LAUSD Supt.: California 'long overdue' for revamp of teacher dismissal policy
April 17, 2012 | By Tami Abdollah
Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy speaks during a press conference at South Region High School #2 in Los Angeles, California February 6, 2012.
California is "long overdue" for a revamp of the Education Code policies that govern teacher dismissal so as to make it more easier to fire those accused of heinous acts against children, sai
L.A. Unified board renews charter of low performing school
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
In a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, LAUSD's school board renewed the charter for an Indigenous-centered school labeled as low-performing by district officials. More than 100 supporters of Academia Semillas del Pueblo staged an Aztec dance outside school board chambers. Inside, parent Jasmine Zamora praised the K-8 school’s education of her kindergartener. "Not only in a few short months is he reading, is he writing in English and Spanish, he’s singing in Nahuatl and identifying with local culture," said Zamora. LAUSD's charter school division recommended revoking the charter because the c... more »
UCLA announces over 15,000 admitted to 2012 freshman class, most diverse - and out-of-state - ever
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
UCLA says this fall's freshman class will be the school’s most diverse — ever. The 15,455 high school seniors accepted for the fall semester come from all 50 states and from 69 countries. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block calls the University a "beacon of access and opportunity" for students of all backgrounds. Partly because of budget uncertainties, UCLA has reduced the number of California students it’s admitted and increased its admission of out-of-state students. Out-of-staters don't get the same tuition breaks in-state students do. Even so, three-fifths, or about about 9,000 studen... more »
Three misconduct bills to be discussed in Sacramento
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
Three bills that deal with teacher misconduct will be discussed by the California Legislature's Senate and Assembly education committees Wednesday. SB1059, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bob Huff of Diamond Bar, would remove pensions and health benefits from teachers convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and prevent disciplinary records from being removed from personnel files. It would also require teachers be removed from the classroom if officials believe they are under investigation. The bill matches resolutions on employee dismissal approved by the L.A. Unified school board... more »
LAUSD committee suggests cutting credit, course requirements for graduation
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
An LAUSD committee has proposed, and in some cases approved, sweeping changes to L.A. Unified's current system. This includes dropping the number of credits needed to graduate and making non-academic classes, like health and technology, optional for graduation. High school health teacher Matthew French said his class covers sex ed and other topics essential for students. "Obesity, STDs..." listed French. "So this isn’t just about getting kids ready for college, it’s about getting them ready for life." The district wants to kick out some non-academic classes, like health ed, so st... more »
Researcher: State English learner program is 'subtractive education'
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
California educators continue trying to improve the instruction of students whose language isn’t English. A state education law voters passed 14 years ago limits school officials’ options. Activists who also favored English as the national language of the United States backed that ballot measure. The default policy in California schools immerses students in English without building on what they’ve learned in their native languages. At the same time, a growing body of research underscores the benefits of speaking two or more languages early in life. A talk last week called “Bilingu... more »
How did we get here? California taxes and education funding
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
With Los Angeles voters facing a parcel tax to raise money for schools, and the governor's initiative to raise sales tax and taxes on higher-income earners this November to avoid cutting $5.2 billion in education funding, some people have wondered what exactly happens to their regular annual taxes. You know, the ones due today. People have asked me what the state does with their money. Especially since California has the highest statewide sales tax rate and one of the highest income tax rates in the country. How is it possible that the state is 47th in the nation on per-pupil spe... more »
It's harder to get into a UC these days
Pass / Fail - 6 hours ago
It's harder to get into a UC these days. The University of California has become more selective — accepting roughly 63.5 percent of applicants for 2012-13 compared to 68.2 percent last year — according to preliminary admissions data released Tuesday. The 10-campus system saw a record number of applications this year with 160,939 students who applied to UC, up 13.2 percent from last year, according to numbers released in January. This was primarily due to an increase in out-of-state and international students. The admissions numbers show a record number of students admitted, 80,289... more »