Via The Sacramento Bee | By Diana Lambert  Though California has embraced new Common Core State Standards so far, parents and educators may feel differently once students produce lower test scores later this year, said Michael Kirst, president of the state Board of Education. Kirst expects an immediate dip in test scores as students take Common...

Billions more for schools could come in spring Already rejoicing over the governor’s plan to increase K-14 school spending next year, educators may look up in May to see that number has grown. SI&A Cabinet Report OC school grapples with overcrowding Parents say overcrowding at a Rancho Santa Margarita elementary school has forced their children...

Budget lifts teacher preparation oversight The state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing would receive a fiscal boost from the general fund as part of Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal. SI&A Cabinet Report Preschool advocates seek more funding Advocates for expanding preschool to low-income 4-year-olds were disappointed with the 4,000 additional enrollment slots proposed by Gov. Jerry...

Mayor Eric Garcetti, who rarely insinuates himself into Los Angeles public school politics, is endorsing Tamar Galatzan for a third term representing LA Unified’s District 3 board seat. “Tamar is an innovative problem-solver and a strong and thoughtful advocate for Valley schools and kids,” Garcetti said in a news release from the Galatzan campaign. “She...

Education secretary says administration is committed to testing The secretary of education, Arne Duncan, insisted on Monday that the administration would not back away from annual testing for students. New York Times President Obama to seek limits on student data mining President Barack Obama on Monday is expected to call for tough legislation to protect...

The political arm of the California Charter Schools Association, CCSA Advocates, is endorsing three of the four incumbents seeking reelection to the LA Unified school board in March. The exception is Bennett Kayser, a staunch charter opponent who has represented board District 5 since 2011. Kayser is so closely aligned with the teachers union, UTLA,...

Arne Duncan to call for No Child Left Behind revamp Education Secretary Arne Duncan will call for repealing and replacing the nation’s landmark federal education law, No Child Left Behind. Politico Obama plan would help many go to community college free President Obama said Thursday that he would propose a government program to make community...

Via San Jose Mercury News | By San Mateo Police Chief Susan E. Manheimer Tucked inside one of last year’s budget trailer bills lies one of the smartest commitments to crime prevention a governor and legislature have ever made, and it doesn’t have a thing to do with prisons or police. What it does is “ensure...

Feds issue warning to school districts to educate English learners Federal justice and education officials sent school agencies across the nation a stern message on Wednesday. KPCC New report details cumbersome procurement practices in big-city districts District officials from big-city school systems offered blunt criticisms of a slow, cumbersome, and often anxiety-choked procurement process. Education Week...

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 227 school sites, including 33 in LA Unified, will share nearly $27 million in Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grants (BIIG) to help school districts increase their ability to administer the state’s new online tests this spring. “These state grants provide the critical last step needed to...