School districts see teacher shortages after years of cuts After years of recession-related layoffs and hiring freezes, school systems in pockets across the United States are in urgent need of more teachers. Associated Press New school year brings lice outbreak With the start of the school year, small outbreaks of sesame-seed sized, blood-sucking parasites known...

Game-changing ethnic studies bill heads to California governor Gov. Brown has yet to say whether he’ll sign the bill creating a model ethnic studies curriculum that districts could use. Huffington Post LAUSD heat-related ban on sports activities disrupts football schedules Once temperatures exceed 99 degrees, the district urges all schools to either reschedule or cancel...

Op-Ed: Standardized tests don’t help us evaluate teachers Holding teachers and schools accountable is important, but the means should be accurate and fair. Los Angeles Times Cops probing motive behind fatal stabbing of 3 boys inside SUV LA police detectives are trying to determine the motives of a man suspected of fatally stabbing his three young...

Teachers, too, will learn a lot from new tests The state is gradually rolling out the Online Reporting System, a web-based tool that will enable teachers and principals to easily analyze their students’ results. EdSource After a string of suicides, students in Palo Alto are demanding change In response to recent tragedies, the national media...

What parents need to know about California’s Common Core-aligned tests Tomorrow, the California Department of Education plans to release the first year’s results of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test. EdSource After Deasy, LAUSD faces tough choice: Play it safe or take a risk? At key moments of tumult in the district, the records show,...

SBE sets federal K-8 attendance goal at 90 percent The state board moved Wednesday to hold elementary and middle schools accountable for a minimum attendance rate of 90 percent. SI&A Cabinet Report Report: Kindergarten attendance linked to future academic success A new report revealed kindergarten attendance is linked to future academic success. iSchoolGuide The first...

Teen partly responsible for abuse by teacher, LAUSD tells appeals court Los Angeles Unified continues to argue that a 14-year-old girl should be partly responsible for sexual abuse by her eighth-grade teacher. Los Angeles Times LAUSD settles additional millions for Miramonte claims The LA Unified school board approved $4.5 million in additional settlement money for...

LA Unified could pay more to alleged Miramonte victims Settlements already total $169 million, the largest the district has ever paid related to sexual misconduct. Los Angeles Times School groups pursue compromise on budget reserves A year-long battle between a coalition of school organizations and the California Teachers Association over district reserves has taken a...

Prosecutors probe L.A. Unified’s food services for possible violations The Office of the Inspector General found mismanagement, inappropriate spending and ethical breaches in LA Unified’s meal operation. Los Angeles Times Fresno Unified’s legal tangles with no-bid contracts puts CA districts on alert LA Unified – which voiced support for Fresno Unified, saying it has spent...

Uncertain impact of California’s high school exit exam Gov. Brown last week signed legislation that exempted students from the graduating class of 2015 from having to take the test. EdSource Lawmakers consider retroactive diplomas for students who failed exit exam Between 2006 and 2014, nearly 249,000 students, or about 6 percent of test-takers, did not...