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JUST IN: LAUSD nearing $6 million settlement with Apple, Pearson
LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines said yesterday the district is close to finalizing a $6 million-plus settlement deal with Apple and Pearson over the botched iPad program. In a statement this afternoon, the district confirmed that it was engaged in “cooperative discussions with our vendors” to resolve concerns about the the companies’ contribution to the district’s...
By Mike Szymanski | September 11, 2015
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Not everyone is rejoicing over halt to LAUSD’s iPad program
Principal Steven Martinez of John Burroughs Middle School in Hancock Park figured the worst that could happen is that his school’s new iPads wouldn’t connect to the Apple TVs that staff bought to enhance lesson plans. He figured wrong. On Friday, he learned that his school is not getting iPads at all. “I don’t understand what’s...
By Vanessa Romo | September 8, 2014
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Deasy puts Apple deal on hold, starts new bidding process
*UPDATED LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy told members of the school board yesterday that he is halting the district’s contract with Apple, Inc., effectively ending his grand plan to put an iPad in the hands of every district student. Following the disclosure of emails that suggest he and aides had tailored the bid process to...
By Michael Janofsky | August 26, 2014
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Commentary: If iPads are the answer, what’s the question?
“I don’t have to stress that a billion dollars is an insane amount of money,” Jacques assures me right away. I feel much better. I was starting to think I was the one who was insane. To understand how LAUSD’s billion dollar commitment to Apple iPads makes any sense, I’ve consulted a panel of experts:...
By Ellie Herman | January 21, 2014
Investigation: Nearly 1,000 Native Children Died in Federal Boarding Schools
Podcast: What a Mentorship Mindset Can Do for Student Motivation
Black and Hispanic Voters Say Democrats Aren’t Focused Enough on K-12 Education
Teen Activist Rhea Maniar on the Power of Abortion to Turn Out Young Voters
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LA Unified Board Facing Another Long Day of Meetings
Another long day for LA Unified board members is gearing up tomorrow, with their regular meeting at 10 a.m., followed by two committee meetings. Only one item at the board meeting is open to the public: a motion to urge the US Army Corps of Engineers to adopt a new plan, called Alternative 20, to revitalize...
By Vanessa Romo | November 18, 2013
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LA Times Gets iPad Story Wrong, the Rest of Us Follow
A story published in the Los Angeles Times yesterday reported that LA Unified’s plan to purchase district-wide iPads would cost significantly more than originally estimated. But according to district officials there’s been no change at all to the cost of the iPads since the district signed the contract with Apple in July. “This is not...
By Chase Niesner | October 23, 2013
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School Board Seems Surprised by Its Own iPad Deal
Let’s say an alien spaceship somehow descended on yesterday’s two LA Unified meetings concerning the district’s iPad program. It is entirely possible the ETs would end up with the impression that the district was months, perhaps even a year away from launching one of the most expensive and high profile projects the school board has...
By Vanessa Romo | October 23, 2013
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Roundup: LAUSD / iPad Story Goes Global
The LAUSD School Board captured media attention from around the world on Tuesday when it unanimously awarded Apple a $30 million contract to purchase iPads for students and teachers in 47 schools. The Wall St. Journal, Mashable, and Newser all got in on the action. The British tabloid The Daily Mail found time for the story with the headline: “EVERY school child in...
By Hillel Aron | June 21, 2013
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Marathon Board Meeting Signals Changes to Come
As anyone following us on Twitter knows all too well, Tuesday’s School Board meeting was a marathon session that lasted well into the night — much of it accompanied by the sound of protesters drumming on the street outside. Among several key decisions the Board arrived at during the lengthy session were votes to award a...
By Hillel Aron | June 19, 2013
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Update: Controversy Awaits $30 Million iPad Vote
The School Board will face a mini controversy tomorrow when it votes on whether or not to to purchase roughly 31,000 Apple iPad tablets at a cost to LAUSD of $30 million. The appropriation would be the first step in Superintendent John Deasy’s ambitious plan of equipping every student and teacher with a touch-screen tablet...
By Hillel Aron | June 17, 2013