LA Unified board President Richard Vladovic appears to be in the political fight of his life. A recent internal poll of District 7 voters by the California Charter Schools Association Advocates and Great Public Schools: Los Angeles, which the groups shared with LA School Report, showed his challenger, Lydia Gutierrez, leading by 37 percent to 34 percent,...

The LA Unified school board yesterday approved a health care package of benefits for its unions that will increase the district’s contributions to the plan to $1.23 billion over the next three years. without requiring an analysis of the long-term effects of additional costs, including the possibility of bankruptcy. Board member Monica Ratliff tried to...

By Rina Marie Garcia | The International Business Times A study consisting of 25 co-authors and led by Yulia Kovas, a professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, say that a genetic predisposition may be behind why some children are not motivated to go to school. The research, which was partially supported by a grant...

By Kyle Spencer | The New York Times This past winter, Nicholas Gottlieb, the father of a third grader and a sixth grader in Manhattan, helped organize a citywide forum against standardized testing during which more than 200 parents and teachers talked about ways to “attack the issue from different angles.” Just last month, he...

Despite spending billions of dollars since 2003 to build new campuses, LA Unified still uses thousands of “portable” or temporary classrooms, and a recent presentation by the district’s Chief Facilities Executive Mark Hovatter made it clear they have become a permanent headache for the district. Despite recent reduction efforts, the district still uses roughly 8,300 portables,...

The LA Unified school board is scheduled to meet today at 1 p.m. Among the agenda items of interest is a tentative agreement with eight labor partners on a package of benefits through 2018. Also included is discussion of spending issues, charter approvals and a long list of groups and events to recognize. Click here to get the...

As she arrived to the stage Monday night, Tamar Galatzan grabbed two bottles of water for the debate participants and handed one to her challenger, Scott Schmerelson, who smiled and thanked her. The gesture set the stage for the evening, as both candidates for the LA Unified District 3 seat avoided any criticism of each...

With the May 19 runoff elections five weeks from tomorrow, Ref Rodriguez has opened a huge money lead over incumbent Bennett Kayser for the District 5 school board seat. Rodriguez, a charter school official, has built a nearly 3-to-1 edge in individual contributions, raising $26,896 to Kayser’s $9,575 through April 4, the latest figures from...

By Shannon Doyle | The New York Times Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s in the Chicago suburb of Blue Island, Ill., Gladys Marquez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, never once had a Hispanic teacher. Sometimes, when trying to explain to her parents her plans for college — or even why she wanted to...

Results from a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released over the weekend had a little something for everyone in the education wars, with overall results that were anything but shocking. The ambiguity was especially true for teachers, who respondents said deserved a raise but should not have the same job protections they have now....