LA School Report

CTA Targets Class-Size Waivers The almost automatic approval that school districts have received for class-size waivers from the California State Board of Education during the past four years may be facing serious opposition from the state’s powerful teachers lobby. SI&A Cabinet Report Rockers Help Students Roll on Toward Understanding Members of Ozomatli visit Hawthorne High...

In case you somehow missed it, here’s the viral GIF of 11 year-old Sasha Obama yawning just as the President was talking about education: On a more serious note:  Some liberal commentators don’t think that last week’s Obama plan to help schools hire armed guards will help. And:  according to the Huffington Post the Obama team is said to...

School Board President Monica Garcia’s latest campaign finance statement includes some familiar names — including a $1,000 contribution from LAUSD Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Jaime Aquino, a top aide to Superintendent John Deasy. While it’s illegal to solicit campaign contributions from Los Angeles city employees, it is perfectly legal for  employees to give on their own accord,...

Over the three-day weekend, two powerful unions — the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the SEIU Local 99 (which represents classified LAUSD employees) kicked off what is expected to be an intense period of activity by independent expenditure (IE) committees over the next few months. The two organizations spent a combined $54,564 in support of School...

Last week, classroom teachers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new system of evaluations, which include data from California Standardized Tests.  “I’m gratified our members ratified the agreement that clearly states, individual AGT (Academic Growth Over Time) scores will not be used as part of a teacher’s final evaluation,” said UTLA chief Warren Fletcher in a...

Los Angeles Teachers Union Approves Use of Testing Data in Evaluations A landmark agreement to use student test scores for the first time to evaluate Los Angeles Unified instructors was approved by the teachers union Saturday. LA Times See also: LA Daily News, KPCC, LA School Report ‘Parent Trigger’ Organizers Find Willing Partner in Los...

LA School Report readers, we’re taking Monday, January 21 off from our regular reporting activities for a Martin Luther King Jr. day of service. If you also have the day off, here are some ways you can volunteer and give back to your community: City Year is hosting a service day to beautify high-needs Belmont...

The Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA), the union that represents LAUSD principals and other administrators, officially endorsed its Board candidate picks on Friday, and they’re similar to United Teacher Los Angeles’ endorsements last month. In District 2, which comprises parts of Central and East LA, the union endorsed two of Board President Monica Garcia’s...

Saturday provides dueling campaign events in LAUSD Board District 2, which includes Central and East Los Angeles. Candidate Robert Skeels is inviting supporters to walk the precincts in Boyle Heights to get out the word on his campaign (for details, click here). Perhaps not coincidentally, it’s the same day that his opponent, incumbent Monica Garcia...

Tuesday night at the charter board meeting for John Macdonogh High School in New Orleans, there were at least a few parents and community members upset about how things were going at the school handed over to Steve Barr’s Future Is Now charter network last year. One key aspect of the emotion-filled event was the first...