As the 2025–26 school year kicks off, we’re joined by Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Debra Duardo and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez for a powerful conversation about what lies ahead for students, educators and our school communities.
In this episode, our County leaders reflect on the excitement a new school year brings and share their top priorities for the year. This includes improving student attendance and supporting mental health and wellbeing for both students and staff. They discuss how LACOE is helping districts embrace innovation, including the safe and thoughtful integration of AI in the classroom, and how teacher wellbeing remains at the center of their efforts. You’ll also hear about the importance of listening and uplifting student voice as well as building trusted partnerships with families and educators.
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About Let Me Add to That: An Education Podcast
Nearly 2 million students and 80 school districts make up the Los Angeles County education system – as you can imagine, the experiences, the success and the challenges vary from district to district as it does student to student. The Let Me Add to That Podcast, presented by the Los Angeles Office of Education will feature education experts including superintendents, administrators, teachers and students themselves who will highlight various hot topics that the county faces on a day-to-day basis. Let Me Add to That is titled and modeled after the inclusion of different perspectives, experiences and challenges. New episodes will be released on the first Wednesday of every month.
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