If you’re at Crenshaw High School, wouldn’t you want to know that baseball legend Darryl Strawberry graduated from there? How about that “Star Wars” composer John Williams went to North Hollywood High, or that Leonardo DiCaprio dropped out of his junior year at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies so he could pursue acting?...

Acting U.S. Education Secretary: Civil rights community must be vigilant John King plans to use his first speech as acting U.S. Education Secretary to call on the civil rights community to be vigilant as the nation ushers in the ESSA. Washington Post, by Emma Brown Advocates demand state end improper use of force on special...

The California Court of Appeal, Second District has scheduled for Feb. 25 oral arguments in the landmark Vergara v. California lawsuit. The appeal decision will be closely watched throughout the state and beyond, as the future of California’s teacher employment laws surrounding tenure, seniority and dismissal hang in the balance. In 2014, Judge Rolf Treu struck down the...

The new executive director of Great Public Schools Now says a hostile LA Unified board resolution, angry union leaders or public opinion will not threaten the group’s goal to create successful schools, whoever’s in charge of them. If anything, said Myrna Castrejón, the widespread opposition to her organization, its plans and founder, Eli Broad, are...

With middle school principals’ sharing their best practices and dire needs, an LA Unified board committee yesterday set off on a new initiative to improve the academic and social skills of students one principal described as “hormones with arms and legs.” The discussion in the Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Equity Committee came two days after...

By Howard Blume Los Angeles’ beleaguered school system doesn’t need the aggressive shake-up some critics have called for so much as consistent, steady progress and collaboration, new schools Supt. Michelle King said in a meeting Thursday with The Times. In her first extended interview since taking office this week, King talked more about the “listening” she intends to do...

The state Joint Legislative Audit Committee yesterday approved an request by Senator Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) to examine LA Unified’s “teacher jail,” a controversial process the district uses when investigating allegations of wrongdoing by employees. “The goal of this audit is to examine the basis, extent, and impact ‘Teacher Jail’ has on student learning as well as...

At the first LA Unified school board meeting of the year on Tuesday, Leon Popa found himself sitting through a long, grueling ordeal. “Leon Popa has now spent more time at this meeting than he did all day at school,” said school board President Steve Zimmer. And that was only halfway through a meeting that...

Great Public Schools Now, the Broad foundation spinoff organization with plans expands charter schools in Los Angeles Unified, today named Myrna Castrejón as its first executive director. Most recently a senior lobbyist and political strategist for the California Charter Schools Association, Castrejón will led the new group’s investment in “high-quality public schools” to reduce the...

By Alisha Kirby Recruitment efforts for special education positions – often the hardest jobs for schools to fill – have been forced to focus on out-of-state candidates as the shortage of teachers across California continues to loom. Vicki Barber, co-executive director of the California Statewide Taskforce on Special Education, said expanding the scope of the search...