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Teacher spotlight: KIPP’s Nicole Tavera on making testing less stressful and science more fun to learn
This interview is one in a series spotlighting Los Angeles teachers, their unique and innovative classroom approaches, and their thoughts on how the education system can better support teachers in guiding students to success. See the full series. Nicole Tavera grew up knowing that education was a priority in her family, but she struggled in...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 31, 2019
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Antonucci: UTLA line of succession becomes a circle as officers look to swap positions in 2020 vote
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. Alex Caputo-Pearl is approaching the end of his tenure as president of United Teachers Los Angeles. He fulfilled his dream of leading the largest teacher strike the state had seen in 30 years, but he didn’t quite “create a state crisis” that would lead to...
By Mike Antonucci | July 31, 2019
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For state leaders who want personalized learning in schools, new report shares 5 ways to support teachers through policy
If state leaders want more student-driven learning in classrooms, creating policies that support teachers is critical. That’s according to a new report from iNACOL, a nonprofit that supports competency-based education. The report outlines five recommendations for state policy leaders on how to help develop teachers so they’re prepared for competency-based instruction. “We can talk about...
By Kate Stringer | July 30, 2019
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‘A pretty untenable plan’: As LAUSD moves to combine 5 student support programs into one, advocates fear ‘dilution’ of foster youth services
*Updated July 29 The Foster Youth Achievement Program has changed Skye Carbajal’s life. So the foster student left school early one day in late April to tell the L.A. Unified school board just that. Standing at the podium during an April 23 meeting, Carbajal recounted her accomplishments since she’d joined the program two years ago: She’s...
By Taylor Swaak | July 29, 2019
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To protect schools from mass shootings, advocates urge senators to tie federal education aid to adoption of tighter security measures
The federal government should do more to force schools to adopt best safety practices, advocates from Florida argued at a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C. last week. “We know that we cannot prevent 100 percent of these school mass murders, but we know that we can absolutely mitigate a lot of the risk,” said Max...
By Carolyn Phenicie | July 29, 2019
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Why Title I spending has emerged as a key education issue of the 2020 campaign — and why Democrats’ plan to boost funding without accountability could be a ‘Santa Claus approach to education policy’
EDlection 2020 pop quiz: What do the K-12 platforms of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg have in common? Answer: They all want to increase spending on Title I, the federal grants started in the 1960s to boost the education of low-income children. Biden and Sanders want to triple the funding, currently $15.9 billion a year, while...
By Carolyn Phenicie | July 29, 2019
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Teacher spotlight: Dodson Middle School’s Joshua Sensabaugh on why the arts can stimulate learning and how the community can be involved
This interview is one in a series spotlighting Los Angeles teachers, their unique and innovative classroom approaches, and their thoughts on how the education system can better support teachers in guiding students to success. Joshua Sensabaugh grew up in a family of educators but he never planned to become one. Then after college, while he was teaching...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 24, 2019
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Antonucci: California Teachers Association elected a new president. Then, it ousted its powerful executive director. Coincidence?
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. The California Teachers Association surprised just about everyone in the state’s education arena — including me — last week by abruptly dismissing executive director and longtime political powerhouse Joe Nuñez. “The California Teachers Association recognizes the accomplishments and legacy of veteran educator and union advocate...
By Mike Antonucci | July 24, 2019
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With less than half of LAUSD’s prospective graduates eligible for California State University system, college trustees eye adding another requirement
The California State University system this week is considering a new admissions requirement for incoming freshmen — a development that’s sparked opposition from L.A. Unified, where less than half of the prospective graduates are eligible to apply under current standards. CSU’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday will review an informal proposal to add a fourth...
By Taylor Swaak | July 22, 2019
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Analysis: What a new report reveals about the evolving world of homeschooling — and how it could become a laboratory for the future of education
Homeschooling in America is changing. In the 1980s and 1990s, it took hold mostly among white religious conservatives. They rejected secular public education and wanted to educate their children on their own terms. As a new CRPE research brief shows, homeschoolers are becoming more diverse, and so are their motivations. The ranks of black and...
By Robin Lake and Travis Pillow | July 22, 2019