LA School Report

L.A. teacher firings spiked but still costly and lengthy, Deasy says Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy acknowledged Tuesday that teacher dismissals have surged recently, but he insisted Tuesday that state laws still made the process too lengthy and costly. Deasy was on the witness stand for a second day in a high-profile trial over...

Under cross-examination today, LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy faced pointed questions from attorneys representing California’s biggest teacher unions and the state in a controversial lawsuit that could turn the practice of teacher tenure on its head. At issue in the landmark case,  Vergara vs. California, are five statutes that the nine students bringing the case...

The debate over what makes a good teacher can be, at best subjective and at worst litigious. (See Vergara v California, which got underway yesterday.) But USC’s Rossier School of Education may have cracked the code and is now partnering with Los Angeles Unified and several charter school groups to make more of them. The...

When California decided it was out with old standards and in with the new, Common Core-aligned assessments, it was only the start of a long and arduous transition for local school districts in adopting to the new computer-based “Smarter Balanced” tests. That was seven months ago. Now, an internal LAUSD memo released to LA School...

Trial over California teacher protection laws opens Attorneys seeking to overturn several of California’s controversial teacher protection laws argued in court Monday that these statutes prevent the removal of “grossly ineffective” teachers from schools — contributing to an inadequate education for students assigned to them. LA Times In landmark trial, sides debate whether teacher protection...

LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy told a packed courtroom today that it can cost the district “millions of dollars” and can take “slightly less than 10 years” to get rid of an ineffective teacher. Deasy was the first witness to testify in the long-awaited start of Vergara v California, a battle over state laws that govern...

The Los Angeles City Clerk will conduct a candidate workshop this Saturday for candidates in the LAUSD District 1 Special Election on June 3. This is the only workshop to be held by the City Clerk’s election division, and it’s intended to brief candidates on the procedures related to filing the “Declaration of Intention to Become...

A lawsuit that could lead to a seismic shift in teacher tenure and dismissal methods is underway today in a packed Los Angeles courtroom. LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy is expected to take the stand. Courtroom seats are being assigned by lottery – with limited press seating available. We will do our best to update...

By Marshall Tuck Every day, in classrooms throughout California, teachers inspire students. Despite inadequate pay and difficult working conditions, teachers are changing children’s lives and preparing them for the road ahead. Within a school, there is nothing more important to a child’s success than an effective teacher. Yet I’ve seen firsthand how the state’s education...

Parents’ campaign leads to reforms at Cudahy elementary school Rosa Estrada wanted some serious changes at her child’s Cudahy elementary school. She joined efforts last fall demanding new leadership amid complaints that the principal had failed to address campus bullying, boost academic performance or work collaboratively. LA Times New report fuels fears of decline of...