The LA Unified school board is currently on the hunt for a new superintendent and may hire one by the end of the year. Needless to say, it will not be a simple task for whoever succeeds Ramon Cortines: The district is facing a growing list of formidable challenges, including several that have generated negative headlines...

One of Stephen Salva’s first big responsibilities as a new principal at Cheremoya Avenue Elementary School was to plan for the 100th anniversary of his school, which came last week. Salva, a 20-year veteran of LAUSD turned to a little-known gem that the district has had since 2003 — the person who serves as curator and...

By Rebecca Klein High school graduation rates were on the rise during the 2013-2014 school year, according to new preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Education. The numbers also show that the graduation rate gap between white and black students and white and Hispanic students is decreasing in many states — a positive sign. The new data...

As the operators of El Camino Real Charter School High School prepare to ask the LA Unified board for approval to turn three vacant elementary school sites into new charter schools, one of the main hurdles they face is the growing skepticism of board President Steve Zimmer. The sites are located in the western San Fernando...

A new LA Unified police diversion program, which replaces arrests with counseling, is keeping hundreds of students out of the city’s criminal justice system. “If we didn’t have this program, a lot would have gone into a courtroom and before a judge,” said LAUSD police chief Steven Zipperman, in a presentation yesterday to the district’s school...

By Jasmine Garsd It’s been a year since thousands of unaccompanied minors surged into the U.S., overwhelming some school districts. These children, many of whom don’t speak English and have lived through violence, trauma and abuse, pose a serious challenge to schools. Some districts weren’t ready. Oakland, Calif., was. It was spring of 2014, well...

LA Unified plant managers are putting together a things-to-do list for every school in the district to prepare for a possible record El Niño. Everything from cleaning out gutters to replacing a roof could help schools weather a strong storm system that is forecast to start this winter and last through spring. The concerns were...

Folks, this one was down… to… the… wire! Our poll asking readers to share their opinions on the Broad Foundation‘s massive charter expansion plan got lots of votes and even some national attention (thank you, Diane Ravitch). In the end, it was a virtual tie between readers responding with answers that strongly favored the Broad...

In a room set to accommodate 300, fewer than 50 signed in at the Roybal Learning Center auditorium last night to give their input into what they want to see in LA Unified’s next superintendent. “We are just beginning,”  said Hank Gmitro, president of the firm conducting the search, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. “We provide...