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Critics Blast Away at California Districts’ Waiver
By awarding a No Child Left Behind Act waiver to eight California districts, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has embarked on an experiment that redefines the federal role in school accountability—and that is sparking criticism from across the political spectrum and questions about whether the new flexibility goes too far. Education Week

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Charter Partnership Gives L.A. Unified School New Name and Outlook
As students returned to schools across Los Angeles on Tuesday, the pupils at 24th Street Elementary came back to a history lesson triggered by their parents. In an unprecedented partnership, the L.A. Unified School District has joined forces with Crown Prep, an outside charter operator, to run the persistently low-performing campus south of downtown. LA Times

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Where Does LA Unified Keep Supplies for 650,000 kids? Think Big.
On a nondescript street in Pico Rivera, an enormous warehouse stands, guarding millions of dollars worth of goods. It’s not full of priceless art, gold or jewels. Its treasure trove is comprised of pencils, playground equipment, janitors’ buckets – all the myriad items schools needs throughout the year. In this case, about 800 schools. KPCC

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Jury Clears LAUSD in Bullying/Abuse Lawsuit Filed by Autistic Boy
A jury has rejected a lawsuit brought on behalf of an autistic child who claimed he was bullied and physically abused by a behavioral aide at a Los Angeles Unified campus for six weeks in 2010. City News Service in the LA Daily News

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Q&A: Bill Gates on Teaching, Ed Tech, and Philanthropy
Philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently dipped into the coffers of bgc3—his personal office, think tank, and incubation engine—to make a multimillion-dollar investment in Graphite, a new venture from the San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media that aims to provide teachers with easy-to-search, Consumer Reports-style peer reviews of ed-tech products. In conjunction with Graphite’s launch, Gates offered to respond via email to some questions from Education Week and our Twitter followers. Education Week

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In Testing, a Principal Leans on Her Experience
Anna Allanbrook has been the principal of Public School 146 in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn, one of the highest achieving elementary schools in the city. She believes it is her job is to shield students, teachers and parents from the state’s ever-expanding standardized testing system and to question its reliability publicly. “At my age, I’ve seen so many education fads come and go,” she says. “It gives me the confidence to trust what we’re doing here.” NY Times