Education

By Howard Blume

Under pressure from local community leaders, the federal Office for Civil Rights will look at whether low academic achievement of African American students results from discrimination -- intentional or not -- by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The probe, disclosed in a recent letter to community groups, expands an ongoing investigation into services provided to students who are learning English.

by Page Ivey

Graduates of a historically black college in Columbia, S.C., will need to use the same perseverance that got them through school to find a job in the sluggish economy, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, told them Saturday.

Waters, whose congressional district includes LAX and Inglewood, told about 170 graduates of Benedict College in Columbia that they will find work even though it's not their dream job. South Carolina has had one of the nation's highest jobless rates for more than two years.