LA School Report

By Michael Fitzgerald What the new Boston superintendent has to say about testing, charter schools, and innovation. Globe Magazine: You’ve been handing out Atul Gawande’s “Cowboys and Pit Crews” [a 2011 commencement address on why the medical profession needs to be more collaborative]. How is it being received?  Tommy Chang: When I walk schools, I have...

Governor approves ‘yes means yes’ sexual education for high schools Jerry Brown approved legislation making California the first state in the nation to bring lessons about sexual consent required at many colleges into high schools. Associated Press, by Lisa Leff How the Department of Education’s top salaries stack up New York Department of Education’s top...

Get out of that car and take a hike with your kid. Well, only if it’s no more than a mile. LA Unified plans to join the City of Los Angeles and Department of Transportation in linking up with the national Walk to School Day next Wednesday, Oct. 7, to encourage alternate ways of getting to...

With his massive plan to enroll half of all LA Unified’s students into charter schools, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad is threatening major disruptions at LA Unified, cementing his role as Public Enemy No. 1 to many district and local union leaders. But Broad’s enduring support for public charter schools now appears to be contributing to...

The search team hired to find a new LA Unified superintendent is already receiving applications and is putting together a list of potential candidates, while arranging to canvass school board members and the community for what they want in the new district boss. Hank Gmitro, president of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates based in Rosemont,...

By Joy Resmovits Students who have experienced trauma could be eligible for some of the same protections as students with disabilities based on the effects of that trauma, according to a ruling by a federal judge Tuesday. But the degrees, types and effects of trauma that would trigger such protections have yet to be determined. The...

Suit to limit use of teacher union dues for political purposes is tossed The teachers involved were fighting for the right to belong to their union without their dues being used against their will for political causes. LA Times, by Howard Blume Comprehensive sex ed bill among those facing Brown The bill would make instruction...

In building a case for creating 260 charter schools within in LA Unified eight years at a cost of $490 million, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has cited “significant” gains by three charter organizations that have received $75 million from the foundation. But when all factors are considered, there is little conclusive evidence in the report...

In a new survey of 1,000 California teachers, a plurality of instructors thinks that it’s most important to develop critical thinking skills as preparation for college and career. The least number ranked scoring well on the state’s new Smarter Balanced tests. EdSource and the California Teachers Association conducted the online survey and released the results...

In a district striving to infuse computer technology in public education, LA Unified is struggling to complete a phone survey asking five questions. About 550,000 phone calls went out from Sept. 25 through yesterday to ask families about their priorities for the school calendar for the next three years. By late yesterday, another phone call...