L.A. Parent Group Applies Lessons From Compton, Adelanto Efforts to Take Over School  The 24th Street Elementary School Parent Union has received eight letters of interest from groups wanting a chance to reform the school. Six are from established charter schools, one is from a retired 24th Street teacher and one is from L.A. Unified...

Teachers Union Backs Eric Garcetti for Mayor The Los Angeles Teachers Union voted late Wednesday to endorse Eric Garcetti for mayor and Mike Feuer for city attorney in the March 5 primary election. LA Daily News See also: LA School Report GOP Legislators Propose California School Districts Arm Teachers Democratic legislators say bill that would...

Report Ranks California’s Charter School Laws 7th Strongest in Nation The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked California 7th for its charter school laws among the 42 states and the District of Columbia that have passed laws allowing charter schools. EdSource L.A. Schools Supt. Deasy, 4 Predecessors Named in Miramonte Lawsuit The lawsuit alleges...

Antonio Villaraigosa Led The Way on Education Reform, but His Potential Successors Are Reluctant to Pick up the Torch For the last eight years, education reformers have had a staunch ally in the L.A. mayor’s office. But in a few months, Villaraigosa will be gone. LA Weekly See also:  USC Annenberg, LA School Report LAUSD...

Ex-LAUSD Teacher Accused of Abusing 20 Children A former Los Angeles Unified School District teacher was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of committing lewd acts and sexually abusing 20 children and an adult, law enforcement authorities said. LA Times See also: ABC LA Plan to Supply LAUSD Students With Tablet Computers Wins Key Vote Los Angeles...

Parents Demand Charter in LAUSD’s First Parent Trigger Campaign A high-spirited group of nearly 100 parents descended on the Los Angeles Unified district office Thursday and turned in petitions demanding sweeping changes at their failing school in the first use of the controversial parent trigger law in the city.  LA Times See also: LA Daily...

Changed votes by two Board members over the approval of two Aspire charter schools at this week’s Board meeting gave the public a glimpse at a much larger debate over whether charter schools based in Los Angeles should be allowed to operate their special education programs through a partnership with a far-off district that costs...

While an avalanche of charter school approvals and renewals dominated today’s Board meeting, and two controversial resolutions were postponed, the Board did manage to approve a symbolic resolution in support of state lawmakers seeing to speed the removal of teachers accused of predatory sexual behavior, veto (and then approve) the creation of two more Aspire...

Deasy Warns Suspending Standardized Tests Would Hurt At-Risk Students Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy has fired off a letter to the California schools chief, protesting plans to suspend many standardized exams next year while the state develops a new system of computer-based tests. LA Daily News See also: LA Times Parents, Teachers, Students Oppose...

Even with all its magnets, charters, and other options, LAUSD ranks 27th out of 107 large urban school districts when it comes to choice and competition, according to a new report by the Washington DC-based Brookings Institute,  What strengths could LAUSD do to promote more options? You can read all the details here.