LA School Report

Hundreds of people showed up Tuesday morning inside and outside LA Unified’s boardroom, most of them parents who were defending their children’s independent charter schools. An unprecedented number of charter schools had been recommended for denial at Tuesday’s meeting, but in the end only three of the 34 schools on the agenda were turned down...

A late-breaking deal between LA Unified officials and charter school leaders may result in staff reversing their recommendations of denial for 11 independent charter schools. KPCC reported late Monday that three unidentified sources confirmed the deal prior to Tuesday morning’s school board meeting where board members are to vote on the petitions of 34 charter schools. The...

Students at the majority of the charter schools that could be turned down Tuesday by LA Unified’s school board are performing academically above their peers in nearby schools. But that’s not what Tuesday’s debate will likely be about. State law says that student academic achievement is the most important factor in determining whether charter school...

There is not a single county in California where the majority of Latino students are proficient in math or English language arts, according to a report released Monday. The report, by The Education Trust–West, looked at this year’s state test scores and compared the difference between Latino students and white students who met state standards....

Four years ago, Amestoy Elementary Principal Hugh Ryan made a strategic decision to invest in parents. He set high goals for parent participation and enlisted teachers in that effort and in making sure parents felt valued. He opened the parent center with district funds and gave its part-time parent representatives his full support — and...

On November 7, Los Angeles Unified’s two newest board members will face early tests of their commitment to changing the district’s culture as it relates to how it views and relates to the charter schools it authorizes. The LAUSD staff is recommending the board vote to close highly successful, existing charter schools serving thousands of...

*UPDATED An unprecedented number of charter school petitions could be denied next week because Los Angeles charter leaders are standing up against district policies they say require increasing amounts of time and money to satisfy and take away resources from the classroom. While the district says the policies are needed to hold charter schools accountable, a...

As an undocumented student in her San Bernardino high school, Maria Lopez Lozano was told by her school counselor she couldn’t go to college. She went anyway, graduated from UC Irvine, and now teaches in LA Unified. As a “DACAmented” teacher — as she called herself for being undocumented and a DACA recipient — she...

*UPDATED Despite having laid out options to save money on health care, LA Unified has “rolled over” and agreed to continue funding its generous benefits for district employees, retirees, and their dependents at current levels for the next three years. The district’s proposal was given late last week to union negotiators. The unions will respond to...

In its quest to decide what to do about daily weapons searches, LA Unified is preparing an expansive survey for the entire school community for December to explore whether changes are needed to one of the most rigorous search mandates of any school district in the country. After an information session last week, acting Superintendent...