The more you hear about attempts to improve the nation’s schools, the sorrier you have to feel for the kids. After years of “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” initiatives, national test scores dived deeper into failure and mediocrity in the last reading. In a stunning reversal, the Obama administration, a tireless...

New era near for No Child Left Behind Congress is expected to take up a long overdue rewrite of the federal K-12 law, but passing the revamped version won’t be easy. US News & World Report, by By Lauren Camera Laurene Powell Jobs launches college-support program in Watts Her organization, College Track, announced last week...

Spending cuts. Layoffs. Early retirement packages. Reductions in benefits. These needs, which were among recommendations made by LA Unified’s independent Financial Review Panel on Tuesday, are the kind that would make any union leader lose sleep. But three full days since the doom and gloom report was presented at the LA Unified school board meeting, with recommendations that...

A former LA Unified teacher is suing the district for $12 million, claiming it failed to protect her from abuse, harassment and discrimination because she is a lesbian. Cathy Figel taught physical education at Marina del Rey Middle School for 13 years and claims to have endured anti-gay language, anti-gay graffiti scrawled in her work area; exclusion from...

A group of college students told the LA Unified board this week that its effort to reach non-Internet-connected people as part of the superintendent search was inadequate. “We walked through neighborhoods and found more than 200 community members who lacked Internet access and didn’t have a means of travel to the community meetings, but care about education...

By Elizabeth Aguilera The McDonald’s on Whittier Boulevard in Boyle Heights is jammed on a recent weeknight. Outside, a bright yellow poster welcomes customers to “McTeacher Night.” It’s a fundraiser that funnels a portion of the evening’s proceeds to nearby Stevenson Middle School. Behind the counter, teachers watch over the French fryer and assemble orders onto trays....

Charter school expansion could reshape L.A. Unified, officials say In the first public discussion involving the Broad Foundation’s efforts, Executive Director Gregory McGinity said that charter schools have transformed education. Los Angeles Times, by Howard Blume Neighborhood opposes charter school location A proposed charter school in West Adams is running into a wall of opposition...

Los Angles Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced a new program that will help identify students in LA Unified whose parents are veterans or active-duty service members so that they can receive extra resources available to them. Joining Garcetti at Leland Elementary School in San Pedro, where he announced the new program, were LA Unified school board...

As many as 200 parents, teachers and students are expected to attend a community forum, starting at 5 p.m. today at Santee High School, to provide input into the LAUSD superintendent search. The meeting was scheduled to reach people that the organizers say weren’t included in the search firm’s recent compilation profile from surveys and other community...

By The Los Angeles Daily News Editorial Board Before school board members decide who they want to be Los Angeles Unified’s next superintendent, they must agree on what they want. That won’t be easy. But it’s vital. If they don’t come to a consensus soon about the qualities they’re looking for in an L.A. schools...