LA School Report

A California judge has denied a request for state intervention at six schools for students’ being assigned open classes that lack academic value. The same judge had ordered the state to intervene at LA Unified’s Jefferson High School in October over the same issue and as part of the same lawsuit. Bay Area Superior Court Judge...

By Valerie Strauss | The Washington Post The four corporations that dominate the U.S. standardized testing market spend millions of dollars lobbying state and federal officials — as well as sometimes hiring them — to persuade them to favor policies that include mandated student assessments, helping to fuel a nearly $2 billion annual testing business,...

Poll hints of political train wreck over Common Core If most parents know little about the Common Core test, how will they react when they learn that a large percentage of kids failed? SI&A Cabinet Report Federal government urges K-12 schools to comply with Title IX The guidance comes against a backdrop of national concern about...

Despite only modest spending on behalf of Bennett Kayser in the race to represent LA Unified’s board District 5, the teachers union said today it’s not abandoning him in the May 19 run off against reform darling, Ref Rodriguez. According to the latest data from the LA City Ethics Commission, the political action committee connected...

The LA teachers union, UTLA, released documents today that it says proves the administration of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools has been illegally blocking a unionization attempt by its teachers. Alliance, in turn, acknowledged the documents were real and said that they prove nothing. The documents outline a clear strategy by the administration to win the hearts...

By the Editorial Board On May 19, when Angelenos head back to the polls for runoff elections, there will be three L.A. Unified school board seats in play. Technically, four seats are being decided, but incumbent George McKenna is running unopposed. This is an especially important election because it is the members of the new...

LAUSD developing next steps after iPad-for-every-student troubles The school district is rethinking the future of the $1.3 billion technology initiative. KPCC Fight against vaccination bill finds ally in ACLU An attorney for the ACLU wrote a letter to the bill’s two Democratic authors raising alarms about the bill’s constitutionality. Los Angeles Times New CPS boss...

Lost in the focus on double-digit salary increases in the tentative deal between LA Unified and UTLA is an agreement to overhaul the process by which the district’s 30,000 teachers will be evaluated. Under the new plan, which begins next year, both sides agreed to an interim three-tier final evaluation system, with three ratings: “exceeds...