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LAUSD official fighting to keep sexual-harassment suit alive
Attorneys for a Los Angeles Unified facilities executive filed a motion Wednesday to keep alive his lawsuit claiming the district defamed him and invaded his privacy while trying to settle sexual-harassment allegations involving retired Superintendent Ramon Cortines. The documents filed on behalf of Scot Graham, director of leasing and asset management, ask a judge to deny the school district’s request to dismiss his suit. LA Daily News

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More schools opening Advanced Placement courses to all students
Alex Wong, a junior at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, is working hard for admission to an elite college. His resume boasts nearly straight A’s in rigorous classes, a summer program experience at Stanford University, an Eagle Scout project, club soccer, school choir. But his steady progress hit an unexpected roadblock this year. LA Times

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Foundation launches $50-million project to support minority boys
The California Endowment said the seven-year project would aim to boost attendance 30% in targeted schools, reduce by half the number of those suspended, train campus police on the effect of trauma on students, establish conflict-resolution programs in 10 communities, develop 1,000 youth leaders and make sure all eligible children have health coverage. LA Times

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Upending stereotypes about black students
Commentary: There’s a troubling undercurrent to the national conversation about the black-white gap in student achievement. The (mostly) unspoken belief about black students is tied to broader perceptions about black people. So, let’s just say it: Some believe the gap is a function of weak family and community structures, male joblessness, drug use, and permissive cultural values—which they assert predominate in the black community. EdWeek

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LA County school board candidates weigh in on arts education
Voters in Los Angeles County will get to vote next month on school board races for dozens of districts. The nonprofit Arts for LA wants to get arts education on the minds of voters and school board candidates. On Wednesday, it released results of its Arts and Culture Candidate Survey. KPCC

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Why the ‘GREAT Teachers and Principals Act’ is not great
During the last few years, The New Schools Venture Fund (NSVF), a major private funder of K-12 charter schools, has been intensely involved in creating and promoting a bill (the GREAT Act) in the U.S. Congress. This bill, if passed, would lead to the establishment of teacher and principal preparation programs that would not be subject to the same level of accountability as other state-approved programs. Washington Post

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Turning Education Upside Down
Commentary: Three years ago, Clintondale High School, just north of Detroit, became a “flipped school” — one where students watch teachers’ lectures at home and do what we’d otherwise call “homework” in class. Teachers record video lessons, which students watch on their smartphones, home computers or at lunch in the school’s tech lab. New York Times