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Record number of charter schools, all outperforming district schools, are recommended for denial this week
*UPDATED A record number of charter schools, all outperforming nearby district schools, have been recommended for denial by LA Unified staff when their petitions come before Tuesday’s school board meeting. More than 15,000 students could be affected by board decisions involving charter schools that are up for renewal or revision. Seven schools that have 6,730 students...
By Mike Szymanski | October 17, 2016
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Credit recovery at charter schools: Higher grad rates mean less need for online makeup classes; pre-test bar is more stringent than LAUSD’s
*UPDATED While LA Unified is firmly committed to online credit recovery classes as a means to the district’s newly stated top goal — 100 percent graduation — Los Angeles charter school operators use these classes much more sparingly, as their graduation rates tend to be far ahead of the district’s. At three of the city’s...
By Craig Clough | October 10, 2016
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How charter schools went from a ‘novelty’ to dominate the conversation of LAUSD
This is part of a series looking at the various types of schools in LA Unified. For facts, comparisons and maps of charters in LA, click here. Follow the series with magnet schools and affiliated charters. Independent charter schools have come to often dominate the conversation surrounding LA Unified. Proponents hail them as a savior to...
By Craig Clough | September 13, 2016
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Special ed enrollment at charters nearly matches district’s percentage, but exodus from LA Unified looms
LA Unified’s district schools and independent charters enroll nearly the same percentage of students with disabilities after five years of gains by charters, a new report shows. But cooperation between nearly 100 of LA Unified’s 221 charters and the district could slide into chaos if the LA Unified school board decides not to continue a...
By Craig Clough | July 22, 2016
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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LAUSD rejects 20th Street parent trigger, says no triggers valid in state
LA Unified has rejected a parent petition to take over a failing elementary school in South Central Los Angeles, reversing district policy and essentially asserting that no California school qualifies under the state “parent trigger” law. Parents of 20th Street Elementary School were informed of the district’s rejection in a letter late Saturday, the last day...
By Mike Szymanski | March 14, 2016
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Charter applications could provide insight on LAUSD board sentiments
* UPDATED Applications for six new charter schools will come before the LA Unified school board at its meeting tomorrow, the biggest wave of requests since the Broad Foundation proposed a plan to expand the number of charter schools in LAUSD. In addition, eight other charters are seeking renewals. While the board will not vote on...
By Mike Szymanski | December 7, 2015
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Young: Don’t rule out reform supporters for superintendent
Among the 43 people identified by the Los Angeles Times this week as potential candidates for LA Unified superintendent were nearly a dozen with a background in charter schools or the reform movement. One of them was Caprice Young, a former president of the district school board, as well as a founder of charter schools, the former president of the California...
By Craig Clough | November 6, 2015
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New chief of troubled Magnolia: ‘I’ve done this work before’
Long time education reform advocate, Caprice Young, is taking over the troubled Magnolia Public Schools charter network, but it won’t be official until a set of test results come in. “I’m waiting to get my tuberculouses results,” she said, laughing on a phone call from her office. “Then I can actually set foot on a...
By Vanessa Romo | January 9, 2015
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Ex-LAUSD board president Young taking over Magnolia charters
* UPDATED Magnolia Public Schools, which has fought bitterly with the LA Unified school board to keep several of its schools open, has turned to an old LAUSD hand to take over its leadership. Caprice Young, a long-time education reform advocate and former school board president has been named Magnolia’s new Chief Executive Officer. Young confirmed...
By Vanessa Romo | January 8, 2015