Private schools – LA School Report

Morning Read: Ditch Private Schools!

Hillel Aron — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:52:20 +0000

Ditching private schools LA Times (editorial): Private school students are choosing to move to charters in unexpected numbers. That’s a good thing for the education system.

LAUSD must pay $2.4 million to football player who broke neck LA Times: A 19-year-old North Hollywood High School student who broke his neck during a football tryout practice has won a $2.4-million arbitration award against the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Alternatives to suspensions, expulsions await governor’s signature SI&A Cabinet Report: Several bills designed to promote the use of alternative methods of school discipline made their way out of the Legislature last week and are now pending before Gov. Jerry Brown.

USC charter school opens in Downtown Daily Trojan Online: Los Angeles Unified School District Director of Charter Schools Jose Cole-Gutierrez said he looks forward to working with Hybrid High.

Morning Read: Romero Vs. Villaraigosa

Hillel Aron — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:49:26 +0000

Gloria Romero to Antonio Villaraigosa: We’re not removing you from Prop 32 ad SFGate: LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was ticked that the pro-Prop 32 folks were using his name and comments “out of context” in an ad. He asked them to remove his name/comments from the ad promoting the measure on the November ballot that would ban unions and corporations from using automatic payroll deductions to fund political campaigns. On Monday, the pro-32 folks responded to his request: Uh, no.

Miramonte lawsuits are on hold, attorneys hope to settle KPCC: Attorney Luis Carrillo is the one who pushed for the stay. He says the temporary delay gives his clients a chance to engage in settlement discussions with the school district. The talks would be facilitated by a mediator and could begin as early as November.

Charters draw students from private schools, study finds LA Times: The study by a Rand Corp. economist found that more than 190,000 students nationwide had left a private school for a charter by the end of the 2008 school year, the most recent year for which data was available.

CSUDH grant will aid LAUSD math teachers Daily Breeze: California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson has received the first of three grants to support the development of math teachers in economically challenged areas of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Everything You’ve Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong Mother Jones: Attendance: up. Dropout rates: plummeting. College acceptance: through the roof. Kristina Rizga’s mind-blowing year inside a “low-performing” school. ALSO: The Kids Are All Right Mother Jones: Students today score better on tests than you did.

Colleges ranked by “bang for your buck”, California schools dominate list KPCC: The Washington Monthly’s top 10 “bang for your buck” schools include 5 in California: UC San Diego, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Riverside.

Cramming For Tests Doesn’t Work, Says UCLA Study LA Weekly: The main problem? Sleep deprivation.

Fairfax music program’s loss Bev Hills’ gain Weho News: Ray Vizcarra, Fairfax High School’s bandleader, has taken a job at Beverly Hills High, after facing the prospect of likely being laid off.

Los Angeles college students face more crowds, fewer classes LA Times: Students on Los Angeles campuses struggle with trying to get needed classes, or any at all, as state budget cuts continue to take their toll on the community college system.

Middle Schoolers Make a Scale Model of 6 Blocks of Broadway Curbed (blog): Middle school students at the Bresee Foundation summer camp have created a scale model of six blocks of Broadway and the whole thing is installed temporarily right now at the Blackstone Building at Ninth and Broadway.

El Camino Real Charter High School to stage reading of ‘8’ (Press Release): El Camino Real Charter High School’s internationally acclaimed theatre program has been selected as one of the only high school companies in the nation to stage a reading of Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black’s latest play, “8,” it was announced today. “8” is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), which ruled California’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples unconstitutional.

Morning Read: Teacher Evaluation, 24/7

Hillel Aron — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:39:58 +0000

• Teacher Evaluation Changes threatened by California Bill: AB 5, which is heading to the State Senate for a full vote after getting the nod from the appropriations committee on Thursday, would mandate that all aspects of teacher evaluation be subject to collective bargaining– which has been what UTLA has been asking for in Doe v. Deasy. LA Times [A number of ed reform groups have written a letter denouncing the bill. The LA Times editorial section is also against it.]

• Deasy vs. Fletcher on Air Talk: Superintendent John Deasy and UTLA President Warren Fletcher appeared on KPCC’s Air Talk with Larry Mantle yesterday, discussing, yes, teacher evaluations. KPCC

• Parents sue Christian Science private school over daughter’s peanut allergy: The suit alleges that the school did nothing to protect the student from eating peanuts, and that the staff told the parents that the allergy was “merely in her head and she would grow out of it.” (By the way, the Daily News headline for this article could not be more confused: “Christian Science adherents sue private L.A. school over daughter’s peanut allergy”) City News Service

• Jerry Brown kicks off Prop 30 campaign: The measure would temporarily raise taxes on rich people to stave off budget cuts to public schools and universities. LA Times. [The campaign has already raised gobs of money – almost $20 million, as per KCET’s superb Election 2012 page.]

• There are 15,234 homeless students in LAUSD: The district is taking donations. LAUSD Tumblr

• Miramonte elementary reopens with hopes of redemption: Yet another back-to-school at Miramonte feature, this one courtesy of the LA Times.

• North Hollywood student wins gold in all-girl international math competition KPCC