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Alleged Murderer Had No Reported Classroom Behavior Issues
Accused murderer and meth addict Michael Kane, an LAUSD elementary school teacher, has no previous history of violence during his career as a teacher and his personnel file states he was never removed from his classroom for any misbehavior, according to district officials. Kane began working for the district in 1997 as a substitute teacher...
By Brianna Sacks | June 20, 2013
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Morning Read: Board Considers Speedier Teacher Investigations
L.A. School Board to Consider Faster Investigation of Teachers Sexual misconduct allegations at Miramonte Elementary School sparked a surge of investigations of Los Angeles teachers, pushing the ranks of those in “teacher jail” to more than 300 — and prompting officials this week to consider the rights of accused employees. LA Times See also: AP,...
By Samantha Oltman | April 16, 2013
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Teacher Misconduct Proposal Wins Unexpected Support
While a recent Daily News headline described LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan’s new “teacher jail” proposal as an “overhaul” of the current system, the resolution is probably best described as an effort at streamlining the process. Slated for a vote at next Tuesday’s Board meeting, the Galatzan resolution would shorten the time it takes to inform teachers what...
By Hillel Aron | April 9, 2013
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Lawmaker Supports Former Opponent’s Teacher Dismissal Bill
State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) announced Thursday that he was shelving SB 10, his controversial bill intended to speed up and streamline the teacher dismissal process in California public schools. Now, Padilla plans to join forces with Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo), head of the Assembly’s Education Committee, who introduced her own alternative teacher dismissal bill...
By Samantha Oltman | March 22, 2013
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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Board, UTLA Have Different Plans to Reform “Teacher Jails”
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...
By Samantha Oltman | January 14, 2013
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UTLA Rails Against “Teacher Jails”
United Teachers Los Angeles announced in the latest edition of its weekly newsletter that it plans to push back harder against LAUSD’s so-called “teacher jails,” where teachers accused of misconduct are sent to wait while the district investigates their cases. As LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron wrote in a recent LA Weekly report, teachers sent to “jail” are usually...
By Samantha Oltman | January 10, 2013
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One Thing: LAUSD’s Crowded “Rubber Rooms”
From LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron, writing for the LA Weekly: “On the outskirts of LAUSD’s sprawling, mazelike Educational Service Center in Reseda sit seven long, shabby, peach-colored bungalows with barred windows and rotting wood, which all but scream Southern California public education. “In one of them is a roughly 35-square-foot room where 25 or...
By LA School Report | December 6, 2012
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Morning Read: Teachers Endorse Multiple Candidates
Teachers Endorse Zimmer The union on Wednesday also endorsed candidates for the three school board elections scheduled for March. LA Times 15 Candidates File to Run for LAUSD School Board Seats Officials have 10 days to verify whether each has the signatures of at least 500 registered voters from the candidate’s district. LA Daily News LAUSD...
By Samantha Oltman | December 6, 2012