L.A. school officials barred from access to curriculum for iPads Los Angeles school officials have failed for now in their efforts to get full access to a digital curriculum that the school system purchased in June. The curriculum, developed by Pearson for use on district iPads, is off-limits because Pearson is likely to bid on...

Brown calls for new fees on teacher preparation review Still struggling to find a fiscal footing in the wake of the recession, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing would be granted additional authority to impose fees on educator preparation programs under a proposal from the Brown administration. The agency, which serves as the state’s standards board...

Controller seeks pay data from all California public schools State Controller John Chiang has asked every public school district in the state to provide salary and benefit information for all employees and elected officials so that it can be posted on the Web and shared with the public.  LA Times LA school district to spend...

LA school board committee to tackle job description for temporary member Los Angeles Unified school board member Steve Zimmer is inviting the public to help write a job description. It’s for the role of District 1 advocate – a position proposed by Zimmer and approved by the school board to speak on the behalf of...

Deasy provides fodder for both sides in lawsuit In a groundbreaking trial over teacher job protections, Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy was the early star witness — for both sides. The case, Vergara vs. California, challenges a set of laws that affect how teachers are fired, laid off and granted tenure. LA Times Aggressive pr...

LA schools to get 45K more iPads for spring tests Officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District put in order with Apple Thursday to buy 45,000 new devices for student standardized testing in the spring. After weeks of negotiation, the price dropped by more than $200 from earlier rounds to $504 per device –...

Few L.A. teachers get bad ratings, trial documents show More instructors than ever are being evaluated in detail in the Los Angeles Unified School District and only a small percentage are being rated as substandard, according to testimony Wednesday in litigation aimed at reducing teacher job protections. LA Times LA school officials say they’re in...

L.A. teacher firings spiked but still costly and lengthy, Deasy says Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy acknowledged Tuesday that teacher dismissals have surged recently, but he insisted Tuesday that state laws still made the process too lengthy and costly. Deasy was on the witness stand for a second day in a high-profile trial over...

Trial over California teacher protection laws opens Attorneys seeking to overturn several of California’s controversial teacher protection laws argued in court Monday that these statutes prevent the removal of “grossly ineffective” teachers from schools — contributing to an inadequate education for students assigned to them. LA Times In landmark trial, sides debate whether teacher protection...

Parents’ campaign leads to reforms at Cudahy elementary school Rosa Estrada wanted some serious changes at her child’s Cudahy elementary school. She joined efforts last fall demanding new leadership amid complaints that the principal had failed to address campus bullying, boost academic performance or work collaboratively. LA Times New report fuels fears of decline of...