The Morning Read
Your Daily Roundup of LAUSD news from across the web | 10.05.21
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For the first time EPA could order schools to test water for lead, but experts warn that doesn’t mean it will be safe to drink — or that lead will be removed
As Newark, New Jersey, Flint, Michigan, and other cities continue to grapple with lead in their water supplies, the Environmental Protection Agency is mulling changes to the decades-old regulation meant to protect Americans from the highly damaging contaminant. Among the proposed changes to the Lead and Copper Rule are a first-time national requirement to test...
By Laura Fay | February 3, 2020
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Do parents actually want their kids in integrated schools? New Harvard survey reveals mixed messages
As schools across the country remain starkly segregated by both race and income, parents expressed widespread support — in theory — for integrating America’s public schools, according to a new report. For many, however, that support appears to stop at their own doorstep. Across America’s increasingly partisan political divide, parents say they support racial and...
By Mark Keierleber | February 3, 2020
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Super Bowl Special: How former 49er Tyrone Smith made it from poverty to the NFL — with grit, determination & help from his teachers
When students meet me and learn that I was in the NFL, their eyes light up and they shower me with questions: What’s it like being on TV? How much money did you make? What kind of car do you drive? But being a former professional football player doesn’t define me. What I’m most proud...
By Tyrone Smith | January 30, 2020
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Cal State University approves plan to add new admissions requirement — but delays making formal change before studying impact
California State University overwhelmingly decided Wednesday to move forward with a new admissions requirement, but will delay making formal alterations to state regulations until the consequences of the change are studied. Until last week, the CSU Board of Trustees were expected to cast votes on Wednesday either greenlighting or rejecting a controversial addition to admissions standards:...
By Taylor Swaak | January 29, 2020
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Analysis: The California Teachers Association claims 310,000 members. Here’s the breakdown for every local affiliate
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. The California Teachers Association is “310,000 members strong,” according to its website. But it’s difficult to track that number over time, or assess its impact on California school districts, because our only sources of information have been the union’s public pronouncements. Until now. Culled from figures...
By Mike Antonucci | January 29, 2020
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Mothers of invention: Frustrated with the educational status quo and conventional parent organizing, two Latinas gave birth to a national parents union
For a moment, the issues seemed insurmountable. Some 150 parent activists, all strong-willed veterans of battles with their respective education establishments, were gathered in a New Orleans hotel ballroom trying to hammer out statements of joint belief. It was important to arrive at precise wording, the organizers running the meeting told them, because the statement...
By Beth Hawkins | January 28, 2020
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Presidential candidates need a primer on what’s really wrong with public education
Do the presidential candidates understand what it will take to ensure our public education system serves all students? It’s hard to know because they haven’t said enough in debates and other public sessions, so far, about how they plan to improve public education. We know they agree with us that increased funding is necessary and...
By Layla Avila and Ana Ponce | January 27, 2020
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New poll: Majority of Democratic voters prefer candidates who would preserve federal charter school spending
With the 2020 presidential primaries about to kick off in Iowa, a new poll shows that a majority of voters are less likely to support candidates who want to eliminate federal charter school funding. The results of the sixth annual poll, conducted for the American Federation for Children, an organization that advocates for school choice,...
By Brendan Lowe | January 27, 2020
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Listen up, candidates: Most teachers feel their voices aren’t being heard, new survey reveals
As the Democratic presidential hopefuls release campaign promises to woo America’s K-12 educators — a key voting bloc — teachers feel left in the dark on major policy conversations, a new survey revealed. Just a third of educators said their perspectives are considered a “great deal” in teachers union policy decisions, and the numbers fall...
By Mark Keierleber | January 27, 2020
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Analysis: The CTA really wants the split-roll property tax initiative on the ballot. Union members don’t seem so enthused
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. The California Teachers Association has made the passage of a split-roll property tax initiative its top priority for 2020, allocating an initial investment of $6 million for the campaign. But three months into signature-gathering to place the measure on the November ballot, the union is...
By Mike Antonucci | January 22, 2020