API scores to vanish for 2 years, and maybe forever
Via the Daily Breeze | By Rob Kuznia Real estate agents use them to tout the desirability of neighborhoods. Parents monitor them to choose schools. Principals live and die by them. But Academic Performance Index scores, the cornerstone of the state’s accountability system in K-12 education, are expected to take a two-year sabbatical beginning this year. And when the API scores return — assuming th
YESTERDAY
Vergara trial set to begin: major test for CA teachers
A lawsuit that could dramatically change how California public schools deal with ineffective teachers gets underway Monday in a California Superior Court for Los Angeles County, where LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy is expected to be the first witness to testify. The suit, Vergara v California, has been brought by students who are challenging state laws that they contend protect ineffective t
A Hattie in the ring for open LA Unified school board seat
Hattie McFrazier Another candidate has thrown her hat into the ring. Hattie McFrazier is the latest contender in the special election race for LA Unified’s District 1 seat. She is another district lifer. McFrazier spent 31 years with the district, retiring in 2012, and held a variety of positions including teacher, counselor, School Attendance Review Board Chair and Health and Human Services Direc
Fletcher joining challengers at union forum next week
UTLA President Warren Fletcher Another name to add to the candidates for UTLA president participating in a forum next week: UTLA President Warren Fletcher. The event is scheduled to begin at 4 o’clock next Thursday at Thomas Starr King Middle School. Wil Page, the school’s chapter chair, says Fletcher has agreed to join five other confirmed candidates – Kevin Mottus, Gregg Solkovits, Alex Caputo-P
Morning Read: The pros and high costs of universal pre-K
California should give all kids the pre-K advantage Commentary: “Early education is our No. 1 priority.” That’s the 2014 message from California Democrats. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg introduced the Kindergarten Readiness Act (SB 837) on Jan. 6, and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez included an aggressive early education agenda in Democrats’ budget recommendations in December. LA Times
JAN 23
First forum set for UTLA president candidates, 5 in so far
Some of the names and faces might be not be familiar, but five of the 10 candidates running for president of the teachers union, UTLA, have agreed to participate in a candidate forum next Thursday at Thomas Starr King Middle School. Wil Page, the school’s chapter chair, said in an email that Kevin Mottus, Gregg Solkovitz, Alex Caputo-Pearl, Bill Gafney and David Garcia have confirmed their partici
United Way honoring 25 ‘Teachers to Watch’
In the United Way’s first Inspirational Teacher Awards, 25 LA Unified “teachers to watch,” will be honored this evening at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, with Mayor Eric Garcetti and Superintendent John Deasy expected to attend. The United Way staff and a panel of district teachers chose the recipients from a pool of nearly 200 nominees. Bianca Sanchez, a first grade teacher at RFK Community schoo
Report: Teachers in U.S. staying in the job longer
Five years ago, U.S. teachers were asked in a survey how many years of experience they had; their most common answer was one year. Policymakers feared an impending crisis because, if past trends held, about half of these teachers would leave in their first five years. But the latest results from the Schools and Staffing Survey, or SASS—a nationally representative study of teachers by the U.S. Depa
Morning Read: Brown points to education accomplishments
Brown touts education accomplishments, priorities in State of the State Gov. Jerry Brown highlighted his education accomplishments in an upbeat State of the State on Wednesday that marked the final address of his current term and laid out priorities for the coming year and his likely reelection campaign. EdSource Gov. Brown reemphasizes local control of state’s public schools Commentary: In his S
JAN 22
California offering $250 million in career program grants
State Superintendent Tom Torlakson The California Department of Education is setting aside $250 million for school districts to link high school curricula to careers beyond the classroom, an initiative designed to keep students engaged in classes often consider dull and dry, while preparing them for a high-skilled job market. The 40 one-time grants bundled in the Career Pathways Trust - and offere
A few words on public education from Governor Brown
Gov. Jerry Brown In his State of the State address today, Gov. Jerry Brown spent a few minutes talking about public education in California. Here’s what he had to say: “Last year, I spoke of the principle of subsidiarity, a rather clunky word that nevertheless points to a profoundly important principle, namely that in our federal system there are separate layers of government, each with its own di
It’s official: Fletcher has 9 challengers for union presidency
The filing deadline for candidates seeking office in the LA teachers union has closed, and it now appears that the number of challengers to the incumbent president, Warren Fletcher, has increased by one, to nine, all of them men. The latest to join the race for a three-year term is Innocent O. Osunwa, a labor lawyer and English teacher at Stevenson Middle School. He joins a field that also include
Morning Read: Deasy Signals Closer Ties to City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall takes a fresh look at LAUSD Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy made a rare appearance before a City Council committee on Tuesday, marking the potential start of a closer relationship between City Hall and the school district. LA Daily News Early education narrows the gap between the haves and have-nots Commentary: Compton, Watts and other South Los Angeles communi
JAN 21
Typical LA Unified school board meeting: pique and confusion
Tamar Galatzan: She was not happy Today’s LA Unified school board meeting may have been brief, but it was just as acrimonious and confusing as some of the longer ones. While problems contributing to the appearance of dysfunction usually focus on content or process. This one focused on both. The big issue was over Bennett Kayser’s resolution to expand Title I funding to schools with only 40 percent
Commentary: If iPads are the answer, what’s the question?
“I don’t have to stress that a billion dollars is an insane amount of money,” Jacques assures me right away. I feel much better. I was starting to think I was the one who was insane. To understand how LAUSD’s billion dollar commitment to Apple iPads makes any sense, I’ve consulted a panel of experts: seven tech-whiz high school students from an after-school program called UrbanTxt, along with the
Morning Read: CA Looking to Streamline Spending Plan
State looks to trim list of school plans required After a marathon hearing and a surprise visit by the governor last week, members of the CA State Board of Education are not expected to make any major changes to a set of temporary regulations governing use of billions in new state money for schools during the coming year-long process to set permanent rules. SI&A Cabinet Report Common Core sta
JAN 20
LIVE COVERAGE LAUSD Board Meeting
LA Unified School Board members will meet on Tuesday, January 21 to debate Title I funding and a motion that would impose stricter reporting by Charter schools – both proposed by District 5 school board member Bennett Kayser. (See AGENDA.). LA School Report will bring you live coverage starting at 9:30 a.m. Click below. Follow us on Twitter @laschoolreport or to access, live: LIVESTREAM LAUSD
Months after killing Title 1 plan, Kayser has almost the same idea
LA Unified board member Bennett Kayser It’s not often that LA Unified board members Tamar Galatzan and Bennett Kayser agree, and Kayser’s abstention on a measure two months ago killed an effort by Galatzan that would have lowered the threshold for schools receiving federal dollars for low-income students. Now, Kayser is returning to the board meeting tomorrow morning with a measure that appears si
LA Schools’ iPad Watchdog committee set to disband
Via The LA Times | By Howard Blume The watchdog committee for the Los Angeles school district’s $1-billion iPad program is scheduled to fold, raising questions about oversight of the ongoing effort to provide every student, teacher and administrator with a computer. The decision to disband the panel as of April was announced last week by Board of Education President Richard Vladovic. “I think ther
Morning Read: A memorial for LaMotte, an election ahead
Hundreds honor LAUSD’s LaMotte for dedication to education A public memorial to honor LAUSD board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte drew hundreds of local teachers, state leaders, and community members Saturday to a Los Angeles area high school, where many said she left a legacy as a champion for education for all. LA Daily News Special election could tip balance on L.A. school board A June sp