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Friday, August 30, 2013

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Federal education law traps schools in spiral of failure | EdSource Today



Education Headlines

Friday, August 30, 2013

Camarillo annexes 28-acre site for new high school

The Camarillo City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the annexation and zoning change for a 28-acre site for a new high school and performing arts center.

Grants help Stockton USD boost API results

Forty-two months, two superintendents and three grant proposals later, Stockton Unified finally has learned whether seven struggling K-8 campuses would benefit if they received federal dollars aimed at improving schools identified by the state as "persistently low-performing."

Stockton USD police chief decision may come today

Board members have given Superintendent Steve Lowder the authority to choose between two undisclosed candidates to serve as the interim replacement for retiring Stockton Unified Police Chief Jim West.

Freedberg: Federal education law traps schools in spiral of failure

Nearly a dozen years after President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind law, its deepest imprint may be its labeling of 90 percent of California’s schools serving poor children as failures.

Madera Unified teachers ratify new contract

Madera Unified School District teachers ratified a proposed salary-and-benefits contract Wednesday night, a move that could put an end to more than a year of rocky discussions between district administrators and classroom employees.

State's schools are getting healthier

School districts in California and nationwide are getting better at providing healthy environments for students, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week.

New LAUSD technology panel tackles details of iPad project

A day after LAUSD handed out iPads to kids at two of its campuses, the school board’s Technology Committee started its own deep dive into the program that will put a tablet computer in the hands of every student by this time next year.

John Swett school district taps longtime San Ramon Valley administrator as next superintendent

The tiny John Swett school district has chosen a longtime teacher, football coach and administrator from the much larger San Ramon Valley school district as its new superintendent.

Fensterwald: Goodbye, API - Get ready for rough transition to better system of measuring schools

Say farewell to the API as you know it. Welcome to new era of accountability, with at least a couple years of confusion in between.

Baron: Academic Performance Index declines for the first time in a decade

For nine of the last 10 years, scores on California’s standardized tests steadily rose, showing the testing system did what it was supposed to do and raised student achievement. That streak ended and exposed an ongoing achievement gap with Thursday’s release of the 2013 Academic Performance Index, or API.
Thursday, August 29, 2013

Stockton USD pays $65,000 over Amato aide firing dispute

Avoiding the potential six-figure cost of going to trial, Stockton Unified has agreed to pay $65,000 to Matt George to settle a lawsuit filed in 2012 by the former second-in-command to controversial ex-Superintendent Tony Amato.

Schools closed all week

Tuolumne County public schools will remain closed at least through Friday due to unhealthy smoke from the Rim Fire, said Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Joe Silva.

Madera teachers poised to vote on contract agreement

Madera Unified teachers are getting ready to vote on a proposed contract agreement that's been a political hot potato for more than a year.