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23 new teachers win ‘rookie’ awards to see Dodgers play Angels
The Rookies of the Year have been chosen among the LAUSD new teachers, and 23 of them will be going to the Dodgers play the Angels Sunday at Dodger Stadium. The winners were selected from among 920 first-year teachers last year, 87 of whom were nominated by school administrators and new teacher support staff. The winners were...
By Mike Szymanski | July 28, 2015
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CA charter schools association to LAUSD: ‘We’re not the problem’
After contentious LAUSD school board elections in which the California Charter Schools Association was widely criticized for negative campaigning and accused of draining money from traditional district schools, the association pushed back today asserting that its opponents have mischaracterized the group as detrimental to district. In a conference call with reporters, the association presented data that...
By Mike Szymanski | July 28, 2015
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Food experts from LAUSD, other big districts seeking more federal money
In a new position statement, a coalition of food professionals from the nation’s six largest school districts, including LA Unified, is asking for triple the amount of money now provided per school lunch by the USDA and allowing for more free meals as well as autonomy on how to serve them. The Urban School Food Alliance, which also...
By Mike Szymanski | July 27, 2015
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LAUSD hoping to double supper programs for kids staying late
To keep local children fed and ready for school the next day, LA Unified officials are hoping to expand the program that serves dinners to students who remain at school hours after the final bell. Already 76,000 meals a day are provided around dinner time at 584 schools in the district’s After School Supper Program,...
By Mike Szymanski | July 27, 2015
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Laid off ‘Reed’ teachers accusing LAUSD of exploiting a loophole
*UPDATED More than three dozen teachers at some of LA Unified’s lower-performing schools say their contracts are not being renewed because of a loophole in settlement of Reed vs. California, a lawsuit that tried to curb high teacher turnover in some of the city’s most challenging schools. The settlement, made in April 2014, was aimed...
By Mike Szymanski | July 24, 2015
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Boyle Heights school wins national award for technology
The Math, Science & Technology Magnet Academy at Theodore Roosevelt High School became the first school in the state to win national recognition for leveraging technology. It is also the first time that a school with a predominantly Latino student body received the honor from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), according to Eastern...
By Mike Szymanski | July 23, 2015
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Parent petition results in new principal for Prescott elementary
* UPDATED A wave of angry complaints by parents of students at a small elementary school has succeeded in convincing LA Unified to replace a principal whom the parents described as unfit for the job. The parents at Mid-City’s Prescott School of Enriched Sciences Magnet Elementary School, one of the district’s original four magnet schools, gathered 119...
By Mike Szymanski | July 22, 2015
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LA Unified launching new campaign aimed at sexting education
In a campaign that may be the most ambitious in the state, if not the country, LAUSD is gearing up to launch an anti-sexting campaign for students, teachers and parents. The launch is scheduled for early in the new school year in all middle and high schools, said Judy Chiasson, the district’s program coordinator for...
By Mike Szymanski | July 21, 2015
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LAUSD going GLOBE-al with drought education program
LA Unified students and teachers this week are helping educate scientists and instructors from 34 countries, with a focus on how they are handling California’s water crisis. The GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a federal effort aimed at expanding the understanding of global environment to a worldwide audience. As...
By Mike Szymanski | July 20, 2015
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To speed up probes, LAUSD has doubled investigation team
The staff that investigates allegations against residents of LA Unified’s “teacher jail” has doubled since the team started last year, with the aim of clearing cases faster. The Student Safety Investigation Team (SSIT) now has 15 members, including six full-time investigators, four LA school police, two forensic specialists and one supervising investigator. The team is...
By Mike Szymanski | July 20, 2015