The Morning Read
Your Daily Roundup of LAUSD news from across the web | 10.05.21
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Latinos are the vast majority in LAUSD’s Board District 5. But they likely won’t be the ones who elect their next school board member. Here’s why.
Latinos make up almost 90 percent of enrollment in L.A. Unified’s Board District 5, which has some of the district’s neediest students and the state’s lowest-performing schools. But they most likely won’t be the ones electing their next representative to the school board. Next week’s special election for the vacant school board seat is expected to...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | February 27, 2019
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New survey shows big differences in how English- and Spanish-speakers view their schools in LAUSD’s Board District 5
Parents whose children attend L.A. Unified schools in Board District 5, where voters will go to the polls next week to choose a new board member, hold widely varying views of their schools depending on the language they speak at home, according to a new survey. Nearly half of all Spanish-speaking respondents said their child’s...
By Laura Greanias | February 26, 2019
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More money, more charter school scrutiny: Here’s what Jackie Goldberg wants to bring to LAUSD in her bid to rejoin the school board after nearly 30 years
*Updated Feb. 26 For public education firebrand Jackie Goldberg, next Tuesday’s special election to fill the vacant seat in L.A. Unified’s Board District 5 is a chance to block a pro-charter majority on the school board — and not just through 2020. Goldberg, who served on the school board from 1983 to 1991, told LA...
By Taylor Swaak | February 25, 2019
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Scores show 850,000 high school juniors are ready for college. Starting early could save them time — and money. New report asks: why make them wait?
It isn’t news that some students are academically ready for college before high school graduation. But it might be a surprise to know that nearly 1 in 4 11th-graders meet this benchmark at the end of the school year, according to results from the ACT that measure college readiness. Should those students head off to...
By Kate Stringer | February 25, 2019
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Setting the record straight: An education expert resurfaces 2015’s independent report to explain LAUSD’s fiscal turmoil
L.A. Unified’s finances can be convoluted and complex. But it’s important to read up as the conversation on how much money the district has continues to swap out facts for politics, education expert Robin Lake said. Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, recently resurfaced a 2015 independent finance report commissioned by former...
By Taylor Swaak | February 20, 2019
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Antonucci: Oakland teachers are set to strike, and just like L.A., a ‘leap of faith’ will be needed to end it
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. A day after a state fact-finding panel released its report, the Oakland Education Association announced a strike date of Feb. 21. On its face, this seems strange. The union released a press statement with the headline “Factfinding Recommendations Endorse OEA’s Bargaining Positions.” The district released a statement...
By Mike Antonucci | February 20, 2019
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At two forums for LAUSD board candidates, students focus on college preparation, while parents want high-quality teachers and safe schools
*Updated Feb. 19 Parents, students and community members were able to question the candidates running for L.A. Unified school board in District 5 at two separate forums last week, one led by parents and the second by students. High school students wanted their new representative to make sure they are better prepared for college, while...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | February 19, 2019
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LAUSD board to consider removing a policy that forces schools to hire from a list of displaced teachers — and forces teachers into assignments they don’t want
*Updated Feb. 19: Board members voted down the resolution 4-2. Voting against it were George McKenna, Scott Schmerelson, Kelly Gonez and Richard Vladovic, who had co-sponsored the resolution. The L.A. Unified school board will vote Tuesday on whether to get rid of a district policy that can force schools to hire “displaced” teachers — even if...
By Taylor Swaak | February 15, 2019
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Lessons from Parkland: 6 big things we’ve learned about student safety, school security and resilience since the tragic 2018 massacre
Valentine’s Day is typically a celebration of love, but the holiday in 2018 will go down in history as a moment of hate, national mourning — and resilience. That afternoon in Parkland, Florida, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school, killing 14 students and three adults. Like other mass school shootings —...
By Mark Keierleber | February 13, 2019
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Commentary: The time is now for parents to ask tough questions of education leaders
While the recent release of information about California’s lowest-performing schools, including more than 100 campuses in L.A. Unified that require intervention, is alarming, what we really need to ask is how committed school officials, educators, administrators and their unions are to improving student academic outcomes, starting now. Now is the time for parents and community-based organizations...
By Evelyn Alemán | February 13, 2019