By Diane Ravitch | Ed Source Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s commentary for EdSource last month, called “How Not to Fix No Child Left Behind,” consisted for the most part of mushy platitudes that must be measured against the realities of his actions over the past six years. During that time, Duncan has aggregated an...

California teacher layoffs up slightly this year Layoffs are up slightly this year from last. But they’re overwhelmingly lower than during the recession. Capital Pubic Radio Fourth-grade teacher at LA School arrested, suspected of child abuse Thelmo Garcia, a fourth-grade teacher at Rosewood Elementary School, on Croft Avenue, was arrested off campus Wednesday. NBC Los...

L.A. Unified ends effort to close embattled charter schools LAUSD has dropped efforts to shut down three campuses operated by an embattled charter school chain. Los Angeles Times SBE OKs rubric format but what to measure? The Board of Education approved the design of a new tool that will be used to measure how well...

Superintendent Ramon Cortines told the LA Unified board today that he believes the state will delay using statewide computerized test results for any official measures. “The word on the street is that they’re looking favorably that this year’s test will not count,” he said during a discussion of the the district’s use of computers for...

The LA Unified school board is scheduled to meet today at 1 p.m. Among the agenda items of interest is discussion about potential layoffs as the district looks to balance a budget deficit of $160 million for next year. Also on the agenda is discussion about upgrades to some rundown schools and a number of charter school...

By Marilyln Geewax | National Public Radio In this country, all children are supposed to have a shot at success — a chance to jump “from rags to riches” in one generation. Even if riches remain out of reach, then the belief has been that every hard-working American should be able to go from poverty...

LAUSD budget to end year in black; next year’s outlook cloudy Revenue projections suggest a more positive outlook this school year than next for LAUSD. KPCC One in three California students reported being bullied One in three California middle school and high school students reported having been harassed or bullied at least once in the...

* UPDATED Despite new money from the state, LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines is taking direct aim at the district’s $160 million budget deficit with proposed layoffs that include hundreds of teachers. District officials have calculated that to reduce the deficit, the number of teachers, administrators, counselors and nurses — certificated employees — must be...

By Dick Startz and Dan Goldhaber | Los Angeles Times In Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach, high-tech companies help drive the California economy by paying high salaries to driven, talented employees whose productivity more than compensates for their high pay. But California’s public schools are stuck in the old mode of paying modest salaries for...

Health benefits are a promise school districts find hard to keep California school districts once viewed lifetime healthcare coverage for employees as a cheap alternative to pay raises. Los Angeles Times Task force unveils plan to overhaul special education A statewide task force unveiled Friday a 222-page plan to dramatically improve education for students with...