“For the first time since the era of school reform began, the Los Angeles Unified School District has accepted a petition from angry parents demanding ‘immediate and significant’ change in a public school,” began host Warren Olney on KCRW’s To the Point last night.  The show featured LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron with a panel of advocates, charter operators,...

At an hour of the morning that many of us might find unfamiliar, United Teacher of Los Angeles (UTLA) President Warren Fletcher walks to the corner and waits for a city bus to take him downtown. As the unlikely leader of the Los Angeles teachers union for the past two years, Fletcher has changed the...

CTA Targets Class-Size Waivers The almost automatic approval that school districts have received for class-size waivers from the California State Board of Education during the past four years may be facing serious opposition from the state’s powerful teachers lobby. SI&A Cabinet Report Rockers Help Students Roll on Toward Understanding Members of Ozomatli visit Hawthorne High...

School Board President Monica Garcia’s latest campaign finance statement includes some familiar names — including a $1,000 contribution from LAUSD Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Jaime Aquino, a top aide to Superintendent John Deasy. While it’s illegal to solicit campaign contributions from Los Angeles city employees, it is perfectly legal for  employees to give on their own accord,...

Nearly 100 parents of students attending 24th St. Elementary dropped off a “parent trigger” petition yesterday at LAUSD’s headquarters, demanding drastic reforms and new governance for the school. At LAUSD, the parents received a “strikingly” different reception than parents received in previous instances of the parent trigger, according to the LA Times‘ Teresa Watanabe. And...

United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) announced in the latest edition of its weekly newsletter that it plans to mail out surveys next week that give UTLA members the opportunity to grade LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy’s performance. It’s common knowledge that UTLA’s leadership, including union President Warren Fletcher, has often been critical of Deasy’s policies...

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...

Here’s a live stream of updates from Twitter to help you follow along this morning as parents from 24th Street Elementary talk about their struggle and deliver 300 signed petitions to LAUSD Superintendent Deasy: Previous posts: Previewing Tomorrow’s Parent Trigger

Here’s the Friday, January 11 letter in which LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy describes his concerns about California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson’s recommendation to reduce standardized testing: It’s not that Deasy opposes all changes to the current testing and accountability system. LAUSD is one of eight districts seeking a waiver from No Child Left Behind from Washington....