Folks, this one was down… to… the… wire! Our poll asking readers to share their opinions on the Broad Foundation‘s massive charter expansion plan got lots of votes and even some national attention (thank you, Diane Ravitch). In the end, it was a virtual tie between readers responding with answers that strongly favored the Broad...

The LA teachers union, UTLA, organized a press conference at at Hamilton High School in Palms yesterday to draw attention to what it says is overcrowding in classrooms at the school. The press conference featured parents, teachers and students. “If we don’t get the quality education that we need to succeed, then we are being set...

California’s 2013-14 grad rate increased from year before The state’s graduation rate mirrored the previously announced national average of 81 percent. EdSource, by Theresa Harrington Final budget report notes big school spending upturn The Proposition 98 minimum school funding guarantee has jumped almost 32 percent from the depth of the recession to surpass $68.4 billion...

By Anya Kamenetz Recently a neighborhood in Brooklyn made national headlines for a fight over public schools. Lots of affluent, mainly white families have been moving into new condos in the waterfront area called DUMBO, and the local elementary school is getting overcrowded. The city wants to redraw the zones in a way that would...

Schools across US find alternatives to suspending students The school districts in New York, Los Angeles and Denver are just some of those that have moved away from discipline policies that relied heavily on suspensions. Associated Press, by Jamie Stengel How Fresno Unified bond measure caught the eye of investigators Critics say what Fresno Unified...

The “Great Public Schools Now Initiative” was unveiled recently and has caused great controversy at LA Unified. Led by the Broad Foundation, it has set a goal of adding 260 charter schools to low-income areas to enroll half of all LA Unified students within eight years. The plan is estimated to cost almost half a...

By Michael Mahoney The California high school exit exam is dead. The short and purposeless life of the exam began in 2001 when it was first administered to ninth-grade volunteers. It ended last week when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that not only suspended the test but also nullified the results for anybody who...

By Howard Blume and Zahira Torres The Los Angeles Board of Education voted this week to fire nationally recognized teacher Rafe Esquith, following a misconduct investigation that included allegations he made an improper joke to students and inappropriately touched minors, according to sources with knowledge of the decision. The longtime educator at Hobart Avenue Elementary School,...

Long Beach, Los Angeles win grants to develop ‘learning mindsets’ Both districts have been systematically developing learning or “growth” mindsets, which are the skills that teach students how to think and learn. EdSource, by John Fensterwald How an LAUSD school is providing cleaner air for its students Students at Murchison Street Elementary School in Boyle...