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Saturday, March 16, 2013

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-16-13



4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT

IMPROVING MORALE: A MORAL IMPERATIVE

From the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Update/Week of March 18th. | http://bit.ly/YCMscQ 14 March, 2013 :: Employee morale can be defined as the employee's outlook, optimism, self - concept and belief in themselves and their organization, its mission, goals, defined path, daily decisions and employee appreciation. Employee morale describes the overall outlook, attitude and

UC REGENTS VOTE TO KEEP $60 ANNUAL SURCHARGE FOR STUDENTS

The fee helps the university finance massive refunds for past illegal tuition practices. Regents say they had no alternatives other than possibly cutting spending on classes and other services. By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/XfmHws UCLA students protest fee hikes outside the Covel Commons Building in November 2009. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times / March 15,

®EFORMERS BY ANY OTHER NAME? + smf’s 2¢

Commentary by Hillel Aron, LA Schools Report | http://bit.ly/YhEvY3    March 15, 2013  ::  In September, I was talking about pension reform on my now-defunct weekly podcast, LA Redux with the LA Times’ David Zahniser, who covers City Hall (and is in my opinion one of the best reporters in Los Angeles). Zahniser said that he hardly ever uses the word ‘reform,’ in his stories, although editors

PRESCHOOL TEACHERS NEED SCHOOLING IN HEALTH AND NUTRITION FACTS – AND PRACTICES

Deepa Fernandes | Pass / Fail  | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/10ZO9Fc Larry Crowe/AP March 14th, 2013, 3:20pm  ::  Digging into the concept of whether you can teach what you don't know, a recent survey by researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health sought to uncover the health and nutrition knowledge --and practices-- of a group of teachers. Two of the questions asked of almost

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TEAMS COMPETE IN ACADEMIC DECATHLON IN SACRAMENTO

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News http://bit.ly/12XPOfE 3/15/2013 06:59:14 PM PDT  ::  SACRAMENTO -- There were just 20 minutes to go before the 61 Academic Decathlon teams were scheduled to file in for their first test, and the students from Granada Hills Charter were still studying. Oblivious to the organized mayhem created by 500-plus other teens from around California, the

L.A. Now Live: LAUSD's $30-MILLION MIRAMONTE SETTLEMENT + smf’s 2¢

The district expects insurance to cover all of it. LA Now Live is a Daily Webcast/Interview/Call-In/”Conversation with the Newsroom” sponsored by the LA Times | This is a transcript of the webcast from last Wednesday | http://lat.ms/WMhDF1 March 13, 2013 |  7:40 am  ::  Attorneys representing parents in 58 legal claims have agreed to a $30-million settlement with the Los Angeles Unified School

140 CHARACTERS (OR LESS) GATHER IN SAN DIEGO: Tokofsky tweets from the California Charter Schools Conference

smf/4LAKids/14March2013: The California Charter Schools Association – which pretends to altruistically represent all the charter schools in California – but in actuality represents/advocates-for/lobbies-on-behalf-of the charter schools that pay to join the trade association (which tends to align with the big-box charter management organizations ) – is holding its annual convention in San Diego

SUSPENDING SOME STANDARDIZED TESTS WOULD SAVE STATE $15 MILLION

-- Teresa Watanabe | LA Times/LA Now | http://lat.ms/XyOFcu Photo: State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson in a 2010 file photo. Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times March 13, 2013 |  9:07 pm  ::  A plan to suspend California’s standardized testing for certain grades while new computerized exams are developed could save $15 million, the state’s top education official said

L.A. SCHOOLS FALLING APART, LITERALLY + smf’s 2¢

Years of budget cuts have meant many repairs simply aren't getting done. There are at least 35,442 unresolved calls for service and repairs, with about 1,100 more coming in each day.     By Steve Lopez, LA Times Columnist |   http://lat.ms/10G4cUz The bleachers in the Marshall High School gymnasium are an example of disrepair plaguing L.A. Unified schools, with holes in

LAUSD CHARTERS WOULD LOSE FUNDING UNDER GOVERNOR BROWN’S ‘LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA’ + smf’s 2¢

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/YrDagv 3/12/2013 04:15:12 PM PDT  ::  Wilbur Elementary got $230,000 in state grants when it converted to a charter last fall, a windfall that allowed the Tarzana campus to keep class sizes small and provide personalized help to struggling students. Now, administrators at Wilbur and other affiliated charters, nearly all of them in

LAUSD ANNOUNCES MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR SETTLEMENT OF 58 OF 191 MIRAMONTE SEX ABUSE CLAIMS

BY Vanessa Romo  With contributions by AP | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC |  http://bit.ly/Y9pDhF Grant Slater/KPCC Parents of students at Miramonte Elementary School escort children out of school on Feb. 6, 2012. March 12th, 2013, 6:29pm  ::  After months of mediation with students and their families the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Tuesday it settled 58 lawsuits over allegations

1:1 Computing/"Tablets4All": MURDOCH GROUP UNVEILS AMPLIFY TABLET FOR U.S. SCHOOLS

from the wonderful folks who brought you the Phone Hacking Scandal in the UK, Fox News in the US, and gave a quarter-of-a-million-dollars (so far) to Mayor Tony’s School Board Slate PAC.   BBC News (UK) - http://bbc.in/10KMLGh The Amplify tablets come preloaded with a digital curriculum 6 March 2013 Last updated at 08:11 ET  ::  A new tablet for schools has been unveiled by Rupert

LAUSD Board of Ed Election 2013: DIVIDED OVER L.A. UNIFIED

United Teachers Los Angeles remains at odds with the district over reform measures. LA Times Editorial | http://lat.ms/WkjFtq Newly reelected school board member Steve Zimmer is seen on election night. (Los Angeles Times / March 5, 2013) March 12, 2013  ::  One nasty election later, there is no sign that the divisiveness in the Los Angeles Unified School District will abate. If anything, it

Parent Trigger @ 24th St Elementary: LA PARENTS GET 4 OFFERS TO RUN FAILING SCHOOL

They wanted a new principal …they may get given away! The Associated Press from the San Jose Mercury News | http://bit.ly/Xnvlib 3/11/2013 03:24:39 PM PDT  ::  LOS ANGELES—Parents seeking to reform a failing Los Angeles Unified elementary school have received bids from four organizations, including the school district. The 24th Street Elementary Parents Union said Monday that Los Angeles

1:1 Computing/"Tablets 4 All" RFP: LAUSD INVITES PROPOSALS FOR MAJOR ED-TECH CONTRACT + RFP

By Sean Cavanagh, Marketplace K-12 - Education Week http://bit.ly/YpimGy March 11, 2013 9:47 AM ::  The Los Angeles Unified School District recently approved plans to spend $50 million initially—and up to $500 million over time—to provide all students in the nation's second-largest school system with a computer device. It's the kind of business opportunity that the leaders of many of the

THE WRONG FIGHT OVER SCHOOLS: Wasting money on a school board election

The politics of education need to shift from who controls governance to building the system's capacity Op-Ed in the LA Times by By Charles Taylor Kerchner | http://lat.ms/Yoeo0G LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia, right, and Schools Superintendent John Deasy listen to deliberations at a board meeting. (Los Angeles Times / March 13, 2012) March 11, 2013  ::  Over the last century,

HEAD START CUTS COULD MEAN 2,000 FEWER SEATS IN L.A. COUNTY

As they wait to see whether the cuts are allowed to go forward, educators worry that the ultimate effects could trickle down generations. By Dalina Castellanos,  Los Angeles Times  | http://lat.ms/13RUGmd Teacher Janet Matthews gets the attention of preschoolers Daniela Caudillo, left, Henry Saenz and Esther Morataya in a PACE early education program. (Lawrence K. Ho, Los Angeles

UTLA TO VOTE ON AGGRESSIVE STAND AGAINST DEASY POLICIES + ‘Initiative for the Schools L.A. Students Deserve’

Howard Blume, LA Times/LA Now |  http://lat.ms/10EbXy0 March 8, 2013 |  2:26 pm  ::  The Los Angeles teachers union has scheduled an April vote for an initiative that would, if passed, call for a more aggressive posture against the leadership of the L.A. Unified School District. The goal is to get a majority of teachers to push back against policies adopted by Supt. John Deasy and the Board of

DEFIANT MAYOR TONY PROMISES CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT + smf’s 2¢

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Hillel Aron, LA SCHOOLS REPORT | http://bit.ly/Y1oi9m Photo by Don Liebig / UCLA Luskin Before and during a Wednesday evening education event held at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, a tired-looking Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expressed frustration about the previous day’s election results — and pledged to keep working on school reform issues even after his

WILL THE LACCD SCANDALS CONTINUE? 3 San Fernando Valley community colleges must pass accreditation reviews to avoid sanctions

By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/13Pirvb 3/08/2013 08:08:14 PM PST  ::  They'd sweated countless meetings, performed endless tweaks to their respective colleges and cranked out reams of self-evaluations. But two years of preparation for accreditation reviews that start Monday at three San Fernando Valley community colleges may not be enough to calm jangled nerves

AFTER 63 YEARS, PALISADES HIGH ENGLISH TEACHER CLOSES THE BOOK

Rose Gilbert, who retired three weeks ago at 94, achieved celebrity status for being the oldest full-time teacher in the L.A. Unified School District. A drama classroom has been named in her honor. By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/Xd7ula Rose Gilbert, 94, cuts the ribbon at a ceremony renaming a drama classroom at Palisades Charter High School in her honor. Gilbert, the

ADVOCACY GROUP FOUNDED BY DIANE RAVITCH TO MONITOR REFORM EFFORTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  By MOTOKO RICH, New York Times | http://nyti.ms/YSbjpL Published: March 8, 2013   ::  Diane Ravitch, the historian and former assistant education secretary who has become an outspoken critic of those who favor high-stakes testing, tenure reforms and other controversial measures aimed at the public schools, has joined with other education advocates to form a group that will grade and endorse

COMMON CORE TESTING PLAN LEAVES ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE SKEPTICAL

By Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report – http://bit.ly/WQJXRl Wednesday, March 06, 2013  ::  A key legislative panel undertook Wednesday its first look at the challenges the state faces in bringing the new common core curriculum standards into California classrooms. And, committee members expressed a lot of doubt the transition can be accomplished by the fall of 2014. “I know I sound

ASSEMBLY EDUCATION FINANCE COMMITTEE FEARS FUNDING OUTLOOK FOR ADULT ED, ECE AND CTE PROGRAMS

By Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/13M4y0G Wednesday, March 06, 2013  ::  Worried about the fate of adult, early childhood and career-technical education programs across the state, members of a legislative panel on education finance said Tuesday they will be taking a hard look over the coming weeks at the impact Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed school funding formula could

COLLEGE AND CAREER: Can this Marriage Succeed?

Themes in the News by UCLA IDEA |  http://bit.ly/X5tQ8l   03-08-2013   ::  Career and technical education (CTE) is a quiet player in today’s school-reform turmoil. Headlines are dominated by standardized testing, charter schools, budget crises, school closings, teachers and their unions. Reasons for the neglect of CTE are sometimes misguided and sometimes legitimate. It has long been clear

HIGHER STANDARDS COMING FOR STATE’S INTERN TEACHERS

By Kathryn Baron  | EdSource Today http://bit.ly/10juUCt March 8th, 2013  ::  The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing signaled Thursday its intention to increase training requirements for intern teachers, including Teach for America members, before they’re allowed to teach any of the state’s 1.4 million students who are English learners. <<Bill Lucia, president and CEO of

If Eli Broad approves: ART MARRIAGE MY YIELD L.A. MEGA MUSEUM +smf’s 2¢

LACMA makes a preliminary offer for taking over MOCA.   By Jori Finkel and Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/10sfyiD Eli Broad, who is building a museum across from MOCA, agreed in 2008 to give the downtown Los Angeles institution a bailout valued at up to $30 million. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / January 8, 2013) March 7, 2013, 6:05 p.m.  ::  The Los Angeles County