4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT
ADVOCACY GROUP FOUNDED BY DIANE RAVITCH TO MONITOR REFORM EFFORTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 8 hours ago
By MOTOKO RICH, New York Times | http://nyti.ms/YSbjpL Published: March 8, 2013 :: Diane Ravitch, the historian and former assistant education secretary who has become an outspoken critic of those who favor high-stakes testing, tenure reforms and other controversial measures aimed at the public schools, has joined with other education advocates to form a group that will grade and endorse
COMMON CORE TESTING PLAN LEAVES ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE SKEPTICAL
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By Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report – http://bit.ly/WQJXRl Wednesday, March 06, 2013 :: A key legislative panel undertook Wednesday its first look at the challenges the state faces in bringing the new common core curriculum standards into California classrooms. And, committee members expressed a lot of doubt the transition can be accomplished by the fall of 2014. “I know I sound
ASSEMBLY EDUCATION FINANCE COMMITTEE FEARS FUNDING OUTLOOK FOR ADULT ED, ECE AND CTE PROGRAMS
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By Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/13M4y0G Wednesday, March 06, 2013 :: Worried about the fate of adult, early childhood and career-technical education programs across the state, members of a legislative panel on education finance said Tuesday they will be taking a hard look over the coming weeks at the impact Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed school funding formula could
COLLEGE AND CAREER: Can this Marriage Succeed?
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Themes in the News by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/X5tQ8l 03-08-2013 :: Career and technical education (CTE) is a quiet player in today’s school-reform turmoil. Headlines are dominated by standardized testing, charter schools, budget crises, school closings, teachers and their unions. Reasons for the neglect of CTE are sometimes misguided and sometimes legitimate. It has long been clear
HIGHER STANDARDS COMING FOR STATE’S INTERN TEACHERS
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By Kathryn Baron | EdSource Today http://bit.ly/10juUCt March 8th, 2013 :: The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing signaled Thursday its intention to increase training requirements for intern teachers, including Teach for America members, before they’re allowed to teach any of the state’s 1.4 million students who are English learners. <<Bill Lucia, president and CEO of
If Eli Broad approves: ART MARRIAGE MY YIELD L.A. MEGA MUSEUM +smf’s 2¢
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 14 hours ago
LACMA makes a preliminary offer for taking over MOCA. By Jori Finkel and Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/10sfyiD Eli Broad, who is building a museum across from MOCA, agreed in 2008 to give the downtown Los Angeles institution a bailout valued at up to $30 million. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / January 8, 2013) March 7, 2013, 6:05 p.m. :: The Los Angeles County
STRICTER STATE CONTROLS PLACED ON TEACHING INTERNS
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Action by California credentialing panel seems to settle a debate over the rights of students who speak only limited English, the effectiveness of interns and the flexibility of districts in hiring instructors. By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/X56mjy Stephanie Silva is a Teach for America instructor at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. Interns like her will be
STATE’S FIRST CAREER-TECH CENTER FACES POTENTIAL DEMISE
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By Susan Frey – EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/WxbLPG Students in the Southern California Regional Occupational Center can take a variety of courses in health professions, including phlebotomy. Photo courtesy of SoCal ROC. (Click to enlarge) March 7th, 2013 | The superintendent of the state’s oldest regional occupational program is warning that an unintended consequence of the
PARENTS ALLEGE MASSIVE ENROLLMENT FRAUD AT CARPENTER COMMUNITY CHARTER IN STUDIO CITY + smf’s 2¢
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago
By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer |dAILY nEWS | http://bit.ly/10m7UGK 3/04/2013 08:23:56 PM PST :: Los Angeles Unified will let schools use public records to verify student addresses after a high-performing charter in Studio City complained that scores of parents from outside the neighborhood committed fraud to get their kids admitted, officials said Monday. Administrators at Carpenter
BIG MONEY DOESN’T BUY MUCH IN L.A. SCHOOL RACES
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's PAC raised nearly $4 million, much of it from outside interests, on behalf of three school board candidates. But it secured only one seat. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/XVL7NP School board member Steve Zimmer was backed by the teachers union. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times / March 5, 2013) March 6, 2013, 8:15 p.m. :: Outside
APATHY v.2.0: Election officials were stunned when 16% of voters cast ballots. They couldn't believe that many people knew there was an election.
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago
L.A.’s WALKING DEAD: Most Angelenos couldn't summon the energy to cast a ballot. That doesn't have to continue. By Steve Lopez Olga Korn, 86, votes in Encino on Tuesday. She was among just 16% of L.A. residents who did. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / March 5, 2013) March 6, 2013, 6:45 p.m. :: Mark the date, remember the day. On March 5, 2013, Los Angeles redefined apathy. A
TEACHERS vs. TESTS
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Letters: to the editor of the LA Times | http://lat.ms/13HXWA6 Re "School policymakers face a test of their own," March 4 March 7, 2013 The controversy over the use of standardized tests for evaluation purposes is the result of the assumption that those tests currently in widespread use are capable of differentiating between effective and ineffective teachers. Contrary to popular belief,
LAUSD BOARD OF ED ELECTION: The dust clears …what does it mean?
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 2 days ago
unofficial election results from the la city clerk with all precincts reporting | http://bit.ly/14tnzk2 March 6, 2013 MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ED, DIST NO. 2 MÓNICA GARCÍA 15268 56.03 REELECTED ANNAMARIE MONTAÑEZ 3220 11.81 ROBERT D. SKEELS 4105 15.06
NUESTRA INICIATIVA: White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago
by email from The White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics The National Center for Education Statistics has released that on-time high school graduation rates in the 2009-2010 school year are at their highest since 1974. The percentage of high school students who graduate within 4 years of first starting 9th grade, has risen to 78.2%. Along with this incredible increase
BEWARE THE LIES OF MARCH
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago
A Note from Steve Zimmer Friends, In less than 12 hours the polls will close on this historic school board race. This race is so close that we know every single vote will count. So I am asking you to send one last email blast, post one last facebook message, make one last phone call, talk to one more voter. Our message is very simple. Don't believe the lies of March. Never in the
TRUST HIM, HE’S A DOCTOR
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago
In L.A. Unified, however, Supt. John Deasy has said that any increased funding would be used to fill in continued deficits from past state budget cuts and that any new spending would not begin until 2015. – LA Times. March 5, 2013 http://lat.ms/WsTSSj smf: Does this mean that no increased funding will go for sparkly, shiny things like
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE IN BETTER SHAPE, OFFICIALS SAY. Not so fast, other officials say.
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago
A state report shows that the number of districts at risk of not meeting financial obligations dropped to 124 from 188 last May. But 2 L.A. County districts joined the list of at-risk districts. By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/WsTSSj Compare+Contrast Half Empty?/Half Full?/of what? "I can say with growing confidence that the worst of California's
THE POLLS ARE OPEN: Go do it!
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago
…and thank you. ¡EverOnward/SiempreAdelante!
Q: WHAT DO MONICA GARCIA, KATE ANDERSON & A PAGE 3 GIRL HAVE IN COMMON? A: They have all been bought & paid for by Rupert Murdoch
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Monica Garcia Kate Anderson Sun Page 3 Girl from 4LAKidNews Page Three (or Page 3) is a feature found in the Sun tabloid newspaper in the United Kingdom, consisting of a large photograph of a topless female glamour model usually published on the newspaper's third page. The Sun has featured topless models (known as Page
RUPERT MURDOCH: From the wonderful billionaire who brought you the phone hacking scandal in the U.K.: $250K for the LAUSD ®eform Slate
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from 4LAKidNews 4 March 2013 :: Rupert Murdoch – the Australian born British Press baron, American citizen owner of Fox News has donated $250,000 to the ®eform Coalition Coalition for School Reform Campaign Filing 3.3.13 IT MUST BE TRUE, I READ IT IN THE ROLLING STONE: As CEO, Murdoch not only tolerates employees and executives who push the
THE IMPERFECT STORM: Bloomberg gave a million; here are my two-cents on why – and how – we need to vote tomorrow.
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 4 days ago
By smf for 4LAKidsNews 4 March 2013 :: It’s hard to work up a weather allegory in Los Angeles where generally every day is just another perfect day in paradise. Sure it gets all-those-shades-of-grey in May and June – but the gloom is complemented by the lavender blooms of the jacaranda – which form in the dark, dark branches and hang in sky - and then fall in drifts on the yards and sidewalks
WELCOME TO THE SEQUESTER: For Teachers, March is Pink Slip Month
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Themes in the News by UCLA IDEA, Week of Feb. 25-March 1, 2013 | http://bit.ly/WDFscH 03-01-2013 :: The prospect of receiving a pink slip has been a painful and nasty California school-employment ritual for decades. Receiving a notice that you are not assured of a teaching assignment after June is a gut-wrenching experience that affects entire faculties. It doesn’t matter if you are secure in
Testing, testing: STANDARDIZED TESTING BECOMES THE GREAT DIVIDE IN SCHOOLS POLICY– an issue playing out in L.A. school board elections
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Use of standardized tests in schools is growing, but so is push-back By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/XRGkL3 TOM TORLAKSON, the state superintendent of public instruction, leans towards fewer tests. - (sfgate.com) Teachers at Emerson Middle School in Los Angeles rally in 2009 to protest what
CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR TAKE DIFFERENT TACKS ON EDUCATION
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Eric Garcetti has the backing of the teachers union and wants to unite the union and reformers. Wendy Greuel wants local decision-making. Jan Perry wants a non-voting seat on the board. By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/ZSsQRy From left, L.A. mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel, Kevin James, Eric Garcetti, Emanuel Pleitez and Jan Perry attend a United Way panel discussion on
LAUSD JOINS OTHER DISTRICTS IN ASKING FOR NCLB WAIVERS, PROMISING TO USE TEST SCORES IN EVALUATING TEACHERS + Actual waiver request
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By Barbara Jones Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/100sxbj 2/28/2013 04:50:49 PM PST :: Los Angeles Unified and eight other California school districts filed a waiver Thursday to the federal No Child Left Behind law, proposing a new system for measuring student achievement and developing better teachers. The first-of-its-kind waiver would exempt the districts from a federal
Only in LACCD: COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT PAYS $1 MILLION IN FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS SETTLEMENT OVER HIRING INSPECTOR GENERAL
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District Attorney’s investigation continues --Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/ZSvEhy March 1, 2013 5:31 pm :: The Los Angeles Community College District has agreed to pay $1 million to a firm that alleged that it was unfairly passed over during the selection of an inspector general to oversee a $6-billion campus rebuilding program. Fu-Gen, Inc. a Los Angeles private
VIDEO - ZIMMER’S RESPONSE TO BILLIONARE BLOOMBERG: “If you have enough money you can say anything."
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A Special Education Teacher at an LAUSD MAGNET WHO BLOGS AS TRIESTOBEFAIR WRITES: If students' progress was a concern for the billionaires and right wing zealots who fund Kate Anderson, they would not be privatizing education for profit. They would have been spending their money on reducing class size and investing in early childhood education and NOT wasting money on Standardized Tests
IVY ACADEMIA FOUNDERS’ TRIAL BEGINS
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By Mariecar Mendoza, Staff Writer, la dAILY nEWS | http://bit.ly/Za3FJa 3/01/2013 08:02:29 PM PST :: A jury trial began Friday for a Tarzana couple who stand accused of misusing more than $200,000 in funds from the Ivy Academia charter schools they founded. Eugene Selivanov, 40, and his wife, 36-year-old Tatyana Berkovich, are standing trial in the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on
AB 1575: SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN’T CHARGE PARENTS FOR BASIC EDUCATION, MUST CREATE COMPLAINT PROCESS. Deadline is March 1 (Today)
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Vanessa Romo - Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC | http://bit.ly/XMEo6E Erika Aguilar/KPCC February 27th, 2013, 12:32pm :: Out of necessity, cash strapped schools have for years been asking parents to cover some of the most basic classroom needs: craft supplies, a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, an Algebra book. But it turns out that is illegal and California school districts have until Friday to
THE WEEK THAT (ALMOST) WAS: Dispatches from the frontline +smf’s 2¢
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NO REST FOR THE WEARY From Anonymous Secondary Principal to the AALA Update, week of March 4, 2013 | http://bit.ly/VU2bUM Just wanted to share/vent. The number of successive meetings makes it impossible to supervise instruction at the schoolhouse. This week: Tuesday --1/2 [day] meeting (including travel to and from ESC office) on Algebra SPA results; Wednesday -- day long principals’
WHY ARE WALMART BILLIONAIRES BANKROLLING PHONY SCHOOL “REFORM” IN L.A.?
smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 week ago
Peter Dreier, E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College IN THE hUFFINGTON pOST | http://huff.to/13uY4Tz 2/28/2013 9:46 am :: For years, Los Angeles has been ground zero in an intense debate about how to improve our nation's education system. What's less known is who is shaping that debate. Many of the biggest contributors to the so-called "school choice" movement --
A poem: SEQUESTER’S HERE
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Posted by Matt Miller, Washington Post Opinion Writer/Host of KCRW 89.9 Left, Right+Center | http://wapo.st/VkiVW4 March 1, 2013 at 9:00 am The planes have crashed Al-Qaeda’s near The schools are shut The parks are clear They’ve strung up every budgeteer You’re on your own Sequester’s here The jobs are gone Yet stocks still soar The White
LOS ANGELES PARENTS POWERLESS AS CANDIDATES IGNORE ABUSE + smf’s 2¢
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By James Nash & Edvard Pettersson, Bloomberg News - http://bloom.bg/XMaX4v Feb 28, 2013 1:57 PM PT :: Seven Los Angeles public school teachers and aides have been charged with molesting more than 50 children in just over a year, though you’d hardly know it from the campaigns for next week’s municipal election. None of the 11 candidates for the board that oversees the second-largest U.S.
SEQUESTERDAY- all my troubles seemed so far away….
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"...float a final layer of dark rum, clouding the glass with its oppressive weight until you can’t see any hope at all." Five Cocktails for Your Sequester-Watching Party Posted by Caitlin Kelly in The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs Daily Blog http://nyr.kr/YHeany March 1, 2013 :: Throwing a sequester shindig this weekend? Of course you are! But if you want to be the host or hostess
Replay/Podcast: AIRTALK DEBATE ANDERSON vs. ZIMMER – Listen Now http://bit.ly/ViRqfI
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from KPCC Airtalk with Larry Mantle 89.3 28 February 2013 | http://bit.ly/XsUGnl [LISTEN NOW] United Way of Greater Los Angeles - LAUSD District 4 School Board candidates Steve Zimmer, left, and Kate Anderson take part in a forum on January 24 at the Venice Boys & Girls Club. The L.A. Unified School District has been under scrutiny this year as it has faced some major public battles.
NO SHAME: Until this moment, Mónica García, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?
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partisan political outrage from smf Perspective (from the History of the U.S. Senate/www.senate.gov: In the spring of 1954, [demagogue/sociopath Senator “Tailgun Joe” Joseph] McCarthy picked a fight with the U.S. Army, charging lax security at a top-secret army facility. The army responded that the senator had sought preferential treatment for a recently drafted subcommittee aide. Amidst
NINE CA DISTRICTS SUBMIT WAIVERS FOR RELIEF FROM NCLB + smf’s 2¢
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By Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald | EdSource Today http://bit.ly/WksDJE February 28th, 2013 :: A collaborative of nine California school districts is submitting today a first-of-its-kind waiver seeking relief from the harshest sanctions of the No Child Left Behind law. The proposal would commit the participating districts to a new accountability system, focusing on student achievement
Prop 30: VOTERS WEREN’T TOLD ABOUT PLAN TO REDISTRIBUTE MONEY + smf’s 2¢
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Gov. Jerry Brown wants to use Prop. 30 tax revenues to help poorer students. It's a laudable goal but shouldn't come at the expense of more prosperous school districts. By George Skelton LA Times Capitol Journal | http://lat.ms/YCS6YR February 27, 2013, 6:14 p.m. :: SACRAMENTO — A revenue redistribution scheme probably was not what Californians had in mind when they passed Gov. Jerry
