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Cortines promises MiSiS is fixed and ready to go as new school year opens

Looking to calm any last-minute fears that the start of the new school year will mirror last year’s troublesome beginning, LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines is promising that the MiSiS computer system has been fixed and will operate smoothy when schools open later this month. “MiSiS is the heart of this district,” he said in a statement from...
By Craig Clough | August 7, 2015
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Alliance charters says some its teachers ‘feel harassed’ by UTLA

Alliance College-Ready Public Charter Schools said today the group violated no laws over unionization efforts and asserted that some Alliance teachers “feel harassed by UTLA’s communications tactics.” Catherine Suitor, Chief Development & Communications Officer of Alliance, said in a statement to LA School Report the charter group looks forward to arguing its case before the state...
By Mike Szymanski | August 7, 2015
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LA Unified has the A/C ready for the start of the new school year

Because of a $300 million boost in bond money and the ability to hire extra help, most of the LAUSD schools are expected to have their air conditioning units working when school opens Aug. 18. “August is traditionally the hottest month of the year, and the severe heat spells doesn’t help the classroom situation,” said...
By Mike Szymanski | August 7, 2015
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Education gets only scant attention among Republican hopefuls

ICYMI — that is, in case you missed the Republican presidential candidates talking about education last night: Well, you had to listen carefully because education didn’t get much attention. Only three candidates had anything to say about education — mostly because they weren’t asked about it — and only the two from Florida, prompted by the...
By LA School Report | August 7, 2015
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Is it possible to have an ‘unbiased’ history class?

By Silpa Kovvali The summer before my senior year of high school, I went on a family vacation to India that was, in and of itself, an education. I had, of course, a connection to the land my mom and dad called home for half their lives, and had been on a handful of trips...
By LA School Report | August 7, 2015
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Morning Read: Bodycams get a try in Texas, Iowa districts

Bodycams beginning to percolate in two schools Two school districts are adopting the use of body cameras this fall to record interactions. The Journal Local year-round schools nearly extinct Once common in the Inland area, the schedule has all but disappeared as enrollment has slowed in recent years. The Press-Enterprise CSBA calls on high court...
By LA School Report | August 7, 2015
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UTLA outlines accusations against Alliance for anti-union efforts

With a hearing now scheduled for Aug. 21, LA Unified’s teachers union, UTLA, will have the chance to argue before a neutral party that Alliance College-Ready Public Charter Schools, violated state education law by blocking the union’s efforts to bring Alliance teachers into its membership. The union’s accusations are detailed in two complaints (here and...
By Mike Szymanski | August 6, 2015
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Carl Cohn named first head of state panel to offer help on LCAPs

*UPDATE Carl A. Cohn, a longtime educational leader in California, was named today to be the first director of the California Collaborative on Educational Excellence (CCEE), a newly-formed state agency charged with providing advice and assistance to school districts in achieving the goals set forth in the Local Control and Accountability Plans. Cohn has a distinguished...
By Craig Clough | August 6, 2015
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New report offers school districts guidelines for transgender students

Five national organizations this week released a first-of-its kind guidebook for school districts on how to navigate common issues that arise with educating transgender students. The report, “Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools,” offers advice and best practices on a wide range of issues districts often face, such as bathroom...
By Craig Clough | August 6, 2015
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LA Unified board planning two meetings within three days

It’s Kumbaya time again for the LA Unified school board. In addition to their next regularly-schedule meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 1, board members are gathering for a “retreat” two days earlier, at a still-to-be-determined time and place on Sunday, Aug. 30. It’s the first such meeting since Superintendent Ramon Cortines returned nearly a year ago, and...
By LA School Report | August 6, 2015