LA School Report

LA School Report has learned that the teachers union’s political arm, UTLA-PACE, has sent a direct mail piece on behalf of a Westside District 4 candidate, Steve Zimmer, in what appears to be its first election expenditure. The mailer is notable because UTLA-PACE is expected to spend big on behalf of UTLA-backed school board candidates, but...

At a candidate forum in Northridge yesterday, Mayoral hopeful Eric Garcetti did some serious dodging when asked if he would vote for School Board President Monica Garcia, who is running for re-election in East Long Angeles’ District 2: “I admire Monica Garcia a lot,” said Garcetti, who has complained about teacher-bashing and recently received an endorsement...

Outside Spending Pours Into L.A. School Board Race Outside groups are mounting campaigns to influence the outcome of three races for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education. LA Times See also: LA School Report Teachers’ Ratings Still High Despite New Measures High teacher rating results, among the first trickling out from states’ newly...

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten (pictured) is visiting Woodland Hills Elementary School this morning, along with School Board member Steve Zimmer. As we reported yesterday, Weingarten is in town to announce a $150,000 grant to United Teachers of Los Angeles for improved school improvement plans. While UTLA and AFT are trying to prevent...

On Wednesday, the Coalition for School Reform launched a campaign ad in support of School Board President Monica Garcia, the District 2 candidate who is one of UTLA’s top targets in the March 5 election. The announcement says that the ad will begin airing immediately.  This is the Coalition’s second TV ad. No word yet on...

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten is scheduled to hold a Friday, February 8 press conference at Woodland Hills Academy to announce a $150,000 grant to the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA). The grant is aimed at helping teachers create strong school improvement plans and prevent the need for any additional “parent trigger” actions...

If you were running for School Board it might seem obvious you would need to be prepared to answer this simple question: “Do you support current LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy?” But at last week’s District 6 candidate forum for the Los Angeles School Board race in the San Fernando Valley, this question made for some...

L.A. Unified Misspent Millions Marked for School Lunches At least eight California school districts have misappropriated millions of dollars in funding intended to pay for meals for low-income students — the biggest culprit being the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to a state Senate watchdog group. LA Times See also: KPCC, LA Daily News...

A Washington, DC-based think tank called Education Sector has a new report out touting the strengths and challenges of the blended learning program at Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High School.  (See The Right Mix: How One Los Angeles School is Blending a Curriculum for Personalized Learning.  Watch some video here: A Look Inside Tennenbaum.) Blended learning combines...

Earlier today, in a show of support for a group of Seattle teachers who are refusing to administer a standardized computer test to students, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) urged its members to wear red and participate in what was called a “national day of action.” Watch a video of the teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High: The...