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Key hurdles remain for No Child Left Behind rewrite

By Emma Brown From Rand Paul on the right to Elizabeth Warren on the left, members of the Senate education committee pushed aside their policy disagreements earlier this spring when they voted unanimously in favor of a bipartisan revision to the widely reviled No Child Left Behind law. But key differences remain to be resolved in both...
By LA School Report | June 11, 2015
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Morning Read: ‘Incendiary’ vaccine bill clears committee

Mandatory vaccine legislation easily clears Assembly health committee Vaccine supporters cheered the passage of the bill, which they said echoes a Public Policy Institute of California poll released last week. San Jose Mercury News Adjoining counties devise different strategies to expand preschool The counties’ contrasting approaches highlight the efforts of local governments across the state...
By LA School Report | June 11, 2015
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LA Unified board has second thoughts on ethnic studies

There are no easy take-backsies within the second largest school district in the country but it appears that at least some LA Unified school board members are hoping for a time-out before moving ahead with the Ethnic Studies resolution adopted in the fall. An analysis of the initiative by the district budget office estimated it...
By Vanessa Romo | June 10, 2015
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Report: City Year schools see big jumps in math, English scores

Schools that took part in the national City Year program are more likely to see jumps in their students’ standardized math and English scores, according to a new report. The program, which last year had 150 schools in 22 cities participate, was active in 25 LA Unified schools. (Check out the attached video from September,...
By Craig Clough | June 10, 2015
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LA Unified board approves plan to ease graduation requirements

In an attempt to thwart plummeting graduation rates, the LA Unified school board unanimously approved a resolution yesterday easing high school graduation requirements and subsequently launched another districtwide study of A-G implementation. But not before sponsors agreed to last-minute changes and the superintendent pledged to enact an “immediate intervention” plan. While the previous version of...
By Vanessa Romo | June 10, 2015
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Editorial: California should keep the high school exit exam

By The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board California’s high school exit exam is certainly due for revision. The test, which requires high school graduates to demonstrate reasonably proficient reading and math skills to graduate, is out of step with the newly adopted Common Core standards, and aligning it with the new curriculum is important. But...
By LA School Report | June 10, 2015
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Ethnic Studies Committee meets amid questions about program’s future

Amid a suddenly contentious environment, the Ethnic Studies Advisory Board met last week with a lot of new questions in front of it and the LA Unified school board was set to discuss the issue today. When the LA Unified school board voted in the fall to make ethnic studies a requirement for high school...
By Craig Clough | June 9, 2015
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Is Metro Charter’s growth a success or missed opportunity?

By Sandy Banks What if you could create your dream school for your kids, one that’s high-tech and hands-on; diverse and genteel; an urban beehive of creativity with a suburban sense of security? That’s what a group of young upscale parents in South Park set out to do three years ago. They loved their neighborhood’s...
By LA School Report | June 9, 2015
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Morning Read: High school diploma isn’t what it used to be

Class of 2015 needs more than high school diploma, experts say The high school diploma — once a ticket to the American middle class — isn’t enough any more, experts say. Los Angeles Daily News San Marino High student claims teachers failed to report rape allegations The lawsuit against the San Marino Unified School District...
By LA School Report | June 9, 2015
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California gets ‘F’ for effort in fair educational funding (but it’s old data)

The state of California faired poorly in a new report from the Education Law Center that grades states on how fair their educational funding system is in regard to providing extra funding for low-income districts. However, the report is based on data from 2012, before the state enacted the groundbreaking Local Control Funding Formula and...
By Craig Clough | June 8, 2015