Six weeks ago LA teachers union officials told the LA Unified school board that independent charter schools were costing the district about $500 million each year. School board member Monica Ratliff called on Superintendent Michelle King to provide the board an analysis of the union-funded study on independent charter schools from which the figure was...

More preschool seats coming to LA in state budget plan The state budget that lawmakers sent to Gov. Jerry Brown this week could open up scores of new preschool seats in the LA area and prompt the re-opening of an early education center. But the gains represent just a fraction of the high need that remains as many...

The Ethnic Studies Committee, which LA Unified unceremoniously disbanded last year, has been renewed by the district, and members agreed to meet for up to three more years with a goal toward incorporating ethnic studies as a graduation requirement, according to Derrick Chau, director of secondary instruction at LA Unified. “We are moving ahead with districtwide ethnic...

By Caroline Bermudez More than once in California, it has taken a major lawsuit to try to propel long-awaited change for its schools. In 1999, the State Allocation Board was sued because of overcrowding in Los Angeles public schools. Last year, a coalition of groups brought a lawsuit accusing the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)...

By the Times Editorial Board Because of new rules designed to raise graduation standards, officials of the Los Angeles Unified School District woke up in December to the grim news that only half of its students were on track to graduate, down from 74 percent the year before. The problem was that this was the first...

AP classes are tougher, but students are better prepared for college Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge courses are increasing rapidly in high schools. This includes places like Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., where 99 percent of the students are low-income and few land on the high-achievement end of any bell curve. But teachers...

Maria Silva worked hard to find the right schools for her kids. As a stay-at-home mom, she could spend the time and effort it took to research schools and she was willing and able to drive her daughter from their home in Bell to downtown Los Angeles to attend a magnet high school. A mother of...

  After studying technology issues for more than a year, an LA Unified task force this week offered their ideas for the district after the botched iPad debacle that was supposed to result in one computer device in every student’s hands. The price tag would be $311 million for “a 1:1 environment,” providing every student with a tablet...

Un emprendimiento masivo para aumentar el acceso a una educación de alta calidad para decenas de miles de estudiantes de bajos recursos en Los Angeles fue revelado hoy a través de un esperado plan de Great Public Schools Now (GPSN, Excelentes Escuelas Públicas Ahora), una organización sin fines de lucro que recibe una buena cantidad...