LA School Report

LA School Report has confirmed that an LAPD sex crimes unit has an open investigation of celebrated teacher Rafe Esquith involving allegations of “inappropriate touching.” Meanwhile, Esquith’s attorneys are striking back with threats of additional lawsuits and a “declaration of war against LAUSD.” One of Esquith’s attorneys, Ben Meisales, said, “This continued defamation by LAUSD...

As the school year begins next week, Mónica Garcia is celebrating her 10th year on the LA Unified School Board and her 15th year working in District 2, where she served as an academic advisor. A lifelong East L.A. resident, her parents met at Stevenson Middle School in the 1950s and they remember more of...

* UPDATED In the latest wave of his ongoing staff shakeup, Superintendent Ramon Cortines has reassigned three top administrative leaders, demoting them to the role of school principal. The moves were made without any public announcement, but LA School Report has learned that former Chief Academic Officer Gerardo Loera, former Director of Curriculum and Instruction Susan Tandberg and former...

By Anya Kamenetz There are few household names in education research. Maybe that in itself constitutes a problem. But if there was an Education Researcher Hall Of Fame, one member would be a silver-haired, plainspoken Kiwi named John Hattie. Hattie directs the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He also directs...

As ‘Sesame Street’ heads to HBO, will low-income kids lose out? The deal will allow Sesame Workshop to produce more episodes and to expand its puppet-related kids content with new shows and spin-offs. NPR Science, art camp sneaks in language for English learners Students who are English learners learned new, advanced English words and phrases...

Lawyers for LA Unified today told the attorney representing acclaimed teacher, Rafe Esquith, that the investigation into his background has found evidence of “highly inappropriate conduct involving touching of minors” during his time as a district teacher as well as “inappropriate photographs and videos of a sexual nature” on his school computer. The letter to Esquith’s...

Only days before the school year begins, there are still about 319 known issues to deal with LAUSD’s troubled computer system, MiSiS, and school officials said they are working diligently to fix them. “We have made heroic, heroic progress with the MiSiS system,” said Diane H. Pappas, Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Planning and Digital...

In his first extensive interview since he was elected president of the LA Unified school board in July, Steve Zimmer had a few blunt words about the recent  announcement that power brokers in the charter school movement intend to expand the ranks of charters in the district to include half of all students. The move, welcomed...

By Frank Bruni Teaching can’t compete. When the economy improves and job prospects multiply, college students turn their attention elsewhere, to professions that promise more money, more independence, more respect. That was one takeaway from a widely discussed story in The Times on Sunday by Motoko Rich, who charted teacher shortages so severe in certain areas of...

Kids have three times too much homework, study finds; what’s the cost? A study found students in the early elementary school years are getting significantly more homework than is recommended by education leaders. CNN New Denver high school has later start time The right start time for middle and high school students is a controversial...