In This Issue:
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Education Matters: L.A. TIMES ANNOUNCES WEEKLY EDUCATION NEWSLETTER …what a concept! |
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BILLIONAIRES FUND EDUCATION NEWS AT LA TIMES |
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Back2School@LAUSD: A SMOOTH START …AND NOW THE HARD WORK BEGINS |
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Eric Garcetti: HERE’S HOW CITY HALL IS HELPING LOS ANGELES STUDENTS SUCCEED |
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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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Before I go into my rant: Congratulations to
everyone in LAUSD, from the superintendent to the transitional
kindergartener – and all the folks in between – who got the new school
year up and running so well and seemingly seamlessly.
I know it wasn’t easy …making it look effortless never is!
YOU HAVE TO EXCUSE ME, MY PARANOIA IS SHOWING. Maybe it’s the chemotherapy?
The headlines say it all: MAJOR CHARTER SCHOOL EXPANSION IN THE WORKS FOR L.A. UNIFIED STUDENTS - http://lat.ms/1OXmr0m
(published last week in 4LAkids] and a letter this week from the
publisher of the Los Angeles Times: A RENEWED EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION AT
THE TIMES [below + http://lat.ms/1gUrnIg]
While Times publisher Austin Beutner claims “independent journalism”
is the lofty goal, he lays out just who’s paying for all the
“independence”: Broad and Gates and Wasserman and The Waltons …oh my.
Diane Ravitch’s lead is: BILLIONAIRES FUND EDUCATION NEWS AT LA TIMES:
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, you read a story like
this.” [below] Diane goes on to note that the LA Times “Education
Matters” initiative kicks off with an Op-Ed from Arne Duncan (follows):
“Now there’s a fresh perspective!”
A 4LAKids correspondent emails: “The LA Times is myopic. Howard Blume,
who I think is a really nice guy, has been on KCRW twice in the last two
days. As usual, he made everything into a conflict between UTLA and the
school district as if no one else has an interest in public education
and might be impacting things.”
●●smf’s 2¢: With the influx of ®eform, Inc. ¢a$h I’m afraid the LA Times has moved from myopic to monoptic.
● Sunday's LA Times features a full-page ad of Beutner's letter on the
back page section one; "Education Matters: Get Some Today!"
● Los Angeles will be subjected to an avalanche of media on the
visionary civic-booster wonderfulness of Eli Broad in the months ahead
because of the opening of his Art Museum - Sunday's Times' front page
features a profile of Eyde Broad. The question is whether being a land
developer/insurance billionaire/art collector qualifies one as an expert
on public education.
Robin Lithgow, retired Director of the LAUSD Arts Education Branch writes to The Times:
“Considering the foundations supporting this effort it's unlikely you
will take my suggestions seriously, but there is one thing you could do
to gain credibility with the education community.
“The Los Angeles Times could do a serious investigation of the 50-year
history of the corporate ‘education reform’ agenda. I wish I still had
the John Birch Society pamphlet that I read in 1968 which called for the
abolition of public education. At the time I read it I thought it was
just crack-pot ideology, but I've spent 50 years as a public school
teacher and administrator and have watched wave after wave of ‘reform’
efforts through the lens of that pamphlet.
“The Los Angeles Times has a lot to answer for when you consider the
decades of attacks that have resulted in a gradual erosion of the
public's confidence in and support of our schools and our educators. It
has aligned itself with the same forces that support the
arch-conservative American Legislative Exchange Commission (ALEC). It
has been ruthlessly anti-union. It has supported the initiatives of the
Waltons, the Gates, the Broads, all of them standing to profit from
their "reform" agenda. Why should we trust you now?
“Bottomless pockets are not an indicator of wisdom when it comes to the
public education of all of our children. It is the successful veteran
educators you should be listening to.”
ROBIN, I’M LOOKING FOR THAT PAMPHLET TOO! In 1960, (John Birch Society
Founder Robert) Welch advised JBS members to “join your local PTA
[Parent Teachers Association] at the beginning of the school year, get
your conservative friends to do likewise, and go to work to take it
over. | http://bit.ly/1E4IAd3
Bob Dylan wrote a song: Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues. CBS censors
wouldn’t let him sing it on the Ed Sullivan Show. “I explained the
situation to Bob and asked him if he wanted to do something else,”
recalls Ed Sullivan Show producer Bob Precht, “and Bob, quite
appropriately, said ‘No, this is what I want to do. If I can’t play my
song, I’d rather not appear on the show.'” | http://bit.ly/1K76eGv
Well, I was feelin’ sad and feelin’ blue
I didn’t know what in the world I wus gonna do
Them Communists they wus comin’ around
They wus in the air
They wus on the ground
They wouldn’t gimme no peace . . .
So I run down most hurriedly
And joined up with the John Birch Society
I got me a secret membership card
And started off a-walkin’ down the road
Yee-hoo, I’m a real John Bircher now!
Look out you Commies!
The song’s too long for 4LAKids and too controversial for CBS, but it’s worth a listen: http://bit.ly/1LlEsYz
FYI: The Koch Brothers’ father was a founding JBS member; the current
Kochs are former members. Hippies that they are, they were opposed to
the Vietnam War (It was ‘too expensive’) which was Birch apostasy.
Of course, The School ®eform, Inc. crowd aren’t communists. They are capitalists. What could possibly go wrong?
::
From Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/1NvLGZz:
“IT WAS REVEALED IN 1999 THAT A REVENUE-SHARING ARRANGEMENT WAS IN PLACE
BETWEEN THE TIMES AND STAPLES CENTER in the preparation of a 168-page
magazine about the opening of the sports arena. (Staples is owned by
Anschutz Entertainment Group, politically to the right of Genghis Khan
with an enlightened education policy that made AEG producers of the
film: “Bad Teacher”) The magazine's editors and writers were not
informed of the agreement, which breached the Chinese wall that
traditionally has separated advertising from journalistic functions at
American newspapers. Times parent company CEO Mark Willes also had not
prevented advertisers from pressuring reporters in other sections of the
newspaper to write stories favorable to their point of view.”[ http://bit.ly/1gXWCCe].
From The LA Times Ethical Guidelines: "Staff members may not enter into
business or financial relationships with their sources. Similarly, staff
members may not cover individuals or institutions with which they have a
financial relationship."
Q: Is the publisher a staff member?
A: When all the fallout fell, Kathryn Downing, the publisher at the
Times at the time of the Staples magazine brouhaha (a lawyer with no
newspaper experience) was quickly removed. [http://bit.ly/1JmVoas ]
The “Chinese Wall” has been breached, dear friends - the gap filled-up
with pictures of dead presidents. The difference between this
“pay-to-play” and that one is that we – and The Times
journalism+editorial staff – have been informed of it.
As if we+they didn’t know all along.
::
BUT “EDUCATION MATTERS” IS NOT UNIQUE
► ABOUT EDUCATION LAB | The Seattle Times | Originally published March
24, 2015 at 10:59 am By Caitlin Moran Community engagement editor | http://bit.ly/1PA8E0y
“Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising
approaches to some of the most persistent challenges in public
education. It is produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism
Network, a New York-based nonprofit that works to spread the practice of
solutions-oriented journalism, and funded by a grant from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Since the project launched in October 2013, Seattle Times reporters
have published dozens of stories identifying and assessing promising
programs and innovations — both locally and around the country — to
problems that have long bedeviled schools.
“Engaging with our readers — and reaching education stakeholders who are
not regular Seattle Times readers — has been a focus of Education Lab
from day one. Since launch, we’ve held several community meetings with
parents, students, teachers and education advocates to gather ideas and
input. We’ve experimented with new ways to feature community voices,
including live chats, reader questionnaires and regular guest columns.
We’ve also held four large-scale public events – with more in the
planning stages. Our goal is to create a new conversation that connects
teachers, parents, students and others around innovation in schools.”
Education Lab. Education Matters. Deja vu²
….and if that’s not enough you can always worry about this timely trend:
TWO “PUFF PIECE” STORIES ABOUT PEARSON EDUCATION FROM NPR….
[bit.ly/1KAYWGS]
Lenin wrote at length about controlling the press; his “truth” became
“Izvestia”- the newspaper of the Soviet government, and Pravda (“news”)
the newspaper of the Communist Party. Goebbels perfected The Big Lie;
Vance Packard and Marshall McLuhan conflated the psychology+the
philosophy+the message+the media. Karl Rove made political news
management into an art form. Fox News is “Fair+Balanced”; so is MSNBC.
Television is reality. My favorite writer on the subject is Jerry Della
Femina …but my background is in the show-biz wonderland where Hollywood
met MadMen and the money+martinis flowed like money+martinis. If the
sex+drugs didn’t get you the coffee+doughnuts would.
Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
PS: It an old saw, but it still cuts: By the numbers: HOW TO TELL IF YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT IS INFECTED BY THE BROAD VIRUS [http://bit.ly/ByTheNos]
#39. Local newspaper fails to report on much of this.
#40. Local newspaper never mentions the words “Broad Foundation.”
#41.Broad and Gates Foundations give money to local public radio
stations which in turn become strangely silent about the presence and
influence of the Broad and Gates Foundation in your school district.
PS2: In Friday’s Federal Register there is a notification from the US
Dept. of Ed: APPLICATIONS FOR NEW AWARDS: CHARTER SCHOOLS PROGRAM:
Grants to Non-State Educational Agency Eligible Applicants for Planning,
Program Design, and Initial Implementation and for Dissemination [http://1.usa.gov/1LpOPKL] They’re from the government; they’re here to help!
Education Matters: L.A. TIMES ANNOUNCES WEEKLY EDUCATION NEWSLETTER …what a concept!
Austin Beutner: A RENEWED EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION AT THE TIMES
A letter from the publisher of the Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/1gUrnIg
18 Aug 2015
Dear Reader,
Today is the first day of school for hundreds of thousands of
children throughout Los Angeles, and for students, teachers and parents,
the occasion is cause for both excitement and trepidation.
Education, it has been said, is the soul of society, and few
institutions embody our hopes and dreams as much as our public schools.
They are the cornerstones of our communities and the foundation for our
future, where children from all backgrounds are given the tools to shape
their lives and their world.
With the start of a new school year, the Los Angeles Times is
rededicating itself to coverage of teaching and learning. Our goal is to
provide an ongoing, wide-ranging report card on K-12 education in Los
Angeles, California and the nation.
We are calling our initiative Education Matters, and I encourage you
to join us as we explore the issues that matter most to you and your
child. If you want to understand the latest debate on curriculum or
testing, find out about the role of student health in learning, study
how charter schools are changing public education or experience a
classroom from the perspective of a teacher, then Education Matters will
be an essential destination.
“The California Endowment, the Wasserman Foundation and the Baxter
Family Foundation … are providing funds to support Education Matters.
The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los
Angeles have also supported this effort with grants from the The Broad
Foundation. These institutions, like The Times, are dedicated to
independent journalism that engages and informs its readers.”
●● smf's 2¢: Wasserman… Baxter… UWofGLA… Broad…? This calls for a
very interesting interpretation of “independent journalism”.
With an expanded team of reporters, we will take a fresh approach to
our news and analysis starting with today’s stories about the unique
challenges facing LAUSD and the last year-round school in Los Angeles.
Our editorial pages feature a guest column by U.S. Education Secretary
Arne Duncan on the need for more investment in math and science
education. You will find our reports at latimes.com/schools in English
and Spanish.
In the coming months, we will convene public forums to address
topics such as educational education policy, saving for college and
talking to your child’s teacher. We intend these conversations to be
both thoughtful and practical.
The Times continues to draw more high school students to journalism
with HS Insider, available at highschool.latimes.com. And as the school
year begins, more college students will receive free access to The Times
through our College Connection program, which brings them news and
information relevant to their studies and their communities.
A child’s success in the classroom depends on the participation and
support of everyone in the community, a view shared by the California
Endowment, the Wasserman Foundation and the Baxter Family Foundation,
which are providing funds to support Education Matters. The California
Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles have also
supported this effort with grants from the The Broad Foundation. These
institutions, like The Times, are dedicated to independent journalism
that engages and informs its readers.
Your first assignment is to become involved. Read and share our
stories. Attend a discussion in your neighborhood. Sign up for our
weekly newsletter, “Education Matters.” Follow us on Twitter at
@LATEducation.
As we launch Education Matters, I look forward to hearing from you.
Please let me know how we’re doing and how we can best serve your needs.
Austin Beutner,
Publisher and CEO, Los Angeles Times
BILLIONAIRES FUND EDUCATION NEWS AT LA TIMES
By Diane Ravitch, from her blog | http://bit.ly/1Jrzw43
August 18, 2015 :: Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, you read a story like this.
It is a letter from the publisher of the Los Angeles Times informing
readers that a group of wealthy foundations are underwriting expanded
coverage of education. Not surprising to see the Eli Broad Foundation in
the mix. Former Mayor Richard Riordan is not listed but you can be sure
he is involved.
These control freaks–er, philanthropists–worry that the LAT has not provided enough space to cover this vital topic.
Publisher Austin Beutner writes:
“We are calling our initiative Education Matters, and I encourage you to
join us as we explore the issues that matter most to you and your
child. If you want to understand the latest debate on curriculum or
testing, find out about the role of student health in learning, study
how charter schools are changing public education or experience a
classroom from the perspective of a teacher, then Education Matters will
be an essential destination.
“With an expanded team of reporters, we will take a fresh approach to
our news and analysis starting with today’s stories about the unique
challenges facing LAUSD and the last year-round school in Los Angeles.
Our editorial pages feature a guest column by U.S. Education Secretary
Arne Duncan on the need for more investment in math and science
education. You will find our reports at latimes.com/schools in English
and Spanish.
“In the coming months, we will convene public forums to address topics
such as educational education policy, saving for college and talking to
your child’s teacher. We intend these conversations to be both
thoughtful and practical.”
A guest column by Arne Duncan! Now there’s a fresh perspective!
I wonder if I will ever be invited to write for the LA Times again?
● What Diane says about Diane: I am a historian of education and Research Professor of Education at New York University.
I was born in Houston, Texas, attended the Houston public schools
from kindergarten through high school, and graduated from Wellesley
College in 1960. I received my Ph.D. in the history of American
education in 1975.
I am the mother of two sons. They went to private schools in New
York City. I have four grandsons: two went to religious schools, the
third goes to public school in New York City, and the fourth will go to
the same wonderful public school in Brooklyn.
I live in Brooklyn, New York.
● More from Wikipedia: She was appointed to public office by
Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. She served as Assistant
Secretary of Education under Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander from
1991 to 1993 and his successor Richard Riley appointed her to serve as a
member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which supervises the
National Assessment of Educational Progress; she was a member of NAGB
from 1997 to 2004. From 1995 to 2005 she held the Brown Chair in
Education Studies at the Brookings Institution[
Back2School@LAUSD: A SMOOTH START …AND NOW THE HARD WORK BEGINS
By Howard Blume and Sonali Kohli |LA Times | http://lat.ms/1J3CXup
• Los Angeles, the second largest school district in the nation, went
back to school Aug. 18. Here’s the district by the numbers:
lat.ms/1LrhnDR (Warning: opens endless stream of Times videos!)
19 August 2015 :: Everyone, it seems, has an opinion about L.A. Unified.
Some critics consider the mammoth school system so hopeless that they are trying to dismantle it. Others say it's too late.
For the opening of school Tuesday, L.A. Unified presented itself as
thriving, reviving and vital. In events stretched throughout the day,
officials showcased some of its best.
El Sereno Middle School offers classes in Mandarin for its mostly Latino
students and hosts a program with USC to pay tuition for those who
graduate from high school.
"He speaks three languages," Irma Henriquez said proudly of her son,
Nelson, 13. "Imagine how many doors will open to him in the future."
At Vine Street Elementary in Hollywood, parents got the chance to
question school board President Steve Zimmer and even complain about a
few things.
Liliana Rodriguez said he needs to do something about the cafeteria lunches.
"My kids don't like to eat at school very often because the foods are frozen," Rodriguez said.
New Principal Kurt Lowry was determined to be responsive. He put in a
call to food services about the frozen or undercooked meals. And he made
a radio call to custodians when he was alerted that there was no soap
in the preschoolers' bathroom.
The district even took the media into its command center for the online
student records system that failed last year, leaving schools in chaos
with students unable to get into classes.
That program, called My Integrated Student Information System, or MISIS,
appeared to work Tuesday. Fixing it cost $133 million. An additional
$80 million was set aside for this year.
"The district is in a renaissance," said L.A. schools Supt. Ramon C.
Cortines, who took over the top job last fall. "A year ago, the opening
of school was a disaster. And I believed it could be fixed.... It's my
hope that [parents] are willing to say: 'Hey, maybe we can trust the
district again.' "
The new year finds the 650,000-student L.A. Unified School District at a
crossroads. Increased funding has restored staff and programs that were
lost during the recession; long-awaited salary increases have improved
labor relations and polarizing Supt. John Deasy resigned under pressure.
Cortines, 83, returned from retirement with a pragmatic focus: fixing
the records system and charting a path forward on technology after a
disastrous, now-abandoned effort to provide iPads to every student,
teacher and campus administrator.
But higher state funding isn't keeping up with claims on it. Many adult
school teachers were laid off and some question whether the district can
afford the pay raises.
At Jefferson High School south of downtown Tuesday, the big story was the absence of a big story.
The faulty records system generated inaccurate transcripts and miscalculated grade-point averages, among other problems.
Justin Fernandez, a junior, said the focus on Jefferson has benefited the school.
"They've put kids in the right places," he said. "I haven't seen no one
with mistakes in their schedule. And the school is getting lots of
attention."
Principal Jack Foote had been prepared for the worst, with printouts of
rosters and attendance sheets if, for example, the city of Los Angeles
suffered a major power outage.
There were minor glitches. Eleventh-grader Miguel Figueroa said he need a
more advanced Spanish class than the one he received. Another student
said he wanted ROTC as an elective but it wasn't on his schedule.
3Overall, the system functioned as it should. "It's no longer that it
doesn't work or 'I wish I could take attendance,' or, 'I wish I knew how
many students I had in my class,'" said history teacher Katherine
Harrison.
The district highlighted Cleveland High School in the west San Fernando
Valley, where the humanities magnet sends students to some of the best
colleges in the country.
At 186th Street Elementary in Gardena, teaching veteran Lisa Harmison
oversaw organized chaos. The pre-kindergarten class of 24 was split into
groups, each assigned a color, and rotated between stations.
At one, children used blocks in free play, sitting on a mat with the
alphabet on it, learning to play together to build social skills. In a
second, students worked independently, gluing together pre-cut pieces of
paper to make an owl, the school mascot. The goal was to learn how to
follow directions.
At a third table, pupils matched colored pieces to the shapes on paper, a math-related exercise.
"Patterning in preschool is big," said Dean Tagawa, a senior
administrator. It lays the foundation for math concepts later on, he
said.
Some of the 4- and 5-year olds were in a classroom setting for the first
time, and it showed — Harmison constantly directed them back into their
groups. She pulled one out of the play kitchen, built out of wood,
sending him to the library area.
One of her biggest concerns in the so-called transitional kindergarten is the length of the day: there isn't time for napping.
L.A. Unified's public relations efforts aren't likely to sway some civic
leaders and philanthropists who have lost faith in the system. A group
led by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation* is seeking to rapidly expand
the number of independently operated charter schools, which could
shrink a school system already dealing with declining enrollment.
Jefferson history teacher Susan Ferguson said it would be wrong to give
up on schools such as hers and the students who depend on it.
Even though the scheduling problems led to student protests, she said,
"the kids wanted to come back here. They wanted their classes. They want
an education. They want the best for themselves and they deserve it."
* …which underwrites LA Times education coverage…
Eric Garcetti: HERE’S HOW CITY HALL IS HELPING LOS ANGELES STUDENTS SUCCEED
OpEd in the LA Daily News By Mayor Eric Garcetti | bit.ly/1TRLmt9
08/17/15, 4:47 PM PDT | Do you remember your first day of school? The
thrill of seeing friends, the sense of possibility for the year ahead.
That moment arrives Tuesday for 640,000 students in the Los Angeles
Unified School District. But when they step into the classroom, the
rubber will meet the road — excitement vs. reality. As city leaders, it
is our job to give those students the education they deserve. But there
is one truth that parents and educators know well: A good education is
not restricted to what happens between the first and last bell. Equally
important is giving students the right start to their morning and
helping them after school.
That’s where City Hall comes in: We can ensure kids have safe streets,
after school programs, and healthy meals to make academic success easier
to achieve.
A sense of safety is integral to kids’ ability to learn. That’s why
we’ve invested in programs like Safe Routes to School, and increased
funding by $5.5 million for our office of Gang Reduction and Youth
Development (GRYD), which funds programs like Summer Night Lights. SNL
provides safe recreation options at dozens of parks by keeping the
lights on later. Along the way, we’re able to reduce crime and give
young people a place to learn and play.
But the need for this program doesn’t end when the school year begins.
So this fall, for the first time, we will start “Friday Night Lights” at
eight select parks.
What happens when these students get back home?
As research shows, family income is a leading indicator of academic
success. Nationwide, only 9 percent of students raised in poverty will
receive a college degree by age 24. The correlation between low wages
and low graduation rates is heartbreaking and direct. We must level this
playing field with programs and economic opportunity.
That’s why we fought for and won the largest anti-poverty measure in the
history of L.A. — an increase in the minimum wage to $15 by 2020. By
giving L.A. a raise, we are going to lift 600,000 people out of poverty.
As we take these steps, we’re making sure young people aren’t left
behind. This is where Hire L.A.’s Youth comes in. It’s a program linking
young people to summer jobs and mentorship. Over the last two years we
have more than doubled the size of this critical program from 5,000 jobs
to over 11,000. That helps put our young people on a path toward career
readiness.
We’re also adopting some common-sense strategies to link LAUSD students to resources.
The first is our Student Dropout Recovery Program. This partnership
between the school district and the city reduces absenteeism and get
students re-engaged in the learning process. So far, this program has
helped get 1,000 young people back into school.
Another initiative of mine will provide every student in Los Angeles
with a library card. That simple step will give students access to
one-on-one tutoring and live homework help. A third initiative will
expand the students served a good, healthy dinner at school. We’re in
the process of more than doubling that program from 75,000 students
served per day in 2015 to 150,000 by 2017. After that, it will go
district-wide.
None of these programs are comprehensive solutions. Internet access
can’t replace a great teacher, and engaged parents will always be more
important than summer jobs. What I’ve set out to do is work with
educators and families to increase the possibility that our students
succeed.
Because, nothing’s more important than helping the next generation of Angelenos realize their potential.
●●smf’s 2¢: Thank you Eric. In the end it’s what we learned (or were
supposed to learn) in kindergarten about working together; about shared
goals and working together – not about disruption.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
WHY SO MANY TEACHERS QUIT AND HOW TO FIX THAT - Education Matters/LA Times
http://lat.ms/1KEAIeU
IS THERE STILL ROOM FOR PLAY IN CALIFORNIA KINDERGARTENS? | The California Report | KQED News
http://bit.ly/1WLm3Yt
IT'S TRUE: KINDERGARTEN IS OPTIONAL IN CALIFORNIA! http://lat.ms/1LpRc0h
CAHSEE: STATE ASSEMBLY PASSES EXIT EXAM WAIVER, BILL HEADING TO SENATE
http://bit.ly/1fwTOLe
ELI BROAD & CHARTER EXPANSION; AUSTIN BEUTNER & EDUCATION MATTERS http://bit.ly/1MJbLVP
Just sayin’: TWO “PUFF PIECE” STORIES ABOUT PEARSON EDUCATION FROM NPR….
http://bit.ly/1KAYWGS
Updated: JEB BUSH’S EMBRACE OF COMMON CORE IS A CAMPAIGN LIGHTNING ROD ...or not
http://bit.ly/1fwMKP1
MiSiS HELD UP FOR LA UNIFIED OPENING, BUT FUTURE SNAGS EXPECTED http://bit.ly/1LpJnri
JEB BUSH’S EMBRACE OF COMMON CORE IS A CAMPAIGN LIGHTNING ROD http://bit.ly/1fwMKP1
SCHOOL DISTRICTS EXPERIMENT WITH TAKE-HOME INTERNET ACCESS http://bit.ly/1PqNp0v
Diane Ravitch: BILLIONAIRES FUND EDUCATION NEWS AT LA TIMES
http://bit.ly/1NlXHBy
THE CAHSEE DEBACLE (2 stories) “By the power vested in me, and a waiver from the legislature, I hereby award you…”
THE CAHSEE DEBACLE (2 stories) “By the power vested in me, and a waiver from the legislature, I hereby award you…”
http://bit.ly/1K5PSxT
Back2School@LAUSD:/Day 2: A SMOOTH START …AND NOW THE HARD WORK BEGINS
http://bit.ly/1JqPsU1
ZIMMER, BOARD MEMBERS OPEN THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ACROSS DISTRICT
http://bit.ly/1TRNLyA
Mayor Eric Garcetti: HERE’S HOW CITY HALL IS HELPING LOS ANGELES STUDENTS SUCCEED
http://bit.ly/1TRLmt9
TEACHER BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPLIES ADD UP FOR CLASSES LIKE MUSIC
http://bit.ly/1MwF4JD
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR LAUSD INCLUDES CONCERNS OVER MISIS, VACCINATIONS
http://bit.ly/1EAAuDs
Back2School@LAUSD: ARNE DUNCAN TELLS CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS WHERE THEY NEED TO PUT THEIR MONEY
Back2School@LAUSD: L.A. TIMES ANNOUNCES WEEKLY EDUCATION NEWSLETTER …what a concept!
http://bit.ly/1MB2hMh
Back2School@LAUSD: HOW BIG ARE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES IN L.A.? An LA Times survey
http://bit.ly/1WCwMoa
Back2School@LAUSD: THESE LAUSD STUDENTS ARE NOT HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL
http://bit.ly/1WCuGor
Back2School@LAUSD: L.A. UNIFIED LOOKS FOR SMOOTHER START-UP THIS YEAR http://bit.ly/1Ku5OpF
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
NEXT SUNDAY:
REGULAR BOARD MEETING - SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 - NOT AT DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS - TIME TO BE DETERMINED | http://bit.ly/1hRTWHc
Start: 08/30/2015 10:30 am
*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:
Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
George.McKenna@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, county supervisor, state
legislator, 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 at http://registertovote.ca.gov/
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!
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