Friction between LA Unified and the state escalated today as Superintendent John Deasy lashed out against a new state rule that requires low-income parents to verify their economic status to insure that their children remain eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. The state is asserting that failure to provide the proof on an annual basis...

LA Unified is getting another Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor, thanks to a $250,000 grant from Partners in Progress, a new collaboration between Citi Foundation and the Low Income Investment Fund. The money comes to the district from the Youth Policy Institute, one of 13 organizations around the country that won a Partners in Progress...

A new state rule asking school districts to verify students eligible for the Free and Reduced Price Meal program is causing alarm within LA Unified, which must document the status of more than 138,000 students or risk losing $200 million in state funding. The rule affects students at nearly 400 high-poverty campuses, all of whom...

As LA Unified debates when to buy keyboards to go along with the district’s new iPads, experts say typing skills and accuracy are essential to student success on Common Core testing. The new Smarter Balanced standardized tests in California will be taken on computers by all students, even at the elementary school level. The language...

Under pressure from the federal government, California is expanding a field test of computer-based assessments to test students in both math and English language arts, rather than just one subject area. A law recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, AB 484, (see story here) requires testing in only one subject. The change, announced yesterday by...

*Update: The district just postponed the event due to weather concerns. A new date has not been set. Nearly 400 special needs students at two dozen San Fernando Valley schools will finish up six weeks of athletic training tomorrow by competing in a day of soccer games hosted by LA Unified and the Special Olympics....

For the second year in a row, LA Unified is losing fewer teachers, and district projections indicate that the trend will continue through the current school year. Vivian Ekchian, the district’s Chief Human Resources Officer, told a committee meeting yesterday that the trend is largely due to more diligent work at the front end of...

As it turns out, there are two places today to learn about elements of LA Unified’s Common Core Technology Project. One is a committee meeting, planned for 5:30 p.m. at district headquarters. The other is a 5 o’clock union protest at Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences, where Tamar Galatzan is hosting a community meeting at...