The defense in Vergara v California began its case today, calling to the witness stand a veteran educator whose testimony about identifying and dealing with ineffective teachers came in stark contrast to the views of earlier witnesses in the case. Robert Fraisse, whose career included serving as superintendent in three California school districts, appeared to...

Tensions deepened last night among the candidates running for the top job at United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) as one of them came close to a physical confrontation with another after the event ended. Hosted by the teacher advocacy group, Educators4Excellence, at City Hall in Boyle Heights, the event played before a crowd of about...

Superintendent John Deasy works too much. So much so, that he rarely takes time off for vacation. As a result, the Los Angeles Unified School board voted at its monthly meeting yesterday to pay him for up to 24 days of unused vacation time, the equivalent of nearly $30,000 added to his annual salary of $330,000, according...

After giving lawyers one more chance to make their arguments today, Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu ruled that Vergara v California will proceed, denying the defendants’ request to throw the case out. As defendants, the state and its two biggest teachers unions tried to persuade the judge that in four weeks of testimony, the plaintiffs...

Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu resumed the Vergara v California trial today by telling lawyers for both sides that he would allow the case to continue. After hearing oral arguments from both sides, he denied the defendants’ request to dismiss the case based on a lack of evidence. “The court finds sufficient evidence, credible evidence,...

With a year-long state moratorium on standardized testing, LAUSD is crafting its own assessment to determine if English learning students are ready for an English-only curriculum. The new tests will look a lot like the tests they replace, said Hilda Maldonado, director of the LAUSD Multilingual and Multicultural department. The district had initially sought to purchase...

LA Unified School Board members meet today with a hefty agenda that includes charter school renewals, approving building repairs and a possible discussion about how to spend the new local control funding (though that will likely be put off for a future meeting).   1:00 p.m.:  LA Unified School Board Meeting click LIVESTREAM LAUSD

19 students from LA Unified’s Academy of Music at Hamilton High School performed “Happy” with Pharrell at Sunday’s Academy Awards Ceremony, a show viewed by 300 million people across the globe. The video has gone viral – enjoy!

It could be a monumental day in the Vergara vs. California trial. Or it could just lead to more testimony. Lawyers are expecting California Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu to decide whether to throw the case out, as the defendants are asking, or keep it going, as the plaintiffs are urging. The decision turns on...