Teacher tweets of the week: What SoCal teachers are talking about
; Credit: KPCC Teacher tweets of the week
Advocate proposes $44 million increase in early education for LA schools
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials joined students, staff, elected officials, members of the community and special guests to cut the ribbon on the new Glassell Park Early Education Center last year.; Credit: LAUSD A civil rights advocacy group is proposing the Los Angeles Unified School District spend $44 million over the next three years to restore 2,000 preschool and child ca
New bill seeks to ask voters to legalize bilingual education in California
Los Angeles County leads the state in the number of schools that offer bilingual education starting in kindergarten; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC A new bill introduced in Sacramento this week, aims to overturn a 1998 proposition that made bilingual education illegal, but is widely ignored. Called the “Multilingual Education for a 21st Century Economy Act,” SB1174 calls for its own referendum, on th
LA schools quake safety: Only 46 of 667 at-risk buildings get seismic evaluation
This mural decorates the street-facing wall of Olive Vista Middle School's multipurpose room, also known as Mile's Hall. The building is built of tilt-up concrete slabs, placing it among the most earthquake vulnerable buildings in the LAUSD's 13,000 inventory.; Credit: Sharon McNary/KPCC More than seven years after it identified hundreds of school buildings that presented a greater risk of collap
LA Unified arts budget: Most funds will go to 'arts integration' teachers
Renaissance Arts Academy, a charter school in Los Angeles Unified School District, has a 22,000 square-foot open classroom and stage lights hanging from the ceilings.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to increase spending on arts instruction by nearly $16 million over the next three years – but the majority of the new money will go to hire 101 “arts integra
Despite $20 billion in bond funds, LA schools committee uncovers 50k backlogged repair requests
A photo posted on a Facebook group called "repairs not iPads."; Credit: Repairs Not iPads/Facebook A Los Angeles Unified school board committee on Thursday found a backlog of 50,000 neglected repairs at campuses - a number that is only expected to grow. School district officials said the budget for repairs has been slashed by more than 65% since 2008. Monica Ratliff, who joined the sch
LA school board criticized for closed-door discussion of temporary representative
; Credit: Mary Plummer/KPCC The Los Angeles Unified school board decided unanimously to tap former administrator Sylvia Rousseau to temporarily represent the south-central district until a special election can be held in June to replace late board member Margueritte LaMotte. But the way the board reached that decision - discussing its options in a closed-door meeting - is drawing fire. "This
Report: Data linking would reveal what's working in early childhood education
Rosa Sanchez lays a child down to rest at Jardín de Niños, which is part of the California Children's Academy that helps families become financially independent by providing affordable child care to low income families.; Credit: Mae Ryan/KPCC In this data-driven age, a new report questions why states don't compare various pieces of information - like teacher training and Kindergarten success - to
More than a third of Cal State freshmen ill-prepared for college-level math, English
; Credit: Photo courtesy CSU Dominguez Hills A look at each freshman class each year at the California State University system in the last decade reveals a paradox in academic achievement: all the students have met CSU's class and grade requirements to gain acceptance yet every year a significant portion test unable to do college level math and English work. It's called remediation and it exists
Updated: 'Apprentice' star Omarosa Manigault enters race for LA school board
In this file photo, Omarosa Manigault speaks onstage at the "All Star Celebrity Apprentice" breakfast session of the 2013 Winter TCA Tour - Day 3 at the Langham Hotel in January 2013 in Pasadena, Calif. Manigault has filed papers with the L.A. City Clerk's office to run for the open school board seat left by the late Marguerite LaMotte.; Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images A 10th ca
College applicants sweat the SATs; perhaps they shouldn't
Standardized tests are an important consideration for admissions at many colleges and universities. But one new study shows that high school performance, not standardized test scores, is a better predictor of how students do in college.; Credit: Amriphoto/iStockphoto With spring fast approaching, many American high school seniors are now waiting anxiously to hear whether they got into the college
From child care provider to community organizer: one woman's story.
Tonia McMillian, a home-based child care provider, high-fives 6-year-old Skylar on Feb. 12 in her Bellflower home. In addition to her home care, McMillian also visits other childcare through the day as a consultant.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC It was a moment of soul-searching, Tonia McMillian said. Downsizing at the healthcare company she'd worked for cost her her job. That left her with a big q
After Facebook group grabs headlines, LA school board takes on crumbling campuses
; Credit: Facebook/Repairs not iPads The staff behind the social media campaign to shame the Los Angeles Unified School District into repairing tattered and infested campuses won a first victory. After every local media outlet - and some national ones - reported on the "repairs not iPads" Facebook group, a school board committee overseeing facilities scheduled a discussion on campus rep
Candidates piling on as deadline nears for LA school board special election
The Los Angeles Unified school board discusses the district's arts education plan during a meeting Feb. 11, 2014.; Credit: Mary Plummer/KPCC Eight candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to fill the Los Angeles Unified school board seat left vacant after Marguerite LaMotte died in December. The office represents Palms, Koreatown, Crenshaw, and South Los Angeles on the seven-member board. Th
Weigh in: New national arts education standards almost final
Los Angeles Unified School District elementary students practice during a music class. ; Credit: Ken Scarboro/KPCC The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is nearing completion of a new set of PreK-12 arts standards - the first revamp since 1994. The public review period on the latest draft opened Friday, and the group is inviting public feedback until February 28. A first look at the fina
California analyst office faults governor's proposed college funding
California Governor Jerry Brown.; Credit: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez In a report issued Wednesday California's Legislative Analyst’s Office said it has "serious concerns" about Governor Jerry Brown's approach to funding public colleges and universities. Brown's January budget proposal included a $1.2 billion funding increase for California's community colleges and public universities. But th
