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Cortines’ sexual harassment accuser says he was terminated in retaliation
Despite widespread praise for his leadership of LA Unified, including standing ovations at recent school board meetings, Superintendent Ramon Cortines finds himself facing a familiar adversary, a veteran district employee who is now accusing the district of firing him in retaliation for his past lawsuits against Cortines. Scot Graham, who accused Cortines of sexual harassment in three previous lawsuits,...
By Craig Clough | July 16, 2015
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LAUSD website offer lots of information, much of it out-of-date
While LA Unified has taken aggressive actions to fix two of its highest-profile computer technology initiatives — MiSiS and the iPad program — it has all but ignored its primary communications tool to the public — its website. In a word, it’s a mess. Clicking on LAUSD.net to find current information and answers to specific...
By Craig Clough | July 15, 2015
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Democrats respond in-depth to AFT candidate questionaries
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) came out swinging, and swinging hard, when it endorsed Hillary Clinton for president over the weekend. It was the first major union to endorse any candidate in either party, and the timing of the news seemed to come “at an opportune moment for Mrs. Clinton” just as she is...
By Craig Clough | July 14, 2015
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Burglary near LAUSD school reportedly leads to police car chase
*UPDATE A burglary near an LA Unified school lead to a police chase today, with another school being put on lockdown as the result of a search for the suspects. Los Angeles school police notified the LAPD around 5:04 a.m. that multiple suspects were trying to burglarize Joseph Pomeroy Widney High School at 2302 Gramercy Place,...
By Craig Clough | July 13, 2015
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UK politician causes uproar after discouraging arts education
Many teachers and educators simply want to motivate their students to chase their dreams, no matter what they are. Whether it is painting, writing, science or math, as long as the child is inspired and working hard, everything will work out in the end. And then there is the view of Nicky Morgan, the United...
By Craig Clough | July 10, 2015
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Donors cover deposit after LAUSD cancels fundraiser at Trump club
The sum of $7,500 may be chump change for Donald Trump, but it has bought him another round of immeasurable bad press. One day after LA Unified announced it was pulling its annual fundraiser golf tournament for its Beyond the Bell program from Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, two corporations stepped forward yesterday, each donating...
By Craig Clough | July 10, 2015
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Feds: California no longer ‘needs intervention’ on special education
After receiving one of the worst rankings over four years, California moved up a notch this year in the federal government’s evaluation of its special education efforts. As one of three states in 2014 that received a “needs intervention” ranking in special education from the U.S. Department of Education, California this year jumped one level, to...
By Craig Clough | July 9, 2015
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LAUSD becomes latest entity to dump Donald Trump
Add LA Unified to the list of organizations that wants nothing to do with businessman and presidential candidate Donald Trump. The district’s Beyond the Bell branch said today it will not hold the eighth-annual Beyond the Bell Golf Classic, which was scheduled for Nov. 23, at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. The...
By Craig Clough | July 8, 2015
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Poll offers insight into US views on school choice, education policy
A new poll shows that Americans strongly support the idea of school vouchers, something that 24 states — not including California — offer in some version. The Schooling in America Survey also found that most American’s disapprove of the federal government’s handing of education even while they lack a basic understanding of how much the country spends...
By Craig Clough | July 8, 2015
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NEA names UTLA’s Jose Lara Social Justice Activist of the Year
Jose Lara, a prominent leader of the LA teachers union, UTLA, was recently named the 2015 Social Justice Activist of the Year by the National Education Association (NEA). Lara helped lead a successful grassroots effort to get the LA Unified school board to adopt ethnic studies as a graduation requirement. He is vice president of the El...
By Craig Clough | July 7, 2015