LA School Report

LA Unified has returned the last of the military-style weapons it received under a controversial federal program. The news was released in a letter Tuesday, which stated that as of Feb. 5 the last of the weapons, demilitarized rifles, were back in federal custody. The letter from LA Unified Police Chief Steven Zipperman was addressed to Eric Mann,...

The National Blue Ribbon Schools award given out each year by the federal government is considered among the highest honors a school can achieve, and of the 335 Blue Ribbon schools in 2015, only one was from LA Unified. That school, KIPP Raíces Academy School in East Los Angeles, celebrated the award today in a...

The 2017 LA Unified school board elections are still more than a year away, but that isn’t stopping Nick Melvoin from officially throwing his hat into the ring of the District 4 race. The District 4 seat is currently held by board President Steve Zimmer, who has yet to officially declare he will be running...

More than 200 Compton school teachers call in sick Monday marked the third time in the last two years that Compton’s teachers have been accused of calling a sick-out, a day when workers agree to call out sick as a form of protest. NBC Los Angeles Report: State must adopt guidelines for parent engagement in schools,...

A group of community activists including students and parents plan to disrupt LA Unified’s Committee of the Whole on Tuesday afternoon to protest weapons on school campuses. Fight for the Soul of the Cities is protesting the federal government’s 1033 Program, which outfitted school police with machine guns and other weapons. The local civil rights group is asking that...

By Jennifer Pullen Tens of thousands of people, including Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Steve Zimmer, participated in a “walk-in” last week to show support for traditional public schools at a time when they are facing increasing pressure from — and loss of students to — charter and private operators. Staged in partnership with local and national...

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound student came to the coach because he was struggling with his classes. If he had a 3.0 grade point average, USC might give him a scholarship. Narbonne High School football coach Manuel Douglas spoke with brutal honesty. “You’re a good talented young man, but you have to want it,” Douglas told him. “I can’t want...

Dozens of L.A. schools need to check if dress codes keep students out of class About 160 schools in L.A. Unified’s central area will be asked to reexamine their dress codes to make sure students are not missing class time because of their clothes. Los Angeles Times, by Sonali Kohli Will California use chronic absenteeism...

LA Unified appears to be making significant progress on its projected graduation rate this year through a “very personalized approach,” with a new report stating the district may even surpass last year’s record rate of 74 percent. A January progress report obtained by LA School Report showed that only 54 percent of seniors were on...

Reading ability isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for logical thinking. That’s why Grant Hosford, CEO and co-founder of codeSpark, a Pasadena-based startup developing computer science games for kids, has created a new app where reading doesn’t get in the way. And without barriers, Hosford is now teaching coding to kids as young as 5. “We get...