L.A. mayoral candidates discuss housing, education, city services
The four candidates competing to replace outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa squared off in South Los Angeles on Friday, debating the respective roles that housing, education, city services and budget cuts play in the lives of area residents. LA Times

LAUSD Collaborates With Parents to Improve New Nutritious Breakfast Program
Euclid is one of 147 Los Angeles Unified School District schools where the new Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) program was implemented earlier this year. By the end of November they will launch the program in 161 more schools. Boyle Heights Beat

State Defunds Program to Fix ‘Slum’ Schools
Eight years after California settled a landmark lawsuit promising hundreds of millions of dollars to repair shoddy school facilities, more than 700 schools still are waiting for their share of funds as students take classes on dilapidated campuses with health and safety hazards. California Watch

NAACP Volunteers to Push for Biggest Education Overhaul Since Brown v. Board of Education
The NAACP is going on the offensive on education, deploying volunteers across the country in its biggest push for a public education overhaul since the nation’s classrooms were ordered desegregated in 1954, the civil rights group said Thursday. Huff Post

State Appointed Administrator of Inglewood School District Steps Down
Kent Taylor, the state administrator in charge of the financially troubled Inglewood School District, resigned from the position Friday after the Department of Education learned of a tentative agreement he made with the local teachers union without approval from the state. LA Times

Credentialing Commission Imposes Tougher Test to Become School Administrator
Alone among states, California has permitted passing a primarily multiple-choice exam as one path to become a school or district administrator. That will change. EdSource

After Generations of Failure, a School and Its Students Head for Success
Jordan High has made big strides in academic performance. There is more to achieve, but its progress is plain to see. LA Times Column (Sandy Banks)

Does Creationism Have a Place at a Public School?
The Christian Club on an L.A. Unified campus has heard presentations from a nationally prominent creationist. A biology teacher believes such events undermine science education. LA Times Column (Steve Lopez)

School Lunches to Be Allowed Unlimited Meats, Grains, USDA Announces
The Agriculture Department is responding to criticism over new school lunch rules by allowing more grains and meat in kids’ meals. Huff Post

2012 National Board Certified Teachers Celebrated
UTLA honored the Class of 2012 National Board Certified Teachers last night in a ceremony at UTLA headquarters. National Board Certification is a voluntary program of teacher assessment that is rigorous and requires 200-400 hours of extra work on top of a teacher’s full teaching load.  UTLA