California leads drive to reverse focus on standardized tests California is on course to have a major impact on reshaping the national discourse – and practice – on this issue. EdSource, by Louis Freedberg Who’s afraid of Campbell Brown? Brown’s new endeavor is all about kickstarting her ambitious plans to reshape the education debate in...

LAUSD School Board President Steve Zimmer has sent out an email reminder that midnight tonight is the deadline for students to apply to the University of California and California State University systems. “Tonight’s deadline is one of the most important demarcation points in our struggle,” noted Zimmer, whose personal newsletter reaches parents, teachers, counselors and students....

California’s public colleges and universities are turning away a record number of applicants and raising admission standards due to insufficient state funding, a new report has concluded. The report, “Access Denied: Rising Selectivity at California’s Public Universities,” which was produced by the Campaign for College Opportunity, comes just as LA Unified’s effort to get more of its...

The LA Unified school board is holding a special meeting tomorrow to fine-tune the one-page list of “Desired Characteristics” for the superintendent that they hope to hire by the end of the year. The open session section is planned for 9 a.m. and will have representatives of the search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates reviewing...

By Teresa Watanabe Just before 8 a.m. at Peary Middle School in Gardena, a boy was refusing to leave his mother’s car. The school police officer on duty could have barked orders at him to get to class. He could have written him up for truancy. He could have forcibly moved him — as a South...

Study: State should increase, overhaul school construction bonds “California must bolster – not recede from – its role in the state-local funding partnership for K-12 school facilities,” concluded the paper. EdSource, by John Fensterwald Rethinking ‘ultra-safe’ playgrounds Playgrounds have drastically changed over the years. Most no longer offer the same sensory and motor challenges as...

The Soulsville neighborhood in Memphis, Tenn. has the unpleasant distinction of being the 12th most dangerous in the country. Local residents have a one-in-nine chance of becoming a crime victim there within a year. The Soulsville Charter School is located on College Street, and the joke is that the street name is as close as most...

Several members of the LA Unified board are using their websites to reflect on what they’re thankful for with the long Thanksgiving weekend just ahead. Board President Steve Zimmer focused on education in his newsletter. He writes: “The recent attacks on liberty and peace in Paris, Mali, and across the Middle East shake our hearts and our spirit. Here at home, the...

As LA Unified deals with looming deficits that could reach $600 million, a recent independent Financial Report attributes a large share of it to the ever-increasing costs of health benefits for present and retired employees. The district spends 14 percent of its budget on active and retired employee health benefits — which is more than it...