4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT
Trials+Tribulations Of Opening School With Misis
from the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Weekly Update for the Week of 8 Sept 2014 | http://bit.ly/YihifD AALA thanks a secondary administrator, who wishes to remain anonymous, for providing this article. 4 September, 2014 ::For years, we heard it was coming – an integrated student information system. And then, suddenly, almost without warning, we drop right into the middle of My
Calif. Teachers’ Union Sets Sights On Charters
By Arianna Prothero, Education Week http://bit.ly/YieK0S National Education Association President Lily Eskelson Garcìa poses at the teachers' union's Washington headquarters. Her visit to two recently unionized charter schools in California highlighted charter-organizing efforts in that state. —Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post/Getty September 5, 2014 :: A pair of small charter schools
California Goes It Alone On Special Ed Testing
by Kimberly Beltran, SI&A Cabinet Report :: http://bit.ly/1pTytPK September 04, 2014 (Calif.) :: California is moving forward with a plan to develop and administer its own assessment for cognitively disabled students after learning barely a month ago that it would not be allowed to test drive a new national model being launched this spring. The California State Board of Education took no
WILL COMMON CORE DOUBLE THE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE? + smf’s 2¢
By Valerie Strauss - The Washington Post | http://wapo.st/1qChqzG September 4 at 3:34 PM :: The nonprofit Carnegie Corporation of New York, which has supported the Common Core State Standards, published a report in 2013 with some startling information that was little noticed in the education world until recently: that the high school dropout rate could double as a result of the Core
Teachers Union Submits Initial Contract Demands To La Unified + Utla’S Initial Bargaining Proposal
by Vanessa Romo, LA School Report | http://bit.ly/1lLMJt3 September 4, 2014 2:12 pm :: After months of bargaining talks with LA Unified, the teachers union, UTLA, today submitted its first contract demand within the course of current negotiations. In a document submitted to the board this morning, the union called for discussions of various subjects, including salaries, teacher
CELERITY EXA CHARTER SCHOOL SURRENDERS ITS CHARTER AFTER BEING CLOSED BY PASADENA FIRE MARSHAL + smf’s 2¢
By Sarah Favot, Pasadena Star-News | http://bit.ly/Zaq0ga ***STAFF FILE PHOTO***First graders work together in groups on an "Eradicate Hunger Project" at Celerity Exa Charter School in Pasadena Friday, September 28, 2012. The project based K-5 school, which opened this year in the former Hodges Childrens Center, includes dance in their curriculum. (SGVN/ Photo By Sarah Reingewirtz) 9/
SEP 04
LUDICROUS³: The consensus of opinion of serving and retired LA County superintendents on John Deasy’s superintendency
smf writes for 4LAKidsNews 4 Sept 2014 :: I spoke this afternoon separately to three different school superintendents from three distinct and different school districts in L.A. County - two retired and one still practicing the craft – about their impression of the current kerfuffle ongoing in LAUSD – and the three principal challenges of the moment. The matter of the iPads and the Apple/
State Of California Awards Common Core Test Contract
Tests to cost $9.55 per student per year (with a limit of 1 million students) - plus $17.75 per student (with no limit) to score the tests. There are 3.6 million students in CA – though not all will take the test every year. By John Fensterwald, EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/1pt3lR7 Source: Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. California and eight other dark green states
Deasy on his critics: CONSTANT ATTACKS ARE ‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’
by Michael Janofsky in LA School Report | http://bit.ly/1psUsqS Posted on September 3, 2014 2:53 pm :: Under withering criticism over the iPad program, a new student-tracking computer system and discordant relations with the teachers union, LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy said today that the attacks feel politically motivated at the expense of his agenda to improve the lives of district
Letters Pro+Con As Utla Asks Deasy To Put Himself In “Teacher Jail”
Union calls for Deasy to report to 'teacher jail' during iPad inquiry By Stephen Ceasar , LA Times | http://lat.ms/1uBXq0P Sept. 4, 2014 :: Los Angeles teachers union president Alex Caputo-Pearl on Wednesday called on L.A. Schools chief John Deasy to report to “teacher jail” — district offices that house instructors who are facing allegations of misconduct
LA Times: the story retold — SUPT. DEASY’S EARLY AND AVID SUPPORT OF iPADS UNDER INTENSE SCRUTINY
Critics question Deasy video – and much more – promoting iPads before bidding began By Howard Blume and James Rainey | http://lat.ms/1vS847t Supt. John Deasy appeared in a 2011 video for Apple promoting the iPad, saying it would "change the landscape of education." (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Sept 4, 2014, 5:04 AM :: The pitch came from a smiling man in a jacket and tie,
ALL THE SUPERINTENDENT’S MEN by Martin Eden
Found scattered at the LA School report | http://bit.ly/YdmgdD smf: “Martin Eden” is the name of a commenter on the LA School Report who has introduced a parallel John Deasy and crew in a parallel LAUSD that malfunctions in a parallel literary universe. Martin’s posts appear uninvited but welcome among the other posts, hardboiled and noir. But first: A joke, found on my daughter’s Facebook
SEP 03
NEW ED ®EFORM GROUP DEBUTS: The revolving door revolves …and hits ex-Mayor Tony in the butt!
Education Post aims to take the sting out of national conversations about school reform Peter Cunningham, the former communications guru for U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, is leading the organization. Bruce Reed, president of the Broad Foundation, said the idea for Education Post originated with his organization. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is leading the
DEASY: “Dear LAUSD Family, I would like to speak to you personally…” but instead here are two links to the same memo I sent to the Board of Ed yesterday
an email blast sent to all LAUSD employees From: Superintendent John Deasy [superintendent_john@LAUSD.NET]Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 2:39 PMTo: LAUSD_EMPLOYEES@LIST.LAUSD.NETSubject: Ed-Blast: CCTP Memo Sent to the Board of Education Los Angeles Unified School District September 3, 2014 CCTP Memo Sent to the Board of Education Dear LAUSD family, As your superintendent it is my
UTLA URGES “TEACHER JAIL’ FOR LAUSD CHIEF AMID iPAD, MiSiS PROBES
CBS Los Angeles | http://cbsloc.al/1unf5KC September 3, 2014 8:28 AM :: LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles teachers’ union Wednesday asked Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John Deasy to place himself in “teacher jail” while investigations are conducted into two controversial technology efforts by the district. KNX 1070’s
Teachers union to superintendent: “GO TO ‘TEACHER JAIL’”
BY FERMIN LEAL / Staff Writer - LosAngelesRegister.com http://bit.ly/1un2Tt9 < The Los Angeles Unified School District's teachers union will call Wednesday on Superintendent John Deasy to report to “teacher jail” until investigations into the district's much-maligned iPad program and MiSiS student data system have concluded. FILE: THE REGISTER Sept. 2, 2014 Updated 10:
LAWMAKER CALLS FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO PROBE ‘SUSPICIOUS’ LAUSD iPAD ROLLOUT
« CBS Los Angeles | http://cbsloc.al/1r1A2q9 (Photo credit: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) September 2, 2014 11:56 PM - LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) :: A Chino Hills lawmaker Tuesday called upon Los Angeles County prosecutors to investigate a controversial bidding process used to bring iPad tablets to students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Assemblyman Curt
L.A. Schools Supt. Deasy Defends His Dealings With Apple, Pearson
By Howard Blume - LA Times http://lat.ms/WbOMun L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy, under scrutiny over dealings with Apple and Pearson, said in a memo that "no violations of any legal requirements took place." (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 Sept 2014 :: Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy on Tuesday issued his most extensive and passionate defense yet of his actions involving Apple and
DEASY’S MEA NON CULPA ON iPADS: : “In view of the many false and misleading statements of fact that have been made public for what seems to be primarily political reasons…”
a board informative from the office of the superintendent | published by the LA Times | http://bit.ly/1qou32x
Pearson: INSIDE THE BELLY OF A VERY TROUBLED BEAST
by Alan Singer - Social studies educator, Hofstra University-my opinions, of course, are my own - from the Huffington Post | http://huff.to/1lHQ5gP "And the noise was in the beast's belly like unto the questing of thirty couple hounds." -Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Book 1, chapter XIX, c. 1469 9/02/2014 1:16 pm EDT Updated: 9/02/2014 1:59 pm EDT :: Being trapped in
SEP 02
50 State Look At How The Common Core Is Playing Out In The U.S.
| By The Associated Press from the Huffington Post |http://huff.to/Y9fVzD ●● smf: The HuffPost likes to make lists of things. This is one of them. 9/02/2014 9:37 am EDT :: A state-by-state look at the Common Core standards: ___ ALABAMA The state school board folded Common Core into the state's College and Career Ready Standards for public schools and has been defending the
A Tough Test For New Ged:
By Caitlin Emma, With help from Allie Grasgreen, Maggie Severns and Stephanie Simon | Politico Morning Ed | by email 2 Sept 2014 :: High school dropouts seeking an equivalency degree have been struggling with the revised GED exam, launched Jan. 1 as a profit-making joint venture between publishing giant Pearson and nonprofit American Council on Education. The pass rate on the old GED hovered
The revolving door revolves: NEW ED ®EFORM GROUP DEBUTS
from the Politico Morning Ed Report | by email Sept 2, 2014 :: Peter Cunningham, a former assistant secretary for communication in Arne Duncan's Education Department, launched a new ed reform group this weekend with backing from the Broad Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The group backs charter schools, Common Core and teacher evaluations based in part
Analysis Finds California Students Attend School More Than U.S. Peers
By Teresa Watanabe, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1qXEW7D First-grade teacher Gail Lemmen, left, welcomes each student to the first day of the school on Monday, Aug. 11, 2014 at Los Robles Elementary School in Porterville, Calif. (Chieko Hara / AP) A study finds California fourth- and eighth-graders had better attendance than peers in about 40 other states Nearly 1 in 5 California
Why not L.A.?: FREE FLU VACCINES FOR 60,000 OAKLAND KIDS
By Doug Oakley, Oakland Tribune | http://bit.ly/1x65uMz 9/02/2014 12:00:00 AM PDT - OAKLAND :: The largest ever seasonal flu vaccine program for Oakland youngsters will roll out Oct. 1, with the Alameda County health department targeting 60,000 elementary school students with free vaccines at 130 schools. And one of the better parts of the Shoo the Flu program, besides keeping kids and by
Free+Reduced School Meals: POPULAR CHILD-POVERTY MEASURE GETS ANOTHER LOOK
By Sarah D. Sparks, Education Week | http://bit.ly/W6r3eX Published Online: August 19, 2014 Published in Print: August 20, 2014, as Analysts Rethinking Popular Indicator of Child Poverty Washington :: When it comes to free school meals, it's increasingly clear that students aren't always what they eat. The federal free- and reduced-price meals program, launched decades ago by the U.S.
SEP 01
LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE PROPOSES PARADIGM SHIFT IN MANAGING STATE EDUCATION: Beyond compliance to true collaborative oversight – not “permissible” …but “effective”
By Jane Meredith Adams | EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/1lFtm52 The California Department of Education building in Sacramento. August 29, 2014 | Proposing a fundamental change in the way the California Department of Education operates, a report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office Thursday suggested the department move beyond its current focus on federal compliance, an emphasis
‘Principally’: SINGLE WORD AT HEART OF LCFF/LCAP REGULATORY DEBATE
By John Fensterwald | EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/W5bZhr Credit: John Fensterwald/EdSource Today - Surrounded by other members of the student group Californians For Justice, Karla Rodriguez, a junior at James Lick High in San Jose, asks the East Side Union High School District school board to include students in the LCAP process during a meeting in May. The State Board of Education will
California Attorney General Harris Announces Package Of Truancy Legislation Passes State Legislature + The Costs Of Chronic Absences
Reposted from the SI&A Newsroom | http://bit.ly/1x3YHmK Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Package of Truancy Legislation Passes State Legislature State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General Kamala D. Harris ~ Attorney General Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2014 SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today
DEADLINE L.A.: Howard Blume explains iPadGate/The iPad Kerfuffle …whatever it is.
Deadline L.A. with Barbara Osborn & Howard Blume on KPFK 90.7 FM | http://bit.ly/1qwCV4Q Deadline LA Mondays, 3:00 PM (pst) CO-HOSTS: Barbara Osborn and Howard Blume, Producer: Laurie Kaufman DESCRIPTION: Deadline L.A. is KPFK's roving eye on the media. We praise and pummel the news media for how it is - or isn't - covering stories. BIO AND OTHER INFO: Host Barbara Osborn is a
Librarians Are A Luxury Chicago Public Schools Can’T Afford
by Becky Vevea | fromWBEZ | Morning Edition | National Public Radio | http://n.pr/W4aFvF Listen to the Story | 3 min 53 sec Playlist Download Transcript i There aren't mass layoffs of librarians; they're just doing different jobs. - Robyn Mackenzie/iStockphoto September 01, 2014 4:22 AM ET :: Two years ago, the Chicago Public Schools budgeted for 454 librarians. Last year, the
California Legislature Passes Stiffest Law In Nation To Protect K-12 Students Online Data
By Sharon Noguchi, San Jose Mercury News | http://bit.ly/1q5gG7q 8/31/2014 03:39:02 PM PDT :: SACRAMENTO -- Trying to protect children from marketers, identity thieves and predators, California could establish the nation's toughest protections of student privacy and forbid the sale and disclosure of schools' online student data. "It's a big win for kids," said James Steyer, whose
iFail: WHY JOHN DEASY’S RISKY iPAD GAMBIT CRASHED+BURNED AT LAUSD
By Hillel Aron | The Informer || LA Weekly | http://bit.ly/1A11jxW Flavio~ / Flickr Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 6:30 AM :: In a surprising reversal, L.A. Unified Superintendent John Deasy has abruptly halted the district's billion-dollar technology program, which aimed to put an iPad into the hands of every student and teacher by the end of, yes, this year. It's a rare retreat for the
Investor Update: APPLE INC. ON WATCH OVER LAUSD ISSUES
by Ed Palmer| Financial Wired | http://bit.ly/1nQ647K August 26, 2014 :: by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is on watch after Los Angeles schools Superintendent John Deasy says he is suspending a $1 billion iPad initiative with AAPL amid scrutiny over Deasy’s close ties with AAPL and Pearson Plc (PSO) and the integrity of the bidding process. An initial $30 million contract with Apple Inc. (
Vergara: GOV. BROWN APPEALS RULING THAT STRUCK DOWN TEACHER JOB PROTECTIONS
By Howard Blume , LA Times | http://lat.ms/1nQ9uak California's governor takes opposing view from reelection opponent in lawsuit over teacher protections An appeals court will now decide such issues as whether tenure laws should be declared unconstitutional Gov. Jerry Brown addresses the American Federation of Teachers convention in June in Los Angeles. (Damian Dovarganes, AP) Aug 30,
AUG 31
Editorial: CLASSROOMS KEY BATTLEFIELDS IN THE WAR ON POVERTY
LA Daily News Editorial | http://bit.ly/1ufrfUM ●●: This slipped through the 4LAKids cracks two weeks ago. It is no less timely. 8/15/14, 2:44 PM PDT :: Of the many battlefields where the half-century-old War on Poverty has been fought, there may be none so important — or difficult to conquer — as our public classrooms. Here in Southern California, the connection between education and
EARLY CHILDHOOD ED GETS FUNDING BOOST: LAUSD will restore funding for thousands of early childhood education student slots that had been cut + smf’s 2¢
By Sara Hayden, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1rHnISg Aug 30, 2014 :: The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education passed a resolution Tuesday to increase funding by millions of dollars for the district's early education program. The resolution, which passed in a 6-1 vote, is intended to eventually restore funding over the next few years for thousands of slots for children in early childhood
AUG 30
Vergara: CALIFORNIA TO APPEAL TEACHER TENURE RULING
By The Associated Press, from the LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/1tXNVcV 8/29/14, 10:31 PM PDT | Updated: 8/29/2014 8:25 am :: LOS ANGELES :: California Gov. Jerry Brown late Friday appealed a court ruling that struck down tenure and other job protections for the state’s teachers. Attorney General Kamala Harris filed the appeal in a Los Angeles County court on behalf of the governor and the
Letters to the Editor: MORE FALLOUT FROM THE iPAD PROBLEM
Letters to the editor of the Los Angeles Times |http://lat.ms/1Cd8nv7 Aug 29, 2014 To the editor: Every new detail about the iPad debacle underscores Supt. John Deasy’s ineptitude and disrespect for teachers, students and schools. ( "Calls mount for new LAUSD inquiry," Aug. 27, and “Can Supt. Deasy survive iPad fiasco?” Column, Aug. 28) Of course iPads are missing and huge amounts of fu
IN L.A. UNIFIED, PROFESSIONAL CONFLICTS AND PERSONAL AGENDAS HAVE OUTSIZED INFLUENCE: The iPad fiasco is a rebuke of Supt. John Deasy's single-minded way of doing business
by Sandy Banks, Los Angeles Times columnist | http://lat.ms/VXA8X9 L.A. Unified Supt. John Deasy sees education as a social justice issue, but he loses points when he casts his opponents as enemies of children's civil rights. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Aug 30, 2014 :: By now, Los Angeles Unified was supposed to be the technological model for big-city school systems.
IPadGate: EX-LAUSD OFFICIAL DENIES STEERING CONTRACT TO FORMER EMPLOYER, Aquino says his role in contract awarded to former employer was 'by the book'
By Howard Blume, Kim Christensen | http://lat.ms/1qpQWBu LAUSD Deputy Supt. Jaime Aquino gives a high five to Hillcrest Elementary School teacher Rhonda Marie Smith as teachers attend a iPad training class in 2013. Aquino is no longer with the district. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Aug 29, 2014 :: The former Los Angeles schools official under scrutiny for his role in the district's $
