share a profile of Saran Tugsjargal, who has been an advocate on behalf of the 850,000 TK-12 students with disabilities in California. It has meant a lot for her to stand up for students like her who felt stigmatized. “My heart was beaming,” she said. edsource.org/2025/student...
edsource.org
How this teen pushed California to change special education policy
Saran Tugsjargal said the advocacy work she did — first for herself, then on behalf of the 850,000 students in California — has turned into what she hopes will be her life mission.
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Jemma K Stephenson @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
For any Alabama friends who still follow me, Dr. Pendleton was from Gadsden www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/25/a...
sandiegouniontribune.com
As San Diego schools’ first Black and first female leader, Bertha Pendleton showed ‘willingness to share with everybody’
The Alabama native, who died this week at 92, spent more than 40 years with the San Diego Unified School District before retiring as superintendent in 1998.
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The 74 @the74.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Undocumented preschoolers can stay in Head Start — for now. @jonapolitano.bsky.social reports
the74million.org
Undocumented Preschoolers Can Stay in Head Start — For Now
Two federal judges issued injunctions blocking the Trump administration from barring undocumented students from the anti-poverty early ed program.
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Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · 12/09/2025
Head Start has never asked families about their immigration status. The Trump administration wants to change that, but its new rule is now on hold nationwide.
bit.ly
Preliminary injunctions block Trump Head Start rule barring undocumented children
Head Start has never asked families about their immigration status. The Trump administration wants to change that, but its new rule is now on hold nationwide.
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Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · 11/09/2025
One shooting victim remains in critical condition at a Lakewood hospital. The other is in critical condition at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
bit.ly
Evergreen shooting victims still hospitalized, resource center opens for victims, witnesses
One shooting victim remains in critical condition at a Lakewood hospital. The other is in critical condition at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
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Emma Gallegos @emmagallegos.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
I'm planning to follow up on this subject. If you're someone who works with girls in STEM fields, get in touch with me!
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 02/09/2025
Across San Diego County, a push to move schools off fossil fuels is met with enthusiasm — and wariness www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/02/a...
sandiegouniontribune.com
Across San Diego County, a push to move schools off fossil fuels is met with enthusiasm — and wariness
Larger urban and suburban districts are embracing the mandate, and going beyond it. But small rural districts say electric school buses don’t make sense for them.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune @sandiegouniontribune.com · 02/09/2025
A safe parking lot for homeless schoolchildren appears to be back on track www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/09/02/a...
sandiegouniontribune.com
A safe parking lot for homeless schoolchildren appears to be back on track
The project at San Diego’s old Central Elementary could open as soon as September.
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