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Duncan Signals Support for LAUSD Waiver Proposal
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan seems to be trying to turn over a new leaf with California Gov. Jerry Brown after years of tense disagreements, notes EdSource Today after Duncan praised Brown’s new funding formula at an event Friday night in San Francisco. Even more immediately important for LAUSD, Duncan sounded sympathetic to the newly resubmitted...
By Brianna Sacks | June 25, 2013
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NewsFlash: “Double-Testing” Might Be Avoided Next Year
Education Secretary Arne Duncan earlier this week announced that the federal US Department of Education would allow California and other states some additional time and flexibility during the implementation of the rigorous new Common Core standards and assessments, according to today’s EdSource. If California takes advantage of the offered flexibility, teachers and schools will get relief from...
By Brianna Sacks | June 21, 2013
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Alleged Murderer Had No Reported Classroom Behavior Issues
Accused murderer and meth addict Michael Kane, an LAUSD elementary school teacher, has no previous history of violence during his career as a teacher and his personnel file states he was never removed from his classroom for any misbehavior, according to district officials. Kane began working for the district in 1997 as a substitute teacher...
By Brianna Sacks | June 20, 2013
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Update: Education Schools Denounce Critical Report
A new national report by the National Council on Teacher Quality and the U.S. News and World Report found that only four secondary programs in California — made the honor roll — none of which were in Los Angeles. Of 71 elementary training programs rated in California, 64% received the lowest scores, noted the LA Times. University...
By Brianna Sacks | June 19, 2013
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Ratliff Supports Proposal Linking Teacher Pay to Test Scores
At a news conference later today, Educators 4 Excellence-Los Angeles (E4E) is unveiling a set of recommendations aimed at tying teacher’s raises and bonuses to student test scores, as well as other new strategies to keep effective teachers in the classroom. The proposals were first reported this morning by the LA Times‘ Howard Blume, who described E4E...
By Brianna Sacks | June 13, 2013
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Events: Board Agenda Includes Charters & Budget
Next Tuesday’s Board meeting, rescheduled from June 11, will tackle a few overdue issues in the Charter School Division as well as the Superintendent’s final budget proposal. Scroll down to scan the agenda or you can read the entire Board’s order of business here.
By Brianna Sacks | June 13, 2013
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LAUSD Proposal Includes Truancy in School Ratings
Truancy would be a key factor in the new school rating system that’s being proposed by a consortium of California districts including LAUSD, according to a new EdSource Today article. Chronic absenteeism would be one of the criteria of the group’s proposed new “School Quality Improvement Index,” which is part of a so-called waiver of the...
By Brianna Sacks | June 13, 2013
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California Awaits Obama’s Pre-K Funding Specifics
California is slated to receive the most funding of any state in the country under President Obama’s “Preschool For All” proposal — about $334 million for the first year. However, early education centers in Los Angeles worry that pre-schoolers who need subsidized full-day programs the most may still miss out on a quality early education....
By Brianna Sacks | June 12, 2013
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Just In: Charters Top “Similar School” Rankings*
Not too long ago, California released its statewide 2012 annual school rankings, listing the top-performing schools in the state, based on the Academic Performance Index (API), which is calculated from standardized test results. LAUSD has yet to post its own version, however LA School Report has created a list of the top-ranked LAUSD high schools based on the...
By Brianna Sacks | June 12, 2013
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Male Students Continue to Fall Behind in Education
A slowdown in U.S. educational gains by American men is dragging down the competitiveness of our workforce, according to a new oped in the Los Angeles Times. Authors Thomas DiPrete and Claudia Buchmann argue that if men had the same educational distribution as women, their earnings would be almost four percent higher than they are now...
By Brianna Sacks | June 11, 2013