Things went from bad to worse for publishing giant Pearson yesterday, as its stock took a dive following the news Wednesday that LA Unified announced plans to seek a refund for thousands of Apple iPads pre-loaded with Pearson educational software that the district said was ineffective. Pearson was the single worst performer on the Financial Times...

* UPDATED With the launch of the new Technology Initiative Task Force yesterday, LAUSD is restarting its approach to integrating technology and instruction in the classroom after the last effort ended with an FBI probe. The Common Core Technology Project drew criticism from the start, in part for questions over the procurement process with software publisher...

The release of salary records for all LA Unified employees by the Los Angeles Daily News on Friday produced a list of the district’s highest paid officials in 2014, with one apparent anomaly: an elementary school teacher. While nine of the top ten earners are headquarters administrators, starting with former Superintendent John Deasy, who made $439,998 the year...

In case you missed it, here are the top five stories from LA School Report this past week: LA Unified, citing new money, ups its offer to teachers Bolstered by a more robust state budget, LA Unified said it was doubling its offer to UTLA. Survey: Teachers support changes in state job protection laws The...

The non-profit behind the Vergara lawsuit, Students Matter, is adding two former LA Unified lightning rods to their ranks. Ex-Superintendent John Deasy and founder of Parent Revolution, Ben Austin, are joining the advocacy group. Students Matter successfully sued the state of California and its public school teachers unions, overturning five laws governing tenure, seniority and...

A report from the U.S. Education Department on the district’s troubled $1.3 billion iPad program and gitchy MiSiS computer system had few positive things to say, as it found problems in both efforts with their planning, execution and metrics for success. The report, which was requested by LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines, found that the...

Former LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy will be working as a consultant for The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems as a “superintendent-in-residence.” The center is a leadership academy for school administrators, which is funded by Eli Broad, a longtime Deasy supporter and powerful financier of California education reform efforts. Deasy resigned in October under...

John Deasy was often described by critics as an autocrat in how he ran the district. Nine senior aides reported to him directly. That was nothing. In the two months since taking over, his replacement, Ramon Cortines, has doubled the number of LA Unified officials under his direct supervision. He has 18 aides reporting to him...

The year 2014 was not a banner one in the history of the Los Angeles Unified School District. While there was positive news – in particular continued improvement in student achievement – the district often found itself the subject of increasingly negative headlines. Here, in no particular order, are the top stories about LA Unified...