Via The Hechinger Report | By Jonas Chartock and Ross Wiener  An abundance of recent books, research and headlines present growing evidence that our nation’s schools can and must do a better job of preparing teachers for the experiences they’ll face in the classroom. They show that if educators really knew how to address the challenges...

* UPDATED As contract negotiations plod along between LA Unified and the teachers union, UTLA, the issue of class size reduction has taken on a new urgency for Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who plans to shrink the number of students in middle school and high school classrooms by the end of the year. “I’m not going...

College students who major in education find an easier path to high grades and graduation compared with their peers with other majors, according to a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). The report, “Easy A’s and What’s Behind Them,” studied graduation data from 500 higher education institutions and found that 44...

The head of Parent Revolution said today that LA Unified has reversed course, lifting the ban on using the “Parent Trigger” law this year to overhaul failing district schools. “As one of Superintendent Cortines’s first moves, it’s a sign that the district will be respectful of the law,” Ben Austin, founder of the group that...

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, the largest charter network in LA Unified is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and based on performance, there is much to celebrate. The Alliance schools, which include 17 high schools and 9 middle schools, are all located in low-income neighborhoods but have an overall high school graduation rate of 94...

Last week’s election for California Schools Superintendent, was widely framed as a battle between the teacher unions that backed incumbent and victor, Tom Torlakson, and refomers who supported Marshall Tuck. But a new survey suggests voters were more interested in how public schools are funded. The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners on behalf of the American...

By Molly Hensley-Clancy | Via Buzzfeed For the first time, Google Chromebooks were the best-selling device in the education market this quarter, beating out Apple’s iPad in the K-12 sphere, according to data from market research firm IDC. The latest data is a high point for Chromebooks in their remarkable surge into the education industry....

LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines told board members today that Microsoft has agreed to provide additional help, including “two top executives,” to aid the district’s efforts in resolving problems with the MiSiS data tracking system. The decision arose out of a request for help the district made to Microsoft last week. The first wave, 16 people,...