The whole world can now prioritize the characteristics necessary for LA Unified’s next superintendent through an online survey the district released last night. The question is — as some school board members pointed out before the survey launched — why would anyone want anything less than all 21 qualities included in the survey? With a pull-down...

One of the most interesting and surprising results of LAUSD student test scores this year was that across the board, girls outscored boys in English Language Arts. It didn’t matter if they were in traditional schools, magnet schools or charters. It didn’t matter the grade level, area of LA Unified, nor the racial breakdown. Girls...

The nation’s largest in-school health and wellness program announced today that it will provide Spanish-language programs to schools to promote healthier lifestyles through good nutrition, low-fat and fat-free dairy and physical activity. Already 23 LAUSD schools are involved with the Fuel Up to Play 60 program that is co-sponsored by the National Dairy Council and...

Two committee meetings and a board meeting on the sufficiency of school textbooks will keep the LA Unified school board members busy tomorrow as they discuss the adequacy of textbooks, a detailed analysis of the recent state test scores and district plans to expand early education classes. Two of the new school board members will chair their...

The union representing school support personnel is pressing LAUSD to provide the same health benefits for all its members, fearing that the district wants to create a second-class level of employees. Among the 35,000 members of Service Employees International Union Local 99 (SEIU) are about 7,000 who work as teacher aides, community representatives, after-school coaches and...

Get out of that car and take a hike with your kid. Well, only if it’s no more than a mile. LA Unified plans to join the City of Los Angeles and Department of Transportation in linking up with the national Walk to School Day next Wednesday, Oct. 7, to encourage alternate ways of getting to...

The search team hired to find a new LA Unified superintendent is already receiving applications and is putting together a list of potential candidates, while arranging to canvass school board members and the community for what they want in the new district boss. Hank Gmitro, president of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates based in Rosemont,...

In a new survey of 1,000 California teachers, a plurality of instructors thinks that it’s most important to develop critical thinking skills as preparation for college and career. The least number ranked scoring well on the state’s new Smarter Balanced tests. EdSource and the California Teachers Association conducted the online survey and released the results...

In a district striving to infuse computer technology in public education, LA Unified is struggling to complete a phone survey asking five questions. About 550,000 phone calls went out from Sept. 25 through yesterday to ask families about their priorities for the school calendar for the next three years. By late yesterday, another phone call...

Two dozen LAUSD adult students will share $10,200 in scholarship money for  aircraft mechanics classes operated by the district’s Disvision of Adult and Career Education. Clay Lacy Aviation is offering the scholarship money based on the students’ higher education goals, academic achievements and community involvement at the Aviation Center (AV-Center) at Van Nuys Airport, which is part of...