Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-16-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2


Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE


Quick action contemplated on new assessments, API rewrite

The state commission charged with overhauling the Academic Performance Index may have recommendations ready as soon as May, officials said Thursday.

Why The Rich Need To Scapegoat Teachers

Every once in a while, the corporate media goes too far and gives away the game:
So this is apparently a real thing from the Wall Street Journal.


The Onion couldn't top this. Whether it's the sad faces of all these put-upon dejected rich people, or the elderly minority couple who is depressed despite not paying extra taxes (or was that the point?), or the distressed single Asian lady making $230,000 who might not be able to buy that extra designer pantsuit this year, or the "single mother" making $260,000 whose kids presumably have a deadbeat, indigent dad just like any other poor family, or that struggling family of six making $650,000 including $180,000 of pure passive income and wondering how to make ends meet, 

Who Cares What Teachers Think?

I cannot tell you all how much this crap makes me nuts:

TED is coming to a television near you.

On April 16, PBS will air the very first televised TED event, TED Talks Education. The event, which will be filmed in New York on April 4, will bring together an hour of speakers and performers with a deep-rooted passion for education. The first three speakers booked: Bill GatesSir Ken Robinsonand Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children’s Zone – and watch for more announcements in coming weeks. With fresh thinking and bold ideas, the speakers and performers will discuss how we can curb the high school dropout crisis.

TED Talks Education will be broadcast nationally in the U.S. and will be produced by 

Report Criticizes School Discipline Measures Used in Mississippi

Less than three months after the Justice Department sued Meridian, Miss., over discipline procedures, a report said that “overly harsh” policies were common throughout the state.

New York Legislators Propose Giving Illegal Immigrants Access to College Financial Aid

The bill would open up several state tuition-assistance programs at colleges and universities and create a scholarship fund, but it would not create a path to citizenship.

Moody’s Gives Colleges a Negative Grade

The credit reporting agency said it had revised its financial outlook for colleges and universities, assigning a negative rating to the entire field.

Compare and Contrast

From Notre Dame’s official statement on the apparent hoaxing of their star player by a woman pretending to be his online girlfriend:
“While the proper authorities will continue to investigate this troubling matter, this appears to be, at a minimum, a sad and very cruel deception.”
From Notre Dame’s football coach’s official statement on the suicide of a nineteen-year-old who had nine days 

Poor News Network: Accreditation is the vehicle for privatization

by Terrilyn Woodfin, Poor News Network Bay View-just posted this piece as well- Students didn’t mince words at a protest to save City College at the [...] The post Poor News Network: Accreditation is the vehicle for privatization appeared first on DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World,...

Schedule of Events for the 57th Presidential Inaugural

According to NBC.com, the following is the updated schedule of events for the 2013 inauguration of President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Note: All times are Eastern.
SATURDAY, JAN. 19
National Day of Service Summit on the National Mall
Location: The National Mall
Start Event: 9:30 a.m. ET
The First and Second families are issuing a call to action for all Americans to join together in service to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration, the 2013 Presidential 


Grayslake teacher strike into second day.

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Grayslake teachers (District 46) on strike.
Lake County Federation of Teachers, Local 504 members hit the picket lines this morning after no agreement was reached in a last-ditch mediation session that ended late last night.
You can show your solidarity by joining the teachers at Frederick School located at 595 Frederick Road, Grayslake.



The Return to the Neighborhood – Mr. D is back!

I'm Back by popular demand!It took quite a while, but the Neighborhood is back in business!
To be honest, I was really expecting to post at least once a week when I started my new position.  However, this year I learned of a new kind of exhaustion.
My new school, in all fairness, is such a refreshing change from my old situation that my exhaustion was barely noticed.  It’s a charmed life: a K-8 neighborhood school in a Bronx neighborhood reminiscent of my ancestral 






Midtown may lose Washington Elementary School

One of Midtown's few remaining primary schools is on the chopping block for closure, along with 10 other sites in the Sacramento City Unified School District.
The school – Washington Elementary School at 520 18th Street – is between the Mansion Flats and New Era Park neighborhoods, and was built in the 1950s. It was nearly closed in 2009, amid a budget crisis.
The reason for the schools' potential closures is due to declining enrollment, and because they're operating at 

Take This Quiz: Are You As Well-Read As A 9th Grader?

A throw back to 10th grade English. It's fun and makes you remember the good old days of annotating and spotting imagery

From Good Girl to Feminist

There was nothing ambiguous  about how I was raised. What my parents expected of me was crystal clear, as were the expectations of my teachers and my church.  Always serve yourself last, my mother said. Make sure, wherever you are, that everyone else is taken care of before you think of yourself. Don’t raise your hand in class, even if you know the answer, because boys don’t like smart girls. I remember the humorless face of my fifth grade teacher as she intoned “Girls must be perfect, their clothes, their hair, their manners. Absolutely perfect.” Don’t call attention to yourself. Don’t be proud of yourself, or people will think you’re stuck up and you won’t have any friends. Don’t make waves, don’t cause a scene, lower your voice, and sit down. It doesn’t matter whether 

Seattle teachers resist standardized testing

As some of you might have heard, Seattle teachers at 2 high schools have refused to administer a junk science standardized test mandated by the district.  This is a brave action and a powerful action.  From all appearances this seems like a rank and file organized protest with deep roots at the school site level [...]

Student Navigates Alternate Routes to School

Hear how one family navigated the commute during the school bus strike
Jack Podvesker Hoffard is a lanky fifth grader who had both parents helping him get ready for school on Wednesday. He usually needs help but this was an unusual morning; because of the school bus strike Jack would take the subway.
Lynn Hoffard and Lori Podvesker help Jack get ready for school.
Normally, Jack took a yellow school bus from the door of his Clinton Hill home to school at P.S. K77, a school 

High Stakes Testing and Opting Out Webinar



High Stakes Testing and Opting Out

Originally posted at Parents Across America on January 16, 2013
You are invited to discuss high-stakes testing at an upcoming webinar. Register here. Share. Attend. The event is being hosted by Parents Across America.
Jan. 27 Testing Webcast with Fair Test Monty Neill, United Opt Out’s Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson with special guest Garfield High School teacher Jesse Hagopian on high stakes testing and opting out
The term “high stakes testing” refers to standardized tests that are taken by students and used to evaluate a teacher and/or principal’s performance or that of a school.
Many times these tests have been used more as a weapon rather than a tool, causing the wholesale firing of teachers and the closing of schools, many times converting those closed schools into charter schools.
This type of testing also creates additional stress for students who many times feel that how they perform on a test may affect the future of a well loved teacher or school.
Another outcome of high stakes testing is the unfortunate focus on a small amount of information that is anticipated being on the test rather than studying a subject with a broad overview and providing the opportunity to understand the subject within a context and relate it to other subjects.
Many school districts, and even states have unfortunately been a part of the high stakes testing phenomenon and school communities have suffered greatly from it. Due to the damage that has been done, many principals, teachers, school districts and superintendents have pushed back on high stakes testing and said that “enough is enough”. See High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Push Back.
On January 27 at 1:00 PM PST, 3:00 PM Central and 4:00 PM EST, Parents Across America will be hosting an online seminar on high stakes testing and opting out of such tests.
Our guests will be:
Jesse Hagopian, teacher at Garfield High School and part of the MAP test boycott
Shaun Johnson, a former public school teacher, current teacher educator and online radio show co-host of At the Chalk Face who is a founder of United Opt Out National.
Monty Neill, Executive Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest). Dr. Neill authored Implementing Performance Assessments: A Guide to Classroom School and System Reform, and Testing Our Children: A Report Card on State Assessment Systems, the first comprehensive evaluation of all 50 state testing programs.
Tim Slekar, a former public school teacher and now an associate professor of teacher education. Dr. Slekar is also co-host of At the Chalk Face and a founder of United Opt Out National.
There will be a discussion on:
  • How high stakes testing got started.
  • Methods to fairly evaluate a teacher in the classroom.
  • Opting your student out of high stakes testing, why and how.
Each guest speaker will have an opportunity to talk about these subjects and then it will be opened up for questions and discussion.
To sign up for this event, go to Eventbrite. You will be notified of instructions on how to sign onto the webinar a few days before the event.
We can accept a maximum of 100 guests.
If you have any questions, please leave your question in the comment section of this post.
~ Dora Taylor


PURE, LSC members call for investigation of UNO charter network finances






NEWS RELEASE *** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *** January 17, 2013
CONTACT: Julie Woestehoff, Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE) – 773-715-3989
Rosemary Sierra, President, Pilsen Academy Local School Council – 312-719-2740

Chicago parents call on Illinois Executive Inspector General
to investigate UNO finances

Up to $133 million taxpayer dollars flow to politically connected charter network on shaky financial ground
while neighborhood schools face massive cuts and closures

CHICAGO- Today, representatives of Parents United for Responsible Education and Chicago Local School Councils will meet with the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General to ask for an investigation of the financial conditions of the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) and its use of millions in taxpayer funds.
The Illinois General Assembly was on the verge of considering Senate Bill 24 on January 3rd, 2013, before they adjourned the lame duck session. Sponsored by Senator Heather Steans, the bill would give UNO charters another $35 million appropriation beyond the $98 million they have already received.
Parents are concerned that the legislature will approve this money without considering the risky financial practices of UNO and its UNO Charter School Network, even though Chicago is preparing to close as many as 137 schools due to alleged underutilization. And things could get much worse. Governor Quinn announced yesterday that state education funding may have to be cut as much as $400 million.
If SB 24 is approved by the state legislature, UNO and CPS would each be in line for the $35 million in state appropriations, which would result in approximately $5,415 in funding for each UNO student and $2.7 million per school, compared to approximately $89 in funding for each Chicago Public School (CPS) student and $54,405 for each school.
“It is outrageous that UNO is slated to receive the same amount of money as the entire Chicago school district will receive, when UNO runs only 13 schools,” said Julie Woestehoff, PURE executive director. “We call on the Illinois Inspector General to investigate how this politically-connected organization is able to amass such a large amount of taxpayer dollars without accountability to the public. Certainly UNO should not receive any more money until it is clear to the public that the money is being used properly, for improved education for Chicago children and not UNO’s ambitious real estate portfolio.” PURE has raised concerns before about the state’s largess toward UNO.
UNO has received nearly $100 million in legislative earmarks, and nearly $70 million in tax-exempt bonds to buy land, build schools and meet its lenders’ and bondholders’ expectations for the charter operator’s growth in enrollment and revenue. These bonds and direct state handouts were issued for the purchase of land and construction for UNO’s rapid expansion program, and enabled the growth needed to meet debt payments and growth commitments to UNO’s lenders and other bondholders in a complicated financial shell game.
Our school has never gotten the programs and supplies our children need. Now CPS is planning to close a lot of schools, supposedly to save money. At the same time, UNO keeps getting millions of dollars to pull students from our school and put us in danger of being closed,” said Rosemary Sierra, local school council president at Pilsen Community Academy. “We thought the state had a budget crisis, but they seem to be able to find millions for the politically-connected people at UNO. Meanwhile, some of UNO’s schools have the lowest rating in CPS.”
Despite massive political favoritism, tens of millions in state subsidies and millions more in additional credit supports from bodies such as the Illinois Facilities Fund and Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Standard & Poor’s still rated UNO’s 2011 series tax-exempt bonds BBB-, which is one step above “junk” status.
UNO Board Chairman Juan Rangel and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are longtime allies. Rangel recently served as finance chairman of Emanuel’s mayoral campaign, and he and other appointed-not elected-UNO leaders have strung together multiple taxpayer-subsidized and tax-exempt financial transactions to pay off private bank loans and private bondholders. UNO is using this largesse to engineer a rapid buildup of not only its student enrollment, but of substantial real estate holdings as well.
A breakdown of three years of UNO tax-exempt bonds is attached. It shows that, with each successive transaction, the financial burden has resulted in higher debt-per-student costs as UNO has nearly no other source of revenue other than public transfers via direct subsidies, publicly issued bonds and government contracts. If UNO fails to secure more buildings and more students, the growing financial burden will likely have an adverse impact on its students as per-pupil classroom spending will suffer due to an increasing portion of the network’s income being diverted to cover debt payments.
We are pleased that the Office of the Executive Inspector General recently launched a Grant Review Initiative Team to look into state grants like these. We are meeting with an intake investigator right after this press conference.
****
Details of UNO bonds from public sources:
Series 2006 Bonds: The Illinois Finance Authority issued $17.3 million in tax-exempt bonds for both UNO and the Noble Network of Charter Schools. UNO used $6 million in tax-exempt bond proceeds-plus $1.15 million in taxable bond proceeds-to finance renovations at three properties leased from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Student enrollment was projected to be 1,813 students for the 2006-07 year, and the debt-per-student was calculated at $4,429 ($8,028,994 in total funds divided by 1,813 students).
Series 2007 Bonds: The Illinois Finance Authority issued $15.8 million in tax-exempt bonds for UNO. UNO used the bond proceeds-plus $200,000 in taxable bond proceeds and a $1.6 million deposit from lender IFF-to finance the acquisition and renovation of a school from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Student enrollment was projected to be 2,376 students for the 2007-08 year and the debt-per-student was calculated at $10,781 (Series 2006 balance of $7,658,406, plus $17,957,714 in total funds, divided by 2,376 students). This is an increase of 143 percent from the previous year.
Series 2011 Bonds: The Illinois Finance Authority issued $35.85 million in tax-exempt bonds for UNO. UNO used the $35.85 million-plus $495,000 in taxable bond proceeds-to pay off a private bank loan. Student enrollment was projected to be 5,424 at the start of the 2011-12 year and the debt-per-student was calculated at $12,500 ($67,800,000 in outstanding debt per the November 13, 2011 S&P Ratings Report, divided by 5,424 students]. This is a 16 percent increase from 2007.
Attachment:
Standard and Poor report on UNO Finances



“American’s Didn’t Always Yearn for Riches.” « Deborah Meier on Education

“American’s Didn’t Always Yearn for Riches.” « Deborah Meier on Education:


“American’s Didn’t Always Yearn for Riches.”

Dear readers
I’ve noticed that even amongst my allies on school reform that tracking by so-called ability (test scores of some sort nowadays) is now back in fashion, and charter schools are another way to make it happen. The arguments for the practice, now conducted by essentially separating kids by test scores as early as possible, has probably never been more popular. In some ways it was our victory over earlier forms of tracking that led to using test scores, which are unbelievably sensitive to race, gender. social class and ethnicity/ When I arrived in NYC with three elementary grade children in 1966 I immediately enrolled them at PS 9 (in Manhattan’s west side). They were placed, by the school, ) in the top class in grades one, three and five–although no one tested them or 

Florida Chamber of Commerce Legislative Goals: Merit Pay, Union Busting and Protecting High-Stakes Testing | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida Chamber of Commerce Legislative Goals: Merit Pay, Union Busting and Protecting High-Stakes Testing | Scathing Purple Musings:


Florida Chamber of Commerce Legislative Goals: Merit Pay, Union Busting and Protecting High-Stakes Testing

After cutting through lofty platitudes in their legislative agenda the FCOC include these talking points about education.
First in their letter to “Letter to Florida Business Leaders”
*Education reform is hurting because union leaders make it about the adults when it should be all about kids. Union dues enable them to have thousands of people working against making America more competitive.
*Mandates in the classroom continue to increase costs in an education system where too much goes into bureaucracy and not enough goes to good teachers and into the classroom.
And these legislative goals:
*Pass parent empowerment legislation that lets a majority of parents attending failing schools 

Report: Savings marginal after D.C. Public Schools closes schools | WashingtonExaminer.com

Report: Savings marginal after D.C. Public Schools closes schools | WashingtonExaminer.com


Report: Savings marginal after D.C. Public Schools closes schools

January 15, 2013 | 8:00 pm 


Rachel Baye

Staff writer - Montgomery County





Closing 20 DC Public Schools will save the school system barely more money than it will cost to close them, according to a report released Tuesday by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, or DCFPI.
While closing the proposed schools could save DC Public Schools $10.4 million in the 2013-2014 school year, consolidating them could cost $10.2 million, significantly reducing the overall savings, the analysis by D.C. education finance analyst Mary Levy found.
When the District closed 23 schools in 2008 -- the last time the District shuttered a large group of schools -- the process cost the school system $39.5 million, roughly $30 million more than anticipated, according to a D.C. audit released in September.
Source: DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The price of education
Cost savings for 15 proposed school closings
WardSchoolEstimated savings
7Ronald H. Brown Middle School$772,832
7Davis Elementary School-$78,121
8Ferebee-Hope Elementary School$615,165
2Francis-Stevens Education Campus$1,563,610
2Garrison Elementary School$256,100
8Johnson Middle School$369,438
7Kenilworth Elementary School$101,840
4MacFarland Middle School$441,182
8Malcolm X Elementary School$413,764
5Marshall Elementary School$463,856
1Shaw Middle School-$193,537
7Smothers Elementary School$90,550
5Spingarn High School$2,846,851
8M.C. Terrell/McGogney Elementary School$537,284
7Winston Education Campus$1,474,990
DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson proposed in November closing 20 schools at the end of the current school year to conserve resources, but she has not said how much money she expects to save with the plan. The final list of school closings is scheduled for release this week.
Henderson spokeswoman Melissa Salmanowitz did not return requests for comment.
"One of the main arguments in the DCPS proposal for school closure and consolidation is that the small schools are inefficient and require additional funding from the school system to operate," the DC Fiscal Policy Institute's report says. However, the difference in per-pupil costs at a small school compared with those at a large school turn out to be 

UPDATE: Tips from the Trenches and 21st Century Skills and the Common Core — Whole Child Education

21st Century Skills and the Common Core — Whole Child Education:


Stephen Sroka

Tips from the Trenches: Student Services

During the last few months, I have had the chance to talk with several speakers who strongly affected their audiences. I started to think about the remarkable leaders with whom I have worked over the years and how they have made huge differences with their incredible wisdom, insights, and actions. I contacted some of them and asked them to comment on working in education in these difficult times. I asked them to share some take-away messages, so that, if they were speaking, what would they want their audience to remember? Read the first installment in the series: school safety.
Students are more than grade-point averages. Often they are faced with many barriers to effective education. Dealing with the whole child, and not just the academic child, can help facilitate learning. Safe and healthy students learn more. Here are some "Tips from the Trenches" about the value of supporting students.
Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor, codirectors of whole child partner Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA:
  • "School improvement policy and practice continues to give short shrift to addressing barriers to learning and teaching and re-engaging disconnected students. As a result, critical factors interfering with student 


Andrew Miller

21st Century Skills and the Common Core

21st century skills are quickly becoming taught and assessed in schools across the nation. Whether through explicit instruction or models like project-based learning, educators are quickly realizing that lower level content comprehension is not enough. The Whole Child Initiative calls for tenets that rely on these skills. We create a safe environment through collaboration. Critical thinking creates rigor and challenge. Communication can create engagement with the community. 21st century skills, when paired with content can create powerful and meaningful learning. The Common Core State Standards explicitly call for these skills, so through uncovering the 3 C's in the Common Core, we can see how educators must teach and assess them.
Collaboration
In every grade level of the English language arts common standards, you will find the common standard that calls for "collaborative discussions." I do mean every! This means that at each grade level, we must not only be teaching and assessing the skill of collaboration, but we must think about how it looks different from grade level to grade level. We know that group work and collaborative work can be effective, but now collaboration is more than just an instructional tool. It is a skill that needs to be taught and assessed.
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Roland Case has done some great work on unpacking the concept of critical thinking into quality indicators. One of these quality indicators is perseverance, being able to complete a challenge and work through the obstacles. In the mathematics common standards, there are specific mathematical practices that are mentioned. One of these is "make sense of a problem and persevere in solving them." This is an explicit call in the Common Core to teach and assess one facet of critical thinking. In addition, as you unpack the Common Core, you will still thinking skills and related language for critical thinking. From being able to 

Education - LA Daily News

Education - LA Daily News:




Hebrew-English charter school in Van Nuys approved by LAUSD

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
A proposed Hebrew-English charter school in Van Nuys won the approval Tuesday of the LAUSD board, which also OK'd the renewal of two landmark charters and the conditional approval of a third.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy warns suspending standardized tests would hurt at-risk students

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy has fired off a letter to the California schools chief, protesting plans to suspend many standardized exams next year while the state develops a new system of computer-based tests.

Pacoima Singers raise $750 for victims of Hurricane Sandy

By Daily News at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
The Pacoima Singers, a production class at Pacoima Middle School's performing arts magnet, recently raised $750 to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy.

LAUSD wants an exemption from proposed water tax

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
The Los Angeles Unified school board is poised Tuesday to seek an exemption from a proposed countywide clean-water fee that would drain nearly $5 million annually from the district's general fund.

Monica Garcia, Kate Anderson take the lead in fundraising for LAUSD board seat

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
Los Angeles Unified board President Monica Garcia and District 4 challenger Kate Anderson have taken an early lead in campaign fundraising in the March 5 school board primary.

After Miramonte: LAUSD's Tamar Galatzan, UTLA chief Warren Fletcher look at reforming system for investigating teachers

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
A year after the Miramonte sex-abuse scandal sparked a flood of teacher misconduct complaints, a Los Angeles Unified board member and the teachers' union

L.A. Council urges free rent at Van Nuys Airport to save mechanics school

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
In a bid to keep alive a valuable aviation mechanic training program at Van Nuys Airport, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday urged the Department of Airports to provide free rent to the school district.

1 student shot at high school in Taft, Calif. -- NOT at Taft High in Woodland Hills

Associated Press at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
TAFT, Calif. -- A student was shot and wounded at a rural San Joaquin Valley high school Thursday and another student was taken into custody, officials said. The shooting occurred about 9 a.m. at Taft Union High School, a community of fewer than 10,000 people amidst oil and natural gas production fields about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles -- and not at the San Fernando Valley's Taft High.

LAUSD board race: L.A. County Democratic Party endorses Steve Zimmer, Antonio Sanchez; no endorsement for Monica Garcia's seat

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
The Los Angeles County Democratic Party voted late Tuesday to endorse incumbent Steve Zimmer and newcomer Antonio Sanchez for the LAUSD board but declined to support board President Monica Garcia or any of the four rivals for her Eastside seat.

State schools chief proposes replacing paper Scantron tests with computer-based ones

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
The standardized math and English exams that California students take each spring would be replaced with computer-based tests designed to assess critical-thinking and problem-solving skills under a proposal today by state schools chief Tom Torlakson.

At LAUSD's Chatsworth Elementary, LAPD lieutenant is front and center

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
Arriving at Chatsworth Elementary School after a three-week winter break, students and parents were greeted early Monday by LAPD Lt. Cory Palka, who shook the kids' hands, chatted up the moms and dads and - despite his easygoing demeanor - brought a feeling of security to those entering the campus gates. | Read "Glendale elementary school evacuated after bomb threat"

At LAUSD's Chatsworth Elementary, LAPD lieutenant is front and center

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
CHATSWORTH -- Arriving at Chatsworth Elementary School after a three-week winter break, kids and parents were greeted early Monday by LAPD Lt. Cory Palka, who shook the youngsters' hands, chatted up the parents and -- despite his easygoing demeanor -- brought a feeling of security to those entering the campus gates. | *» Glendale school evacuated*

LAPD, sheriff's deputies begin patrols at L.A. schools on Monday

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
Police officers and sheriff's deputies who have simply cruised by elementary and middle schools in the past will add campus visits to their daily patrols beginning Monday, the first day that LAUSD students will be back in

Educators, politicians have stark reaction to Gov. Jerry Brown school funding revamp

By Barbara Jones and Beau Yarbrough, Staff Writers at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
School districts that have long struggled to educate large numbers of poor students or English learners could see a massive influx of cash under a new funding formula expected to be unveiled next week by Gov.

Have you seen Panorama City's 'Red Car Flasher' suspect?

City News Service at Mobile_Education - 57 minutes ago
PANORAMA CITY -- Police released a second sketch today of a man they call the "Red Car Flasher," who has exposed himself to young women and teenage girls more than a dozen times.