At its meeting this week, the LA Unified board directed Superintendent Ramon Cortines to expand the teacher prep Career Ladder program, which helps supports district employees who want to become teachers. The resolution opens the program by another 300 participants, beginning next July. According to statistics cited in the resolution, enrollment in teacher preparation programs across...

LAUSD school board approves $2.5M in spending on arts education The Los Angeles Unified School District school board on Tuesday approved $2.5 million for arts education. KPCC Percentage of students held back a grade plunges The percentage of students held back a grade fell by nearly half from the 2004-2005 school year to 2009-2010, according...

Via Los Angeles Times | By Steve Lopez  This is not exactly a be-careful-what-you-wish-for story, but it sort of is. Monica Ratliff was a reasonably happy teacher at San Pedro Elementary School on the edge of downtown Los Angeles. “I just love the classroom,” said Ratliff, for whom teaching was a second career. The Ivy...

One of the more contentious moments at yesterday’s LA Unified board meeting was a debate over a resolution to “Promote Healthy Relationships and Prevent Teen Dating Violence” No one disagreed with the intent or with asking Superintendent Ramon Cortines to deliver a report to the board early next year on how to implement such a program....

New bill would significantly expand state preschool in California Another bill proposing to significantly expand state-funded preschool has been introduced in California. The Hechinger Report LAUSD bans use of antibiotic-treated chickens in school meals LA Unified joined with five other major school districts Tuesday to announce plans to ban the use of chickens treated with...

LA Unified student Timothy Walker of Crenshaw High School was among five students honored by the Children’s Defense Fund of California with a “Beat the Odds” award at a star-studded event in Culver City last week. The award recognizes students who have overcome obstacles and adversity while achieving academic success. Each winner will receive a $10,000 college...

Today, available by LIVESTREAM, the seven members of the LA Unified school board meet at 10 a.m. Topics on the agenda include a request from the district for $11 million to help fix MiSiS, two resolutions to improve school safety, and board member Steve Zimmer’s “Good Food” measure. Click here to learn more about the issues the board will be...

LAUSD students might not be ready for new tests as iPad distribution lags Los Angeles Unified is rushing to spend $22.2 million to buy iPads and some Chromebooks for students to take new tests. Los Angeles Daily News High turnover in school district leadership The state’s largest district is far from the only one in...

LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines said today the district is hiring outside lawyers to assist in any matter that might arise out of the grand jury investigation of the district’s procurement of digital devices. Cortines said the lawyers would provide legal advice should the authorities seek to interview or subpoena district officials as part of...

Back to the drawing board. Following the most recent bargaining session last Thursday, the teachers’ union, UTLA, has reportedly rejected a pay increase offer from LA Unified negotiators that fell short its goal of a 10 percent salary increase. The latest district offer included a 2 percent salary increase retroactive to July 1, a 2 percent...