LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):
‘Union Power’ wins big but most UTLA members didn’t vote
UITLA’s election drew only 23 percent of the membership UTLA is headed in a new direction — mostly veering to the left. Despite a low turnout, Union Power candidates claimed victory today, with wins in nearly every leadership position within UTLA, the nation’s second-largest teachers union. The progressive group — which plans to call for a strike if a new teacher contract can’t be negotiated soon
Defense rests in Vergara after a battle over dismissal stats
Vivian Ekchian The defense closed its case today in Vergara v. California with an examination of an LA Unified administrator that was designed to show that the state laws under challenge did not impede the district’s effort to get rid of ineffective teachers. On Monday, court resumes with the plaintiffs’ opening a short rebuttal phase of the trial, leading to closing arguments next Thursday. Marce
Morning Read: Public turned away from LAUSD iPad demo
Public denied access to LA school officials’ iPad software demonstration Members of the L.A. Unified school board and a committee investigating the iPad project were given the first demonstration of the tablet’s educational software Wednesday evening – but the public wasn’t invited and a KPCC reporter was not allowed in the room. KPCC California public schools to test students via computers Next
Caputo-Pearl, Fletcher moving on to runoff in UTLA election
Alex Caputo-Pearl All that criticism of Warren Fletcher as a weak UTLA president and of Alex Caputo-Pearl as a campaign rules scofflaw apparently didn’t make much difference. They emerged as the top two vote-getters for the president of United Teacher Los Angeles in the first round of voting in the union’s 2014 election campaign and are now headed to a runoff. The survivor wins a three-year term.
MAR 20
In Vergara, Darling-Hammond defends all the CA teacher laws
Linda Darling-Hammond, with Judge Rolf Treu and lawyer Marcellus McRae The defense in Vergara v California called its final witness to the stand today, a nationally-recognized expert on education policy, who provided testimony that heavily supported all the state laws under challenge in the case. Throughout the day, Linda Darling-Hammond, who teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, s
UTLA board endorses 3 teachers for LA Unified seat, not a 4th
The board of directors of the Los Angeles teachers union, UTLA, voted last night to recommend that the union endorse three teachers for the vacant District 1 board seat. The special election is June 3. In recommending Sherlett Hendy-Newbill, Rachel Johnson and Hattie McFrazier, a retired teacher, the board chose to withhold endorsing the fourth teacher in the race, Omarosa Manigault, who is a subs
Overall, CA charter students better in reading, worse in math
A new report from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, comparing the rate of learning in California charter schools against district peer schools, finds mixed results that are not nearly as impressive as the gains found in Los Angeles schools, the subject of a CREDO report released last week. In the latest survey, CREDO found that, on average, charter students in Califo
Morning Read: Delayed pension funds may cost taxpayers
Delays would mean bigger costs for shoring up teacher pension fund The longer California’s leaders delay shoring up the cash-strapped teacher pension fund, the more money it will cost taxpayers in the long run, according to an analysis presented to lawmakers on Wednesday. If lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown eliminate the fund’s $71-billion shortfall over the next 20 years, the extra contributions ne
MAR 19
More than just teachers affect learning, Vergara expert says
Ken Futernick An expert on the the role that teachers play in academic performance today became the latest defense witness in Vergara v California to testify that students in high-poverty area schools face higher challenges to learning. Ken Futernick, Director of the WestEd School Turnaround Center, a research organization, and a former professor of education at California State University, Sacram
Education Chief Arne Duncan visits a ‘Promise’ land in LA
Education Secretary Arne Duncan U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan came to Los Angeles today to shine a light on a White House initiative that takes a holistic approach to helping kids learn. Duncan joined LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy and a group of teachers, students and leaders of the Youth Policy Institute at a community center in Hollywood. The center is part of the city’s two LA
County to vote on fate of 2 high-performing Aspire schools
LA County is set to vote on whether it should heed a decision of the LA Unified School Board to shut down two highly successful charter schools in the district: Aspire Antonio Maria Lugo Academy (AALA). and Aspire Ollin University Preparatory Academy. The L.A. County Office of Education met yesterday to hear the schools’ appeals and is set to vote on their fate April 15. The two schools failed to
12 LAUSD teams compete in 2014 California academic decathlon
Teams from a dozen LAUSD high schools will test their mettle in the 2014 California Academic Decathlon Contest as they compete against more than 50 teams from throughout state. The competition will take place tomorrow through Sunday in Sacramento, and the winner will represent California in this year’s United States Academic Decathlon competition, April 24-26 in Honolulu. Students will compete in
LA Unified, YMCA to break ground on new Westside facility
University High School A large empty dirt lot sits at the Southwest corner of University High School’s campus in West Los Angeles. It won’t be empty for long. The Westside Family YMCA and LA Unified are set to break ground this summer on a 60,000 square-foot YMCA facility that will serve the community as well as Uni High students through a joint-use agreement. The new two-level structure will mean
LAUSD District 1 election still open to write in candidates
While the ballot order for the seven qualified candidates has been set for the June 3 special election to fill the LA Unified District 1 seat, there’s still a chance for other candidates to compete. The City Clerk’s office today explained the way a write-in candidate could join the campaign. Here’s how: Any write-in candidate must file a Declaration of Intention with the City Clerk-Election Divisi
Morning Read: Strings tied to money for needy LAUSD students
As deadlines near, LA schools debate how to help foster youth When Gov. Jerry Brown announced a new boost in school funding — reversing years of cuts — he tied some strings around the money: districts would be paid more for needy kids and they’d have to come up with plans on how the money would help English-learners and students from low income families or in foster care. KPCC Possible Head Start
MAR 18
Vergara witness says streets more than teachers shape academics
David Berliner An expert in educational psychology testified today that violence in the neighborhood, family income, food insecurity and other out-of-school factors are three times more likely to impact a student’s classroom performance than the effectiveness of the teacher. The expert, David Berliner, also discounted the reliability of student test scores to judge a teacher’s ability to enhance s
Parents, community groups rally for a say in LA Unified budget
CLASS rally at LA Unified The battle to influence the Los Angeles Unified School board on how to spend Governor Jerry Brown’s new Local Control Funding Formula budget boost and statewide tax revenues for education continues to rage on. Parents, educators and community organizers rallied outside of LA Unified headquarters today before a special school board meeting primarily focussed on budget issu
Drop in student enrollment costing LA Unified $292 million
The Los Angeles Unified School District is losing an average of 2.6 percent of students attending traditional public schools – that’s about 56,000 kids — and it’s costing the district hundreds of millions dollars each year. By the current formula, which calculates how much money goes to districts based on student attendance, about $292.4 million will no longer flow to LA Unified’s public schools i
LA Unified kicks off digital learning, digital citizenship
Not only are students at Western Elementary School in south Los Angeles learning the basic math, reading and writing skills, but they’re also learning how to be good digital citizens. LA Unified, its Common Core Technology Project (CCTP) team, the Common Sense Media team along with students, parents, staff, and elected officials kicked off the district’s inaugural Digital Citizenship Week at the s
Here’s an idea: Break LA Unified into ’6 or 7′ districts
Marc Litchman has an idea. As far as his campaign for Congress, challenging Representative Brad Sherman, a Sherman Oaks Democrat, it’s his only idea. He wants to break up LA Unified. But not into two districts, one on either side of the hill, as others have advocated. “We need six or seven,” Litchman said in an interview. Just how could that ever happen? That’s his idea: A law that denies federal
Commentary: With an API delay, a step toward real accountability
Photo: Take Part California has just suspended the calculation of API scores until 2016—and that’s cause for celebration by those of us who believe in meaningful accountability. I know, many people are freaking out because they believe this suspension of scores will leave schools in low-income communities free to go down the toilet for two full years while corrupt administrators and bad teachers m
LA Unified board talking lawsuits, budget, Melendez
Thelma Melendez The LA Unified Board meets this morning, with much of their business scheduled for a closed door session. In private, the six members will discuss various legal cases involving the district as well as updates on labor contracts and student discipline matters. At some point, in open session, they will consider an interim financial report headed to the Los Angeles County Office of Ed
Morning Read: Rally at LAUSD HQ over $1B in student spending
Community Groups Call For LAUSD To Spend $1B On Poorest Students A coalition of Southland community groups was expected Tuesday to deliver thousands of petitions to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board demanding that $1 billion in state funding over the next seven years be used to help low income students, English learners and foster youth. CBS Local Thelma Melendez, mayor’s educ
MAR 17
Keep seniority for layoffs, Vergara witness tells court
Linda Tolladay A 30-year veteran of teaching in California school districts testified for the defense today in Vergara v. California, saying state laws protecting teacher employment are critical to maintaining teacher effectiveness in the classroom. Linda Tolladay, an eighth grade science teacher in the Madera Unified School District outside Fresno, told the court that replacing seniority with a m
Analysis: Hudley-Hayes resume raises more than red flags
Genethia Hudley-Hayes Rather than jump to conclusions in the case of allegations first reported here earlier this month, that a LA Unified School Board candidate, Genethia Hudley-Hayes, has numerous inaccuracies in her resume, we at LA School Report embarked on our own due-diligence. What we found were a series of repeated conflicts and inconsistencies over a number of years, without any apparent
It’s settled: McKenna gets top spot on District 1 ballot
While it’s not clear that ballot order has a significant impact, in a crowded field of 7, it can’t hurt to be first. But it takes some doing to figure it out. So LA School Report has un-scrambled the randomized alphabet drawing procedure the California Secretary of State used to determined the ballot order in the LA Unfiied School Board special election. Here’s the list: George McKenna - Reti
Garcia, UTLA candidate for president, fired as LAUSD sub
The field of candidates for UTLA president may be reduced by one. David Garcia, one of nine men challenging the incumbent, Warren Fletcher, has been dismissed as an LA Unified teacher, putting his candidacy in limbo. Garcia confirmed his firing in an email circulated on Friday and blamed it on his challenging the district on an issue involving other candidates’ being able to campaign during school
Morning Read: LAUSD moves students into rival territory and incites protest
L.A. Unified’s decision to move students sparks furor Officials didn’t take into account long-standing rivalries when they decided to transfer about 280 students from Boyle Heights to Lincoln Heights, critics say. The two schools are a two-minute drive apart in similarly low-income, largely immigrant neighborhoods. But to hear students tell it, the two places might as well be different planets. LA
MAR 15
Stanford report shows advantages for LAUSD charter students
In it’s first analysis of LA Unified schools, Stanford University found that the typical student in a charter school made greater academic gains than a counterpart in a traditional school. “Charter School Performance in Los Angeles,” a report from Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), found that a student in an urban LA charter gains 50 more days of learning in reading and