Under business banker Marshall Tuck Jordan High School Partnership Academy for the Arts went five years without achieving even twenty percent of students scoring proficient on either the mathematics or the English portion of the California State University (CSU) entrance exams. Five years! Jordan High School Partnership Academy for the Arts CSU results: the years […]
“Creative” Charter School Finance: Orange County School of Arts…In Duarte (San Gabriel Valley)?
By Elena de la Cuevas UPDATED 5-13-17 TO ADD California Department of Education denial of Duarte Unified’s Waiver #35-12-2016 (scroll to bottom of the post to view pdf file) The expansion of the Orange County School of the Arts (OSCA) to a sister site in the San Gabriel Valley has led to an complicated mix […]
A Year of Observation on PLAS and Marshall Tuck
by Cheryl Ortega UTLA Director of Bilingual Education I became acquainted with Mr. Marshall Tuck in 2008, the first year of the rollout out of PLAS. As Director of Bilingual Education for UTLA, I had received a call from some teachers at Ritter Elementary School in Watts concerned that their Dual Language Program would […]
Above the Law?
By Carl Petersen “The LAUSD Board will be voting on whether they support a package of anti-charter laws that would threaten our schools’ funding, flexibility to implement the programs best for our students, and our ability to continue serving our families.” -Granada Hills Charter High School Real estate records show that on March 17, 2005, […]
Three-Part Series: Fact-Checking LAUSD School Board District 4 “Facts,” Part III
by Miriam Efrat. Read Part I here, read Part II here. Part Three: Dumping the Blame Game and setting some records straight No one likes to have their parenting choices judged by strangers. Engaged parents try to make choices that give their child the best possible opportunity in life. Ultimately, the charter vs. public school […]
Three-Part Series: Fact-Checking LAUSD School Board District 4 “Facts,” Part II
by Miriam Efrat. Read Part I here, read Part III here. Part Two: The Budget is tight, but not bust—contrary to the challengers and received wisdom It is unclear whether the challengers just don’t understand the complexities of the District budget, or if they intentionally exaggerate in order to blame Zimmer for problems that he […]
Three-Part Series Fact-Checking LAUSD School Board District 4 “Facts,” Part I
by Miriam Efrat. First in a three part series. Read Part II here, and Part III here. Dear Voters of LAUSD Board District 4: Are you a progressive recently woke to the vital need for accountable leadership in public education? Just someone who likes to be well-informed before casting a vote? I hear your mailboxes […]
LAUSD School Board Meeting Update, April 12, 2016 – Charter Schools
Filed by Cheryl Ortega April 13, 2016 At the LAUSD Board of Ed yesterday, I listened to a parade of charter organizations appealing for their school to open or to continue to operate. One in particular, called the Eduvate Hybrid Charter High School, brought about 10 speakers. Have to say, I don’t quite get the […]
Edison Schools: Proof That Grifters Can Be Defeated, Part II
By Caroline Grannan, parent activist Part II The fun of getting interviewed by a hostile though icily courteous New York Times reporter. This is a follow-up to my earlier post marking the 15th anniversary of the Edison Schools controversy in San Francisco, which launched me as a mommy volunteer critic of so-called education “reform” until […]
Edison Schools: Proof That Grifters Can Be Defeated, Part I
By Caroline Grannan, parent activist Part I It’s been 15 years this month since the Edison Schools sh*tstorm hit San Francisco and I got deeply involved as a mommy volunteer advocate, and stayed that way for a long time. Edison Schools Inc. was a for-profit company that sold itself to school districts as a manager […]