By The Editorial Board To some people, even 150 years after the end of the Civil War, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee remains a symbol of honor, chivalry and courage; his memory conjures the Old South, a lost cause and a more romantic era. That’s why his name remains on schools, highways and monuments across...

The nonprofit Youth Policy Institute (YPI) and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today the establishment of 94 new AmeriCorps members who will serve LA-area youth. The new positions were made possible by three grants, totaling $4.4 million, enabling the AmeriCorps members to work with youth in low-income schools and community centers all around Los Angeles. “Los...

Steve Zimmer may think that being elected as the new LA Unified board president was the tough part. But now he has to live up to the expectations of his fellow members of the board. Even before he was voted in unanimously last week, the board members laid out their expectations of the future president....

After Steve Zimmer was elected unanimously last week as the LA Unified board president, one of his first orders of business was appointing a Vice President and finding members to represent the district to a series of organizations. In his first move, he named George McKenna, the District 1 representative, as board vice president, which didn’t...

By Emily Cadei When it comes to setting standards for America’s public schools, there’s a remarkable degree of consensus: The system the federal government has in place—known as No Child Left Behind—doesn’t work. Fixing it, however, is about to set off a new round of fierce political combat in Washington, D.C., and draw in 2016...

Hundreds of SoCal students can’t graduate after exit exam canceled As the SB 172 bill moves through the legislature this summer, about 5,000 students across the state are stuck in graduation limbo. KPCC 150 years later, schools still a battlefield for interpreting Civil War Texas’ guidelines for teaching American history do not mention the Ku...

We at LA School Report are turning in computers and note pads for barbeques and fireworks. We’re taking Friday off and will return on Monday. have a safe holiday.

On my last day with LA School Report I’d like to take a minute (or ten) to do some navel gazing — reflect on the things I’ve learned as an education reporter covering this behemoth school district, a job for the most part I have truly enjoyed. First, the things I won’t be missing about...

A group that measures how states support students in such key areas as health, safe environments and academic success has released its annual Whole Child “snapshots,” and it has good news and bad news for California. Each state gets its own snapshot from ASCD, formerly known as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, with a comparison to the...

In the new school year, parents who have children in accelerated math programs at LA Unified will have to sign a “contract” acknowledging that their child must keep a B grade or better to stay in the class. If the student doesn’t keep at least a B, there will be a parent-teacher meeting to form...