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Morning Read: LA Unified board amends Deasy contract

LA School Report | March 13, 2014



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L.A. school board approves amended contract for Supt. Deasy
Los Angeles Unified schools Supt. John Deasy has a newly modified contract that includes an annual buyout of unused vacation days and new performance measures that require him to bring in revenue and enroll more students. He will also pay his own pension deduction for the first time, a cost offset by an increase of $20,000 to his annual salary. LA Times


Schools central to Promise Zone anti-poverty strategy
Most days, you can find Melissa Estrada at Monseñor Oscar Romero Charter Middle School in Central Los Angeles where her son Angel Hernandez is in eighth grade. While Angel is in school, Estrada has taken classes to learn how to track his attendance and grades online and talk to him about drugs and safe sex. EdSource


Rocketship, charter schools dealt setback by San Jose court ruling
The South Bay movement to fast-track the opening of charter schools has been dealt a setback, with a court ruling that county school boards can’t override local ordinances while deciding where to place campuses. San Jose Mercury 


A study seeks to determine what makes pre-k successful
The teacher held up a card with a number on it, then looked at the 4-year-olds waving their hands eagerly in front of her. “Anderson,” she said, calling on a small boy in a blue button-up shirt and a sweater vest. “Five,” Anderson said, correctly. New York Times


Report: Commercialism in schools poses threat to students
Private companies using school facilities to market products to students poses a significant threat to children, argues a new report released Tuesday from researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. The list of offenses includes exploiting digital platforms that contain advertising, using fundraising sponsorships to promote products and offering incentives to districts to buy brand-related products or services. SI&A Cabinet Report


In defense of Common Core
Commentary: If there’s anything more surprising than how quickly and calmly 45 states embraced the new Common Core curriculum standards, it’s how quickly and contentiously the backlash erupted. The standards, which California adopted in 2010, outline the skills and knowledge public school students should acquire in each grade from kindergarten through high school. LA Times

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