*Updated June 14 While the nation is anxiously watching for a decision on Janus v. AFSCME, a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could determine whether government unions can continue to charge non-members a fee for representing them, a federal appeals court in California tossed out a case Monday that could have had even...

As LA Unified school board members press ahead with how to improve the district’s lowest-performing schools, a vote is scheduled for Tuesday on a resolution with higher student achievement and graduation goals as well as ways to strengthen individual schools. Growing frustration by parents who have children in the bottom tier of LA schools led...

With the school reform-minded candidate knocked out of the race for California governor, and two remaining candidates on separate sides of the aisle, hot-button issues like immigration are likely to overshadow education in the months leading up to November’s general election. Now, the focus and energy around education will likely shift to the nonpartisan race...

Updated June 6 California voters swept Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom into a solid lead for governor, while Republicans rallied to push businessman John Cox into second place, setting up a blue-red contest in November’s general election, according to preliminary results from Tuesday’s primary. In the other statewide contest that will significantly impact California public school students, Marshall...

Two reports released Tuesday urge LA Unified to start making tough choices to boost student achievement and to move faster in delivering more funds to the schools serving the neediest students. The first study found that LA Unified has been slow to get increased state funding to the schools serving students with the highest needs, particularly...

June 6 update: Gavin Newsom and John Cox will advance to a blue-red contest in November’s general election for governor; Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond finish one and two for state superintendent. Read more about the results, the demographics, and the reactions in this Wednesday morning dispatch.  In a state as sprawling and diverse as California, most political...

Tomorrow is California’s long-awaited primary, and education watchers are all-eyes on two races. At the top of the ticket is the governor, with 27 candidates. The most important question won’t be who comes in first — Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom maintains a commanding lead — but who makes it to the No. 2 spot. In...

Every week, we sit down with Los Angeles parents to talk about their students, their schools, and what questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) Lluvia Saenz, whose three kids attend LA Unified’s Huntington Park Elementary, made sure she was in the district’s school board auditorium when the new superintendent, Austin...

With the end of the school year nearing, students are celebrating as they move up to the next grade level. But not all parents are sure their kids are ready. Fewer than 4 in 10 LA Unified students are reading at grade level, even fewer are at grade level in math. But parents can’t hold...