By David Leonhardt The University of California is struggling with budget woes that have deeply affected campus life. Yet the system’s nine colleges still lead the nation in providing top-flight college education to the masses. At many other colleges, poor and truly middle-class students remain a distinct minority. Affluent students predominate at liberal-arts colleges like Oberlin and...

Girl says LAUSD bullied her after she alleged sexual assault A student who alleged she was sexually assaulted has filed a claim with the district for negligence, bullying and “outrageous conduct.” Los Angeles Times Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests Concerned Parents of California filed the lawsuit against Walnut...

By arguing in court that a 14-year-old girl was partly responsible for her own sexual abuse at the hands of her teacher has not only brought LA Unified a string of negative press, it has backfired terribly and now bought on a new trial. The state Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial in...

By Gary Walker The new Common Core state standardized test results are in, and they don’t look great for LAUSD. Nearly a year after the departure of Supt. John Deasy, the school district still awaits new permanent executive leadership. Traditional public school enrollment is declining as charter schools pick up more students and move into empty...

Long Beach bucks truancy trends, gets absent students back in school  While recent studies show more elementary students playing hookie, Long Beach Unified has managed to cut its chronic truancy rate by more than half. Long Beach Press-Telegram Chronic student absentee rate remains high, but tracking improves Elementary school absenteeism remains “persistently high” in California,...

By Antonio Villaraigosa  Wednesday at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Republican presidential candidates will gather for their second debate. One issue that should come up is the 2 million “dreamers” — young immigrants who came to America as children but are ineligible for federal support to attend college. They include people like...

Test scores to be only one factor in measuring school progress The state is in the middle of building a new accountability system to replace the Academic Performance Index. EdSource Editorial: This is why I send my son to private school Did you see the test scores last week? This is why I send my...

By Melinda D. Anderson  Christine Rodriguez vividly recalls her early school years. A native of Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, a working-clss predominantly black and Latino section of New York City, her most vivid memories of elementary school consist of crammed classrooms with inadequate books, insufficient chairs, and the constant presence of the school-safety agent. (School Safety...

The surprising thing about schools with lots of technology More time spent on technology in the classroom doesn’t necessarily help kids do better in school, a new study has found. Los Angeles Times Target will end school charity program, shift giving focus to wellness Target Corp. is ending a trademark giving program through which it...

By Jennifer Medina Her husband, Steven P. Jobs, famously helped reboot Apple with the “Think Different” advertising campaign. Now Laurene Powell Jobs is starting a $50 million project to rethink high school. With an advertising campaign that looks as if it came from Apple’s marketing department, the initiative is meant to create high schools with new approaches to...