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Morning Read: New parent panel struggles with LCAP

LA School Report | May 9, 2014



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LA schools’ new parent advisory group grapples with $6.8 billion budget
In a Sammy Lee Elementary’s auditorium in Koreatown, 50 parents are combing through the Los Angeles Unified School District’s proposed budget for next year, a 33-page draft of a document called the Local Control Accountability Plan. Inside, bullet points a swath of complex policy outlining the district’s goals, how its spending plans will meet those goals, and how success will be measured. KPCC


School bias against children of immigrants called ‘troubling’
Citing “troubling reports” of school districts discriminating against children of immigrants in the country illegally, the Justice and Education departments on Thursday issued new guidance to schools on what identification they can demand of students trying to enroll. In a letter to school administrators, the departments restricted the type of documents officials can demand. LA Times


8th-grade teachers to undergo training after Holocaust assignment
Rialto Unified school officials say all eighth-grade teachers will make a mandatory visit to the Museum of‎ Tolerance before the end of the school year in response to a public outcry to a writing assignment asking students to consider whether the Holocaust actually happened. Eighth-grade teachers will also receive extensive sensitivity training to ensure similar incidents don’t occur. LA Times


Ted Mitchell confirmed as under secretary of education
Former State Board of Education president Ted Mitchell was confirmed Thursday as under secretary of education, the third-highest ranking official at the U.S. Department of Education. The Senate unanimously confirmed Mitchell’s appointment at a hearing in Washington, D.C., based on a nomination from President Barack Obama in the fall. EdSource


Graduation rates at LA’s Promise supported schools continue to rise
According to figures released by the California Department of Education, Manual Arts Senior High School and West Adams Preparatory High School have once again surpassed the Los Angeles Unified School District’s graduation rate. Both Manual Arts (75 percent) and West Adams (81 percent) exceeded the LAUSD’s 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate of 68 percent, improving by 6 and 1 percent respectively from the previous year. LA Sentinel


Kill tenure, cure schools?
Commentary: Without a doubt, California’s poor and minority schoolchildren get more than their share of ineffective, unmotivated and demoralized teachers.But are the state laws governing teacher tenure, dismissal and layoffs now under attack in a Los Angeles court case the real cause of the inequities? And if so, do they violate both the equal protection guarantees and the right-to-education provisions of the California Constitution? LA Times

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