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CTA Targets Class-Size Waivers
The almost automatic approval that school districts have received for class-size waivers from the California State Board of Education during the past four years may be facing serious opposition from the state’s powerful teachers lobby. SI&A Cabinet Report
Rockers Help Students Roll on Toward Understanding
Members of Ozomatli visit Hawthorne High for a discussion of immigration reform, capitalism, equal rights and community development. A teacher had set the Bill of Rights to one of the group’s melodies. LA Times
Charters Adjusting to Common-Core Demands
Charter schools throughout the country are coping with myriad challenges in preparing for the Common Core State Standards, an effort that could force them to make adjustments from how they train their teachers to the types of curriculum they use to the technology they need to administer online tests. EdWeek
Union Membership Falls to 11.3%, Lowest Level Since 1930s
Teachers unions were among the hardest hit, with the ranks of public school teachers and educators falling sharply. AP
Years After Bond’s Passage, No Start on New Sierra Madre School
The middle school, slated to benefit from a $350-million bond approved in 2008, has been operating out of trailers since the old campus’ demolition in 2010. LA Times
Despite Budget Woes, Superintendents’ Pay Rises
Los Angeles Unified pays Superintendent John Deasy $384,948 a year, about five times the salary of the average teacher. Bay Citizen
Azusa Elementary School Found Lunch After Recess Improves Diet and Concentration
For years, students at Murray Elementary School were like most others, they saw lunch as an easy obstacle to overcome to get to the important part of the school day: recess. KPCC
Head Start Requirement Boosts College Degrees for Early Childhood Educators
Through a concerted effort over the past five years, California is on track to meet a national requirement that 50 percent of Head Start lead classroom teachers hold a bachelor’s degree by the end of September. EdSource
For L.A. Schools, Stories of Modern-Day Martin Luther Kings
On Thursday night, I have the honor of joining students from the RFK Community Schools in Los Angeles for a special theatrical performance of Ariel Dorfman’s play, Speak Truth To Power: Voices from Beyond the Dark, which will raise money to bring our human rights curriculum and the stories of these defenders into schools throughout the city. Huffington Post Op-Ed
Watch: Inside the Mind of a Bilingual Child
Bilingual immersion programs are growing in popularity all over California, but are there actual benefits to programs that teach multiple languages at the elementary level? KPCC