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Tutoring center busted for scamming millions in fed dollars

A tutoring company billing itself as “The trusted name for specialized tutoring” may not be so trustworthy after all. Unless, that specialty is in defrauding the federal government. The Academic Advantage, whose website is endorsed by The Governator himself — Arnold Schwarzenegger — and former LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines, was busted scamming millions from federal...
By Vanessa Romo | April 18, 2014
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LA Unified district 1 candidate forum scheduled for 6 tomorrow

Candidates for LA Unified’s open District 1 board seat are gathering again tomorrow for a community forum at the West Adams Church of Christ, 4959 W. Adams Blvd. So far, said one of the organizers, Rashad Trapp-Rucker six of the candidates have committed to participate — all but Alex Johnson — with a moderator kicking things off...
By LA School Report | April 18, 2014
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Vision to Learn helping students with eye exams and glasses
How can students excel in the classroom — much less learn — if they can’t see what their teachers are writing on the whiteboard? It’s a problem that afflicts approximately 15 percent of elementary school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. But one organization is working toward a solution. Today, Vision to Learn, a local...
By Aaron Stella | April 17, 2014
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Effort underway to eliminate CA schools’ English-only law

Since the late 1990s the debate over bilingual education in California has been, ¿como se dice . . . controversial? And it seems it’s an issue voters will be taking up again soon. State Senator Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, has proposed new legislation to overturn Proposition 227, a 1998 initiative that banned bilingual education in...
By Vanessa Romo | April 17, 2014
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Charters win $1.5 million in grants to improve kids’ health

Via KPCC | By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez Sixteen California charter schools have been awarded more than $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to improve the health of school-age kids. The biggest local winner, 4,000-student ICEF charter school group, said it’ll use its $845,000 grant to give students more nutrition education during the school day...
By LA School Report | April 17, 2014
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Report: Brown decision at 60, what have we learned?

Via Economic Policy Institute | By Richard Rothstein May 17 is the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision that prohibited Southern states from segregating schools by race. The Brown decision annihilated the “separate but equal” rule, previously sanctioned by the Supreme Court in 1896, that permitted states...
By LA School Report | April 17, 2014
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A plan to add more meaning to CA computer science class

Few students would likely take advanced computer science just for fun, even though the course is considered an elective in nearly all California high schools. But a new bill, SB 1200, from State Senator Alex Padilla of Pacoima, would change that, developing guidelines for the course to count toward graduation by fulfilling a math requirement....
By Vanessa Romo | April 16, 2014
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Commentary: Best gift of more money is gift of more time

Under the new Local Control Funding Formula, LA Unified schools in underserved communities will be given $837 million to meet the needs of students in poverty, English learners and children in foster care. It’s not yet clear exactly how that money will be allocated, and it’s still less than what we’ve thrown at iPads. But...
By Ellie Herman | April 16, 2014
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Parent panels now reviewing LA Unified’s next spending plan

Parents involved in setting spending priorities for LA Unified have a lot of homework to do over the next two weeks. Members of the Parent Advisory Committee and the District English Learner Advisory Committee have been instructed to “take home and live with” Superintendent John Deasy’s proposed Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) before providing...
By Vanessa Romo | April 16, 2014
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Just in: LA County Board of Ed OKs Aspire renewals

The LA County Board of Education today reversed a decision by the LA Unified school board by voting to approve the renewal of two Aspire charter schools. “We are delighted in the vote of confidence by the LA County Office of Education,” said Aspire Public Schools CEO James Willcox. By renewing our charters for Aspire Ollin...
By Yana Gracile | April 15, 2014