October 8, 2010, 1:05 AM
A landmark agreement to halt teacher layoffs at Los Angeles schools serving disadvantaged children is now facing opposition from an unlikely source: the biggest local teachers union in the state. The United Teachers Los Angeles is considering suing to block the layoff-ending settlement...
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September 14, 2010, 12:05 AM
Underscoring the unworkability of California's current school "accountability" system, test scores at California schools are going up, at the same time as the number of failing schools as defined by the federal government are going up dramatically as well. The number of schools...
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September 13, 2010, 12:05 AM
It's a nagging question that won't go away: When local school officials and their district-level administrators charge fees for classes and extracurricular activities despite a statewide ban on such practices, who is responsible for stepping in? Is it the state, which sets education...
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August 25, 2010, 12:05 AM
Well, as of yesterday, the final bell rung on California's foray into Race to the Top. And the results were sobering: After two stabs at hundreds of millions in federal dollars, there's no cash to show for it. The winners were Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New...
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August 24, 2010, 12:05 AM
UPDATE: California's application for Race to the Top education bonuses was rejected this morning by the U.S. Department of Education. **** As California educators wait anxiously to hear whether the state will be awarded funds from the $4.3 billion Race to the Top...
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August 23, 2010, 12:05 AM
The American Civil Liberties Union is accusing three more Southern California school districts of illegally charging students to participate in cheerleading, athletics, and AP calculus classes. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Poway, Grossmont and San Dieguito school districts...
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August 19, 2010, 12:05 AM
To make dramatic improvements in literacy, struggling students need reading help earlier, often and longer – but not necessarily during summer school or after-school programs, according to a study released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. Called "Lessons in...
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August 18, 2010, 12:05 AM
The publication of a controversial, and groundbreaking, article by the Los Angeles Times raises complex questions about whether to "out" teachers whose students perform poorly on reading and math tests. That is especially true when using "value-added" techniques that are...
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August 16, 2010, 12:05 AM
As public schools continue to be battered in California's budget wars, parents are organizing to compete with other powerful constituencies fighting for a share of dwindling taxpayer dollars and to push for education reforms. At least two new parent-driven groups have emerged in recent...
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August 6, 2010, 12:05 AM
Successful schools inadvertently labeled as posing a risk of "serious harm" to their students' health, safety or "general welfare," as a result of an emergency declared by the State Board of Education, will get no relief from the state Legislature. As I noted in a...
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August 2, 2010, 12:05 AM
California and Utah are the only two states actively allowing schools to cut classroom time from their instructional calendars. They join about a dozen other states that allow districts to offer a 175-day school year. More than 30 other states require a minimum of 180 days. Last year,...
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July 30, 2010, 12:05 AM
School boards are trying to reverse a federal court ruling banning administrators from controlling the free-speech rights of teachers and other school employees. According to a brief filed yesterday in 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and the...
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July 28, 2010, 12:05 AM
The fate of $37 million in federal stimulus funds that have been sitting for nearly a year could be delayed even further if the 2010-11 budget talks between the Legislature and the governor turns sour. According to Los Angeles Times, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has threatened to leave office in...
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July 27, 2010, 12:05 AM
Smaller districts throughout the state are being forced to shorten their school year in response to the state's budget crisis. A recent California Watch survey found 16 of the 30 largest districts in the state, with enrollments of 1.4 million students, will be trimming their school year by...
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July 26, 2010, 12:05 AM
Education advocates of all stripes shook their heads in disbelief Friday at the revelation that $71 million in education stimulus dollars sat unused for nearly a year while the state's budget crisis devoured teachers' jobs, eliminated classes, kicked kids off school buses and closed down...
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