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Outside Spending Pours Into L.A. School Board Race
Outside groups are mounting campaigns to influence the outcome of three races for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education. LA Times
See also: LA School Report
Teachers’ Ratings Still High Despite New Measures
High teacher rating results, among the first trickling out from states’ newly revamped yardsticks, paint a picture of a K-12 system that remains hesitant to differentiate between the best and the weakest performers—as well as among all those in the middle doing a solid job who still have room to improve. EdWeek
School Principals Who Fail to Report Abuse Are Rarely Prosecuted
Principal Irene Hinojosa and teacher Robert Pimentel worked together for years, and she thought highly of Pimentel as a teacher. So when parents complained that he’d been touching girls, district officials said she disregarded the complaints. KPCC
L.A. City Workers’ Union Doesn’t Endorse Garcetti or Greuel
Members of six locals of the Service Employees International Union questioned City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti, two top contenders in the race, for at least half an hour. Neither was recommended for an endorsement. LA Times
Seriously, a Bar Exam for Teachers? This Is Not the Answer
Pearl Arredondo, the founder of a pilot middle school in Los Angeles, feels more student teaching is the best way to prepare new teachers. Take Part Op-Ed
East L.A. Murals Come to Life in School Plays
Students at Monterey Continuation High School write and perform one-act skits about the wall art in their neighborhood. LA Times
Green Dot Continues to Make Improvements at Locke High School
Moving proactively to address the growing needs of its students, Green Dot Public Schools today announced the next step in the evolution of the management structure at Locke High School. LA Sentinel
Educators Celebrate First Six Months of Transitional Kindergarten
Transitional kindergarten, the new grade level for children whose fifth birthdays fall early in the school year, is 6 months old in February. EdSource
The Obama No Child Waiver Gambit: It’s Time for It to End
A few things are clear after today’s Senate Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee hearing on the Obama administration’s move to eviscerate the accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. And, for the most part, it didn’t reflect well on the gambit. Dropout Nation Opinion
Another Trophy in the Case for Long Beach Unified
The state’s third-largest school district was named Thursday one of the five top school districts in the world by Battelle for Kids, a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit organization that counsels school districts on school improvement and innovation. EdSource
LAUSD Sues Insurance Companies for Garfield Repairs
Los Angeles Unified has sued its property insurers for at least $13 million for allegedly balking at paying to reconstruct the James A. Garfield High School auditorium ravaged in a fire almost six years ago. City News Service
Charter School Petition Goes Before LAUSD
The effort to bring a new elementary school to Downtown could take a big step forward next week. LA Downtown News