By Sophie Quinton | National Journal On a Monday morning in March, several hundred Albuquerque (New Mexico) High School students walked out of their first period classes and onto the grounds in front of school. Despite warnings from school leaders that they could lose the chance to walk in graduation ceremonies by participating in the...

LA Unified and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) have reached a tentative agreement on a 10 percent salary increase over two years that would replace a June 2014 agreement that called for a 6.5 percent raise. The agreement is set to be voted on for ratification by members of AALA — which represents...

As LA Unified students throw aside their books and backpacks on Thursday, the last day of school this year, they will be quick to pick them up again as summer session begins June 15, less than two weeks after the academic year ends. This break-neck start to summer programming is due to the early start...

The end of another school year this week brings to a close one of LA Unified’s most crazy, controversial and dysfunctional academic years. It’s a real testament to students, teachers and other school personnel that they persevered through so much disruption and tumult. So, a tip of the hat to the nation’s second-largest school district...

By Sandy Banks When I was asked to speak at the Aviva High graduation, my marching orders were clear: Offer a little wisdom and loads of encouragement. These girls had been through a lot. There were only five students in the graduating class. One didn’t show up. Aviva educates teenage girls who need emotional or...

LA Unified has entered six district-produced videos into the People’s Telly Awards and is asking for votes to help it win. The awards honor local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, and the winners are selected through an online voting system. Voting ends June 5. The videos include two about of the Aspen Challenge,...

The Social Justice Humanitas Academy in the San Fernando Valley has been honored as one of seven winners of the 2015 National Community Schools Award for Excellence as a result of the school’s huge spike in graduation rates. The award, which is granted by the The Coalition for Community Schools, highlights schools that successfully partner with community organizations to...

Parents of students at 20th Street Elementary in Central LA have unanimously approved a district proposal to turn around the low-performing school, starting next year. As a result, the local parent union is dropping plans for a school-wide take over under the state Parent Trigger law. The deal with LA Unified ensures that all of...

By Molly Knefel Last week, President Obama issued an executive order to regulate the use of military equipment within local police departments, as part of an ongoing effort to address police violence in communities of color. Images of officers rolling through the streets of Ferguson – and, more recently, Baltimore – in armored tanks pushed the issue...

Despite a state budget flush with extra billions for education, Gov. Jerry Brown is receiving criticism from some early education advocates for a “strikingly minimal” approach to early education funding. In response to the growing body of evidence of the importance of preschool, a coalition of academics, lawmakers, community leaders and business leaders has created...