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Lessons from Parkland: 6 big things we’ve learned about student safety, school security and resilience since the tragic 2018 massacre

Valentine’s Day is typically a celebration of love, but the holiday in 2018 will go down in history as a moment of hate, national mourning — and resilience. That afternoon in Parkland, Florida, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school, killing 14 students and three adults. Like other mass school shootings —...
By Mark Keierleber | February 13, 2019
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Meet the 10 candidates running for LAUSD school board in District 5

*Updated Feb. 13 The 10 candidates in the race for L.A. Unified’s vacant school board seat are in full swing participating in community forums and other public events as the March 5 special election approaches. The new board member for Board District 5 will represent about 100,000 students in some very different communities: from the...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | February 12, 2019
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An interview with Courtney Everts Mykytyn on her quiet movement to integrate schools in L.A. & beyond

After a prolonged lull, American school integration debates have reignited in recent years. Courtney Everts Mykytyn, the founder of California-based Integrated Schools, is quietly becoming a force in these conversations. Her four-year-old group describes itself and its mission this way: “Integrated Schools is growing a grassroots movement of, by and for parents who are intentionally, joyfully...
By Conor Williams | February 11, 2019
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The L.A. teacher strike may be over, but observers warn there’s no ‘clear path forward’ for how the school district can afford its new contract

The L.A. Unified school board has approved a contract with its teachers union that officials admit they can’t fully afford, calling the deal’s sustainability into question as the district receives repeated warnings from the county that it’s in severe financial straits. To shoulder about $840 million in added costs through 2021, district officials say they’re...
By Taylor Swaak | February 10, 2019
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Poll: School safety is main concern for California voters, but college affordability tops list for parents

School safety and college affordability are the most pressing issues in education, California voters said in a new poll. The top priority overall was reducing gun violence in schools, with more than half of respondents saying it was “very important.” But voters with children as well as those ages 18-49 and those earning less than...
By Laura Fay | February 6, 2019
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Blink and you missed it: Beyond a single reference, K-12 education is notably absent from President Trump’s State of the Union

Discussion of K-12 education was next to nonexistent in the State of the Union address Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s second. The president mentioned the issue just once, when he said, without elaboration, “To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America’s children.” The words echoed Trump’s 2017 address to...
By Carolyn Phenicie | February 6, 2019
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For the first time in six years, California names its lowest-performing schools — & here are the 110 district and charter schools in LAUSD that require intervention

*Updated Feb. 5 For the first time in six years, California has released the names of its lowest-performing schools. The 780 schools are in the bottom 5 percent of public K-12 schools as measured by the state’s new accountability tool, the California School Dashboard, and require “comprehensive school improvement.” The state identified a total of 1,640 schools...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | February 4, 2019
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Michelle King, former LAUSD superintendent who championed unity, dies at 57

*Updated Feb. 4 Michelle King, who as L.A. Unified’s first female African-American superintendent championed unity and collaboration among all public schools, has passed away at age 57 after fighting cancer. King was “a collaborative and innovative leader who broke down barriers to create more equitable opportunities for every student,” the district stated Saturday in announcing...
By LA School Report | February 3, 2019
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After charter moratorium vote, families voice anger, betrayal, disappointment — and vow to fight back

*Updated Feb.1 Families, teachers and students from Los Angeles’s independent charter schools turned out by the thousands Tuesday to urge school board members to reject a resolution calling for a moratorium on new charters in L.A. Unified. After the resolution passed with only one dissenter, parents said they felt betrayed and worried about what the...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | January 31, 2019
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After thousands rally for charter schools, LAUSD board votes for a moratorium

*Updated Jan. 30 Hours after about 3,500 charter school supporters rallied at Los Angeles Unified’s headquarters, the school board approved a resolution Tuesday calling for a moratorium on new charters. Only the state can change charter law, so the 5-1 vote directs the district to ask state leaders to study potential changes to the law...
By Taylor Swaak and Esmeralda Fabián Romero | January 29, 2019