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Californians hold split views on charter schools, but most are in favor of them as options for low-income children, survey finds
Californians are divided in their general views on charter schools, according to a new statewide survey. Most are in support of parents having the option to choose charters, but there’s also a high level of concern that charters divert state funding from traditional schools. Nearly half — 49 percent — of all adults surveyed said...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | April 25, 2019
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Juvenile justice reform, equitable funding among priorities for 2019 Teacher of the Year
Rodney Robinson, a history teacher at a Virginia juvenile justice center, plans to use his new platform as 2019 National Teacher of the Year to highlight the school-to-prison pipeline and the need for juvenile justice reform. Much like last year’s selection of Mandy Manning, a teacher of refugee and new immigrant students, Robinson’s win, announced Wednesday,...
By Carolyn Phenicie | April 24, 2019
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Commentary: What state and local education leaders can do to stop the spread of measles
The surge in measles cases across the United States is on pace to produce the highest rate of infection in a quarter-century. Schools find themselves in the center of the crisis, both as the places where children gather every day and the public institutions with some sway over whether students are vaccinated. That gives state...
By Phyllis W. Jordan and Raegen Miller | April 23, 2019
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Antonucci: Will the state legislature pass the unions’ charter school wish list?
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. California’s public employee unions have fought tooth-and-nail against charter schools ever since the law authorizing them was introduced by Democratic Senator Gary Hart in 1992. It’s fair to say that many things have changed in the state over the years — the composition of the legislature and...
By Mike Antonucci | April 23, 2019
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‘No plan on how to fix themselves’ — Business leaders say LAUSD is undeserving of $500M parcel tax after years of little reform and accountability
*Updated April 23: Board members voted unanimously on Tuesday without debate to pass an amended resolution forming an independent taxpayer oversight committee if the parcel tax passes in June. All board members were co-sponsors. As the L.A. Unified school board on Tuesday considers an independent oversight committee to sway residents to greenlight the district’s first-ever parcel tax, staunch opponents...
By Taylor Swaak | April 22, 2019
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Whether for or against a parcel tax, parents and advocates want more money for schools — but they don’t yet trust LAUSD to be a ‘good steward’
*Updated April 23 Parents and community advocates are divided on L.A. Unified’s Measure EE, a parcel tax on the June ballot that would raise about $500 million a year over a 12-year period for schools. However, a common thread connects them: They agree schools need more funding, but there’s also “distrust” over whether the district would...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | April 19, 2019
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‘Media literacy is literacy’: Here’s how educators and lawmakers are working to set students up for success online
Michael Danielson gives students in his ninth-grade media literacy class a simple piece of homework each night: Pay attention. The assignment is meant to prod them into thinking critically about the countless messages that bombard them every day. They report back to their teacher and classmates at the start of each class with “media literacy...
By Laura Fay | April 17, 2019
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How Generation Citizen uses action civics to empower students, grow lifelong citizens and combat inequality
Scott Warren wants civics to be the most exciting class in school. That’s why his organization Generation Citizen helps schools adopt action civics, a school-based approach to civics education that empowers students to find a problem in their community and work together to solve it. Warren started Generation Citizen in 2009 when he was a...
By Laura Fay | April 16, 2019
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Antonucci: Los Angeles unions open campaign spigots for special elections
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. Campaign season came a little early in Los Angeles this year, with the open District 5 school board seat and Measure EE, the parcel tax proposal to fund city schools. United Teachers Los Angeles is devoting its sizable war chest to these elections, and its union allies...
By Mike Antonucci | April 16, 2019
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Commentary: Are Los Angeles high school students ready for tomorrow’s job market?
Southern California’s job market is hot right now. But unless something changes, many Los Angeles-area high school students won’t be ready for it when they graduate — especially if they don’t go on to earn a bachelor’s degree — which many of them won’t. For as long as anyone can remember, American high schools have mostly failed to provide...
By Cameron Sublett and David Griffith | April 15, 2019