LA School Report

Oakland Unified School District is giving the “smaller is better” approach to public education another go by breaking 12 overflowing schools into 48 smaller ones known as “community schools,” according to a new story from the The Center for Investigative Reporting. Community Schools offer a more holistic, individualized education by equipping schools with resource centers...

While laid-off teachers and ardent school reform critics may be all aglow over LAUSD School Board member Steve Zimmer’s “Pacino-esque” speech on behalf of the proposed teacher hiring/ class size reduction resolution last week, perhaps it’s not quite yet time for anyone to declare victory. Last Tuesday, the LAUSD Board debated and ultimately passed a...

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan seems to be trying to turn over a new leaf with California Gov. Jerry Brown after years of tense disagreements, notes EdSource Today after Duncan praised Brown’s new funding formula at an event Friday night in San Francisco. Even more immediately important for LAUSD, Duncan sounded sympathetic to the newly resubmitted...

Here’s the Education Week interview with United Way’s Ryan Smith (pictured) we mentioned last week. As you’ll see, the piece starts off with a few sentences about LAUSD’s challenges (high dropout rates, low scores compared to other big city school systems) and then moves on to Smith’s background (he’s a Native Angeleno) and views (very...

Here are three good reasons to read the excellent profile of labor leader Maria Elena Durazo that graced the front page of Sunday’s LA Times: Even though Durazo’s LA County of Federation of Labor backed the losing the Mayoral candidate, Wendy Greuel, it still has backed — at some point or another — nearly ever City Councilman. Dan...