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Morning Read: LAUSD pushes ahead with glitchy records system

LAUSD to launch new records system despite glitches, lack of training Los Angeles Unified will push ahead with plans to launch a new computer system when classes start Tuesday, despite educators’ concerns that glitches and a lack of training will leave some students without class schedules and cause other problems that could plague the school...
By LA School Report | August 7, 2014
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Teachers go negative on Johnson, call him an education ‘rookie’

Until recently, only one group had gone negative in the campaign between Alex Johnson and George McKenna for the open LA Unified school board seat. The African American Voter Registration, Education and Participation Project (AARVEP), which supports Johnson, sponsored three mailers, calling into question McKenna’s background as a school administrator, prompting the McKenna campaign to...
By LA School Report | August 6, 2014
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Why some schools choose laptops over iPads

Via the Atlantic | Megan E. Murphy For an entire school year Hillsborough, New Jersey, educators undertook an experiment, asking: Is the iPad really the best device for interactive learning? It’s a question that has been on many minds since 2010, when Apple released the iPad and schools began experimenting with it. The devices came...
By LA School Report | August 6, 2014
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Vergara legal team joining similar teacher case in New York

The LA-based legal team that prevailed in Vergara v. California, convincing a California judge to strike down state laws governing teacher employment, has been brought into a similar lawsuit now underway in New York. Students Matter, sponsor of Vergara, said today that Vergara lawyers, including Ted Boutrous and Marcellus McRae, would represent the plaintiffs in...
By LA School Report | August 6, 2014
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Morning Read: Supporters want school bond back on ballot

Backers push to put school bond on ballot Despite widespread bipartisan support from state legislators and school districts, Gov. Jerry Brown is remaining mum on whether he supports putting a multi-billion-dollar school construction bond on the ballot in November. The governor had no comment, his press office said in an email. EdSource New report argues...
By LA School Report | August 6, 2014
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Morning Read: Education bills pile up for returning CA lawmakers

Lawmakers face long list of education bills Standardized testing inaccuracies, funding for new adult education programs and new Common Core assessments for students with disabilities are among the education proposals left to be decided upon by legislators returning from summer recess Monday. S&I Cabinet Report Number of AP tests hits all-time high in L.A. Unified...
By LA School Report | August 5, 2014
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State legislatures are moving ahead on K-12 issues

In a year when 46 states will hold legislative elections and 36 will select governors, lawmakers in various states pushed ahead on education priorities, including pre-K education, teacher evaluation, and revisions to school funding formulas. Those issues and others managed to break through despite continued ferment around the Common Core State Standards, including passage of...
By LA School Report | August 4, 2014
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Morning Read: Renowned trial lawyer takes on teacher tenure

Celebrated trial lawyer to head group challenging teacher tenure David Boies, the star trial lawyer who helped lead the legal charge that overturned California’s same-sex marriage ban, is becoming chairman of the Partnership for Educational Justice, a group that former CNN anchor Campbell Brown founded in part to pursue lawsuits challenging teacher tenure. NY Times...
By LA School Report | August 4, 2014
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LAUSD holding a conference to help black, Latino boys

LA Unified is joining President Obama’s initiative to help improve educational outcomes for African American and Latino boys. At Loyola Marymount University on Monday, the district will conduct a day-long conference and series of workshops for teachers aimed at providing instructional training and strategies that focus on meeting the needs of boys of color. The...
By LA School Report | August 1, 2014
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Editor’s Note: Clarifying CA charter school growth
A story this week provided an incomplete explanation for charter school growth in LA Unified and California, omitting reasons other than the distribution of federal dollars to account for their rapid increase. In a statement to LA School Report, As the California Charter Schools Association said another driving force is a desire by families for...
By LA School Report | August 1, 2014