The LA Unified school board is holding a meeting today scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Among the items up for discussion is an expansion plan for Playa Vista Elementary that has many parents angry to the point they staged a protest yesterday. There are also nine new charter schools applications, including El Camino Real K-8...

By Jill Barshay Andreas Schleicher, an international education expert based in Paris, attended a summit at the White House last month and left feeling frustrated by the anti-testing backlash in this country. “I listened to several presentations. You got this impression, if they would only get rid of tests, everything would improve,” said Schleicher, who oversees the...

L.A. school board to hold second round of interviews for superintendent The first interview session took place Sunday, and if it is any guide, the public will learn little from these meetings until the board makes its choice. Los Angeles Times, by Howard Blume Shortage of substitute teachers prompts East Bay school districts to raise...

Great Public Schools Now, the outside group seeking to expand the number of LA Unified schools serving students in high-poverty neighborhoods, has released a list of district schools — most of them charters — that represents “the kinds of schools” the organization intends to replicate in the years ahead. The new group, an outgrowth of...

By Roger Altman and Robert Hughes Are the student achievement scores at charter schools too good to be true? Every year, urban school districts across the country release test scores showing dismal student proficiency in math and reading, especially for students in poverty. At the same time, parents in those same cities often hear claims...

Board starts the superintendent screening process Except for brief periods to open and close the meeting, the entire session was conducted out of public view, and no announcement was made at the conclusion. Los Angeles Times, by Howard Blume Amid national change, Fresno Unified touts rare accountability system While a national shift in the way...

The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools announced today that its preliminary graduation rate for the 2014-15 school year rose to 77 percent, a seven-point improvement over the previous year. The 17 Partnership schools in South LA, Watts and Boyle Heights are part of a non-profit started by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2008 while he...

By Christopher Cadelago With Californians staring down the prospect of a crowded ballot next fall, a new poll finds that 61 percent of likely voters believe there are too many propositions. At the same time, about the same percentage say they are satisfied with the way the initiative process is working, according to Public Policy...