Nothing really important will probably happen at the conventions this week or next but there are more education-related events scheduled than in previous years (when there was next to nothing) and some of the education events that will be taking place might be interesting or at least amusing.  Check below for a list, and let...

Last week I tweeted out the arrival of Atul Gawande’s recent New Yorker article about what the medical industry could learn from the restaurant chain called the Cheesecake Factory, suggesting that maybe there were things that the education industry could learn from the article as well: “Our costs are soaring, the service is typically mediocre, and...

There are two big articles about teacher preparation programs in the news this week — and one about poverty — that don’t focus specifically on LAUSD but are well worth knowing about for anyone concerned with education reform.

What a strange and interesting first week back in school it’s been for LAUSD — starting three weeks before Labor Day but still a year that will be five school days shorter than last year. And we’re not even done with it yet. The first day back, Tuesday, the district wanted to focus on the...

Today I am pleased to announce the official launch of LA School Report. My goal is to provide meaningful coverage on issues related to the Los Angeles public schools and to shine a light on a system that receives little attention despite its enormous importance. As the second largest school system in the country and one that commands...

It’s not such a bad thing that LAUSD is trying to prevent future cases of child molestation at school, but this blindfold ban seems like a particularly literal-minded, narrow approach to the problem — especially when there are so many other things that need doing.  Schools are always banning things (dirty dancing, wrist bands, gang colors, hugging...