*Updated Jan. 8 In California, Latino students face many challenges to succeed academically at the same level as their white or Asian counterparts, but it’s even tougher for Latino English learners, according to “The Majority Report” from Education Trust—West, which details ways they can be supported and lists examples of school districts and organizations that...

*Updated Jan. 3 2017 was a big year for education news in Los Angeles, drawing national attention to the most expensive school board race in U.S. history, the looming fiscal cliff exacerbated by declining enrollment, and a new state accountability system that has sparked sharp criticism from parent groups across the state and education advocates...

It’s been a big year of big numbers at the nation’s second-largest school district. 2017 saw the most expensive school board race in U.S. history, new graduation highs, and soaring employee benefit costs. The lows included a steeper drop in enrollment than predicted, a steady march to a structural deficit, and further financial losses because more students...

Parents and teachers have become so frustrated with excessive paperwork, filing fees, and unexpected costs to use school rooms that holiday events have been canceled, fundraisers postponed, and special programs tabled throughout LA Unified. The district cracked down this fall on long-overlooked procedures meant to protect its liability, after an internal report last June showed...

Weeks after fighting over tax reform — including pitched battles involving several education issues — GOP leadership released a final compromise late last week. On higher education, the bill ultimately didn’t include provisions that alarmed college and university leaders the most, like taxing graduate students’ tuition benefits. It does include a tax on university endowments,...

*UPDATED With a crushing $13 billion in unfunded healthcare liabilities, LA Unified and its employee unions return to the negotiating table Monday still far apart — unions want increases in health benefits, the district wants to stop the bleeding — so the district is coming prepared. This month it secured the blessing of the school...

At their last meeting of 2017, the LA Unified school board beefed up sexual harassment policies, reversed support for a state bill that charter schools considered a threat, discussed how to handle upcoming retiree costs of nearly $14 billion, and got a little good news on the budget. BUDGET NEWS More cash is coming from the...

Despite more surveyed parents wanting school to start after Labor Day, the LA Unified school board voted Tuesday to keep the current school calendar for the next three years. Classes will begin in mid-August, with a week off for Thanksgiving, a three-week winter break, and a weeklong spring break. The first semester will end before...

California’s parents aren’t getting two key pieces of information they need to evaluate schools, says a new independent review of states’ accountability plans. California ranked at the bottom, along with Idaho and Texas, receiving the lowest scores in two categories out of nine in a review of 34 state plans on complying with the federal...

*UPDATED It’s a daunting task to try to figure out how LA Unified can save money, but an advisory group came up with a surprising statistic: If the district can get every student in the district to come to school at least one more day, then it will be ahead by $30 million because of...