Ready, set … California schools finally start new computer test this week The new Common Core tests are one of the biggest transitions in state public education in recent memory. California schools have spent nearly two years preparing for this moment: buying computers, upgrading internet access and in some cases hiring extra IT workers. But...

All that criticism of Warren Fletcher as a weak UTLA president and of Alex Caputo-Pearl as a campaign rules scofflaw apparently didn’t make much difference. They emerged as the top two vote-getters for the president of United Teacher Los Angeles in the first round of voting in the union’s 2014 election campaign and are now headed...

Public denied access to LA school officials’ iPad software demonstration Members of the L.A. Unified school board and a committee investigating the iPad project were given the first demonstration of the tablet’s educational software Wednesday evening – but the public wasn’t invited and a KPCC reporter was not allowed in the room. KPCC California public...

The board of directors of the Los Angeles teachers union, UTLA, voted last night to recommend that the union endorse three teachers for the vacant District 1 board seat. The special election is June 3. In recommending Sherlett Hendy-Newbill, Rachel Johnson and Hattie McFrazier, a retired teacher, the board chose to withhold endorsing the fourth teacher in...

A new report from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, comparing the rate of learning in California charter schools against district peer schools, finds mixed results that are not nearly as impressive as the gains found in Los Angeles schools, the subject of a CREDO report released last week. In the latest survey,...

Delays would mean bigger costs for shoring up teacher pension fund The longer California’s leaders delay shoring up the cash-strapped teacher pension fund, the more money it will cost taxpayers in the long run, according to an analysis presented to lawmakers on Wednesday. If lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown eliminate the fund’s $71-billion shortfall over the...

While the ballot order for the seven qualified candidates has been set for the June 3 special election to fill the LA Unified District 1 seat, there’s still a chance for other candidates to compete. The City Clerk’s office today explained the way a write-in candidate could join the campaign. Here’s how: Any write-in candidate...

The LA Unified Board meets this morning, with much of their business scheduled for a closed door session. In private, the six members will discuss various legal cases involving the district as well as updates on labor contracts and student discipline matters. At some point, in open session, they will consider an interim financial report...

Community Groups Call For LAUSD To Spend $1B On Poorest Students A coalition of Southland community groups was expected Tuesday to deliver thousands of petitions to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board demanding that $1 billion in state funding over the next seven years be used to help low income students, English learners...