October 26, 2011, 12:05 AM
Students enrolled in business-backed courses focused on career and technical skills are more likely to graduate from high school and complete the requirements to attend a California college or university, according to a study released yesterday. The report, titled "Profile of the...
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October 14, 2011, 12:05 AM
A specialized testing program in San Diego has improved student math scores, possibly providing a road map for other public school educators, researchers say. Mandatory use of exams created by a joint California State University and University of California program has produced dramatic test...
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August 19, 2011, 12:05 AM
A recent effort to reform California public school financing has stalled, but key players say there’s a growing consensus that the system needs to be simplified and made more equitable. A bill by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, sailed through the state Assembly but faced...
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August 10, 2011, 12:05 AM
State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said yesterday that California can become more competitive and stop a future shortage in college-trained professionals by simply investing more to improve the public school system. Torlakson cited findings from "A Blueprint for...
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August 1, 2011, 12:05 AM
This year's payout of a three-year $416 million federal grant to struggling schools has been delayed for several California schools after monitoring teams found the state Department of Education and local districts not implementing required reforms. At a tense meeting last month, unhappy...
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July 19, 2011, 12:05 AM
Bright and articulate, Enrique Duarte IV, 11, rode the bus with his parents from Los Angeles to Sacramento with one cause in mind: to tell the state Board of Education that someday, he wants to return to a public school classroom. Enrique told the board that he left his elementary school...
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May 3, 2011, 12:05 AM
In some very small schools in remote parts of California, the state is paying about $200,000 per student to educate them. That's according to a report released yesterday by the Legislative Analyst's Office. The main thrust of the report is to throw cold water on the idea...
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April 29, 2011, 12:05 AM
Compared to most states, California is performing abysmally when it comes to schools making "adequate yearly progress" as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind law. According to a new report from the Center on Education Policy, 61 percent of California schools failed...
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April 28, 2011, 12:05 AM
A new federal education commission aimed at reforming school financing recently launched its public outreach with a first stop in California. The 27-member Equity and Excellence Commission, established in February, is focused on closing the achievement gap that separates poor,...
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March 1, 2011, 12:05 AM
California parents have yet another way to assess how their local schools are doing. The California Charter Schools Association has developed a new metric, called a Similar Student Measure [PDF], to assess how a school's students perform on state tests compared to other schools serving...
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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 11, 2010, 12:05 AM
If federal officials don't waive key rules, several of the state's largest school districts are at risk of not getting one penny of a nearly $416 million grant to turn around struggling campuses. According to an Aug. 10 letter sent to the U.S. Department of Education, state officials...
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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 5, 2010, 12:05 AM
The State Board of Education is working on new rules that would clamp down on underperforming charter schools. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the state board would annually review charter schools for possible changes or closure if they are: At least 5 years old or more ...
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August 4, 2010, 12:05 AM
Don't expect to see changes in the classroom any time soon following the vote this week by the California State Board of Education to adopt new national curriculum standards for the state in English language arts and math. Theresa Garcia, the board's executive director, told...
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