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Pearson stock takes a dive after rebuke by LA Unified

Things went from bad to worse for publishing giant Pearson yesterday, as its stock took a dive following the news Wednesday that LA Unified announced plans to seek a refund for thousands of Apple iPads pre-loaded with Pearson educational software that the district said was ineffective. Pearson was the single worst performer on the Financial Times...
By Craig Clough | April 17, 2015
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No Child Left Behind reborn as ‘Every Child Achieves’

Move over, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In an unusual show of bi-partisan support, the Senate Committee on Education this week approved the overhaul of the controversial Bush-era legislation, re-branding it ‘Every Child Achieves Act of 2015.’ The bill’s strong bipartisan support — it passed with a 22-0 vote — gives it some...
By Craig Clough | April 17, 2015
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SEC questions LA Unified about iPad program

The Securities and Exchange Commission has met with LA Unified seeking more information about its use of bond money for purchasing iPads that were pre-loaded with software supplied by education giant, Pearson. The meeting into the now-cancelled $1.3 billion program was “informal,” according to the Los Angeles Times, which said it focused on if the...
By Craig Clough | April 16, 2015
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Vote for all-girls high school has happy ending, for now

The vote to open LA Unified’s first all-girls high school was swift and the motion was passed with no fanfare; it was one of more than two dozen resolutions lumped together, including one to open a similar all-girls charter middle school, that were approved in a single vote by the Los Angeles Unifed school board earlier...
By Vanessa Romo | April 16, 2015
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Burbank forum an ‘interrogation’ of LAUSD’s Hill for superintendent

Burbank Unified’s selection of LA Unified Chief Strategy Officer Matt Hill as a finalist for its superintendent position is turning some heads and raising the blood pressure of some people in Burbank. Hill, who was closely involved in LA Unified’s MiSiS and iPad ventures, was questioned at a public meeting Tuesday in what the Burbank Leader...
By LA School Report | April 16, 2015
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LAUSD ranks low on ‘bang for buck’ list; Cortines planning exit?

Sometimes, it seems, the hits never stop coming for LA Unified. The latest blow comes from the financial website Nerdwallet and its article, “Best School Districts for Your Buck in California.” The story ranked all the state’s districts based on the criteria of affordability to live there, standardized test scores, college readiness and class size. So...
By LA School Report | April 16, 2015
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California bill to strengthen vaccination requirements delayed

By Patrick McGreevy | The Los Angeles Times A proposal that would require more children to be vaccinated in California ran into trouble Wednesday amid objections that it would force thousands of non-immunized students out of public schools. The measure’s author, Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), agreed to delay a vote on it after being warned...
By LA School Report | April 16, 2015
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Just in: LAUSD seeking refund for iPads with Pearson software

In the latest chapter of the bungled iPads-for-all program, LA Unified has informed Apple, Inc. that it will not pay for any future deliveries of iPads that have Pearson educational software on them and will also be looking to recoup the cost of any devices that did not work properly. In a memo to Apple,...
By Craig Clough | April 15, 2015
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LAUSD’s Matt Hill a finalist for superintendent of Burbank schools

One of the last top tier LA Unified executives who was instrumental in launching the disastrous iPad and MISIS programs, is one step away from getting a new job. Matt Hill, the district’s Chief Strategy Officer, is believed to be the favorite among two finalists for the superintendent position at Burbank Unified School District, a...
By Vanessa Romo | April 15, 2015
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Former challenger to Vladovic endorses him in District 7 board race

LA Unified school board President Richard Vladovic has received a boost to his reelection efforts with an endorsement from a primary opponent, Euna Anderson. Anderson, an early education principal with LA Unified, finished third in the three-way District 7 election on March 3 but still garnered close to 20 percent of the vote. Vladovic finished with 42.61 percent...
By Craig Clough | April 15, 2015