*Updated May 2 Austin Beutner is ready to make hard choices to bring about change. “It starts with culture. LA Unified has to become an institution that looks at each issue with the mindset ‘We can do this’ and is willing to change to achieve that objective,” the new superintendent said Wednesday at his introductory...

The elected leaders of Los Angeles’s public schools sent a strong signal Tuesday that LA needs bold leadership, choosing Los Angeles businessman Austin Beutner as superintendent of schools. Beutner is both an insider and an outsider. He has deep ties in Los Angeles and a demonstrated commitment to civic service. The former investment banker served...

An open letter by LAUSD students, to the Los Angeles Unified School Board members:    We are a group of students that recognize our voices and experiences should give us the opportunity to participate in decisions made about our education. We hope you take our perspective into consideration as you undertake your most important duty...

For the fifth time in the past 10 years, LAUSD is searching for a new superintendent. The school board’s list of required qualifications likely include: • Able to drive and execute on an academic improvement vision for more than 640,000 students. • Able to turn around or close hundreds of low-performing schools. • Able to...

What kind of superintendent does the Los Angeles Unified School District need? It’s not an easy question to answer but it’s a deeply important one, especially at a moment when the district is facing crucial decisions not just about its own future, but also about the future of the 630,000 kids it serves. One of...

Dear Board Members García, Gonez, McKenna, Melvoin, Rodriguez, Schmerelson, and Vladovic: Your choice for LAUSD’s next superintendent will be one of the most important decisions in the history of the district. No one envies the complex choices and tradeoffs you face in the years ahead as you navigate monumental decisions related to fiscal stability and...

* Updated Feb. 28 The LA Unified school board is moving forward quickly to find a new superintendent and has set a March 14 deadline for applications.  The board will start reviewing applications after the search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates has vetted the applicants and expects to make its selection in April....

This is part of a new commentary series where local and national education leaders share their thoughts on a fundamental question: As Los Angeles Unified seeks its next superintendent, what should leadership look like at the top? Read and share the first four pieces and follow our superintendent series for more voices and updates. One of the...

With a formal search now underway for Los Angeles Unified’s next superintendent, stakeholders have lots of ideas on the qualities our next district leader should have. In a new commentary series launching today, local and national education leaders share their thoughts on a fundamental question: What should leadership look like at the top? The district...

With declining enrollment, a looming fiscal crisis, and a persistent racial and socioeconomic achievement gap, LAUSD is at a critical juncture as it searches for a new superintendent to lead through turbulent times. Many of us have witnessed decades of “reforms” that have had no significant impact on closing the achievement gap or addressing the...