L.A. Unified to pay $320,000 settlement in teacher misconduct case The district agreed to the settlement this year; it was announced after the conclusion of court proceedings, said attorney Paul Mones, who was co-counsel for the victim. Los Angeles Times, by Howard Blume Santa Rosa schools weighing ethnic studies program Eight school districts throughout the...

By The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board When famed teacher Rafe Esquith was yanked from his fifth-grade classroom and an investigation was opened into possible sexual and financial misconduct, parents in the Los Angeles Unified School District— and the larger education world — gasped. Esquith was as iconic as he was iconoclastic. A winner of the National Medal...

Protesters call for immediate shutdown of Porter Ranch gas field Parents at a rally called upon the Los Angeles Unified School District to relocate two Porter Ranch elementary schools located just over a mile from a leaking well. Los Angeles Daily News, by Dana Bartholomew State grapples with timeline for implementation of new science standards...

 By Donna Littlejohn Got room for a 37-year-old Shetland pony named Peaches? How about two goats, 17 chickens, three tortoises or three turtles? After years of struggling to keep the doors open, Los Angeles school officials said this week that the San Pedro science center likely won’t open in the 2016-17 school year. “It doesn’t look...

Students react to outgoing superintendent Ramon Cortines The take-away for the high schools students: Don’t trust kids with technology, get us updated textbooks, and improve our schools at the bottom. Los Angeles Times, by Daniela Gerson A kids’ coding expert says we’re making computer class way too boring LA Unified and other districts wanting to...

By David L. Kirp The No Child Left Behind law will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history. With a rare display of bipartisanship, Congress has overhauled federal education policy. The law’s successor, the Every Student Succeeds Act, is headed for the president’s desk, and he has signaled his intention to sign it. (He did,...

Attorneys for famed teacher Rafe Esquith criticize release of documents The documents include allegations that Esquith fondled children in the 1970s before he was a teacher, as well as more recent claims of inappropriate behavior. Los Angeles Times, by Zahira Torres Cortines criticizes Broad, calls on warring factions to work together  In a conversation at...

After one meeting last Sunday, two yesterday and another scheduled for the Sunday ahead to winnow the field of candidates for the superintendent job, LA Unified board member are moving along “on schedule,” board President Steve Zimmer said today. “We’re on target,” he said. “It would not be a mischaracterization to see we’re on schedule.”...

By Rebecca Klein The Senate voted on Wednesday to pass an overhaul of No Child Left Behind called the Every Student Succeeds Act. The move comes after the House of Representatives voted to pass the overhaul last week, and over eight years after the No Child Left Behind Act originally expired in 2007. The White House...

Documents provide details of LAUSD probe that led to firing of  Rafe Esquith The documents claim the famed teacher allegedly fondled children in the 1970s, that in recent years he inappropriately emailed former students, and other allegations. Los Angeles Times, by Zahira Torres Mira Costa principal defends canceling classes again due to bomb threat Principal...