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...

Today is the last day for LA teachers union members to submit their votes to support or reject the teacher evaluation agreement that has been hashed out between UTLA leadership and LAUSD. In the January 15 edition of its weekly newsletter, UTLA urges its members, in so many words, to support the tentative agreement, warning teachers...

‘Parent Trigger’ Strikes Again in California On Thursday, the parent union plans to present its petition to officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District office. The petition threatens to force the school into the control of a charter operator unless parents can negotiate major changes in the way the school is run under the...

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....

L.A. Unified to Overhaul Struggling Crenshaw High Calling Crenshaw the worst in L.A. Unified, Supt. John Deasy gets the green light to turn the landmark campus into three magnet schools. LA Times See also: KPCC, KCAL, LA School Report 24th Street Elementary School the Target of New Parent Petition Parents at an underperforming Los Angeles...

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...

Both LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan and UTLA President Warren Fletcher have plans to push for reform of the district’s teacher misconduct investigation process, but their plans have different focuses and end goals, according to a LA Daily News report. Board Member Galatzan is focusing on how long the teacher investigation process can take (an...

Semi-annual financial disclosure forms for independent expenditure (IE) committees aren’t due to the City Ethics Commission until January 31. However, some information can be obtained from the City Ethics Commission in between these reports. For example, the Coalition for School Reform  — a group of advocates including (but not limited to) charter school proponents — raised...

Tamar Galatzan, Warren Fletcher Look at Reforming System for Investigating Teachers A year after the Miramonte sex-abuse scandal sparked a flood of teacher misconduct complaints, a Los Angeles Unified board member and the teachers’ union president have launched separate efforts to devise a more efficient system for investigating allegations. LA Daily News To Lock Classroom...

LAUSD School Board candidate Kate Anderson is officially launching her campaign this Saturday, January 12 at her new offices in Mar Vista. Anderson is challenging incumbent Steve Zimmer in District 4 – which stretches from the Pacific Palisades to Hollywood. Volunteers will have a chance to do some canvassing, calling, and on-the-ground campaigning. To view...