LA Unified board member Steve Zimmer was unanimously elected today to become the new board president, giving the board its strongest pro-teacher president in more than a decade. Zimmer, vice president for the last two years, succeeds Richard Vladovic, who served as president since 2013. The vote played out without a motion from any other board...

The LA Unified school board is meeting today at 1 p.m. Today’s meeting is sure to be an interesting one, as it will feature two newly sworn in members, Ref Rodriguez and Scott Schmerelson. The new board will also be voting for a new president, which has so far included plenty of palace intrigue. Click here...

By Sarah Tulley When the nation’s top teachers were asked about the biggest barriers to students’ success, most didn’t point to reasons inside the classroom. Instead, they ranked family stress and poverty as the main issues facing students. The Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic Inc. sent surveys to the 56 winners of Teacher of...

California mandates vaccines for schoolchildren California on Tuesday became the largest state in the country to require schoolchildren to receive vaccinations. New York Times California’s new vaccine law: Questions and answers Here are some questions and answers about the controversial vaccine law that Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Tuesday. San Jose Mercury News Labor fears...

By Robin Abcarian  Despite all the noise around mandating vaccinations for schoolchildren, most California adults — some 67 percent, according to a recent poll — think it’s a good idea. We will soon know whether Gov. Jerry Brown agrees. On Monday, the Legislature sent him a bill that would end the personal belief exemption, a routinely abused loophole that has seriously...

There’s no good way to know how CA’s alternative schools are working Thousands of low-income students flood schools designed for the most vulnerable students, but no one is keeping track of what happens to them. Hechinger Report LBUSD teachers call for pay hikes, class-size reductions The teachers’ contract in Long Beach Unified set to expire...

By The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board Despite broad bipartisan support, legislation to repeal an onerous cap on school district reserve funds didn’t have much of a chance in the Democrat-controlled California Legislature. The bill by Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon) died in the Assembly Education Committee faster than you can say “opposed by the...

SoCal schools may see more interns, substitutes in classrooms  School is out for the summer, but for some in education, the work is just beginning on a problem that is growing more acute: the teacher shortage. KPCC Best school districts for your buck in Southern California To find the best schools in Southern California, we...

By Jane Meredith Adams In the pockets of California where hundreds and even thousands of kindergartners are not fully vaccinated, school districts are starting to think seriously about how a proposed law requiring vaccinations – which the Legislature approved Thursday –  could affect their enrollment and in turn, their funding. The proposed law, Senate Bill 277,...

Panel recommends continuing districts’ waiver from NCLB A committee is recommending that a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law be extended to six California school districts, collectively known as CORE. Ed Source California bill requires hearings for school military gear The legislation was introduced before President Obama announced that his administration would stop...