Outside evaluator must tell us how well prepared are we for Common Core - by John Affeldt
California, like many states, is embarking on an ambitious rewiring of its public school system. By the 2014-15 school year, it plans to implement new Common Core academic standards in English and math for all grades. The new standards were adopted by the State Board of Education only 18 months ago. Having all of our [...]
Munger-PTA initiative hits the streets - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess
Unfazed by disparagement from Gov. Brown’s politicos, civil rights attorney Molly Munger and her chief ally, the state PTA, launched a drive Thursday to collect signatures for the November ballot for a $10 billion tax initiative to benefit K-12 and early childhood education. “We would not do signatures if we did not feel confident,” Addisu Demissie, [...]
Financially strained districts on the rise - by Kathryn Baron
Nearly a third of California students attend school in a district facing dire financial circumstances. A report released yesterday by the State Department of Education shows that 127 of California’s 1,037 school districts are now designated as either in negative or qualified budget territory. And that’s before taking the January trigger cuts into account. Seven districts [...]