LAUSD iPad program gets mixed review from committee An advisory panel overseeing Los Angeles Unified’s iPad project signed off Wednesday on a $45 million request to expand the technology program to 45 more schools, but it rejected plans to spend $90 million on tablets for every principal and teacher in the district and for students...

Via Huffington Post | By Charles Kerchner Four years ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District embarked on a bold, perhaps reckless, program called Public School Choice to allow charter school operators and other community groups to compete for running many of its schools. Thursday, a team of researchers from the University of Southern California,...

iPad software licenses expire in three years, L.A. Unified says Contradicting earlier claims, Los Angeles school district officials said Tuesday that their right to use English and math curriculum installed on district iPads expires after three years. Buying a new license for the curriculum would cost $50 to $100 each year per iPad, an additional...

Via The Los Angeles Times | By Howard Blume L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy received a positive job evaluation last month from the Board of Education by a vote of 5-1 with one member abstaining, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Tuesday. The district had previously refused to disclose the vote, but yielded this...

The LA Unified School Board meeting today was set to be carried live by LA School Report – at least the public part proceedings. But the live stream feed, scheduled to begin at 10:00 am when the regular board meeting convened, was not made available by the school board. The board has now retired behind...

As it turns out, there are two places today to learn about elements of LA Unified’s Common Core Technology Project. One is a committee meeting, planned for 5:30 p.m. at district headquarters. The other is a 5 o’clock union protest at Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences, where Tamar Galatzan is hosting a community meeting at...

San Fernando Valley charter schools unite to form advocacy council After a change in Los Angeles Unified’s funding policy sent their numbers soaring, the 42 affiliated charter schools in the San Fernando Valley have formed an official council that will work as a bloc to communicate with district officials. The Valley Affiliated Charter Schools organized...

Via Ed Source | By Gina Plate Commentary: The charter school movement began as a way to create a new kind of public school – one with more flexibility and autonomy over instruction and operations in exchange for higher levels of accountability. However, as the movement evolved, flexibility and autonomy did not follow in the...

USC’s School of Education announces long-term support for graduates Recognizing the rising pressure to hold teachers and administrators responsible for student achievement and pressures on new teachers, the University of Southern California’s college of education is offering its graduates a guarantee – if they’re struggling with part of their jobs, the college will have their...