State Begins Work Revising Teacher Preparation Based on Common Core The plan comes forward as public schools in California are already transitioning to new curriculum standards based on a set of national goals in math and English language arts – with new common science standards soon to be ready for adoption. SI&A  Parent-Trigger Efforts Force Two...

L.A. Teachers Union Urged to Improve Training for Bad Teachers Monica Ratliff, a fifth-grade teacher who pulled off an upset win in May for the Los Angeles Board of Education, told more than 400 leaders of United Teachers Los Angeles that the public likes teachers but distrusts labor unions. LA Times Parent-Trigger Efforts in L.A....

Prop 30 Means a Year of ‘Stabilization’ When the 2013-2014 school year kicks off on Aug. 13, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will begin a year of “stabilization,” board member Steve Zimmer, 4th District, said. With a potentially longer school year and other changes being mulled for the 2014-2015 school year, the district is...

Foundation’s Grant Will Bring 700 New Teachers to LA The Arkansas-based Walton Family Foundation announced Wednesday that it was donating $20 million to a nonprofit that recruits talented college graduates to teach in public schools for two years. The largest number of instructors, more than 700, is slated for Los Angeles. LA Times School Districts Invited to...

Parents to Weigh in on How School Districts Spend New Funds A new report by the State’s Legislative Analyst spells out accountability measures school districts must meet under California’s new funding formula, which gives district with lots of low-income or English-learning students more money – and more control over how to spend it. One significant...