In This Issue:
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REMARKS AT THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR 9th STREET SCHOOL |
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Ed Week: THE WEEK THAT WAS, WASN’T …OR COULD’VE BEEN |
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The view from The Times: DEASY, LAUSD AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE |
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LAUSD BOARD SET TO TACKLE iPAD PROJECT ON TUESDAY MORNING + Staff Report to Board |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not necessarily 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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4LAKids sends its best wishes and hopes and prayers
for a speedy recovery to Calabasas High School Theater Arts teacher
Brian Ludmer who was wounded in terminal three at LAX on Friday morning.
Get well, get better and get back to work. Stat.
______________
A 4LAKids reader – a teacher – writes me, disagreeing with my opinion
that the recent “is-he-or-isn’t-he quitting/leaving/fired?” brouhaha
about Superintendent Deasy – and the resultant and well-played October
Surprise – was essentially an adult issue with adults fighting with
other adults over their adult agendas:
“I disagree that it is mostly an adult issue. It may be for some. But
Deasy has been very bad for the children in this district, despite the
hype of his supporters. I can see it in the schools—a culture where all
that matters is test scores—that is an environment where children are
just pawns for the test scores of the adults—Deasy wanting to brag about
his scores, principals desperate to show good test scores for their
schools, teachers very worried about the scores for their classes, how
they will look in the LA Times, how it will affect their evaluations,
etc. In such an environment the welfare of the children becomes of
secondary concern (of course a good teacher will still hold that
primary, but the pressure is very strong to only worry about their
scores), and the children become pawns for the adults scores.
“Deasy’s reign has been very negative for the children of LAUSD.
Therefore it is an issue very much about children, whether he stays or
goes. In letting themselves be pressured by the PR machines of
billionaires, the majority of the LAUSD school board did a major
disservice to the children of the district on Tuesday. This issue is
about children, first and foremost. The press never mentioned any of
that though.”
Well said.
From the LA Times [Oct 10, 2012 | http://lat.ms/16VDlLG]:
“Deasy has made high expectations the central tenet of that campaign
[to improve L.A.'s public schools]. Too little is expected, he says, of
the district's poor and minority students. They can achieve at high
levels if we don't settle; if we push and encourage and challenge them.”
smf: Those “too little” expectations that so concern Dr. Deasy set
“Proficient or above” as the passing grade/the bar for ALL LAUSD
students - including the poor and minority ones. By extension
proficient-or-above is the standard Deasy himself has set for teachers
and administrators – for everyone with what Deasy calls “the privilege
of working with our kids”.
Yet “satisfactory’ is a passing grade for the superintendent’s
evaluation? …with satisfactory graded on a very low curve (see: L.A.
Schools Improved, But Deasy Fell Short of Ambitious Goals | http://bit.ly/16VXa0l). What is “satisfactory” anyway? A low C? A high D? And that earns him another year on his contract?
BUT HOW DO WE MOVE ONWARD FROM HERE? …stuck in the mud of finger
pointing and recrimination – “Who voted how in the secret meeting?” –-
to where we need to be: Educating Children – without wasting time and
effort in posturing and putting our toes on the tape marks and saying
things in convenient sound bytes about how our policy+vision is better
than their policy+vision?
That is a rhetorical question of course – but I have an answer. And a theme for this Sunday sermon.
When we play on the playgrounds of children we must follow the rules
about fairness and kindness and empathy – the mindfulness - that we
insist they follow.
ON TUESDAY MORNING, before the last act of the October Surprise played
out, there was a ribbon cutting for a brand new school. Dr. Deasy was
there. Monica Garcia was there. I was there – and we shared a speakers’
platform and we celebrated our small roles and LAUSD’s and the
community’s huge success in building the right school in the right place
for the right kids – and we celebrated the success of the parents and
kids and teachers and community members who shared a beautiful and
joyous event – and of our shared expectations of the bright future to
come.
The new 9th Street School itself was a political compromise – a designed
collocation of a traditional elementary school and a charter middle
school – but in collaboration with the community where the community is
an equal partner involved from the get-go. And the vision of the
principal who dared dream the impossible dream eleven years ago – a
dream completely outside-the-box....and then saw it through - was never
compromised.
That’s how we do it. We move into the future one day, one child, one
classroom, one school at a time. Not sequentially …but together in
unison. The youngster and the moment and the dream and the hard work –
in harmony.
All together. Now!
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
REMARKS AT THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR 9th STREET SCHOOL
Tues, Oct 29, 2013 by smf
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: look around you. Look at this
beautiful new school; this community has worked hard for this school.
This community has needed this school. This may well be the most
important and the best new school in the LAUSD school construction
program. Built upon a partnership where the most important partner is
the community.
But I want to talk about another school.
A school that stood on this site and served this community. A little
school in a bunch of bungalows stuck on a block in the middle of mean
streets in the inner city. Surrounded by transient hotels and sweat
shops; smack dab in the middle of poverty and homelessness and need and –
at first glance – hopelessness.
But when you scratched the surface 9th Street School was a hopeful
place. Parents brought their kids here so they would learn and thrive
and prosper. So they could be safe. Little 9th Street School opened
early in the morning and closed late at night. It taught kids and kept
them safe. It fed them – some three meals a day. There were
before-school programs and after-school programs. There were summer
programs and vacation programs because this community needed those
things and the principal and the staff and the teachers knew that and
saw that those things happened. For the students of 9th Street this
school wasn’t the center of their community – it was the center of their
lives.
One day the principal of 9th Street came to the Facilities Committee and
invited us to come visit her school. I remember that day well – it was
June 18, 2002 – eleven years, four months and eleven days ago - and I
remember that principal well, she was Eleanor Vargas Page.
We came and visited along with Board President Huizar and saw the
thriving program, we witnessed the success …and we saw the need. Some of
the newspaper articles say there was nothing here, just bungalows and a
flagpole – but the truth was there was a school here. There were
students learning and teachers teaching; it had a library – in a
bungalow – the collection given by Denny Smith and the Times Foundation.
It was a good school – and Principal Vargas Page told us how great it
could be with real buildings and a cafeteria and multipurpose room and a
real library and a playground – like other schools have. Ms. Vargas
Page wasn’t the type to take to take No for an answer from anyone - and
we quietly resolved to do what we could do.
It wasn’t easy, because 9th Street School technically wasn’t
overcrowded. It didn’t send kids away on buses. Technically it wasn’t
needy – but it needed a lot.
There aren’t a lot of voters in this community; there isn’t a lot taxes
collected. There aren’t any rich people making the noise they make. It’s
an easy community to ignore – unless your most important constituents
are children.
When the voters and taxpayers voted for new schools and to fix old
schools they hadn’t specifically addressed 9th Street – but it was
obvious that making 9th Street whole was exactly what the voters and
taxpayers wanted because 9th Street is a neighborhood school. Making it
whole was the right thing to do.
The Bond Oversight Committee told Superintendent Romer about 9th Street,
about the hard working parents and the homeless families. We told
legislators and councilmen. Led by Principal Vargas Page’s quiet
perseverance and by Boardmember Huizar and later by Boardmember Garcia
and Councilmember Huizar the deal was made. It was a difficult and
complicated and novel and hardworking deal -- like the community this
school serves. What started as the vision of a principal and some
parents and teachers was designed and financed and built. Outside the
box.
But when you scratch the surface it’s that same great school – in new
buildings and with a new flagpole – under new leadership – but always
and forever 9th Street School, teaching and keeping kids safe. Ever
hopeful – a small but vital monument to the dedicated few who would
change and enlighten a small corner of the world. The only ones who ever
do.
You young people: Be good to each other. Learn good things. Play fair
and be safe. Do the right thing even when it’s not the easy thing. And
follow your dreams until they are real. Like 9th Street School.
Ed Week: THE WEEK THAT WAS, WASN’T …OR COULD’VE BEEN
►GET ME REWRITE: DEASY STORY EVOLVES IN L.A. TIMES
By Mark Walsh in Education Week | Education and the Media - Education Week http://bit.ly/18NARtm
Wed, October 30, 2013 3:46 PM :: It's been five days of ferment in Los
Angeles over the future of John Deasy, the superintendent of the L.A.
Unified School District. It began, at least publicly, with a story on
the Web site of the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 24, headlined "L.A.
schools Supt. John Deasy to Resign."
The uncertainty ended late Tuesday, when after a lengthy closed-door
evaluation before the Los Angeles school board, the district's general
counsel announced that Deasy had received a "satisfactory" performance
evaluation and that his contract had been extended until February 2016.
Deasy had brief remarks after yesterday's close-door evaluation that
there was an "excellent and honest conversation on building the rapport
to work together so that we can continue to lift youth out of poverty,"
as the Times quoted him.
For more on yesterday's news, see my colleague Lesli Maxwell's report
(following). My purpose with this post is to unravel some of the
elements that went into the L.A. Times' original item that said Deasy
was resigning, and what happened after that.
"Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy has told Board of Education
members that he plans to resign in February, according to high-level
district officials, including some who asked not to be named," Times
reporter Howard Blume reported in that post, which was published about
6:30 p.m. Pacific time on Oct. 24. "The reaction from the office of
board President Richard Vladovic left little doubt. 'We are shocked,'
said Mike Trujillo, a spokesman. 'Dr. Vladovic is shocked, saddened and
surprised.'"
Within minutes, bloggers such as Diane Ravitch, a Deasy critic, and Alexander Russo, were spreading the news on Twitter.
By 10 p.m. Pacific time that same day, Blume had spoken to Deasy, and
the Times published a much toned-down report suggesting that the
superintendent "may leave in coming months."
"Deasy declined to discuss his intentions Thursday evening, saying that
he has not submitted a letter of resignation and that he would have more
to say after his job evaluation Tuesday," Blume wrote in the later
story, which also appeared in print in the next day's paper.
On a reporters roundup-type discussion on radio station KCRW the next day, [http://bit.ly/HyqhRi] Blume explained the evolution of the stories.
The original report was based on an off-the-record tip and confirmed by the response from Vladovic's office, Blume suggested.
Blume apparently later reached Deasy, who "was very polite and he was
kind enough to return my call," the reporter said on the radio show. "He
would only say that 'I have not submitted a letter of resignation,' and
I presume that's true, but of course that didn't address the question."
"We had an on-the-record source who sort of changed the version of
events over the course of the evening," Blume continued. "That
absolutely required us to change the story. We felt it would be
irresponsible to do otherwise."
He suggested that Vladovic's office changed its tune, saying the shock,
sadness, and surprise that had been expressed earlier was about the
rumor of Deasy leaving, not about any actual knowledge the office had of
the superintendent's plans.
"We had some off-the-record confirmation," Blume added on KCRW, "but we
didn't feel that was strong enough to leave the story intact if our
on-the-record source from the head of the board of education was
reflecting and modifying the response, so we modified the story."
Blume made a similar point in a Web chat on the L.A. Times site on Monday.
"It seemed like you had to dial back your story from Thursday night - what happened?" a participant asked.
"That's true," Blume said. "We had on-the-record confirmation from
Vladovic's office and strong of- record confirmation. But then
Vladovic's office pulled back. I don't think they wanted to get too far
in front of this."
It was clear that Deasy had been thinking of leaving, amid shifting
support for the superintendent, and controversies including a troubled
rollout of a $1 billion iPad program for students. The Times reported
today that Deasy had met with Vladovic last Friday and proposed
resigning in February and staying on as a consultant. But over the
weekend, community support for keeping Deasy grew, and speakers in the
public portion of Tuesday's board meeting overwhelmingly supported him.
So, as Alexander Russo put it in a post on his This Week in Education blog today, "What just happened here?"
Russo suggested there were two possible sources for the original leak:
Deasy himself, "to scare the board into keeping him,"; or board
president Vladovic's office, "to try and create momentum around an early
Deasy departure."
The LA School Report, an independent Web site that covers the L.A.
Unified district, seemed to take some delight in chiding the Times with a
posting, "Story of Deasy Media Frenzy in 15 Tweets," that said the
much-larger rival's story "wasn't quite true."
A Los Angeles Times spokesman originally offered me an interview with
Blume (and forwarded me his KCRW interview), but then said Blume was
busy with followup reporting until much later tonight at the earliest.
Of course, this wasn't exactly "Dewey Defeats Truman." But the episode
demonstrates the competitive pressures facing news organizations in the
deadline-every-minute era of Web news.
___________
►JOHN DEASY TO STAY IN L.A. AFTER BOARD RENEWS CONTRACT
By Lesli A. Maxwell District Dossier - Education Week http://bit.ly/1aS7yKY
Tues, October 29, 2013 10:08 PM :: Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy is staying put.
After days of intense speculation that the hard-charging superintendent
was about to resign or be forced out, the school board decided behind
closed doors tonight to extend his contract through 2016.
The board—which has increasingly been challenging Deasy's agenda since
two new members were elected last spring—also gave the superintendent a
satisfactory performance review.
It was a bizarre ending to a feverish five days since the Los Angeles
Times first reported that Deasy was planning to step down early next
year. Deasy did little to tamp down the drama by telling reporters only
that he had not submitted a letter of resignation.
The possibility that Deasy might be on his way out prompted a major
public relations campaign by business, civic, and philanthropic leaders
who wrote letters and released statements warning that the school board
was risking the future of the more than 670,000 students in the L.A.
district if it let Deasy resign or pushed him out.
Earlier today, after hearing one hour of public testimony that was
overwhelmingly in favor of keeping Deasy as schools chief, the
seven-member board retreated to a nearly five-hour-long closed session
to decide the superintendent's fate.
Once board members emerged, Richard Vladovic, the board president,
announced the panel's decision before abruptly adjourning the meeting.
According to local media, neither Deasy nor board members commented on
the decision.
Now maybe Deasy will stay on track to last longer than three years, a
feat that the previous two superintendents did not achieve.
The view from The Times: DEASY, LAUSD AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE
SPECULATION THAT L.A. UNIFIED SUPT. JOHN DEASY COULD
RESIGN PUTS HIS FUTURE — AND THE DISTRICT'S DIRECTION — IN DOUBT.
By Howard Blume and Teresa Watanabe | http://lat.ms/1aMXOht
October 25, 2013, 6:18 p.m. :: When John Deasy took the helm of Los
Angeles Unified in 2011, he was backed by the school board, mayor and
civic leaders in a bid to transform the nation's second-largest school
district with bold measures to improve student performance.
Now Deasy's future — along with the district's direction — is in doubt
at a critical point. L.A. Unified is facing new academic standards,
major budget decisions and a massive iPad technology project.
On Thursday, just days before his scheduled performance review by a new,
less supportive school board, the school chief told some top officials
that he might step down. That, in turn, provoked strong warnings from
civic leaders Friday to end what one called the "amateur hour" of
political infighting that could endanger progress for students.
"I think the adults at the school district, across the board, need to
remember that there are kids who are the collateral damage to any loss
of leadership, any loss of momentum, and any dysfunction and fighting,"
Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
Garcetti added that the district had moved "in the right direction"
under Deasy by continuing progress in lowering dropout rates, improving
test scores and completing school construction projects.
Deasy, 52, remained tight-lipped Friday, saying he would not comment on
his future until after Tuesday's performance review. He has said he
hoped to stay eight years because continuity was essential for lasting
change. He noted that his evaluation marked a key juncture.
"I am going to do everything in my human power to model dignity," he said. "Kids watch this. That is going to be my guideline."
In recent months, Deasy has struggled with a more combative teachers union and a more challenging school board.
Amid the tension, Deasy's second-in-command, Deputy Supt. Jaime Aquino,
submitted his resignation last month after complaining that the board's
second-guessing and micromanagement made it virtually impossible to
function.
Robert Ross, president of the California Endowment, the state's largest
healthcare foundation, said he was aware of the tensions but was "taken
aback" by news of Deasy's possible resignation. While he said Deasy
needed to work harder to forge more collaborative relationships with the
teachers union and school board, he gave Deasy an "A-plus" for boosting
student achievement and health with efforts to improve school nutrition
and campus safety.
"On behalf of the children, people have to figure out a way to make
things work," Ross said. "We adults need to improve our behavior."
At the same time, however, Deasy fell short — in some cases far short —
of most of this year's performance goals for student achievement in
reading and math.
United Teachers Los Angeles said it welcomed the possibility of new
leadership. In April, 91% percent of 17,500 members polled responded
that they had "no confidence" in Deasy's leadership.
News of Deasy's possible resignation surfaced this week, when some
district insiders said Deasy talked of leaving in February. But Deasy
said he has not submitted a letter of resignation.
What actually transpired between Deasy and other top district officials is still unknown.
Board President Richard Vladovic said he had spoken with Deasy multiple
times over two days. "I think the clouds will clear more on Tuesday once
we all hear the same things," he said.
Deasy's growing frustration has been evident for months. He failed to
win support from the union for his revamped teacher evaluations and had
to settle for a reduced role for the use of test results in the reviews.
His recommendations to use new state education dollars to close a budget
gap and to boost pay based on test scores and other factors met
resistance. Some board members instead are pushing to hire more teachers
and others to restore staffing to pre-recession levels.
And Deasy's $1-billion initiative to equip all students and teachers with iPads has encountered numerous problems.
Board member Steve Zimmer said he believed the iPad deal had serious
flaws but supported the concept and did not see the challenges as
fatally undermining Deasy's position.
"John Deasy has one of the most remarkable work ethics I've ever seen,"
Zimmer said. "And I've seen no fracture in his drive, his urgency."
Board member Bennett Kayser, a frequent Deasy critic, could not be
reached Friday, but his office issued a brief statement that all but
anticipated the superintendent's departure.
"I met with Superintendent Deasy yesterday," the statement said. "I wish
him well in his future ventures. We shall continue to remain focused on
what is best for our students."
One senior official expressed disappointment over Deasy's possible exit but put much responsibility on the superintendent.
"Is he the kind of guy who would up and leave because the iPad program
is under scrutiny? I hope not. When the going gets tough, the tough get
going. I don't think that means out the door," the official said.
"There's a lot of amateur hour stuff going on," said a civic leader who
didn't want to be publicly identified for criticizing the board. "It
seems like a lot of adults are acting like kids."
Elise Buik, president of United Way of Greater Los Angeles, said
community members are expected to pack the board meeting Tuesday to
support Deasy. On Friday, United Way and 10 other organizations issued a
letter to school board members urging them to retain Deasy and accusing
some of "putting your own political agendas ahead of students' needs."
"After all of the progress that has been made, it is simply unacceptable
to turn back to the failed policies of the past," the letter said.
●●smf’s 2¢: …maybe the CLASS letter, referred to above, could accuse
board members of “putting your own political agendas ahead of our
political agendas"? Ya think?
LAUSD BOARD SET TO TACKLE iPAD PROJECT ON TUESDAY MORNING + Staff Report to Board
By Barbara Jones, Los Angeles Daily News |http://bit.ly/1faCk2E
Posted: 10/31/13, 6:46 PM PDT :: The Los Angeles Unified board will
delve into the district’s controversial iPad project — everything from
curriculum and keyboards to infrastructure and electricity — during a
special meeting on the $1 billion plan set for Tuesday.
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the board will hear from officials including
Bernadette Lucas, director of the Common Core Technology Project, about
the lessons learned during the first phase of the iPad program and the
district’s long-range plans for equipping all 600,000 students with
computer tablets.
“We look forward to working with board members to develop a path forward
to provide our students with the technology they need to excel in the
classroom and succeed in their careers,” Lucas said Thursday.
Lucas and others will take the board through the iPad project with the help of a 99-page report posted at lausd.net.
With little discussion, the board approved a $30 million contract in
June to buy iPads for kids and teachers at 47 schools. But the creation
of a technology committee — and stubborn questions about security, cost,
instructional materials and parental responsibility — have prompted a
more thorough review as the board prepares to award contracts for the
next phase of the project.
Officials in the technology project worry about any delay in the
timetable since the tablet computers will be needed for the new Common
Core math and English standards taking effect next fall, and an online
system of state assessments that will be required in spring 2015.
Already, criticism that the district’s distribution plan was too
ambitious prompted Superintendent John Deasy to propose extending the
completion deadline by one year, to December 2015.
Officials have previously said the district is paying $767 for each
iPad, although it turns out that’s the price after LAUSD buys 500,000 of
the tablets and gets a volume discount. That price, and the selection
of Pearson Education Inc., to provide the instructional software for the
project, are among the areas board member Steve Zimmer plans to
explore.
“I believe in this concept absolutely,” Zimmer said Thursday. “But I
draw a bright line between the concept and the contract. The questions
I’ll be asking will be to make sure we have the best contract to match
the aspiration of the concept.”
According to a five-year plan that will be part of Tuesday’s discussion,
the district anticipates spending about $14 million on iPad keyboards,
which officials have said were not part of the original purchase because
the devices cost too much.
Officials also estimate they’ll have to spend more than $366 million to
install Wi-Fi networks at 1,000 schools and that electric bills will
jump $400,000 to $600,000 annually beginning next year in order to power
the networks.
And anticipating that the iPads will wear out after three years, there’s
a plan to “refresh” the devices beginning in 2016-17. There’s a
schedule to replace one-third of the iPads each year at a cost of $200
to $400 each, although that price doesn’t include the cost of
educational software.
The district hopes to use bond revenue to pay for those replacements,
but also suggests setting aside $100 per student every year to pay for
new technology.
Tuesday’s meeting is expected to include a discussion of the project’s
first phase, including an informal survey of administrators and teachers
at the 47 schools that was conducted by their labor unions. The poll
was taken in conjunction with board member Monica Ratliff, who chairs
the committee studying the iPad issue.
According to the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles survey, 76
percent of principals thought the rollout had gone very or moderately
well, and 40 percent felt very prepared to integrate iPads into their
lesson plans.
Results of the United Teachers Los Angeles poll will be released on Tuesday, a spokeswoman said.
Security has been one of the primary concerns in the first phase. Some
300 high school students erased security filters on their iPads so they
could access Facebook and other unauthorized websites.
There are also worries about storing the iPads overnight at school, and about the loss or theft of the devices.
According to the district, none of the 25,000 iPads distributed during
the rollout have been lost, although four teachers and two teachers have
reported their devices stolen. A management system installed on the
iPads enables officials to track the tablets and make them inoperable.
That technology was not installed on iPads used during pilot tests conducted last year.
Los Angeles Unified Police Chief Steve Zipperman said Thursday that 61
iPads issued last year remain unaccounted for — 59 at the Valley Academy
of the Arts and Sciences in Granada Hills and two at Cesar Chavez
Learning Academy in San Fernando. Zipperman said the units are
considered lost, not stolen, as there was no evidence of a break-in or
other crime. The iPads were checked out by students during the day and
stored on carts overnight, he said.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, STEVE ZIMMER? OUR DISTRICT TURNS
IT'S LONELY EYES TO YOU: Julie Tran writes in a commentary to posting
in Diane Ravitch’s blog + Zimmer video. | http://bit.ly/19oKu69
CALIFORNIA, FEDERAL EDUCATION OFFICIALS MUST FIND COMMON GROUND ON SUSPENSION OF TESTING: San Jose Mercury New... http://bit.ly/1aUBEgO
THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF LAUSD’S FINANCES + (there’s no accounting for) smf’s 2¢: by Richard J. Riordan and Tim Rutten... http://bit.ly/1aSRoPJ
LAUSD BOARD SET TO TACKLE iPAD PROJECT ON TUESDAY MORNING + Staff Report to Board: By Barbara Jones, Los Angel... http://bit.ly/16WeqaU
SUPT. DEASY’S STYLE COULD MAKE OR BREAK HIS LEGACY IN L.A. UNIFIED: Supt. John Deasy must pair strong leadersh... http://bit.ly/1aRNYwp
TWEET: "Even supporters of @Common_Core admit it is geared to prepare children only for community-college-level studies.” http://bit.ly/19Zl1iR
CATHOLIC SCHOLARS BLAST COMMON CORE IN LETTER TO U.S. BISHOPS: “…this “reform” is really a r... http://bit.ly/19nfjYW
PATRENA SHANKLING, THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER DR. DEASY FIRED: In her own words + more: https://pbs.twimg.com/medi ... http://bit.ly/1e3CQS7
TWEET: #LAUSD iPADS / @COMMON_CORE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT SCHOOL BOARD PRESENTATION - Rescheduled to November 5, 2013 - 8:30 AM http://bit.ly/HlPe1O
L.A. SCHOOLS IMPROVED, BUT DEASY FELL SHORT OF AMBITIOUS GOALS: Supt. John Deasy, whose annual review will be ... http://bit.ly/1cyNix8
LAUSD IS STILL WAITING FOR ‘SUPERMAN’: by Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D. | EURweb | http://bit.ly/1fagMTy O... http://bit.ly/16VxfuP
Principals Union: iPAD ROLLOUT SURVEY GENERALLY YIELDS POSITIVE RESULTS: from The Associated Administrators of... http://bit.ly/1culXwc
Thieves steal 62 parent-purchased iPads and laptops from San Jose school | http://bit.ly/1hx3cMn
COST OF CALIFORNIA DEFIANCE IN CANCELLING TESTS? At least $15 million; maybe $3.5 billion+: Feds set price of ... http://bit.ly/1aLB3y5
LEADERS CALL FOR DEASY, LAUSD BOARD TO WORK TOGETHER: By Barbara Jones, Los Angeles Daily News | http:... http://bit.ly/1aLB3y1
Scott Folsom @4LAKids 31 Oct
TWEET: BOARD MEETING AGENDA: 8:30 AM Nov. 5 (Guy Fawkes Day) – SPECIAL COMMON CORE TECHNOLOGY PLAN DISCUSSION: The hi... http://bit.ly/1dtPhUA
TWEET from @howardblume: No superintendent crisis today so far in L.A. And the weather is fine.
Howard is right!! -smf
smf TWEETS: Re: @DrDeasyLAUSD - Following Thumper's father's excellent advice 4LAKids has nothing to say. For now.
Retweet w/o comment: @LADNschools: Deasy stays, gets a satisfactory performance review. His contract is extended thru 2016
smf TWEETS (getting it WRONG in 140 characters or less at 3:49 PM - 29 Oct 13): Deasy's gone. The deal is complicated.
smf TWEETS: Rumor has it that Obama administration has been working the board of Ed on behalf of @DrDeasyLAUSD
@LADNschools TWEETS: Momentum builds for retaining @DrDeasyLAUSD as #LAUSD chief - http://www.dailynews.com/social-affairs/20131028/momentum-builds-for-retaining-deasy-as-lausd-chief …
smf TWEETS: What can you say after you say "What can you say?" Board
member Steve Zimmer previews Tuesday's #LAUSD meeting for @LADNschools. http://www.tout.com/m/htjdzy
¡ZOMBIE iPODCALYPSE AT BEAUDRY!: Undead Man Walking – Halloween Party in the Superintendent’s Office on Oct 31... http://bit.ly/1aCvCRT
Retweet: @howardblume: New L.A. Unified board agenda includes notice of possible separation agreement with Supt. Deasy.
smf TWEETS: CLASS call to Save @JohnDeasyLAUSD ..The purpose of the
rally is "to continue policies under leadership “like that” of John
Deasy" ¿Harsh?
TEST DRIVING LA UNIFIED’S iPAD EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE: Annie Gilbertson | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.... http://bit.ly/192eULp
smf TWEETS: @LAUnitedWay+CLASS Call-In Mon Oct 28 at 8:30 AM to SAVE
@DrDeasyLAUSD They need to hear what you think! 888-204-5987 Conf Code:
6636216#
To be ….or not be” JOHN DEASY AS HAMLET IN A THIRD RATE FOURTH GRADE PRODUCTION – AND OTHER THEATRICAL REVIEW... http://bit.ly/190Duw0
IN THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT POWER STRUGGLE THE VOTERS HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN: Guest post in K-12 NewsNetwork... http://bit.ly/1ascwfc
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
Monica.Ratliff@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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