Tight race for schools chief A new Field Poll shows a virtual tie between incumbent Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck in the race for state superintendent. The Sacramento Bee Long Beach looking to extend its push for college to preschools Believing it’s never too early to think about college, Long Beach public officials and...

Union power on the ballot The campaign for California superintendent of public instruction is on pace to be the most expensive contest in the state this cycle. Politico LA Unified turns to teenager to teach social media San Pedro High School senior Delaney Wells recently taught a technology class on Instagram for a group of...

State implements new kindergarten cutoff age Of the panoply of reforms now being implemented in California schools, the one affecting the state’s youngest students passed almost unnoticed this fall. EdSource Title IX decision, a reminder on equality in athletics With an appeals court finding that a California district violated federal discrimination protections, legal experts suggest...

With Deasy out, is LA schools’ iPad program ‘dead’? With the departure of John Deasy, the future of the Los Angeles School District’s controversial one-to-one technology program hangs in uncertainty. KPCC LAUSD scrambles to ensure MiSiS doesn’t keep seniors from college Los Angeles Unified’s staff is in a scramble to make sure a computer system doesn’t...

Bonds should not pay for iPad curriculum, new L.A. Unified head says Newly installed Supt. Ramon Cortines said he opposes using construction bond money to pay for curriculum on student computers. Los Angeles Times California moving rapidly toward post-NCLB accountability In one sentence, the president of the California State School board signaled the end of...

Education Secretary Duncan talks tech with L.A. Unified’s Cortines U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in a brief visit to Los Angeles on Tuesday, met with newly installed L.A. Unified Supt. Ramon C. Cortines. Los Angeles Times Education secretary says time to debate preschool is over U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told a conference of...

Deasy resigns as Los Angeles schools chief after mounting criticism In a sign of the powerful resistance that big-city school chiefs face in trying to make sweeping changes, John Deasy, LAUSD superintendent, resigned. New York Times Why did the Los Angeles superintendent resign? In his efforts to improve his district, John Deasy took risks and...

Popularity grows anew for year-round schooling When Stiles Simmons, the superintendent of a two-school district outside Lansing, Mich., looked at the data, he realized summer break was hurting his mostly-low-income students. Education Week Teacher training extends to gender sensitivity Along with the heavy load of training tied to the new Common Core content standards, a...

LAUSD ‘blowing the whistle’ on bullying, hazing of LGBT student athletes Officials announced Tuesday the Los Angeles Unified School District will “blow the whistle” on bullying and hazing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student athletes. Los Angeles Daily News A fortune for iPads, but not enough for math books Commentary: With the conversion to...

L.A. Unified seeks to reassure Jefferson High parents Los Angeles school officials tried to reassure concerned parents Monday that they have resolved most scheduling problems at Jefferson High School and also will make up for class time students have lost. Los Angeles Times Tracking system glitches affected special needs students, report says Problems with the...