LA School Report

Great Public Schools Now, the outside group seeking to expand the number of LA Unified schools serving students in high-poverty neighborhoods, has released a list of district schools — most of them charters — that represents “the kinds of schools” the organization intends to replicate in the years ahead. The new group, an outgrowth of...

By Roger Altman and Robert Hughes Are the student achievement scores at charter schools too good to be true? Every year, urban school districts across the country release test scores showing dismal student proficiency in math and reading, especially for students in poverty. At the same time, parents in those same cities often hear claims...

Board starts the superintendent screening process Except for brief periods to open and close the meeting, the entire session was conducted out of public view, and no announcement was made at the conclusion. Los Angeles Times, by Howard Blume Amid national change, Fresno Unified touts rare accountability system While a national shift in the way...

It’s a week since the school board set criteria for the next LAUSD superintendent, but that didn’t stop about 100 parents, students and community advocates from weighing in on what kind of person they think the candidate should be. A group from South Los Angeles and the Eastside gathered at district headquarters yesterday to campaign...

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction yesterday against Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, the latest development in the effort by the LA teachers union, UTLA, to unionize Alliance teachers. The injunction, which was sought by the California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), follows a temporary restraining order the judge issued in late October when...

LA Unified is among nine California school districts that are using a new index to gauge the success of schools, applying a mix of academic achievement as well as social, emotional and cultural measures. Leaders of the non-profit California Office to Reform Education (CORE) districts presented their plan to the California School Boards Association annual...

The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools announced today that its preliminary graduation rate for the 2014-15 school year rose to 77 percent, a seven-point improvement over the previous year. The 17 Partnership schools in South LA, Watts and Boyle Heights are part of a non-profit started by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2008 while he...

In the wake of the mass shooting yesterday in San Bernardino, both LAUSD school superintendent Ramon Cortines and school board president Steve Zimmer today reaffirmed the district’s commitment to safety at local schools. In a statement, Cortines emphasized, “Every building and school within this District has a safety plan in place.” Zimmer pointed out that extra support...