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Deasy Warns Suspending Standardized Tests Would Hurt At-Risk Students
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy has fired off a letter to the California schools chief, protesting plans to suspend many standardized exams next year while the state develops a new system of computer-based tests. LA Daily News
See also: LA Times
Parents, Teachers, Students Oppose Crenshaw High Restructure Plan
Parents, students and teachers plan to rally in front of Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters Tuesday in protest of a proposal to restructure low-performing Crenshaw High School. LA Times
See also: KPCC, LA School Report
Districts Preparing Their Own Request for NCLB Waiver
They’re hoping that U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be impressed by their size, serving a million schoolchildren, and their willingness to agree to conditions that Gov. Jerry Brown and the State Board of Education rejected. EdSource Today
One in Five of New Charter Schools Are in California
California students also now comprise about one fifth of children enrolled in charter schools nationally – 494,000 out of the national total of 2.3 million. EdSource
School Discipline Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
A recent Education Week commentary by Los Angeles Unified assistant superintendent Earl Perkins gives us a good opportunity to remember that we shouldn’t make school-wide discipline issues more complicated than they need to be. This Week in Education (Paul Bruno)
LAUSD Wants an Exemption From Proposed Water Tax
The Los Angeles Unified school board is poised Tuesday to seek an exemption from a proposed countywide clean-water fee that would drain nearly $5 million annually from the district’s general fund. LA Daily News
A Wing and a Prayer
The aviation mechanics school in a hangar at Van Nuys Airport does something that education reformers and the business community say they want from schools: It trains young people for careers — in this case for skilled, well-paid jobs. LA Times Editorial
Parents and Community Can Play Key Roles in School Success
Educators are turning to parents and outside partners in formal and grassroots efforts that boost morale, achievement, and students’ sense of security. EdWeek
How to Keep Talented Teachers From Leaving
New teachers face high-pressure demands, with little support, such that more than half leave the profession within the first five years. These teachers need to see opportunities for career advancement, better compensation, and meaningful evaluation and professional development. Christian Science Monitor