In This Issue:
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AT SCHOOL, IT'S KIDS vs. ADULTS: L.A. Unified must choose. But cuts to either would be tragic. |
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LAUSD SLASHES SUMMER SCHOOL, SMALLEST OFFERINGS EVER |
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WHEN PUT TO A TEST, TESTING CULTURE FLUNKS |
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Two Articles: NEW LAUSD BOARD DISTRICT MAP APPROVED |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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"His priority did not seem to be to teach them what
he knew, but rather to impress upon them that nothing, not even
knowledge, was foolproof."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
First thing first: GRANADA HILLS CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL WON THE NATIONAL
ACADEMIC DECATHLON ON SATURDAY WITH THE HIGHEST SCORE EVER POSTED.
Congratulations Highlanders!
ON FRIDAY KTLA PROCLAIMED: -- “Good news for students, but bad news for teachers.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District announced plans to shave four
days off the 2011-2012 school calender (sic) year due to budget
constraints.
“LAUSD spokesman Tom Waldman said classes will now end on June 19 for
schools on a traditional calender (sic) and May 29 for those on the
early-start schedule.”
“District officials made the announcement after an arbitrator ruled
LAUSD can reduce the number of school days as a money-saving measure.”
It couldn’t be worse news for students …but our argument isn’t with KTLA.
The rest of the news outlets proclaimed throughout the day:
LA UNIFIED SCHOOLS TO LET OUT 3 DAYS EARLY; SCHEDULE DETAILS
89.3 KPCC (blog) - 1:30 PM
LA Unified officials said today it will end this school year three days
earlier after an arbitrator ruled the district could impose up to five
furlough days on teachers. The district will send out a letter to
parents today that details the scheduling...
LAUSD WINS FURLOUGH RULING, WILL SHORTEN SCHOOL YEAR BY 4 DAYS
Los Angeles Daily News - 1:55PM
Los Angeles Unified will end the school year four days early after an
arbitrator ruled the district can force teachers to take unpaid
furloughs as a money-saving measure, officials said Friday. District
spokesman Tom Waldman said LAUSD will shave four ...
DETAILS: LA UNIFIED PLANS TO IMPOSE ALL FIVE ALLOWABLE FURLOUGH DAYS
89.3 KPCC (blog) – 5:30 PM
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside LA Unified headquarters downtown
as the board met inside to discuss the district's dire budget picture
in March. LA Unified plans to impose all five furlough days on teachers
as allowed by an arbitration ruling ...
•• You’re probably catching the theme here: Three, four or five days? Who knows? …but our argument isn’t with Tom Waldman.
This from @DrDeasyLAUSD in a tweet:
“At SuperQuiz in Albuquerque watching #lausd GranadaHills charter team. Currently in 2nd place!”
3:01 PM - 27 Apr 12 via Twitter for Android •
Yes, he spelled Albuquerque that way, but our argument isn’t with
@Dr.Deasy’s spelling – it takes a brave man to tweet Albuquerque on a
smartphone with no spellcheck.
•• Our argument, put into the context of a school district eliminating
school days, whether three, four or five – and embracing the fact that
the Academic Decathlon (of which the SuperQuiz is a part) is one of the
things that LAUSD does best – is this:
¿WTF was @Dr.Deasy doing in Albuquerque on Friday?
It wasn’t like he was a contestant in the SuperQuiz – or a coach. I hope he wasn’t a judge.
Lest anyone forget, @Dr.Deasy has eliminated the Academic Decathlon from
next year’s LAUSD budget. Zeroed it out. But somehow there was money to
send him to New Mexico this year. And he had time in his schedule.
Stephen R. Covey of the Seven Habits says: “The key is not to
prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
And as I’m beating up @Dr.Deasy with Stephen R. Covey: ““Priority is a
function of context.” And from there we can go to the Context of No
Context – but we won’t. (Or I won’t; don’t let me stop you: Within the
Context of No-Context by George W.S. Trow: The New Yorker http://nyr.kr/JGHVAH)
AN ANGRY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARIAN/LIBRARY AIDE/BIBLIOTECHNICIAN WRITES:
“So what the hell is wrong with this picture? Target funds the
renovation of a new library at Leo Politi Elementary along with money
for all new books and Deasy, yes I said DEASY, he of "children don't
learn to read in libraries” dribble, shows up for the photo op, tweets
how great it is ….
• 26 Apr @DrDeasyLAUSD: At Leo Politi elementary school with our
partner Target. They are donating another 250,000.00 to a LAUSD school
for literacy. Thanks Target!
• 26 Apr @DrDeasyLAUSD: If you want to see an amazing elementary
school and model for whole community learning visit Leo Politi!
• 26 Apr @DrDeasyLAUSD: We are celebrating our LAUSD/Target
partnership at Leo Politi Elementary School. One of six #LAUSD schools
getting full Library makeovers!
“…..and even offers to help make sure there is a Library Aide there in the library for next year!’
Our librarian continues: “Hello???? I am banging my head against War
and Peace and don't get it. Target was upset when they found out that
the school had only funded the LA position for 3 hours, officials then
offered to kick in the funding for the other 3. Well, duh, 3 hours for a
school with over 700 students which sits in Monica Garcia's area BTW.
“It has taken 60 years to get us back on track to the West Side with the
reinstated Exposition line. How many years will it take us to recover
from all this off the track thinking?????
“God help me from all these arrogant twits.
“Thanks. I don't feel better.”
We preach and Sunday-sermonize here in 4LAKids; we try to show the
sinners the way. But we usually don’t pray. But God help the children.
Every one.
I was at the Arts Education Branch’s Arts Summit on Saturday at Cortines
High School – the talent and creativity of our young people makes my
heart sing. I walked away with two messages.
1. Nobody has more fun on the stage than middle schoolers doing Shakespeare.
2. We need politicians and superintendents and school board members who
don’t say how important Arts+Music Education is one day …and then vote
against it on the next.
“THERE WERE SUCCESS STORIES [in the effort to Rebuild L.A. following the
Riots of ’92] says John Mack, who headed the Urban League of L.A. With
support from Toyota, they created a job training program in car repair.
“‘It was successful for 12 years, where we placed 3,000 or more
previously unemployed or underemployed members of the community,’ Mack
says.
“‘All that the applicants had to do to qualify was read at the 8th grade
level, and that turned out to be a problem.’ Mack says the program
didn't end because of Rebuild L.A.'s failures, but because the school
system failed.
“‘It became a real problem in finding enough people who could qualify
for admission,’ he says.” [After L.A. Riots, A Failed Effort for a
Broken City: NPR Weekend Edition - 29April12 - http://n.pr/IiHY2W ]
••The lessons we should’ve learned are two:
•An Eighth Grade Education – not just a high school diploma or a
college-prep curriculum is a milestone. The CAHSEE essentially measures
8th grade capacity; maybe we should insist students pass it to get into
9th rather than get out of 12th? This is not lowering-the-bar;
milestones are not destinations – they are waypoints.
•And maybe we need to reevaluate the role of Adult Education in the life of the city?
And if an Eighth Grade Education is critical, why is Middle School tertiary to Elementary and High School?
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
AT SCHOOL, IT'S KIDS vs. ADULTS: L.A. Unified must
choose. But cuts to either would be tragic.
ADULTS STRUGGLING TO LEARN FACE NEW CHALLENGE: IN
CHOOSING WHETHER TO CUT EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN OR GROWN-UPS, L.A.
UNIFIED NEEDS FOCUS ON THE YOUNG, BUT SACRIFICING ADULTS IS TRAGICALLY
SHORT-SIGHTED.
By Steve Lopez, LA Times columnist | http://lat.ms/JiQYC6
April 28, 2012, 8:20 p.m. :: I'd been sitting back, fielding the
occasional pitch for a column, but telling people it was a little too
soon to write about what might happen to adult education in L.A.
Unified.
Sure, the district has threatened to make big cuts, or even eliminate
the program. But education funding is so insane in California that it's
hard to know where things will end up.
And, as the parent of a third-grader in L.A. Unified, I have to ask this
question: When money is tight, what's the core mission of a school
district — to educate children or offer an assist to adults?
The former, I think, but having to scale back either would be tragic and cost us all in the end.
Still, the passionate pitches for adult ed kept coming my way, and they
made an excellent point. With roughly a quarter of a million students
currently enrolled in adult ed, do we really want to bulldoze their best
chance at earning bigger paychecks and contributing more taxes to pay
for public institutions such as — yes, education?
One adult ed teacher put me in touch with a former student of hers,
saying he was just one among the countless success stories she'd seen.
Javier Pinales, a student in the late 1980s, went on to East L.A.
College and then graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in
business administration.
"I grew up in Mexico and when I moved here, the first thing I needed to
do was learn English," said Pinales, 41, who took ESL classes and got
his GED from adult ed before going on to college.
He left the business world in 2003 after returning to school for a credential. He wanted to be an adult ed teacher.
"I want you to meet Jilma," Pinales told me one day last week when I
visited him in the Huntington Park High School bungalow where he now
teaches. Jilma Barrera, who fled the war in Nicaragua in the 1970s,
sometimes arrives late to class because of doctor appointments, and
she's often in pain caused by Lupus.
"I'm determined to get my GED," said Barrera, who wants to go on to become a nurse.
Pinales' students range in age from their late 20s to mid-60s. Gloria
Garcia, 63, takes the bus to school or walks three miles. She lost a
garment factory job after 15 years, she said, and now wants to become an
elder care therapist because she thinks there'll be more job stability
there.
"When I came in three months ago, I didn't know a lot," said Emilia
Acua, one of 10 family members who share a unit in a trailer park. "But
now I'm sure to pass the GED test, and I want to go to college to become
a nurse."
Pinales' students told of juggling family obligations and jobs so they
can squeeze in school, some of them taking two three-hour classes daily.
You couldn't help but be inspired by the spirit of self-improvement in
that classroom, and there are tens of thousands more students like these
across the city struggling to learn English and vocational skills and
become more productive members of society. Many are in their late teens
and early 20s, trying to get high school diplomas they never got because
of family obligations or mistakes they now regret. Others say they want
to learn English to better serve their children's interests and monitor
their progress in school.
But there are also thousands of native-born students trying to
reposition themselves in a tight and changing economy, and some of the
stories are more surprising than others.
"I'm 53, moved around a lot, went to high school in Manhattan Beach and
dropped out in my 11th year," said Kathrin Middleton, an actress and the
wife of Richard Middleton, executive producer of "The Artist."
She felt a degree of shame as a dropout, Middleton said, and began
thinking seriously a few years ago about "wanting to clear this up, and
make it right and go on to college." So now she drops her daughter off
at kindergarten in the morning, and then goes to the Rinaldi Adult
School to work on her GED.
"And now here are all these rumblings about how there might not be adult
ed anymore. I think it's a shame, not for me but for everybody. It's
going to hurt the city and state tremendously if people can't continue
their educations."
L.A. Unified board President Monica Garcia, who says she reluctantly
voted to chop adult ed and has earned the wrath of advocates, told me
she hopes at least half to three-fourths of the current program can be
saved. It will depend on a new accounting of state revenues, possible
concessions by L.A. Unified teachers, and whether Gov. Jerry Brown's tax
increase plan and an L.A. parcel tax proposal are passed. Garcia also
thinks the district should consider charging a nominal fee for classes
that are now free.
I still think kids have to come first, but it would be tragic to lose adult ed.
Nevertheless, we once again wait to hear which penny-wise but
pound-foolish cuts will have to be made for the next school year,
certain of nothing, but determined, it seems, to once more sabotage our
own best chance of economic recovery.
LAUSD SLASHES SUMMER SCHOOL, SMALLEST OFFERINGS EVER
By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, Daily News | http://bit.ly/J2k2Ar
4/25/2012 07:12:22 PM PDT :: Facing unrelenting budget pressure, Los
Angeles Unified has pared its summer school program - again - to its
smallest size ever, with only a limited number of courses available to
failing high school students who need to make up classes to graduate.
Credit-recovery classes will be offered at just 16 of the district's
nearly 100 high schools, with online classes hosted at eight campuses.
Only seniors who have received a "D" or "F" in a required subject like
health or algebra and sophomores and juniors who have failed one of
those core classes can enroll.
Unlike past summers, credit-recovery classes will not be offered at
LAUSD's adult schools, which are on the chopping block because of a $390
million deficit facing the district. District officials hope California
voters will pass a sales-tax hike and local voters will pass a
$298-a-year parcel tax so they can salvage the adult schools.
"We're in a horrible (financial) bind from the state," Assistant
Superintendent Alvaro Cortes said Wednesday. "We've been going through
this for the last four years, and it's not going to get any better.
"This is our smallest program in history, and it may be eliminated altogether next year."
This year's summer program offers just one session, which will meet three hours daily from July 9 to Aug. 3.
Seniors who need only one core course to meet their graduation
requirements will get first priority, followed by those who have to make
up more than one class. Juniors and sophomores will be accepted if
there are still seats available.
Superintendent John Deasy said priorities were set in anticipation of a change in graduation requirements for next year.
His staff has proposed eliminating the requirement for 75 hours of
elective courses so that struggling students can get remedial help in
their core classes - known as the A-G curriculum - during the school
day.
"This is not a good situation for this summer," Deasy said. "We're
hoping that the combination of the parcel tax and the way that we're
going to approach A-G could make it better for students next summer.
"That's why we skewed the priority for kids closer to graduation."
Classes will be held at 16 campuses, including Monroe High in North
Hills, along with Canoga Park, North Hollywood, Reseda and San Fernando
High schools. Online courses will also be hosted at NoHo and San
Fernando, with students having to attend the first and last class on
campus.
In addition, special education classes offered through the district's
Extended School Year program will be provided at selected elementary and
middle school sites.
The limited credit-recovery options have forced parents to look to other
programs - and even other districts - to make up those lost credits.
El Camino Real and Granada Hills are among the charter high schools
offering summer school, with first priority given to their own students.
"We're making sure that all of our kids are taken care of first," said
David Hussey, assistant principal at El Camino in Woodland Hills. "After
that, other schools can partake."
That's also the case with Burbank Unified, which this year is adding an
online curriculum and partnering with Woodbury University to expand its
traditional offerings, said Sharon Cuseo, director of instruction and
accountability.
Options for Youth, a system of charter schools that includes campuses in
the San Fernando Valley, has seen demand for its summer programs
explode since the budget crisis hit Los Angeles Unified.
"It's really unbelievable," said Bill Toomey, deputy superintendent of
the Pasadena-based chain, which stretches from Victorville to the South
Bay.
"In the past, we had a small influx in our summer program. Last year, we
had 10,000 additional students and this year we expect 18,000."
Toomey said OFY began receiving summer school applications as early as
February from parents who realized that their youngsters are struggling
in school and may not graduate on time. Some of the classes, he said,
are already filled.
"We plan to hire extra staff and are trying to do everything we can to accommodate them," Toomey said.
Los Angeles Unified has been whittling away at its summer school program
since the recession hit five years ago, sending California into a
financial free-fall and cutting deeply into the funding allocated to the
state's school districts.
LAUSD now has just $1 million to spend on summer school, Cortes said, compared with $42 million a few years ago.
WHEN PUT TO A TEST, TESTING CULTURE FLUNKS
Opinion By Robert Schaeffer, Atlanta Journal Constitution | http://bit.ly/JsD2w7
Monday, April 2, 2012 :: Across the U.S., the politically mandated
misuse of standardized tests is damaging public schools and the children
they serve. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of
suspicious test scores around the nation is just the latest example.
Experts may debate the methodology, but there is no question that
cheating on standardized exams is widespread. In just the past three
academic years, FairTest has documented confirmed cases of test score
manipulation in 33 states plus the District of Columbia.
These scandals are the predictable result of over-reliance on test
scores. As the renowned social scientist Donald Campbell concluded more
than 30 years ago, “The more any quantitative social indicator is used
for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption
pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social
processes it is intended to monitor.” Campbell continued, “[W]hen test
scores become the goal of the teaching process, they both lose their
value as indicators of educational status and distort the educational
process in undesirable ways.”
Testing experts have long recognized this problem. Their professional
standards for educational assessment warn against relying on tests as
the sole or primary factor to make high-stakes decisions.
Enhanced test security may reduce the number of reported problems. A
real solution, however, requires a comprehensive overhaul of federal,
state and local testing requirements. President Barack Obama, Education
Secretary Arne Duncan and many governors regularly issue high-sounding
statements about assessment reform. At the same time, the federal
government is adding incentives for cheating by ratcheting up the
emphasis on standardized exam scores.
Many state officials are going along to win federal funds. Initiatives
such as Race to the Top and the criteria for waivers from No Child Left
Behind escalate the role of annual high-stakes annual testing. New
requirements to assess teachers based on their students’ scores, in
particular, virtually guarantee even more cheating will take place.
These policies contradict the findings and recommendations of Incentives
and Test-Based Accountability in Education, released last year by the
National Research Council of the National Academies of Science. That
study’s distinguished panel of experts concluded that high-stakes
testing has not improved educational quality
Cracking down on cheating is necessary but far from sufficient. The
reports by the Georgia Office of Special Investigators should be a
national model of “best practices” for detecting and responding to
testing irregularities. Unfortunately, educational bureaucrats may have
vested interests in protecting current policies and personnel.
Comprehensive reviews by independent law enforcement professionals are
often necessary. Combined with the full range of forensic detection
tools — including analyses for high numbers of erasures, unusual score
gains and patterns of similar responses — this approach has proved most
likely to root out the truth.
More policing and better after-the-fact investigations will not,
however, solve the many problems caused by the misuse of standardized
exam scores. Instead, high-stakes testing requirements must end. They
cheat students out of a high-quality education and cheat the public out
of accurate information about school quality.
Robert Schaeffer is public education director for FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
Two Articles: NEW LAUSD BOARD DISTRICT MAP APPROVED
L.A. CITY COUNCIL APPROVES NEW SCHOOL DISTRICT MAPS
—Howard Blume, LA Times | http://lat.ms/JCuyS8
April 25, 2012 | 2:25 pm :: The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday
approved new maps for school board seats that closely resemble the
current seven districts.
Overall, the maps will keep together more neighborhood elementary and
middle schools and the high schools they feed into. In District 5,
school board member Bennett Kayser will have more familiar territory to
represent, while in District 2, school board President Monica Garcia
will add Garfield High to her boundaries.
The maps determine the voting areas for the sprawling Los Angeles
Unified School District, the nation’s second largest. They also
establish which board member a student, parent or district employee
would seek out about an issue at a particular school. Boundaries must be
adjusted, as needed, every 10 years to account for population shifts.
Leading up to the vote, City Council members and staff raised concerns
about maps that had come forward from an appointed redistricting
commission. These concerns included the separation of Marshall High in
Los Feliz from some of the schools and neighborhoods that feed into it.
The thorniest issue emerged from the proposed maps for District 5 and
District 2, which together stretch across central Los Angeles as well as
east and northeast of downtown, before dipping down into the cities of
Southeast L.A. County.
A coalition of Eastside activists supported the map that emerged from
the appointed commission. They praised it for uniting El Sereno, East
L.A., Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights in Garcia’s District 2.
In past elections, “the collective Eastside voice has been diluted since
some of our struggling schools are mixed in with schools that face
different barriers in terms of academic opportunities,” said Maria
Brenes, executive director of InnerCity Struggle, an Eastside nonprofit
group. Brenes spoke at a Wednesday morning hearing of the Council’s
Rules and Elections Committee, which preceded the council vote.
But this consolidation was achieved by reworking District 5 in a way
that split a half-dozen attendance areas among three board districts,
said city mapping consultant Dave Ely. The city attorney’s office added
there were concerns about whether the new maps could be legally defended
if challenged under the federal Voting Rights Act. That law enumerates
many rules for drawing up election maps. They include keeping
“communities of interest” together, ensuring appropriate representation
of minorities and ethnic groups, and responding to community input.
As a result, revised maps emerged Wednesday, when they were unveiled publicly for the first time.
One change embodied no controversy. Board of Education members Tamar
Galatzan and Steve Zimmer both wanted the old north-south border between
their districts restored.
To address the Eastside, city staff and consultants recommended one of
two options — neither of which was the final commission-approved map.
One option was an earlier commission map that had undergone extensive
public review. But the second option — the newly revised map — carried
the day. It restored much of the prior District 2 and District 5
boundaries.
In District 5, Kayser called the Council’s revisions a step in the right
direction. His district still retains an odd shape: a north and south
lump connected by a thin line, but that thin line will largely coincide
with its current location, along the eastern boundary of L.A. Unified.
He also will represent the Marshall High attendance area.
In District 2, Garcia had been a main beneficiary of the
commission-approved map. But in the version favored by the City Council,
she retained one gain that she wanted: Garfield High.
Brenes, generally an ally of Garcia, said the latest compromise improved
somewhat over the status quo because more of the Eastside will be
united, but not as much as her community wanted. She wasn’t certain at
Wednesday’s meeting whether her own El Sereno residence had landed in
District 2 or District 5.
Also at the meeting was a small contingent that disagreed with Brenes
and wanted Garfield High to remain in District 5, represented by Kayser.
The latest revision passed in City Council by a vote of 9-2. Voting no were Bernard Parks and Jan Perry.
For starters, they objected to the process that had resulted in the
commission’s original recommendation. The commissioners, they noted, had
approved a map that arrived to them by email at 2 a.m. on the same day
as their final vote.
In an interview, Parks said the final amended map was an improvement
over the commission’s choice, but “I could not vote for a map that has
not been vetted by the public.”
“I don’t have a preference for a map,” Perry said. “I have process
concerns when I hear reports that people were drawing maps based on what
assets people wanted in their districts as opposed to keeping
neighborhoods intact.”
Perry and Parks have also criticized the separate, city redistricting
process, which resulted in major changes affecting areas they represent.
L.A. COUNCIL APPROVES NEW POLITICAL DISTRICTS FOR LAUSD BOARD
By Rick Orlov Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/I8o3kL
4/25/2012 06:42:01 PM PDT :: Making only minor changes to high school
boundaries, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved new
political districts for the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education.
The 9-2 vote will allow the new boundaries to be in place for the 2013
school board elections. Council members Bernard Parks and Jan Perry
opposed the proposal.
The new maps resolve earlier complaints over how Marshall High School
and its feeder schools were divided, taking out a substantial portion of
the area represented by school board member Bennett Kayser.
"It was a major problem and I think we went a long way to keep that area
together," said Councilman Tom LaBonge, who chairs the council's Rules
and Election Committee that oversaw the maps proposed by a citizens
redistricting commission.
Parks and Perry said they were concerned that the citizens panel ignored
an alternative map offered by a member of the public, comparing it the
City Council redistricting process that sparked similar complaints.
"It's a lot like the process we had here and how South Los Angeles was
affected," Perry said, referring to dramatic changes made to her own
council district.
However, the new school district maps drew praise from one of the
panel's commissioners, Jimmie Woods Gray, who also had earlier
complained about how the final maps were presented.
"I am glad to see you listened to the community and the parents," Gray
said. "I think you have met the needs of the community and kept the
Marshall community together."
Kayser, who had served on the city's Elected Charter Reform Commission
and included a provision requiring that high schools and their feeder
schools are kept together, said he was pleased with the new map.
"After all the drama and trauma, the `new' LAUSD Board District 5 is
basically the district I ran for and won just nine months ago," Kayser
said. "All I can say is, it's great to be back and I am thrilled for the
chance to continue serving the very people who have placed their trust
in me."
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not neccessariily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE DEBATE REIGNITED BY NEW LOS ANGELES
DATA: By Susan Ferriss, iWatch News: The Center for Public... http://bit.ly/IJuxui
GRANADA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL WINS NATIONAL ACADEMIC DECATHLON: Granada Hills (again) wins Academic Decathlon By Ha... http://bit.ly/Jdm40L
MIRAMONTE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ARE STILL HOLED UP ON AN EMPTY CAMPUS LEARNING HOW TO KNIT AND SEW | 2 stories + v... http://bit.ly/IFrjYE
ONE IN THREE AMERICANS FAIL IMMIGRANT NATURALIZATION CIVICS TEST: Xavier University's Center for the Study of th... http://bit.ly/Kau05Y
LAUSD LOWERS GRADUATION BAR: By Elly Weinstock, University High School Wildcat from http://my.hsj.org | ht... http://bit.ly/J2e3f4
Top-Ed: WEEKLY UPDATE ON EDUCATION IN THE CAPITOL: By Kathryn Baron, Thoughts on Public Education | http://bit.l... http://bit.ly/Ka6t4V
BRITISH INSPECTORS GO “BEYOND SPREADSHEETS” TO SCORE SCHOOL SUCCESS: By Marc Maloney, PACE from SI&A Cabinet ... http://bit.ly/J1TAXD
CALIFORNIA’S EARLY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM: ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND THE OBSTACLES TO SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION:... http://bit.ly/JLpwDL
EG PANEL MOVES AGAINST BROWN’S CHARTER AGENDA, SHOWDOWN LOOMING: By Tom Chorneau, School Innovations & Advocacy... http://bit.ly/J1xHb2
L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS TO LET OUT 3 DAYS EARLY; SCHEDULE DETAILS: By Tami Abdollah/KPCC | http://bit.ly/IxWBfO ... http://bit.ly/J1qgAx
POLLS SHOW SUPPORT LACKING ON TAXES TO FUND LAUSD: KTLA News | http://bit.ly/IXmx6q ... http://bit.ly/IwSCRJ
[Esc] LAUSD NAMES 10 TO LEAD ITS NEW REGIONAL OFFICES: By Daily News | http://bit.ly/IxMhVb 4/26/2012 09:06:10... http://bit.ly/J0UL9N
SERIOUS THREAT TO SCHOOL MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAMS: by e-mail from Medicaid in Schools | http://bit.ly/I... http://bit.ly/IA9o5u
U P D A T E D WITH MAP!: L.A. CITY COUNCIL APPROVES NEW SCHOOL DISTRICT MAPS — http://bit.ly/K0PCBE
B-Mad: BOARD MEMBER ACTION DAY ON FRIDAY JUNE 1: …where will the LAUSD Board of Ed be? smf: LAUSD and the LAUS... http://bit.ly/K0Lzp0
May 23, 2012: HEALTHY YOU, HEALTHY STUDENTS WEBINAR: from the dairy council of california April 18, 2012 Join... http://bit.ly/IRMk0C
MUD BARON PLANTS WHAT HE PREACHES: By MARY MACVEAN, Los Angeles Times …but from the Kansas City Star! | http://b... http://bit.ly/IDSvVX
WHEN PUT TO A TEST, TESTING CULTURE FLUNKS: Opinion By Robert Schaeffer, Atlanta Journal Constitution | http://b... http://bit.ly/IcD6dD
LAUSD BACKTRACKS ON MANDATORY COLLEGE PREP: The 2005 plan to mandate that incoming freshman be required to pass ... http://bit.ly/JQCfj1
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO REAUTHORIZE PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT: Administration is investing $1 b... http://bit.ly/JsyYfk
Mónica García: LAUSD SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT TARGET OF RECALL / LANZAN CAMPAÑA PARA DESTITUIR A LA PRESIDENTA DE ... http://bit.ly/JxpH4k
Academia Semillas del Pueblo: CULTURAL SCHOOL’S CHARTER RENEWED DESPITE QUESTIONS: By Gloria Angelina Castillo, ... http://bit.ly/IbK5U7
SPELLING KOUNTS –or- ROBBING THE CRADLE OF ®EFORM: from School Board President Mónica García’s e-newsletter of 23 April ... http://bit.ly/Jwc2KE
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress,
senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find
your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Brown: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these
thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!.
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