LA School Report

Unions critical of poll on teachers tenure and seniority-based layoffs Teachers unions expressed concern Monday over the results of a poll indicating that California voters are critical of current teacher job protections. Los Angeles Times Atlanta judge urges talks on sentences in school cheating case Ten educators were convicted on April 1 for their roles...

With the May 19 runoff elections five weeks from tomorrow, Ref Rodriguez has opened a huge money lead over incumbent Bennett Kayser for the District 5 school board seat. Rodriguez, a charter school official, has built a nearly 3-to-1 edge in individual contributions, raising $26,896 to Kayser’s $9,575 through April 4, the latest figures from...

By Shannon Doyle | The New York Times Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s in the Chicago suburb of Blue Island, Ill., Gladys Marquez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, never once had a Hispanic teacher. Sometimes, when trying to explain to her parents her plans for college — or even why she wanted to...

Results from a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released over the weekend had a little something for everyone in the education wars, with overall results that were anything but shocking. The ambiguity was especially true for teachers, who respondents said deserved a raise but should not have the same job protections they have now....

The LA Unified board is preparing for a big spend on health care tomorrow when the members vote to approve a tentative agreement with eight labor partners on a package of benefits through 2018. But Monica Ratliff, the District 6 member, said in a statement this morning from the district that she wants to delay...

‘Teacher bashing’ may be turning new recruits away The precipitous decline in young people entering the teaching profession in California is now a 10-year trend. SI&A Cabinet Report Vaccine fears haunt L.A.’s west side The issue has dominated lives and reconfigured the behavior of parents in the affluent environs of west Los Angeles. Sacramento Bee...

To a layman, the raw data from an ongoing mental health survey of LA Unified’s students is shocking, jaw-dropping and head-spinning: 98 percent reported experiencing one or more stressful or traumatic life events in the past 12 months and at least half suffer from moderate to severe symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But also shocking in its...

* UPDATED With the launch of the new Technology Initiative Task Force yesterday, LAUSD is restarting its approach to integrating technology and instruction in the classroom after the last effort ended with an FBI probe. The Common Core Technology Project drew criticism from the start, in part for questions over the procurement process with software publisher...

By Derek Thompson | The Atlantic Each year, the U.S. government tells Americans how much money the country spends on stuff, like houses, cars, and alcohol. Organizing this information by income, Josh Zumbrun at The Wall Street Journal produces this nice chart of spending on food, health care, and other categories. Two clear stories. To the far left: The richest...

A skirmish has broken out between LA Unified board President Richard Vladovic and Lydia Gutierrez, his opponent in the May 19 runoff election for District 7, over the issue of vaccinations for students. In response to Gutierrez’s opposition to a state senate bill that would bar parents from opting out of vaccinations for their children,...