The death of the facts: IN L.A. PREGNANCY 'HOT SPOT,' AN ON-CAMPUS CLINIC
by smf for 4LAKids News A May 12 Capital Public Radio story by KCRW reporter Saul Gonzales begins: “Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles has the only Planned Parenthood-funded family planning clinic in the Los Angeles Unified School District .“ http://bit.ly/KTTTs8 When that sort of untruth leads a story one stops reading. This is totally untrue and – one suspects – a bit of
A-G REQUIREMENT: AN END WITH LIMITED MEANS
from the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Weekly Update | Week of May 14, 2012 | http://bit.ly/KzmMak On Tuesday May 8, 2012, the Board of Education approved the implementation of mandated A-G graduation requirements for the incoming freshman class of 2012-2013. It also reduced the number of credits needed for graduation and raised the passing grade to C (for the freshman class of 2013-
RACHEL EHMKE, 13-YEAR-OLD MINNESOTA STUDENT, COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER MONTHS OF BULLYING
HUFFINGTON post | http://huff.to/JnICg0 ●●smf: Yes, it’s only the Huffington Post; prone for the sensational. But you have read and heard this story too many times before. Are they reporting it too often – or were they not reporting it enough before? “What if you knew her,” Neil Young asked about Sandra Scheuer. “And found her dead on the ground?” Too many Sandras and Rachels.
TEACHER'S CREATIVITY REFLECTED AT CLEVELAND HUMANITIES MAGNET IN RESEDA
By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/KYdCRr 5/10/2012 08:15:24 PM PDT :: The lessons read like those from UC Berkeley, Wellesley or another top-notch liberal arts college. The principles of Confucius, Sartre and Freud. The theme of social conscience in the classic "Les Miserables" or "The Painted Bird." The effects of class, race and gender on the evolution of
UTLA NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
A 4LAKids reader wrote on Friday afternoon: Hi Scott, I thought you might be interested in the memo that came out of UTLA. Though it seems they have talked them down from 20 furlough days, it still looks like they want to give teachers and students at least 10 days. Happy weekend. ●●smf: Happy weekend indeed! UTLA Fax to Chapter Chairs | http://bit.ly/KcsvRd NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
STATE EDUCATION BOARD WANTS TO AVOID NEW TEACHER EVALUATION PLAN
by Howard Blume LA Times/LA Now | http://lat.ms/J46U27 May 10, 2012 | 5:08 pm :: The state Board of Education voted Thursday to seek relief from federal rules that label more than 6,000 California schools as failures, but in the process, it declined to authorize a new evaluation system for teachers and principals. The federal government has said it's willing to waive rules
WHEN A CHARTER SCHOOL IS FAILING
Academia Semillas del Pueblo is an ambitious charter school run by dedicated educators, but when students aren't learning the basics, change is in order. LA Times Editorial http://bit.ly/K6eeYU Juana de la Cruz Farias, a teacher at Academia Semillas del Pueblo, teaches Nahuatl, an indigenous language of Mexico, to Anthony Rayo. The Los Angeles Board of Education recently renewed the
Ofsted v.2.0?: FIRST PASS AT SCHOOL INSPECTIONS - State Board considers some alternatives
By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | http://bit.ly/IMQ9HO The State Board of Education on Wednesday waded into what’s expected to be a yearlong process of revising the state’s standardized-test-heavy school accountability system. First up: discussing whether to reshape an existing tool, the School Accountability Report Card, or SARC, an annual data dump that every school collects and is
SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON EDGE OF INSOLVENCY HIT RECORD HIGH
By Kimberly Beltran, SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/KplwX8 Wednesday, May 09, 2012 :: The number of California school districts at risk of failing to meet their near-term financial obligations has reached an all-time high and is likely to increase between now and June, the state’s watchdog on school finance reported Tuesday. Of 967 districts required to file semiannual reports on
STUDENTS PROTEST AT EAGLE ROCK HIGH IN SUPPORT OF FIRED COACH
A custodian is injured in Tuesday’s walkout—the latest twist in a dramatic conflict between a popular coach and the school administration. By Ajay Singh | Eagle Rock Patch | http://bit.ly/LXaqe9 May 10 | 4:58 am :: An estimated 100 to 200 Eagle Rock High School students staged a walkout Tuesday in what appeared to be a spontaneous show of dissent on the part of some to protest the recent
FUNDING CUTS FOR ARTS, CLASS SIZES UNDER FIRE AT PTA CONVENTION
CBS Los Angeles | http://cbsloc.al/Lo5gVW May 9, 2012 9:58 AM :: ANAHEIM (CBS) — A convention bringing together parents and educators from across the state kicked off in Anaheim on Wednesday. The California State PTA Convention 2012 will feature symposiums on educational issues and workshops on a variety of PTA- related topics including parent involvement and volunteer management. But just as
MICHAEL MURPHY OUT AS PRINCIPAL AS IVY ACADEMIA HIGH SCHOOL
L.A. Daily News | http://bit.ly/KSDFcy 09/2012 05:50:19 PM PDT :: Ivy Academia, which operates four campuses in the West San Fernando Valley, said Wednesday that Michael Murphy had left as principal of its high school in Chatsworth. A letter sent to parents by Executive Director Carl W. Raggio III said the charter school and principal Michael Murphy had "parted ways because of personnel issues
ARTS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WALK OUT TO PROTEST PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS
by H6ward Blume | la times | http://lat.ms/KomByh A Photo: Students at the Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts demonstrate against budget cuts. Credit: Katie Falkenberg / For The Times May 8, 2012 | 11:33 pm -- More than 1,000 students from the Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts walked from their downtown campus to school district headquarters Tuesday afternoon to
STOP THE CIRCUS!
from Educate Our State
ALL L.A. UNIFIED STUDENTS MUST PASS COLLEGE-PREP COURSES: Kinda …sorta …not really!
The Los Angeles Board of Education votes to require grades of D or better in college-prep classes starting with incoming ninth-graders in the fall, raising requirements to a C for the Class of 2017. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/LNNVZj A former Birmingham High student ponders an algebra problem. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times / May 8, 2012) May 9, 2012 :: The
LA UNIFIED APPROVES COLLEGE PREP REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS
By Vanessa Romo | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/w0MlFb Nick Ut/AP 6:39 p.m. :: After hours of debate and a couple of amendments, the LAUSD school board approved a sweeping plan championed by Superintendent John Deasy (above) to reduce credit requirements for graduation. After hours of debate and a couple of amendments, the LAUSD school board approved a sweeping plan on Tuesday to
SCHOOLS UNDER HEAVY STRESS: Multiple shocks to system in largest districts
By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | Thoughts on Public Education http://bit.ly/LJ2HjO Posted on 5/08/12 :: A new report out today examines internal and external stresses from budget cuts and economic contractions on the states’ 30 largest school districts. When handled singly, districts have been able to cope with larger classes and even a shorter school year. But combinations of shocks to
UTLA FILES MORE THAN 600 COMPLAINTS WITH LAUSD
By Tami Abdollah | KPCC Pass/Fail | http://bit.ly/w0MlFb Shirley Jahad/KPCC 4:41 p.m. :: United Teachers Los Angeles filed more than 600 Williams Complaints with the Los Angeles Unified School District. (May 8, 2012) United Teachers Los Angeles' has filed more than 600 Williams Complaints with L.A. Unified stating that the district is failing to provide equal and sufficient critical
LAUSD BOARD REACHES COMPROMISE FOR COLLEGE-PREP GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: Students will face tougher courses, but need fewer credits to graduate
By Melissa Pamer, | NBC Los Angeles http://bit.ly/KNwpi9 KNBC: Los Angeles Unified School District will this fall require incoming freshmen to take college-prep courses to earn a high school degree. That's prompted a proposal to reduce the number of credits needed for graduation so students can focus on the academic essentials. There are also concerns the dropout rate will go up. Annette
BROWN’S WEIGHTED FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS UP FOR REVIEW, REVISION
By Tom Chorneau | SIA Cabinet Report Article http://bit.ly/IVHRI4 Monday, May 07, 2012 :: With only a week to go before release of the revised May budget, there are storm signs ahead for Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal for restructuring school finance and perhaps a signal in response from the administration. The governor’s plan for simplifying the school funding system using a weighted