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Commentary: Graduation speeches of troubled teens reveal true needs

By Sandy Banks When I was asked to speak at the Aviva High graduation, my marching orders were clear: Offer a little wisdom and loads of encouragement. These girls had been through a lot. There were only five students in the graduating class. One didn’t show up. Aviva educates teenage girls who need emotional or...
By LA School Report | June 2, 2015
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Morning Read: College Board, Khan Academy offer free SAT prep

College Board, Khan Academy team up to offer free SAT prep program Students can start preparing for the SAT Tuesday with a new, free online study program affiliated with the test. Los Angeles Times Teaching-sub hiring policies vary widely The growing demand for substitutes has raised questions about the quality of temporary teachers and their...
By LA School Report | June 2, 2015
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LAUSD wants your vote in the People’s Telly Awards

LA Unified has entered six district-produced videos into the People’s Telly Awards and is asking for votes to help it win. The awards honor local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, and the winners are selected through an online voting system. Voting ends June 5. The videos include two about of the Aspen Challenge,...
By LA School Report | June 1, 2015
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LAUSD high school wins national award after graduation spike

The Social Justice Humanitas Academy in the San Fernando Valley has been honored as one of seven winners of the 2015 National Community Schools Award for Excellence as a result of the school’s huge spike in graduation rates. The award, which is granted by the The Coalition for Community Schools, highlights schools that successfully partner with community organizations to...
By Craig Clough | June 1, 2015
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Another LAUSD school uses Parent Trigger as leverage for change

Parents of students at 20th Street Elementary in Central LA have unanimously approved a district proposal to turn around the low-performing school, starting next year. As a result, the local parent union is dropping plans for a school-wide take over under the state Parent Trigger law. The deal with LA Unified ensures that all of...
By Vanessa Romo | June 1, 2015
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Obama bans school cops from receiving federal military weapons

By Molly Knefel Last week, President Obama issued an executive order to regulate the use of military equipment within local police departments, as part of an ongoing effort to address police violence in communities of color. Images of officers rolling through the streets of Ferguson – and, more recently, Baltimore – in armored tanks pushed the issue...
By LA School Report | June 1, 2015
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Morning Read: Questions of direction for use of LCFF money

Editorial: The governor who didn’t bark Twenty-three months later, it is difficult to not be deeply cynical about what’s happened to the Local Control Funding Formula. U-T San Diego School may be the best place to address PTSD A lawsuit alleges that California’s Compton Unified School District has failed to properly address its students’ experiences...
By LA School Report | June 1, 2015
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New coalition seeks answers to state’s early education woes

Despite a state budget flush with extra billions for education, Gov. Jerry Brown is receiving criticism from some early education advocates for a “strikingly minimal” approach to early education funding. In response to the growing body of evidence of the importance of preschool, a coalition of academics, lawmakers, community leaders and business leaders has created...
By Craig Clough | May 29, 2015
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LAUSD students design green park above 101 freeway in Hollywood

By Nita Lelyveld The STEM Academy of Hollywood is perched above eight lanes of traffic on the 101 Freeway. Its classroom windows offer the high school engineers a bird’s-eye view of some of Los Angeles’ most enduring woes. Too many cars. Too much cement. A freeway system that slices through neighborhoods, leaving them uninviting to...
By LA School Report | May 29, 2015
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Bond committee OKs more millions to repair LA Unified’s MiSiS
After a year of emergency fixes that required emergency spending, LA Unified officials say they need another $79.6 million to fully repair the computerized student data management system known as MISIS by the end of next year. The request was approved unanimously by the Bond Oversight Committee yesterday. It will move to the school board...
By Vanessa Romo | May 29, 2015