Welcome to Essential Education, our daily look at education in California and beyond. Here’s the latest:
- A look at what’s new this year in the nation’s second-largest school system.
- New L.A. schools chief Austin Beutner is touring the district all day. He started in the dark, before the first children arrived. He’ll still be at it after the last children have left.
- At UC Santa Cruz, a severe housing crunch pits much-needed beds against a much-loved meadow.
USC names retired aerospace executive Wanda Austin as acting president, announces Nikias’ departure
USC appointed a retired aerospace executive as interim president and laid out a detailed plan for selecting a permanent leader Tuesday, ending speculation about whether outgoing President C.L. Max Nikias might remain in the post.
Nikias, embattled over his administration’s handling of a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing patients, relinquished his duties after a meeting of USC’s board. The trustees tapped one of their own, Wanda Austin, an alumna and former president of the Aerospace Corp., to temporarily run the university.
The trustees also approved the formation of a search committee and the hiring of firm Isaacson, Miller to coordinate the selection of a successor. A second search company, Heidrick & Struggles, will also advise trustees.
Ex-student sues elite Brentwood School after teacher is charged with sexually abusing him
A former student sued the elite Brentwood School on Monday in the wake of a female teacher being charged with repeatedly having sex with the minor, alleging that other faculty members encouraged the unlawful behavior and failed to report it to authorities.
The lawsuit accuses the private school, whose students include the children of many of Hollywood’s elite and L.A.’s powerful, of acting negligently and allowing Aimee Palmitessa to abuse and batter the teenager sexually.
The suit alleges that the student was abused in summer 2017 after one of the school’s counselors offered words of encouragement to the then-17-year-old, identified in the suit as only John Doe, to engage in an illegal relationship with the teacher.
Civil jury vindicates fired Montebello school executives in whistleblower case
The Montebello school district is in dire straits — at risk of insolvency and under apparent criminal investigation.
An outside audit in July found some teachers earning more than $200,000 a year, as well as improper raises, excess paid vacation time and inappropriate overtime, sick leave and car allowances.
Fixing the district and pinpointing blame could take time.
L.A. schools fall short on safety measures, new report warns
After the mass shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Los Angeles school officials reassured parents that much had been done to keep local schools safe. California had tougher gun laws, after all, and the school district paid close attention to students’ mental health.
But a new report issued Monday by a panel convened to take a close look offers some cause for concern, flagging inconsistent campus safety measures, thinly spread mental health staff and inadequate coordination between the school district and other public agencies.
“With the stakes this high, we must strive to do better,” said L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer, who assembled the panel.
L.A. school district says more are graduating, but rate may not show it
The L.A. Unified School District has hopes of continuing its winning streak this year with another record graduation rate, but the official numbers may not show it.
A senior district administrator warned the board Tuesday that graduation rates were likely to decline 2% to 3% across the state, even though L.A. Unified is likely doing better than ever in producing graduates, he said.
The issue is that the state will now count high school students who transfer to adult school as dropouts, said Oscar Lafarga, who heads the district’s office of data and accountability. Previously, schools treated these students as though they had simply enrolled in another high school, he said.
Building L.A.’s rail system will create thousands of jobs. Can a transportation boarding school fill them?
Boarding school conjures a certain image: children in preppy blazers, leafy quadrangles in New England and tuition that costs more than many families earn in a year.
That stereotype would not apply if officials carry out their vision for a dusty, trash-strewn lot in South Los Angeles that has sat vacant for more than two decades.
Their pitch? A transportation boarding school, free to its students.
Betsy DeVos to California: Not so fast on that federal education plan
In April, California’s top education officials breathed a sigh of relief. After months of debate and back-and-forth with Betsy DeVos’ staff, they had finalized a plan to satisfy a major education law that aims to make sure all students get a decent education.
The state focused on aligning its plan to fulfill the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act with California’s Local Control Funding Formula, which gives extra money to districts to help students who come from low-income families, are in the foster system or are English learners.
But this week, DeVos’ team said not so fast.
Jason Botel, the U.S. Department of Education’s principal deputy assistant secretary, sent California education officials a letter asking for more information in such areas as measuring student progress, graduation rates and English learners.
In an unsigned statement, the California Department of Education declared itself “surprised and disappointed” because officials thought — after a meeting with federal officials in Washington — that they were on the right track to get approval.
Now the Every Student Succeeds Act plan will be up for discussion once again at the July meeting of the State Board of Education.
The U.S. Department of Education has already approved most state plans.
Every Student Succeeds is the Obama administration’s 2015 replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act.
L.A. school board sets a new goal: prepare every grad to be eligible to apply for Cal State or UC
Last month, Los Angeles’ school board president proposed a spate of highly ambitious mandates aimed at ensuring that every district graduate be eligible to apply to one of the state’s public four-year universities by 2023.
By the time the L.A. Unified school board unanimously approved the resolution Tuesday, the original language had been watered down. The goal is no longer that in five years 100% of students meet the long list of benchmarks, which include not just college eligibility for graduates but first-grade reading proficiency and English fluency by sixth grade for all students who enter the district in kindergarten or first grade speaking another language.
The original college-readiness goal, for example, called for “100% of all high school students” to be eligible to apply to one of the state’s four-year universities. Now the goal seems to offer more wiggle room: “Prepare all high school graduates to be eligible to apply to a California four-year university.”
‘We have been hurt.’ More women say they were mistreated by USC gynecologist
USC student Anika Narayanan says she vividly recalls her first appointment with Dr. George Tyndall at the campus health center, alleging that he made several explicit comments during an examination she felt was inappropriate and invasive.
When she came back for a second visit in 2016 after a “nonconsensual sexual encounter,” he allegedly chastised her, she said in a civil lawsuit and at a press conference Tuesday. He “asked me if I had ‘forgotten to use a condom again,’ ” said Narayanan, 21.
At one point, she said, Tyndall asked “if I did a lot of ‘doggy style,’ ” she said.
L.A. Unified gives inspector general brief contract extension
The Los Angeles school board on Tuesday extended the contract of Ken Bramlett, its inspector general, by three months, though his job is far from secure and questions remain about the future direction of his watchdog office.
Board members also unanimously promoted Vivian Ekchian, who had been the runner-up for the superintendent’s job, to deputy superintendent — the district’s No. 2 position.
Both moves had elements of peacemaking between different factions on the board.
USC’s handling of complaints about campus gynecologist is being investigated by federal government
The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into how the University of Southern California handled misconduct complaints against a campus gynecologist, the latest fallout in a scandal that has prompted the resignation of USC’s president, two law enforcement investigations and dozens of lawsuits.
In revealing the inquiry by the department’s Office of Civil Rights, officials rebuked USC for what they alleged was improper withholding of information about Dr. George Tyndall during a previous federal investigation.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has been criticized for taking a less vigorous approach to examining sexual misconduct than predecessors, called for a “systemic” examination of USC and urged administrators to fully cooperate.
Sacramento nears budget deal, Parkland students sing, districts seek loan deferment: What’s new in education
Happy summer! As teachers and students take a break, this daily roundup will be on summer hiatus. But please do come back here for education coverage, and if there’s anything you feel we’re missing, let us know.
In and around Southern California:
L.A. Unified’s school board is choosing to not renew the contract of its independent inspector general.
A drug that reverses opioid overdoses is now available in Carlsbad schools.
Around the state:
State legislators and Gov. Jerry Brown are getting closer to reaching a deal on the state’s education budget.
Four financially distressed school districts, including Oakland and Inglewood, have asked the state to defer their loan repayment.
Nationwide:
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students performed “Seasons of Love” at Sunday’s Tony Awards in New York.
How to address suicide when talking to students.
L.A. Unified’s spending, Tuck and Thurmond to face off, Newsom’s dyslexia: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Why L.A. Unified may face financial crisis even with a large surplus this year.
An outside task force released a report saying that the district’s spending in key areas is out of step with comparable school districts.
L.A.’s school board president wants to have every graduate meeting requirements to enroll in one of the state’s public four-year universities by 2023.
A former vice dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine testified that he expressed concerns about former dean Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito’s general well-being to the university’s No. 2 administrator before Puliafito abruptly left his job in 2016.
Around the state:
Gubernatorial primary winner Gavin Newsom talks about his struggle with dyslexia.
After this week’s voting, Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond — with well-heeled backers from the worlds of charter schools and teachers unions respectively — will face off in November to be state schools chief.
Nationwide:
Speakers urged Betsy DeVos’ school safety commission to focus on mental health, not arming school personnel.
New research has found that the more years you spend in school, the more likely you are to be nearsighted.
L.A. school board president wants every district graduate to be eligible for a four-year public university by 2023
Former Los Angeles schools Supt. Michelle King made “100% graduation” her central goal for the nation’s second-largest school district. Now the school board president wants to up the ante — and, by 2023, have every student graduate meeting requirements to enroll in one of the state’s public four-year universities.
According to LAUSD board President Monica Garcia’s resolution, titled Realizing the Promise for All: Close the Gap by 2023, just 31.9% of recent graduates meet those requirements. The district currently allows students to graduate with D grades in the required classes instead of the minimum C grades that Cal State and the University of California require.
The board is scheduled to vote on the resolution Tuesday.
Judge to sentence woman and her boyfriend for the murder of an 8-year-old that led to L.A. child welfare reforms
A woman and her boyfriend are expected to be sentenced Thursday for the torture and murder of an 8-year-old boy whose killing in 2013 provoked public outrage, prompted sweeping reform of Los Angeles County’s child welfare system, and led to unprecedented criminal charges against social workers who handled the child’s case.
Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in the death of her son, Gabriel. A jury decided last year that her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 37, should be executed.
When paramedics arrived at the boy’s Palmdale home in May 2013, Gabriel had slipped out of consciousness. He had a fractured skull, broken ribs, burned skin, missing teeth and BB pellets embedded in his groin. A paramedic would later testify that every inch of the boy’s small body had been abused.
L.A. Unified’s spending out of step with similar school systems, task force says
The Los Angeles school district is out of step with similar school systems, spending more on teachers’ pay and health benefits and less on activities that could enhance student learning, according to a new report by an outside task force.
The L.A. Unified School District Advisory Task Force did not make specific recommendations, but instead posed a series of questions it said the district needs to answer to make sure its funding is aimed at providing a full opportunity for all students to succeed.
“What we’re trying to say is: Let’s put the data on the table. Let’s look at the truth. Let’s be transparent and here are the numbers,” said task force member Renata Simril. “This is not to say that … we should cut teachers’ salaries.”
Top USC medical school official feared dean was ‘doing drugs’ and alerted administration, he testifies
A former vice dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine testified Tuesday that he feared the school’s then-dean, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, “could be doing drugs” and expressed concerns about his general well-being to the university’s No. 2 administrator before Puliafito abruptly left his job in 2016.
Dr. Henri Ford’s testimony at a hearing of the state Medical Board marks the first suggestion that any USC administrator had suspicions about Puliafito’s possible drug use before he stepped down. A Times investigation in 2017 found Puliafito led a secret second life of using illegal drugs with a circle of young criminals and addicts. Puliafito testified about his behavior at the hearing Tuesday, saying he took drugs with one young woman on a weekly basis.
Ford said that he decided to alert USC Provost Michael Quick after receiving reports in early 2016 that Puliafito was partying in hotels with people of “questionable reputation,” and that he came to worry about his mental stability.
Why L.A. Unified may face financial crisis even with a giant surplus this year
With more than half a billion dollars socked away for next school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District hardly seems just two years from financial ruin. It’s a scenario that is especially tough to swallow if you’re a low-wage worker seeking a raise or a teacher who wants smaller classes.
But budget documents show that today’s $548-million surplus cannot be sustained — and that even basic services face steep, seemingly unavoidable cuts because of massive problems barreling the district’s way.
“There’s a disconnect between the rosy short-term picture and what we know is coming,” said board member Kelly Gonez.
Patients of former USC gynecologist tell their stories, USC on the defense, a consumer alert for teachers: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Several USC deans have sent out messages trying to reassure students and faculty that the university is committed to changing in light of misconduct allegations against the university’s longtime gynecologist.
These are the stories of the gynecologist’s former patients.
A key moment in the record of former L.A. Mayor — and current gubernatorial candidate — Antonio Villaraigosa came when he tried to take control of L.A. Unified.
Around the state:
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra issued a consumer alert to tell teachers that some of their federal grants might have been wrongly converted into loans.
How some California students graduated from state colleges in four years.
Nationwide:
Graduation at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School honored the four seniors who died in the school shooting.
In an effort to make the city’s selective public schools more diverse, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed scrapping a specialized admissions test.
‘We have failed’: Top USC officials try to reassure students amid gynecologist scandal
Top administrators at USC are reaching out to students in the wake of misconduct allegations against the university’s longtime gynecologist, acknowledging failings and vowing reforms as they try to address growing outrage over the revelations.
Several USC deans have sent out messages trying to reassure students and faculty that the university is committed to changing.
“We have failed,” wrote Jack H. Knott, dean of USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, in a May 24 letter. “What happened is antithetical to everything we know is right.”
Caruso becomes chair of USC trustees, learning in higher temps, DeVos’ school safety field trip: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Rick Caruso, owner of the Grove and other prominent shopping centers, has been elected to lead USC’s board of trustees.In his first act as chair, he announced an outside investigation of the conduct of longtime campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall and of “reporting failures.”
Around the state:
Higher education advocates want the next governor to push increased funding and engagement with California’s public universities.
Outgoing state schools chief Tom Torlakson announced a plan designed to get students learning more languages.
Nationwide:
New research found that hotter temperatures make it harder for students to learn.
Betsy DeVos’ first trip for her school safety commission focused on behavioral interventions, not guns.
Rick Caruso is named chair of USC’s trustees, vows swift investigation of gynecologist scandal
The University of Southern California’s board of trustees has elected mall magnate Rick Caruso to be the new chair of the board, giving fresh leadership as the university navigates a widening scandal involving a longtime campus gynecologist.
The move marks the latest effort by USC to address the case, which has sparked a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and dozens of civil lawsuits. More than 400 people have contacted a hotline that the university established for patients to make reports about their experience with Dr. George Tyndall.
In his first act as chairman, Caruso announced that the white-shoe L.A. law firm O’Melveny & Myers would conduct a “thorough and independent investigation” into the gynecologist’s conduct and “reporting failures” at the clinic. He set an ambitious timeline for the review, pledging it would conclude before students return for the fall semester.
Inside the state superintendent’s race, UCLA cardiologist’s license suspended, a Berkeley student’s win: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
State regulators suspended a UCLA cardiologist’s license, calling him a sexual predator.
Around the state:
The two major players in the state schools chief election are teachers unions and charter schools — and their big spending tends to blur a clear picture of the front-runners.
A UC Berkeley student is behind the push for a new law that loosens some requirements for in-state tuition.
Nationwide:
Cellphone videos surface of the Parkland school shooting suspect announcing his intention to kill students.
A federal magistrate has blocked the U.S. Department of Education from paring back a loan relief program for defrauded students at the failed Corinthian Colleges chain.
UC Berkeley student’s persistence helps win more liberal rules for in-state tuition
Ifechukwu Okeke thought she’d be a shoo-in for in-state tuition when she was admitted to UC Berkeley for fall 2016.
She had moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2012 to go to Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. By the time she got her acceptance to transfer to UC to study molecular and cell biology, she had lived in California four years. She had a California driver’s license, bank account and rental records as proof.
UC Berkeley, however, ruled she was a nonresident — which meant she would have to pay nearly $27,000 more.
State medical board calls former County-USC doctor a ‘sexual predator,’ suspends his license
A UCLA cardiologist has been temporarily stripped of his medical license after state regulators described him as a “sexual predator” who assaulted three female colleagues when he was working and training at L.A. County-USC Medical Center.
In race for California schools chief, candidates are buoyed by big money from charter supporters and unions
In the race for state superintendent of public instruction, standard party affiliations don’t much matter. The two major players here are teachers unions and charter schools — and their big spending tends to blur a clear picture of the front-runners.
The charter camp supports Marshall Tuck, an education consultant and Democrat who formerly managed turnaround efforts at a group of low-performing Los Angeles public schools. The pick of the teachers unions is state Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, also a Democrat, who represents the Richmond area, north of Oakland.
Spending by outside groups has surpassed $10 million — even though California’s schools mostly are managed by local school boards.
‘Global California 2030’ aims to get more students learning more languages
Outgoing state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday announced a new statewide effort to encourage students to learn more languages.
Called Global California 2030, its goal is to help more students become fluent in multiple tongues.
Torlakson said that by 2030, he wants half of the state’s 6.2 million K-12 students to participate in classes or programs that lead to proficiency in two or more languages. By 2040, he wants three out of four students to be proficient enough to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy.
Torlakson announced the initiative at Cahuenga Elementary School, which offers a dual-language immersion program in English and Korean.
California’s public school students speak more than 60 languages at home, and 40% come to school with knowledge of a language other than English.
Torlakson called his plan a “call to action” that invites parents, legislators, educators and community members to pool resources to expand language offerings in schools and get more bilingual teachers trained. He said the state already is working with Mexico and Spain to expand a teacher-exchange program.
Fluency, the plan argues, can help students succeed economically — and language acquisition can help their overall critical thinking.
The initiative builds on Proposition 58, a ballot initiative passed in 2016 that undid an earlier requirement that English learners be taught in English-immersion classes unless their parents signed waivers.
Torlakson recently visited Mexico and met with that country’s education secretary. They later signed a pact to increase collaboration, particularly in language education.
“This [Global California 2030] is great follow-through on Tom’s part and very important,” Patricia Gándara, a UCLA education professor who hosted the Mexico meeting, said in an email. “It hands over a plan to move forward in an area in which California has a unique advantage, but must seize the opportunity.”
Trouble at L.A.’s school for the deaf, LAPD investigates USC gynecologist, man convicted in UCLA student’s death: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Some parents at L.A.’s only school for the deaf think the school is in crisis and say they are considering withdrawing their children.
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a sweeping probe into USC’s longtime campus gynecologist, saying it will investigate 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients.
A jury found a man guilty of murder in the death of a UCLA student whose body was found inside her burning apartment in 2015.
Around the state:
How California’s gubernatorial candidates responded to a detailed questionnaire about education.
Candidates for governor and for state schools chief — and their supporters — have accelerated their spending as the election nears.
Nationwide:
When a Kentucky Catholic school didn’t let its gay valedictorian speak, he brought a bullhorn. Students, teachers and family members formed a semicircle around him so he could talk.
A video game that simulates being an active shooter was pulled after Parkland parents spoke up.
Jury convicts man of murder in 2015 slaying of UCLA student found inside her burning apartment
A jury on Tuesday convicted a man in the 2015 slaying of a UCLA student found dead inside her burning apartment — a gruesome stabbing case that led to a fierce rebuke of the police response amid concerns that the killing could have been prevented.
The panel deliberated for about six hours before finding Alberto Medina, 24, guilty of murder, arson, burglary and animal cruelty.
On Sept. 21, 2015, firefighters found the charred body of Andrea DelVesco inside her apartment after responding to the complex a block from campus. The 21-year-old student — an Austin, Texas, native known to her sorority sisters as a “fearless giver” who befriended others with ease — was stabbed at least 19 times, authorities said.
LAPD begins sweeping criminal probe of former USC gynecologist while urging patients to come forward
The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients of USC’s longtime campus gynecologist as detectives launch a sweeping criminal probe into the scandal that has rocked the university.
LAPD detectives also made an appeal for other patients who feel mistreated to come forward, noting that thousands of students were examined by Dr. George Tyndall during his nearly 30-year career at USC. More than 410 people have contacted a university hotline about the physician since The Times revealed the allegations this month.
Tyndall’s “behavior and practices appear to go beyond the norms of the medical profession and gynecological examinations,” said Asst. Chief Beatrice Girmala. “We sincerely realize that victims may have difficulty recounting such details to investigators. We are empathetic and ready to listen.”
At L.A.’s only school for the deaf, parents want leaders who speak the same language
Ever since her son was 6 months old, Juliet Hidalgo has been bringing him to the Marlton School, a low-slung building in Baldwin Hills that for generations has been a second home for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Los Angeles.
Marlton staff taught Hidalgo’s brother and sister, both of whom are deaf. The school was where her deaf son learned to make the signs for “milk” and “food.” Hidalgo had planned to enroll her daughter, taking advantage of a popular program that allows hearing children to learn American Sign Language alongside their deaf siblings.
But after more than a decade of involvement, she and other family members are considering withdrawing their children. They are not alone.
Fueled by unlimited donations, independent groups play their biggest role yet in a California primary for governor
An unprecedented amount of money from wealthy donors, unions and corporations is flowing into the California governor’s race, giving independent groups — unrestricted by contribution limits — a greater say in picking the state’s chief executive than ever before.
The groups have already spent more than $26 million through Thursday, the most ever spent by noncandidate committees in a gubernatorial primary, according to a Times analysis of campaign finance reports.
“California elections have always been expensive, and the future is even more expensive,” said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College and a former state Republican leader. “The stakes are very real.”
USC President C.L. Max Nikias to step down
USC President C.L. Max Nikias, whose tenure was marked by a significant boost in the university’s prestige and fundraising prowess but tarnished by a series of damaging scandals, is stepping down from his post, the university’s Board of Trustees announced Friday.
The move comes after more than a week of uproar over the university’s handling of a longtime campus gynecologist accused of misconduct toward female students. More than 300 people, most of them former female patients of Dr. George Tyndall, have since come forward to USC, many with allegations of mistreatment and sexual abuse that date back to the early 1990s.
The revelations published by The Times heightened long-festering concerns about university leaders’ ethics and management style and sparked calls for Nikias to resign.
The USC gynecologist scandal, unions battle Austin Beutner, a message for Betsy DeVos: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Unions aren’t giving new L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner a honeymoon period. They organized a large rally and job action within his first two weeks on the job.
As more women come forward with complaints about a campus gynecologist’s behavior, the USC Board of Trustees announced it would hire independent attorneys to investigate.
At least 300 people so far have called a USC hotline about the gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. The school has begun sharing names of former patients with the Los Angeles Police Department.
The USC Academic Senate called on President C.L. Max Nikias to resign.
Around the state:
California’s public universities are poised to get major funding boosts to help them enroll more students.
UC Regents approved a leaner, more transparent budget for UC President Janet Napolitano.
Black and Latino students have access to fewer advanced math and science courses than their peers, data show.
Nationwide:
A shooting at a suburban Indianapolis middle school Friday appears to have left two people wounded.
The Human Rights Campaign projected a video message onto the U.S. Department of Education building, asking Betsy DeVos how she sleeps at night when so few LGBTQ students feel safe in school.
2 hurt in Indiana middle school shooting; suspect in custody, authorities say
Authorities say two victims in a shooting at a suburban Indianapolis school are being taken to a hospital and the lone suspect is in custody.
Bryant Orem, a spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, said in a news release that the victims in Friday morning’s attack at Noblesville West Middle School are being taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and their families have been notified. He says no other information is available about the victims.
Orem said the suspect is believed to have acted alone and was taken into custody. No additional information about the suspect was made public.
For new L.A. schools chief Austin Beutner, some key unions are giving no honeymoon period
In the less than two weeks since Austin Beutner took charge of Los Angeles schools, unions representing teachers and administrators have staged a job action and a protest.
They’ve made it clear that they will not give the new superintendent the traditional honeymoon period, and they are bashing him for his wealth and lack of experience running either a school or a school district.
“Beutner is a billionaire investment banker with zero qualifications,” local teachers union President Alex Caputo-Pearl told members in a phone alert urging them to participate in a Thursday afternoon rally in Grand Park. “The board is saying that billionaires who made their money blowing institutions up and making money off it know best — not the education professionals who have dedicated our careers to working with students.”
Pressure grows on Board of Trustees amid USC gynecologist scandal
USC’s large and powerful Board of Trustees is coming under growing pressure to provide a stronger hand as the university faces a crisis over misconduct allegations against the campus’ longtime gynecologist that has prompted calls for President C.L. Max Nikias to step down.
Allegations that Dr. George Tyndall mistreated students during his nearly 30 years at USC have roiled the campus, with about 300 people coming forward to make reports to the university and the Los Angeles Police Department launching a criminal investigation. USC is already beginning to face what is expected to be costly litigation by women who say they were victimized by the physician.
So far, the trustees to whom Nikias reports have expressed sympathy for the women who have come forward and launched an independent investigation while also publicly backing the president.
UC regents approve leaner budget for Janet Napolitano
University of California regents on Thursday unanimously approved a leaner, more transparent budget for President Janet Napolitano, moving to address political criticism over the system’s central office operations.
The $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 reflects spending cuts of 2%, including reductions in staffing, travel and such systemwide programs as public service law fellowships, carbon neutrality and food security.
Napolitano shifted $30 million to campuses for housing needs and $10 million to UC Riverside to support its five-year-old medical school. She also permanently redirected $8.5 million annually to help enroll more California students, as required by the state.
USC’s Academic Senate calls on university president to resign after a series of scandals
The body that represents USC’s faculty called on President C.L. Max Nikias to resign Wednesday in the wake of relevations that the university’s longtime gynecologist faced years of accusations of misconduct by students and colleagues at the campus’ health clinic.
The Academic Senate took the vote late Wednesday afternoon after a fiery town hall meeting attended by more than 100 faculty members, many of whom voiced outrage over Nikias and the Board of Trustees’ leadership. The vote came a day after the trustees’ executive committee stood firmly behind Nikias, saying it has “full confidence” in his leadership, ethics and values.
At the town hall meeting, Senate President Paul Rosenbloom said he did not think Nikias or Provost Michael Quick committed wrongdoing but that the university president deserved criticism for a lack of transparency.
California’s public universities on the way to getting a big longed-for boost in funding
The University of California and California State University systems are poised to get major funding boosts that will help them enroll thousands of additional state students and eliminate the need for tuition increases in the coming school year.
A key Assembly budget panel on Wednesday approved $117.5 million in new funds for the UC. A Senate panel approved a similar sum last week.
The same committees recently approved even more funding for the Cal State system.
DeVos’ immigration remark, USC’s leadership under fire, Cal State funding: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Two hundred USC faculty members are demanding that university President C.L. Max Nikias resign.
County prosecutors are reviewing a complaint alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District violated an open-meeting law during the selection of Supt. Austin Beutner.
Around the state:
The University of California regents, meeting in San Francisco, plan to take a close look at President Janet Napolitano’s budget.
State legislative panels have approved millions more in funding for Cal State. Now they have to negotiate with the governor.
Nationwide:
Civil rights groups called Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos ignorant for saying that schools can decide whether to report undocumented students to immigration officials.
To get away from systemic racism, some black families turn to homeschooling.
UC regents to scrutinize Janet Napolitano’s office budget in a step toward stronger oversight
University of California regents this week plan to scrutinize the budget of President Janet Napolitano, whose office came under political fire last year for questionable spending and murky accounting.
Regents will vote on the proposed $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 during their two-day meeting, which starts Wednesday, at UC San Francisco. They also will discuss state funding, financial aid, online education and transfer student policies.
Board Chairman George Kieffer said regents are stepping up to exert stronger oversight of the president’s office after a blistering state audit last year found financial problems including an unreported $175 million budget reserve.
State legislative panels approve major funding boost for Cal State
After months of intensive lobbying, Cal State University has convinced two key legislative panels to approve funding to enroll nearly 11,000 more students, hire more faculty and expand housing aid to those without shelter this fall.
An Assembly budget panel on Tuesday approved $215.7 million more for Cal State, adding to Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed $92.1 million general fund increase. A Senate budget panel approved a similar increase last week.
The extra funding — which went beyond Cal State’s own request to the Legislature of $171 million — is still subject to final budget negotiations with Brown. But the actions by the Senate and Assembly panels amount to a demand from Democrats that the governor hike higher education spending.
“Cal State University is the workhorse undergraduate university serving hundreds of thousands of Californians,” said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who heads the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. “We need more graduates for the California workforce and higher education is the ticket to the middle class.”
Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White hailed the actions, but said it was too soon to celebrate.
“The CSU has a singular focus on helping students earn high-quality degrees sooner, and the entire university community has rallied to reinforce that message to our state’s lawmakers,” he said in a statement. “The actions taken thus far by the Assembly and Senate are promising and show that our message is being received, but there is still work to be done.”
Funding for the University of California was not taken up Tuesday as originally scheduled. McCarty would not comment on sticking points but said he was “confident” that a resolution would be reached this week.
“We’re looking to provide resources above what’s in the governor’s budget, but negotiations are ongoing,” he said in an interview.
State per-student funding is not what it once was, leaving both Cal State and the UC in a tough financial squeeze. Both systems raised tuition last year after a six-year freeze on higher costs.
For this year, Cal State had asked for funding to enroll an additional 3,621 students, but both the Senate and Assembly panels approved three times that amount. Cal State, the largest public university system in the nation, turned away 32,000 eligible students last year because its campuses weren’t able to accommodate them.
The panels asked that at least $50 million of the extra funding be used to hire more tenure-track faculty to help boost graduation rates. The Assembly panel also approved one-time funding of $5 million to ease hunger on campuses and $14 million for “rapid rehousing” pilot projects at three campuses, offering needy students rental support and short-term case management.
Other items approved include $5 million to support the CSU Long Beach Shark Lab’s research on sharks and beach safety and $2 million for equal employment opportunity practices.
This post has been updated to include comments from Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White.
Faculty members call for USC president to step down: ‘He has lost the moral authority to lead’
Two hundred USC professors on Tuesday demanded the resignation of university President C. L. Max Nikias, saying he had “lost the moral authority to lead” in the wake of revelations that a campus gynecologist was kept on staff for decades despite repeated complaints of misconduct.
Women sue USC, a model school for immigrants, pushing for more K-12 funding: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Six women are suing USC, alleging that campus gynecologist George Tyndall sexually victimized them.
Columnist Robin Abcarian writes about the growing condemnation of USC leadership in the face of recently revealed scandals.
Around the state:
Educators are advocating for a significant increase in K-12 funding.
How Oakland International High School became a model for educating immigrants.
Nationwide:
The local sheriff said the way law enforcement isolated the Santa Fe, Texas, school shooter prevented him from killing more people.
A look at grass-roots efforts to try to fight New York City school segregation.
Gun battle, negotiations lasted 15 minutes before Texas school shooter was apprehended, sheriff says
Minutes after a school shooter opened fire in an art class last week, killing 10 people and wounding 13, including a local police officer, fellow officers returned fire in a protracted gun battle before isolating the suspect, the local sheriff said Monday.
Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset praised first responders as well as Santa Fe Police Officer John Barnes, who was working as a resource officer at the school the day of the shooting. Their actions, he said, prevented the attack from spreading to other classrooms and potentially claiming additional victims.
As officials continue to probe last Friday’s shooting at Santa Fe High School, students are worried about returning to the scene of the attack when classes resume next week.
6 women sue USC, alleging they were victimized by campus gynecologist
Six women filed civil lawsuits Monday alleging that a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California sexually victimized them under the pretext of medical care and that USC failed to address complaints from clinic staff about the doctor’s behavior.
One woman alleged Dr. George Tyndall forced his entire ungloved hand into her vagina during an appointment in 2003 while making “vulgar” remarks about her genitalia, according to one of the lawsuits. Another woman alleged that Tyndall groped her breasts in a 2008 visit and that later he falsely told her she “likely had AIDS.” A third woman accused the doctor of grazing his ungloved fingers over her nude body and leering at her during a purported skin exam, the lawsuit states.
The wave of litigation comes as USC continues to grapple with the scandal, which legal experts said could prove costly to the university as scores of former patients come forward about their experiences with the gynecologist.
USC’s troubles, Meghan Markle in high school, Parkland on Santa Fe : What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
USC has heavily recruited students from China, but the school’s bond with the country has been shaken by allegations of misconduct by a longtime campus gynecologist.
Some see a pattern in the recent scandals that have plagued USC.
Meghan Markle’s Los Feliz school wants the world to learn about what its most famous alumna was really like.
Around the state:
Read about Jacque Garcia, a Compton-raised boxer who just graduated from UC Berkeley.
California doesn’t track what happens to its public school graduates.
Nationwide:
A look at the lives lost at Santa Fe High School on Friday.
Survivors of the Parkland, Fla., shooting sent their condolences to the survivors in Texas, but also expressed their outrage.
Fatalities reported in Texas high school shooting; suspect arrested, officials say
Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following a shooting at a local high school Friday morning.
Television station KHOU and the Houston Chronicle are citing unnamed federal, county and police officials following the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which went on lockdown around 8 a.m. The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports.
The school district has confirmed an unspecified number of injuries but said it wouldn’t immediately release further details. Assistant Principal Cris Richardson said a suspect “has been arrested and secured.”
This student followed the new L.A. schools chief on his first-day tour
Melissa Barales-Lopez, a senior at Garfield High School followed Supt. Austin Beutner on his first day on the job, as he toured a variety of programs around the Los Angeles Unified School District. Here’s what she took from the experience.
LAUSD students and staff alike are looking for a personal champion, someone who will address and improve the difficulties afflicting their education. … What LAUSD students need is someone who’s willing to listen and learn, someone who can understand the current issues affecting their schools and act to efficiently amend them, someone who can unlock the full potential of LAUSD students and enable them to reach their goals.
During the entirety of his first day, superintendent Austin Beutner did indeed demonstrate a willingness to learn. Posing questions to teachers and students, Beutner engaged with the student communities he encountered to gain a better comprehension of the minutiae and nuances that distinguish each school inside an overwhelmingly large district.
From inquiries about Grand View Boulevard Elementary School’s dual language program to questions regarding the services of LAUSD’s after-school program, Beyond the Bell, Beutner revealed he has a lot to learn about the system. But, Beutner also showcased a willingness to tackle challenges head-on on his first day.
USC gynecologist investigated, Austin Beutner’s first day, Delaine Eastin’s latest move: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
A USC gynecologist was allowed to continue practicing even after years of accusations of misconduct toward young women.
Austin Beutner spent his first day as L.A. Unified superintendent on a 13-hour crash course featuring different types of schools across the district.
Around the state:
Former state schools chief and current gubernatorial candidate Delaine Eastin debuted a video featuring her opponents agreeing with her.
Cal State officials plan a big lobbying push in an effort to get more state funding.
Nationwide:
North Carolina is the latest state where teachers are walking out of their classrooms to protest insufficient public school funding.
USC let a gynecologist continue treating students despite years of misconduct allegations
For nearly 30 years, the University of Southern California’s student health clinic had one full-time gynecologist: Dr. George Tyndall. Tall and garrulous with distinctive jet black hair, he treated tens of thousands of female students, many of them teenagers seeing a gynecologist for the first time.
Few who lay down on Tyndall’s exam table at the Engemann Student Health Center knew that he had been accused repeatedly of misconduct toward young patients.
The complaints began in the 1990s, when co-workers alleged he was improperly photographing students’ genitals. In the years that followed, patients and nursing staff accused him again and again of “creepy” behavior, including touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies.
Beutner’s first day, Cal State’s budget, charter money in the governor’s race: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Today is Austin Beutner’s first day as superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school district.
Charter school supporters are spending millions in an attempt to elect former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as governor of California.
Around the state:
Cal State trustees are meeting Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal.
A man was stabbed to death in a Sonoma State dormitory this weekend.
Nationwide:
Betsy DeVos tours private religious schools on her Tuesday visit to New York City.
How Georgia State University has worked to help its students climb the socioeconomic ladder.
Cal State trustees to discuss Brown’s latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short
Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students?
In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nation’s largest public university system.
Cal State’s leaders say that to keep their campuses’ quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, they’re also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing.
On his first day as L.A. schools chief, Beutner plans a day of visits across the district
L.A. Unified’s new superintendent, Austin Beutner, will kick off his first day of work on Tuesday with a choreographed tour of the nation’s second-largest school district, from the San Fernando Valley to Carson.
His day is scheduled to begin at 5:15 a.m. at a school bus depot and end more than 12 hours later at a parent meeting at Garfield High School. Along the way, Beutner is expected to be joined by school district administrators, L.A. Unified board members and the vice president of the union that represents school bus drivers.
Though he will be covering a lot of ground, Beutner’s tour has him skipping Tuesday’s school board meeting, when board members are expected to discuss labor negotiations in closed session.
Cal State trustees to discuss Brown’s latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short
Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students?
In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nation’s largest public university system.
Cal State’s leaders say that to keep their campuses’ quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, they’re also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing.
Why a handful of rich charter school supporters are spending millions to elect Antonio Villaraigosa as governor
California voters have seen a barrage of sunny television ads in recent weeks touting former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s record on finances, crime and education, aired by Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018.
But the group is, in fact, largely funded by a handful of wealthy charter-school supporters. Together they have spent more than $13 million in less than a month to boost Villaraigosa’s chances in the June 5 primary — at a time when his fundraising and poll numbers are lagging. Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, jump-started the group with a $7-million check, by far the largest donation to support any candidate in the election.
Their efforts are part of a broader proxy war among Democrats between teachers’ unions — longtime stalwarts of the party — and those who argue that the groups have failed low-income and minority schoolchildren.
Palmdale high school shooting, Beutner speaks, gubernatorial candidates talk schools: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Newly appointed L.A. Unified Supt. Austin Beutner spoke to The Times’ education team.
Embattled L.A. Unified school board member Ref Rodriguez has resigned from California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
A 14-year-old former student who had recently transferred out brought a rifle to Highland High School in Palmdale on Friday and fired multiple rounds. One student was wounded.
Around the state:
Taking stock of restorative justice initiatives in California.
Here’s what the gubernatorial candidates have said about education so far.
Nationwide:
Under Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Education Department has pulled back from investigating fraud at for-profit colleges.
Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman addressed the graduating class of Howard University.
Talking schools with L.A. Unified’s new superintendent
Austin Beutner, who officially starts Tuesday as the new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is taking on a famously difficult job at a particularly difficult time. The school board is divided and did not back him unanimously. The nation’s second-largest school district has deep-seated problems, including declining enrollment, lagging academic achievement and rising pension and healthcare costs that eat away at its budget.
The 58-year-old former investment banker and former L.A. Times publisher has years of experience in the financial world but none as an educator. Earlier this week, he sat down with the Times education team to discuss the challenges facing the district, which has about 60,000 employees and 500,000 students in traditional public schools. He did not talk about his plans — saying repeatedly, “stay tuned” — but he spoke in broad terms about his mindset in approaching the tough decisions ahead.
Suspect detained, authorities search campus after reports of armed man at Palmdale high school
One person has been detained after a report of an armed man at a Palmdale high school sparked a massive law enforcement response Friday morning.
The suspect was spotted at 7:05 a.m. on the campus of Highland High School in Palmdale, according to Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. The person was detained in a nearby parking lot, according to Nishida, who did not know whether that person was an adult or juvenile.
Deputies at the scene are clearing the school “methodically,” and students will be transported home via school buses once the campus is deemed safe, Nishida said.
The education of Bertha Perez: How a UC Merced custodian’s disenchantment led to a political awakening
It’s the third day of a three-day strike, and UC Merced custodian Bertha Perez is taking a break from a picket line at the university’s unremarkable entrance, an intersection with stop lights.
Photos from other UC campuses this week have shown big crowds of striking service workers — members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — marching and chanting pro-labor slogans as they try to force the University of California back to the negotiating table.
But here, at UC Merced, whose handful of big buildings rise from a flat expanse of farmland, the picket line is tiny, maybe two dozen workers and a few students. It’s not a big-city-style show of force. Then again, a union sympathizer is banging relentlessly on a snare drum, so it’s noisier than you’d expect.
Ref Rodriguez resigns from teacher credentialing commission
Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez has resigned from the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which oversees the integrity and quality of California’s teachers.
Rodriguez faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. Separately, his former employer, a charter school organization, has accused him of improperly authorizing checks to a nonprofit under his control.
Rodriguez has denied wrongdoing.
Rodriguez’s resignation from the state body was effective May 4, days after he cast a crucial vote as part of a narrow majority that voted to authorize contract negotiations with Austin Beutner to become superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District. Beutner’s first official day on the job is Tuesday.
Rodriguez remains in his $125,000-a-year position on the Los Angeles Board of Education.
The mission of the state body is “to ensure integrity, relevance, and high quality in the preparation, certification, and discipline” of California’s teachers. Critics had questioned Rodriguez’s continued service on the commission, given that teachers can be suspended from work if they face criminal charges.
They also can lose their jobs for lapses in personal behavior, such as excessive drinking, with the potential to affect their performance.
Police in Pasadena arrested Rodriguez on a Friday afternoon in March for public drunkenness. He was not charged in the incident and has apologized.
The state commission reviews teacher discipline cases and can take action to remove a teacher’s credential to work in a California classroom. The commission has 15 members.
Rodriguez’s departure was disclosed in a one-sentence announcement on the agency’s website.
L.A. Unified and labor, Brown’s education advisor, #MeToo and the university: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
L.A. Unified just averted a one-day strike by reaching an agreement with a labor union. Take a look at the deal that was made and the challenges ahead.
A judge dismisses an Orange County school board member’s request for a restraining order against a blogger.
Around the state:
State Board of Education President Mike Kirst will retire alongside Gov. Jerry Brown, a man he has advised for 44 years.
Nationwide:
A white student called the police on a black student napping in her Yale dorm’s common room.
#MeToo makes its mark on higher education, as more women come forward to describe sexual misconduct at the hands of male professors or scholars.
School board member’s request for restraining order against blogger is rejected
An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a school board member’s petition for a permanent restraining order against a Huntington Beach blogger.
Attorney Jeffrey W. Shields filed the petition on behalf of Ocean View School District trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin, 46, who alleged in court documents that Charles Keeler Johnson, 56, has threatened her on social media and at school board meetings, causing her to “fear for my own safety and for that of my immediate family members.”
Johnson, who goes by “Chuck” and publishes HBSledgehammer.com, said the trustee tried to stifle his freedom of speech. He also contended that Clayton-Tarvin took his blog posts and Facebook comments too seriously and out of context, saying anyone who is “afraid of metaphors has serious issues.”
A deal for LAUSD workers, UC strike voices, the National Teacher of the Year’s White House stand: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
L.A. Unified reached a tentative deal with a workers union to avert a planned one-day strike that could have shut down schools.
Meet the workers who are striking at UCLA this week.
Around the state:
The three-day UC strike expanded Tuesday as other unions picketed in support of their colleagues.
A look at how teacher strikes in other states might help California unions.
Nationwide:
The 2018 Teacher of the Year visited President Trump in the White House, but let her opposition to his policies show.
A book about a transgender child is causing controversy in Oregon.
Deal with workers averts one-day strike that could have shut down L.A. schools
Los Angeles school district and union officials announced a contract agreement Tuesday night that averted a one-day strike planned for next week.
The pact, which runs through June 2020, removes one labor problem from the desk of incoming Supt. Austin Beutner — whose first day on the job would have coincided with the strike.
Plenty of other challenges remain.
UC labor strike expands with show of support from more unions
Fong Chuu is a registered nurse who has assisted with countless liver transplants, kidney surgeries and gastric bypasses during 34 years at UCLA.
Working with her are scrub technicians who sterilize equipment, hand medical instruments to the surgeon and dress patient wounds.
They are a team, Chuu says, which is why she walked off her job Tuesday in support of those technicians and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299. The 25,000 member AFSCME local, the University of California’s largest employee union, launched a three-day strike Monday.
‘We are humans too:’ Voices of UCLA’s striking custodians, hospital aides and imaging technicians
This week, thousands of UC employees are staging a three-day strike for better pay and working conditions.
On Monday, more than 20,000 custodians, cooks, lab technicians, nurse aides and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 walked off their jobs. By Tuesday, two more unions joined in sympathy strikes.
The union and UC reached a bargaining impasse last year. The university has said it won’t meet the workers’ demands.
The strikers said they wanted better pay, more equity in the allocation of work, stable healthcare premiums and an end to the university’s use of contract workers.
These are their stories.
UC workers strike, Teacher Appreciation Week, big funders look for big ideas: What’s new in education
In and around Southern California:
Defense lawyers in civil cases in Torrance and other school districts are trying to work around a law that prevents those accused of sexual misconduct from claiming that young victims willingly participated in relationships.
L.A. Unified is promoting Teacher Appreciation Week.
Around the state:
Striking UC workers caused medical centers to reschedule treatments and surgeries. Some campuses had to cancel classes and limit dining options.
California’s Republican gubernatorial candidates say schools don’t need more money, they need to improve.
Nationwide:
The Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative are asking researchers to share their ideas for boosting student success in several key areas.
Since October, more than 700 migrant children have been taken from adults claiming to be their parents. Migrant advocates argue it’s the latest attempt by the Trump administration to stop migrant families from seeking asylum.
Massive UC workers’ strike disrupts dining, classes and medical services
A massive labor strike across the University of California on Monday forced medical centers to reschedule more than 12,000 surgeries, cancer treatments and appointments, and campuses to cancel some classes and limit dining services.
More than 20,000 members of UC’s largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, walked off their jobs on the first day of a three-day strike. They include custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides.
Two altercations involving protesters and people driving near the rallies were reported at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz. At UCLA, police took a man into custody Monday after he drove his vehicle into a crowd, hitting three staff members. They were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released, said Lt. Kevin Kilgore of the UCLA Police Department.
Sen. Kamala Harris to skip UC Berkeley commencement in support of striking workers
California Sen. Kamala Harris has canceled plans to deliver UC Berkeley’s commencement address this weekend in support of UC workers who are on strike over wages and health benefits.
“Due to the ongoing labor dispute, Sen. Harris regretfully cannot attend and speak at this year’s commencement ceremony at UC Berkeley,” said a statement from Harris’ office issued Monday. “She wishes the graduates and their families a joyous commencement weekend and success for the future. They are bright young leaders and our country is counting on them.”
UC’s largest employee union, the 25,000-member American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees Local 3299, launched a three-day strike Monday and had earlier called for a speakers’ boycott.
The union and university reached a bargaining impasse last year and subsequent mediation efforts have failed to produce an agreement. The union is asking for a multiyear contract with a 6% annual pay increase while the university is offering 3% annual increases over four years.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ will deliver the keynote address instead, the university announced. About 5,800 students are expected to participate in the ceremony Saturday.
Campus strikes, housing at People’s Park, prom time for Parkland: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A union representing L.A. Unified support workers is planning a weeklong strike.
In California:
More than 50,000 UC workers are set to strike this week, but campuses will remain open.
UC Berkeley wants to build housing — for students and the homeless — on the grounds of People’s Park.
A Chula Vista school mural included an image of President Trump’s severed head. The school has covered it up and made plans for repainting.
Nationwide:
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas prom honored the seniors killed at the school, and included a butterfly release and a reflection room.
A 19-year-old student at Parsons School of Design created a dress for this year’s Met Gala in New York.
School mural depicting Trump’s bloody, severed head sparks controversy
A Chula Vista school mural that depicts the bloody, severed head of President Trump on a spear sparked a controversy that prompted officials to cover it and issue a response distancing themselves from the work.
The statement also said the artist will alter the painting.
“We understand that there was a mural painted at the event this past weekend that does not align with our school’s philosophy of non-violence,” read the statement from MAAC Community Charter School director Tommy Ramirez. “We have been in communication with the artist — who has agreed to modify the artwork — to better align with the school’s philosophy.”
New blackface incident at Cal Poly prompts calls for state investigation
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo officials have asked the state attorney general’s office to investigate after a new photo of a white student in blackface surfaced on a fraternity group’s private Snapchat.
“I am outraged,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a video address Friday to the campus. “These vile and absolutely unacceptable acts cannot continue. We must not allow these acts to define us as an institution.”
Armstrong said the latest photo was intended to imitate an incident last month in which a white member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity was photographed at a party wearing blackface.
More than 50,000 UC workers set to strike this week but campuses will remain open
More than 50,000 workers across the University of California are set to strike this week, causing potential disruptions to surgery schedules, food preparation and campus maintenance.
The system’s 10 campuses and five medical centers are to remain open, with classes scheduled as planned.
UC’s largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, plans to begin a three-day strike Monday involving 25,000 workers, including custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides.
Beutner goes to school, some Alliance teachers file union cards, changes to Boy Scouts: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Austin Beutner made his first school visit as superintendent of L.A. Unified.
Teachers at three charter schools operated by the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools network submitted paperwork to form a union and begin bargaining collectively.
In California:
Stockton Unified has chosen a new leader: former L.A. Unified superintendent John Deasy.
At Cal State, “stretch classes,” which give students more time to learn material that might be harder for them, are beginning to replace remedial courses.
Nationwide:
Changes that make the Boy Scouts more inclusive and more appealing to girls set off a debate among Scouts.
In some places, teachers are paid so little that districts recruit from other countries to fill jobs.
Teachers union gains a foothold in L.A.’s largest charter school group
For years, the possibility of organizing the employees of the largest charter school group in Los Angeles was an elusive goal for the teachers union. Efforts launched in 2015 sputtered out during an extended and expensive legal back-and-forth.
But on Wednesday, the movement appeared to get its momentum back.
Teachers at three charter schools operated by the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools network submitted paperwork to form a union and begin bargaining collectively. Though they make up a fraction of Alliance’s total employees — the network runs 25 schools across L.A. — their actions represented a partial victory in the union’s campaign to organize charter schools.
New L.A. schools chief Beutner pledges to listen, learn and take action
New Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner proved Wednesday that he’s a quick learner even without an education background. Like countless public officials before him, he appeared at an important event — his first speech and news conference — with a photogenic background of students.
His message — that he would put those students first — seemed heartfelt if hardly original. Nor was it a huge surprise that he pledged to push cooperatively but unflinchingly to improve the district’s academic performance and stabilize its finances.
As an introduction, Beutner, a former investment banker who made a fortune on Wall Street, offered little flash, but that was partly the point.
In a school lockdown, one student takes stock of the stressful scene
At the beginning of lunch one day late last month, Duarte High School, Northview Middle School, and California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley were advised by the Los Angeles’ Sheriff’s Department to go into lockdown mode due to police activity in the immediate area.
Phalaen Chang, a junior at the California School of the Arts, wrote a series of notes on her iPhone while she sat in a room with her classmates.
By the time the lockdown ended an hour later, she wrote, she knew which of her friends would “hold open the door for others,” “be the ones calming others down,” “be the ones barricading the doors.” She knew “that all of them have the potential to be such strong people.”
Beutner selected as new LAUSD superintendent with two no votes — but he has some homework: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified named its new superintendent Tuesday: Austin Beutner, 58, a philanthropist and former investment banker who has no experience running a school or district. Two board members voted no.
The Beutner announcement is controversial but follows a long history of the district deciding between leaders who come from inside and outside LAUSD leadership.
Columnist Steve Lopez has some homework for the incoming schools chief.
In California:
Anaheim High School is the country’s first school to be digitally mapped, a safety measure.
California schools are spending about $4 million to implement environmental education standards.
Nationwide:
Housing alone does not explain school segregation in New York City.
In a private meeting with teachers, Betsy DeVos signaled her disapproval of the recent educator strikes.
Tale as old as time: L.A. Unified superintendent pick follows a historical pattern of outside-the-box choices
L.A. Unified has long gone back and forth between picking insiders and outsiders to run the nation’s second largest school district.
The choice of Austin Beutner, announced Tuesday, places the district squarely back in the outsider camp — months after a consummate insider, Supt. Michelle King, announced that she had cancer and would not return to the job.
Check out this timeline of former L.A. superintendents to see how the school board members have changed their minds, sometimes favoring leaders who come from the world of education and sometimes executives from elsewhere, recruited to shock the system into change.
At one point, the district hired someone from the military — retired Navy Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, who served as superintendent from 2006-2008.
“In hiring Brewer, board members had opted for a non-educator — largely because they sought a fresh thinker, unwedded to the bureaucracy, unafraid to make bold, even unorthodox moves,” reads a 2008 Times story.
Austin Beutner named superintendent of Los Angeles schools
Austin Beutner, a philanthropist and former investment banker, on Tuesday was named superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system.
His selection was the biggest move yet by a Los Angeles school board majority elected with major support from charter school advocates. The decision came after lengthy public testimony, most of it in support of the other remaining finalist, interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian, who is well known within the school system.
Beutner, 58, has no background leading a school or school district. Less than 2½ years ago, a school board with a very different balance of power named Michelle King, a former teacher who rose through the district throughout her career, to L.A. Unified’s top job.
Hearing delay gives both sides more time in Ref Rodriguez’s potential trial
Ref Rodriguez and his attorneys will have more time to prepare their defense against charges of political money laundering, a judge ruled Monday.
The preliminary hearing in the case had been scheduled to begin May 9, but that date will now be pushed back to July 23 per the ruling from L.A. Superior Court Judge Deborah S. Brazil.
Rodriguez, 46, faces three felony charges of conspiracy, perjury and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering.
LAUSD prepares to name new leader, training tots for friendship, sex ed waivers in California: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified is poised to name Austin Beutner as its new schools chief.
Nearly 30,000 L.A. preschoolers are getting specific training and teachings on empathy.
In California:
IBM wants to create 20 high schools focused on technology careers in California.
California parents can withdraw their children from sex education, though nondiscrimination laws require students to stay in lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Nationwide:
More rigorous classes can help prevent teens from engaging in risky behavior, research has found.
Teachers in Arizona are still out of school as legislators near a deal for increasing their pay.
L.A. school board poised to name Beutner as superintendent
The Los Angeles Board of Education is poised to select philanthropist and former investment banker Austin Beutner to be the next superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school system.
Barring a last-minute development, the only mystery is whether Beutner emerges with four or five votes from the board’s seven members. Terms of his contract already have been under discussion, according to sources close to the process who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak.
The selection of Beutner, 58, who has no experience managing a school or a school district, would be a signal that the board majority that took control nearly a year ago wants to rely on business management skills instead of insider educational expertise.
UC San Diego’s sexual assault prevention efforts, teachers on strike, LAUSD transfer deadline: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
How UC San Diego has fought against sexual assault for the last three decades.
L.A. Unified students who want to transfer have until May 18 to apply.
In California:
Carpinteria Unified will cut physical education teachers and transfer their duties to classroom teachers.
The California State Parent Teacher Assn. held a gubernatorial debate, but Gavin Newsom didn’t show up.
Nationwide:
After a weekend of parent-driven activism, schools are closed in Arizona once again Monday as teachers continue to strike over low pay and school funding.
An Iowa audit found “systemic non-compliance” with parts of a federal law governing special education.
Teacher walkouts in Arizona and Colorado continue national debate on money for schools
Following the lead of teachers who walked off the job in other states in recent weeks, thousands of teachers and their supporters took to the streets in Arizona and Colorado for the second day in a row to demand better pay and more funding for education.
Three decades before the #MeToo movement, UC San Diego led the way against sexual assault
When Nancy Wahlig first started her fight against sexual assault, one company was marketing a capsule for women to stash in their bras and then smash to release a vile odor.
“Because of the very nature of society, the only person who can prevent rape is the woman herself,” read a 1981 advertisement for the Repulse rape deterrent.
Ideas about how to prevent sexual violence have come a long way since then, and Wahlig has helped lead that evolution on college campuses. In 1988, she started UC San Diego’s Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC), the first stand-alone program at the University of California. Today, she remains the system’s most senior specialist.
Alonso withdraws, UC shelves tuition hike, the good news behind the new autism numbers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Former Baltimore schools chief Andrés Alonso withdrew from consideration for the L.A. Unified superintendent job.
How L.A. Unified is helping English learners reach fluency.
USC’s medical school gives its interim dean the permanent job.
In California:
UC has shelved a proposed tuition hike, hoping the state will kick in more funding.
Nationwide:
The reported rise in the prevalence of autism is probably a sign that more children of color who are on the autism spectrum are being recognized as such and getting services to help them, according to CDC data.
Transgender students are fighting to use the locker rooms of their gender identity.
Andrés Alonso withdraws from consideration for L.A. schools job
Andrés Alonso, believed to be one of three remaining finalists to lead the Los Angeles school system, has withdrawn from consideration. The remaining known candidates in the confidential search are former investment banker Austin Beutner and interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian.
Alonso, 60, announced his decision on Twitter on Thursday night, saying he had notified the L.A. Unified School District on Monday.
The exit of Alonso, the former Baltimore schools chief, seems to solidify the front-runner status of Beutner, who also was a former L.A. Times publisher and a Los Angeles deputy mayor. He held each of those positions for about a year.
Here’s why the apparent increase in autism spectrum disorders may be good for U.S. children
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among American children continues to rise, new government data suggest. And that may be a good thing.
Among 11 sites across the U.S. where records of 8-year-olds are scrutinized in detail, 1 in 59 kids was deemed to have ASD in 2014. That’s up from 1 in 68 in 2012.
Normally, health officials would prefer to see less of a disease, not more of it. But in this case, the higher number is probably a sign that more children of color who are on the autism spectrum are being recognized as such and getting services to help them, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
UC shelves tuition increase for now, in hopes of getting more state funding
University of California regents will not vote on a tuition increase next month, shelving the plan for now in hopes that state lawmakers will come through with more funding.
“Raising tuition is always a last resort and one we take very seriously,” UC President Janet Napolitano said Thursday in a statement. “We will continue to advocate with our students who are doing a tremendous job of educating legislators about the necessity of adequately funding the university to ensure UC remains a world-class institution and engine of economic growth for our state.”
Last week, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White said the 23-campus system no longer would consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. But unlike Cal State, UC officials have not taken a tuition increase off the table entirely.
Call for transparency in L.A. schools chief search, Pasadena’s budget problem, Cal State’s lab safety issues: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A group of parents from the San Fernando Valley are criticizing L.A. Unified for what they call the district’s nontransparent superintendent search.
The L.A. County Office of Education wrote a letter to Pasadena Unified saying the district needs to cut $8.15 million from its 2019-2020 budget.
In California:
An audit highlighted lax lab safety procedures on some Cal State campuses.
Gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa proposed giving students a year of free college in exchange for a commitment to public service.
Nationwide:
The Trump era and talk of “fake news” has yielded a rise in journalism majors.
Teachers in Colorado and Arizona are the latest to walk out.
A chemical spill, unchecked eyewash stations, poor training: Audit details Cal State’s lax lab safety
In May 2016, two bottles tumbled off a poorly supported shelf and broke, leading to a chemical spill in a Sacramento State University lab.
The liquid got onto one student’s legs and soaked another’s feet.
Five employees cleaned up the mess, even though no one knew for sure what it was and whether it was dangerous. They called fellow employee Kim Harrington, their union representative, to let her know what happened.
Racism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a Fresno professor’s tweets, charter school growth: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
California’s charter school enrollment is growing fast, especially in the big urban counties of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Contra Costa.
L.A. Unified is promoting Denim Day on Thursday, encouraging people to wear jeans as part of a campaign to prevent sexual violence.
In California:
Recent photos of a white fraternity member in blackface and others wearing baggy jeans and gold chains and flashing gang signs have sparked blunt, painful conversations about the treatment of minority students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the least diverse Cal State campus.
A Cal State Fresno professor who made disparaging remarks on Twitter about former First Lady Barbara Bush will keep her job. But the campus president called her comments “disgraceful.”
Nationwide:
National data from the 2015-16 school year indicate that black students continued to get pushed out of school and receive harsher punishments than their peers.
Texas plans to spend nearly $212 million over the next five years to to fix systemic problems with special education.
After blackface incident, minority students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo say they don’t feel welcome
Aaliyah Ramos was walking through the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus last year when a prospective student approached her.
Ramos was the only black person, the young woman said, that she and her mother had seen that day. They asked about the quality of education and the diversity of the student body.
Ramos, a mechanical engineering student, didn’t want to sugarcoat the truth: Cal Poly long has been predominantly white. But she told the young woman — who also was black — that she didn’t want to discourage her from applying, because that wouldn’t help with diversity at a school where only 0.7% of students are African American — the lowest percentage of any university in the California State system.
Cal State Fresno professor will keep job after ‘disgraceful’ tweets about Barbara Bush, campus president says
A Cal State Fresno professor who posted disparaging remarks on Twitter about former First Lady Barbara Bush will keep her job, university officials said Tuesday.
Randa Jarrar drew swift and widespread condemnation when she called Bush, wife of former President George H.W. Bush and mother of former President George W. Bush, an “amazing racist who, along with her husband, raised a war criminal.”
In a letter to the campus community, Cal State Fresno President Joseph Castro called Jarrar’s comments “disgraceful” and “an embarrassment to the university,” but said they were protected under the 1st Amendment.
How to win a decathlon, mental health class, Silicon Valley University shuttered: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
El Camino Real Charter High School breaks down how to win a national Academic Decathlon.
L.A. School Report and the L.A. Daily News will partner with several nonprofits to host an education-focused forum for gubernatorial candidates on May 15.
In California:
After the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Silicon Valley University had lost its accreditation months ago, state regulators shut down the nonprofit San Jose school.
Lawyers for a student and parents accused the West Contra Costa Unified School District in the Bay Area of violating state law by failing to release information about school performance.
Nationwide:
The U.S Department of Education this morning released the 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection, which looks at access to education and differences in discipline rates for students of different races and ethnicities.
Virginia teens successfully lobbied for state legislation that requires mental health instruction for students in the first two years of high school.
Still no LAUSD superintendent, students walk out, a squirrel for Senate: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
District officials met Friday, but they emerged yet again without having chosen LAUSD’s new superintendent.
El Camino Real has won the Academic Decathlon again.
L.A. students joined their peers nationwide in another march against gun violence.
In California:
At UC Berkeley, a squirrel ran for student Senate and won.
A former Texas education official took to Twitter to ask if a biracial teen got into Harvard “on merit or on quota.”
Nationwide:
Arizona teachers are preparing to strike.
Gun sales have increased in Florida since the Parkland shooting.
El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills wins the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon
El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills has won the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon, officials said.
The winner was announced early Saturday at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas. More than 600 students from the U.S., Canada, China and the United Kingdom gathered there over the last three days to compete in the 37th annual U.S. Academic Decathlon.
“Congratulations to El Camino Real Charter High School for another impressive victory,” said Vivian Ekchian, interim superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “Your academic stamina and competitive spirit to win is remarkable. The entire L.A. Unified family is so proud of you.”
Anticipation mounts as L.A. school board meets over superintendent selection
The Los Angeles Board of Education is reconvening in closed session Friday at noon as anticipation mounts about the choice of the next leader of the nation’s second-largest school system. The presumed front-runner is former investment banker and philanthropist Austin Beutner, but interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian and former Baltimore Supt. Andres Alonso also are in the running.
Most district insiders appear to be rooting for Ekchian, who has spent her entire career in education within the school system. After her 10 years as a teacher, her roles have included head of human resources, chief labor negotiator and regional administrator for campuses in the west San Fernando Valley. She’s managed the district since September, when then-Supt. Michelle King went on medical leave and chose Ekchian to fill in for her. King, who is battling cancer, never returned and announced her retirement in January.
Numerous influential civic leaders have urged — and pressured — the board to select Beutner. Also lending their weight have been advocates for charter schools, which are independently operated, growing in number and competing for students with district-operated campuses. Four of the seven board members — enough to control the outcome — were elected with major financial support from charter supporters.
Beutner has two ongoing connections with the L.A. Unified School District. The first is his leadership of an outside task force that is making recommendations on how to improve the school system. The second is his charity, Vision to Learn, which supplies glasses to low-income students. The charity and the school system are in a dispute at the moment over who is responsible for delays in providing services to students as part of a $6 million contract, half of which is paid for by L.A. Unified.
Unlike Ekchian and Buetner, Alonso, who currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has no deep-seated local constituency, but the prospect of his selection has generated some excitement. While in Baltimore, Alonso was recognized for pushing for progress at low-performing schools, and for being willing to take strong action. While in Baltimore, he also weathered a test-score cheating scandal and occasionally rocky relations with the teachers union. But by the time he resigned, after six years, he and union leaders seemed to be working together without rancor.
Leaders of some community groups have split from the pro-Beutner camp. They worry that Beutner’s approach to confronting the district’s financial problems could shut out their voices or involve severe economic cutbacks that would undermine programs that are helping students. Some prefer Ekchian; some Alonso. They’ve been reluctant to speak out publicly because they’ll have to work with whoever is selected, but they have tried to get the ear of board members.
On Friday morning, one leader of a community group decided to come out in favor of Alonso.
“L.A. Unified has the opportunity to bring in an instructional leader of color with a history of success,” said Alberto Retana, president and chief executive of Community Coalition, which works on behalf of low-income students and families in South Los Angeles. “If we have a shot at that, we should go for it — because it’s in the best interests of our kids and of our community.”
Retana said his statement was not meant to criticize Beutner or Ekchian but to alert board members that there also is community support for Alonso.
Cal State leader shelves proposed tuition hike: ‘It’s the right thing to do, but it’s not without risk’
Cal State, the nation’s largest public university system, will no longer consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced Friday.
The decision is a bet that Sacramento will come through in the end. If Cal State loses that bet, it could mean cuts to campus programs.
White said in an interview that California’s economy is strong enough that families should not be shouldering the burden of higher college costs.
L.A. students to participate in national walkout activities on Friday
Students are taking to the streets again Friday to protest gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting.
Starting at 10 a.m., students at many schools will spend 13 seconds honoring the 13 people — 12 students and one teacher — killed on that day in Littleton, Colo. After that, they’ll participate in a host of different activities.
Within L.A. Unified, one school is having an open-mic event for students to talk about school violence, and lawmakers are visiting campuses to hear students thoughts.
According to a central hub for organizing the protests — written by the students of Ridgefield High School in Connecticut — the walkouts are intended to drive the political change necessary to curb school violence.
“The day is also a time for students to interact on an elevated platform they have never had before,” the site states. “It is a day of discourse and thoughtful sharing. Bringing together communities and students to get a national discussion rolling.”
Organizers have suggested using the event to convey the importance of curbing gun violence to legislators. They are encouraging students to push legislation that would ban assault weapons and tighten up rules around who can buy guns and how.
Over 2,500 schools nationwide are expected to participate.
In L.A., some students — at campuses including Eagle Rock High School, the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts and Bravo Medical Magnet — plan to walk out. Students from various schools expect to join area marches, including those in Santa Monica and Huntington Park. Other schools are hosting career days and voter registration drives.
At 1 p.m., students plan to start a rally in front of L.A. Unified headquarters.
For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that 12 teachers and one student were killed in the Columbine shooting. The opposite is true: twelve students and one teacher died.
Stabbing of popular student devastates South El Monte High School; teen friend suspected in slaying
When administrators at South El Monte High School called Jeremy Sanchez’s parents to say he never showed up for class Wednesday, his father began to worry.
It was unusual for the 17-year-old junior to miss school, so his father filed a missing person’s report and assembled two of Jeremy’s close friends to look for the popular student-athlete.
Their search took them to a scenic stretch of the San Gabriel River Trail, where one of the friends — a 16-year-old boy — made a tragic discovery. Among the bushes in the riverbed near Thienes Avenue and Parkway Drive was Jeremy’s body, punctured with stab wounds, according to Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The L.A. schools chief power game, education money in the governor’s race, fraternity and sorority suspensions: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Answers to questions about the search for a new L.A. schools superintendent — including how power brokers might be influencing the debate.
Indianapolis schools Supt. Lewis Ferebee took himself out of the running for the job.
In California:
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has suspended fraternities and sororities following racist activity on campus.
Through independent expenditures, the governor’s race is becoming a proxy war over charter schools, columnist George Skelton writes.
Nationwide:
At Syracuse University, a fraternity was suspended after an offensive video surfaced.
An 8-year-old was arrested Wednesday for allegedly bringing a gun to a Maryland elementary school.
Racist fliers spark outrage at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Soon after Neal MacDougall arrived on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus Tuesday, the professor noticed university police standing outside a restroom near his office. A racial slur against African Americans had been scrawled in red marker on a stall wall.
Later, he discovered a series of racist fliers pinned up next to his door. Someone had also slashed posters he’d hung outside his office supporting students in the country illegally.
The discovery was the latest controversy on the prestigious campus — which the president said is less than 55% white — that MacDougall said demonstrates a culture of racism at the university. Last week, photographs emerged of white fraternity members, including one in blackface, flashing gang signs.
Fired Pico Rivera teacher bullied students, saved pictures of nude women on class computer, report says
When El Rancho High School teacher Gregory Salcido was secretly recorded telling his students that members of the military were “dumb” and the “lowest of the low,” the public outcry was swift and withering.
Angry community members called for Salcido’s firing, while White House Chief of Staff John Kelly — a retired Marine general — said the teacher “ought to go to hell.”
Within months, Salcido would be out of a job, and his position as a Pico Rivera city councilman would be called into question.
Search for L.A. schools chief loses a candidate as Indianapolis superintendent Ferebee drops out
Lewis Ferebee, the superintendent of Indianapolis public schools, has taken himself out of the running for the job of L.A. schools superintendent.
“After further discussing this endeavor with my family, the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners, and those handling the search process, I have withdrawn my name from consideration,” Ferebee confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “It was an honor to have been considered for an opportunity of this magnitude.”
Reached by phone, Indianapolis school board president Michael O’Connor said Ferebee told him he was attracted by the opportunity of leading the nation’s second-largest school district, but hadn’t fully discussed the implications of such a move with his wife.
O’Connor also said Ferebee has engaged in strategies such as building new types of schools that partner with charter schools under the authority of a willing board — and might have had reservations about losing that dynamic.
“He has a board that has embraced taking on the portfolio model, charter schools. The attractiveness of L.A. was, this was a bigger scale, a lot more students,” O’Connor said. “The question was, would the [L.A.] board have the same willingness to embrace change and innovation?”
The search for the new superintendent is confidential. But sources had named Ferebee as one of four finalists, along with former investment banker Austin Beutner, interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian and former Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso.
The board spent Tuesday interviewing finalists and adjourned at 10:11 p.m. It will reconvene Friday afternoon.
UPDATES:
4:40 p.m.: An earlier version of this article said that Ferebee brought charter schools to Indianapolis. He built innovation schools, a new type of school that partners with charters.
This article was first published at 2:03 p.m.
The superintendent waiting game, paying for L.A.’s College Promise, Princeton’s slave history: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
The L.A. Unified school board spent 10 hours interviewing and discussing candidates for superintendent. When they adjourned after 10 p.m., they said they would reconvene on Friday.
Who is paying for Mayor Eric Garcetti’s much-touted College Promise, a program that promises two years of community college for LAUSD grads?
In California:
The Legislature is considering a proposal that would boost K-12 education funding for black students.
When the cost of living is taken into account, California has the highest rate of child poverty.
Nationwide:
The families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School are suing Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never occurred.
Princeton will name two spaces — an arch and a garden — after slaves who lived or worked on the campus.
L.A. school board meets privately with finalists and debates choice for school district leader
The Los Angeles Board of Education adjourned late Tuesday after spending more than 10 hours interviewing candidates and trying to reach a decision on who would be the next leader of the nation’s second-largest school system.
When the meeting finally recessed at 10:11 p.m., a spokesman announced only that the school board would reconvene Friday at noon.
Going into the day’s meetings, there were apparently four finalists, according to sources who could not be named because they were unauthorized to speak.
Two Sandy Hook families sue Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never happened
Families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School have filed lawsuits in Texas against controversial radio host Alex Jones for continually claiming the massacre never happened.
Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Lewis, and Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose son Noah Pozner died in the massacre, filed separate lawsuits late Monday in Travis County, Texas.
The lawsuits allege that Jones defamed the parents by constantly calling them “crisis actors” and insisting the shooting was a “false flag” operation; they also claim Jones’ accusations have led to death threats against the Sandy Hook families by Jones’ followers.
Beutner an LAUSD superintendent finalist, helping teachers buy homes, D.C. schools misspent money: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Former investment banker and L.A. Times publisher Austin Beutner has emerged as a finalist for L.A. Unified superintendent, but his education-focused nonprofit is under scrutiny.
Some LAUSD students wrote the school board an open letter describing what they want in a superintendent.
In California:
Young victims of violence are calling for an alternative criminal justice framework that puts survivors at the center.
The West Contra Costa Unified School District is working with a for-profit start-up company to help teachers buy homes.
Nationwide:
Washington, D.C.’s public schools misspent money earmarked for the district’s neediest students to cover day-to-day costs.
A high school junior in Florida was threatened with disciplinary action for not wearing a bra to school, setting off a debate over the line between appropriate dress codes and policing women’s bodies.
Beutner emerges as a top pick for L.A. schools superintendent amid last-minute jockeying
Austin Beutner has emerged as a leading contender to run the Los Angeles school district, with backers saying he is smart enough and tough enough to confront its financial and academic struggles.
Though he does not have a background in education, the former investment banker has in the last year examined some of the district’s intractable problems, serving as co-chair of an outside task force with the support of then-Supt. Michelle King.
Sources inside and outside the school district said Beutner appears to have more support on the seven-member board than other finalists, and his name could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday.
Seeking a ‘children’s governor,’ LAUSD workers authorize strike, deteriorating schools: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A union representing L.A. Unified’s school workers — including bus drivers, special education assistants and cafeteria workers — voted to authorize a strike.
L.A. is part of a federal pilot program that brings college counselors directly to low-income housing developments.
In California:
Early learning advocates want California to elect a governor who will prioritize improving education for the youngest students.
A bill that would bar schools from hiring teachers accused of sexual misconduct involving children faced opposition at the state Senate Education Committee.
Nationwide:
Construction workers at a Chicago school site are taking care not to disturb the estimated 38,000 unmarked graves there.
As teachers protest budget cuts, they point to the conditions in their neglected schools: old textbooks, bug-infested ceilings and broken desks.
Challenge at Chicago school construction site: Watch for 38,000 unmarked graves
A 15-year effort to build a school in Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood is underway with an unusual complication: Construction workers are taking careful steps to avoid disturbing human remains that may lie beneath the soil.
The $70-million school is to be built on the grounds of a former Cook County Poor House, where an estimated 38,000 people were buried in unmarked graves. Among the dead are residents who were too poor to afford funeral costs, unclaimed bodies and patients from the county’s insane asylum.
“There can be and there have been bodies found all over the place,” said Barry Fleig, a genealogist and cemetery researcher who began investigating the site in 1989. “It’s a spooky, scary place.”
Oklahoma teacher walkout winds down despite lawmakers’ failure to meet demands
Oklahoma’s largest teachers union has announced an end to a walkout that has drawn thousands of educators out of classrooms and to the state Capitol demanding greater investment in the state’s schools, which have endured the nation’s steepest funding cuts.
The announcement Thursday from the Oklahoma Education Assn. does not necessarily end the protests at the Capitol, as teachers not affiliated with the union vowed to stay longer. Instead of a walkout, the union and school districts across the state have said they plan to send delegations of teachers to Oklahoma City to keep the pressure on lawmakers. Teachers and their supporters have also promised to push education issues to the forefront of November elections, when the state chooses a new governor.
As school districts begin to reopen, the protests may lose steam. The Legislature is not in session Friday, and observers are waiting to see what happens Monday, when lawmakers return.
Fundraising for arts education, state votes on ESSA plan, Stoneman Douglas teacher arrested: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified teamed up with celebrities recently to raise money for arts education.
El Sereno middle school has a new fitness center.
In California:
State education officials finally voted to send a complete plan for satisfying the Every Student Succeeds Act back to Betsy DeVos’ office.
Eli Broad donated $1.5 million to the Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018, a group sponsored by the California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates.
Nationwide:
How sexual misconduct became an “institutional blind spot” for Michigan State University.
A Marjory Stoneman Douglas teacher was arrested on suspicion of leaving a gun in an off-campus bathroom.
Californians oppose arming teachers, Oklahoma teachers start political runs, Pennsylvania baseball bats: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
No serious injuries were reported after an L.A. Unified bus carrying 30 people crashed in Reseda on Monday.
L.A. Unified held the first of a series of town halls on school safety.
In California:
Most Californians fear a school shooting but don’t want to arm teachers, a survey found.
California’s largest virtual charter school network has reached a tentative contract agreement with the union.
Nationwide:
A school district in Pennsylvania is arming teachers with baseball bats.
Some Oklahoma teachers who walked out have filed paperwork to run for office.
Most Californians are worried about school shooting threats and oppose arming teachers, survey finds
Most Californians are worried that a school shooting like the one that occurred in Parkland, Fla., in February could shed blood closer to home, a new survey found.
Some 73% percent of adults and 82% of public school parents said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned about school shootings.
The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,704 adults in the state by phone just after the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence.
Latino and black respondents were significantly more likely to be concerned about school violence than white or Asian respondents, the institute found.
Two-thirds of adults and public school parents said they opposed letting more educators carry weapons in school. The response differed across party lines, with 86% of Democrats and 69% of independents voicing their opposition, while 60% percent of Republicans said they would support a measure to arm educators.
The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.2% in either direction, also asked Californians about school funding, educational issues in the governor’s race and the impact of immigration enforcement on students.
You can find the full results here.
California’s largest virtual charter school network agrees to contract with its teachers
Nearly four years after teachers at California’s largest online charter school voted to unionize, they have reached a deal to increase pay and create job protections, according to a spokesman for the California Teachers Assn.
The contract, which is still tentative and subject to ratification, is a victory for the teachers union. Although charter schools are publicly funded, most are privately managed and their employees aren’t protected by labor contracts.
Under the terms of the contract — the result of years of negotiation and legal wrangling — approximately 500 teachers working for California Virtual Academies will no longer be at-will employees who can be dismissed for almost any reason.
Their average salary will rise to just over $45,000, according to union estimates, a figure that remains far below the norm for traditional public school teachers. Still, it is an improvement over the previous average of $38,000.
The accord also places a limit on the number of students each teacher is responsible for monitoring in online “homeroom” classes.
“We’re very satisfied with the gains we made,” said teacher Brianna Carroll, president of California Virtual Educators United. “I think we’re going to see some extraordinary changes in our schools.”
According to Carroll, teachers at California Virtual Academies — better known as CAVA — had grown frustrated with the organization’s foot-dragging and were making preparations to go on strike when CAVA’s leadership agreed to the deal.
CAVA and K12, the Virginia-based for-profit company linked to its schools, did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday asking for comment. The network currently operates nine virtual charter schools across California.
In 2016, the charter network agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims of false advertising, misleading parents and inadequate instruction. The state attorney general’s office had also accused K12 of controlling the charters for its own financial benefit.
Neither CAVA nor K12 admitted to wrongdoing in the settlement.
A year later, the state imposed a $2-million fine on CAVA after an audit found that it had misspent public funds. The network disputed the findings.
LAUSD’s new funding formula, protesting Ref Rodriguez, helping blind students in the lab: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified’s school board voted to consider traumas that affect campus communities when divvying up some school funding.
Outside the board meeting, some students, parents and teachers called for board member Ref Rodriguez’s resignation.
In California:
New devices are helping blind and vision-impaired students better participate in science lessons instead of just sitting on the sidelines while others do experiments.
Pending state Senate confirmation, the California State Board of Education’s newest student member will be Gema Quetzal Cardenas, 16, of Oakland.
Nationwide:
A coalition of 25 military groups told Congress they don’t want school vouchers, because shifting public funds to private schools would be “financially devastating” to school districts.
Some Texans are urging their state to consider establishing standards for a Mexican American studies course.
School board approves a new formula for funding high-need schools
L.A. schools will soon get more money if they are located in neighborhoods with such problems as high levels of gun violence and asthma.
The Los Angeles Unified school board voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a new formula to determine how to dole out some funding to schools, based not only on the characteristics of the student populations but on the traumas that affect the communities around campuses.
The new formula will be applied to $25 million in funding next fiscal year and about $263 million annually in future years — a small part of the district’s $7.5 billion annual budget.
Protesters demand Ref Rodriguez resignation outside school board meeting
A few dozen parents, students and teachers marched outside the Los Angeles Unified School Board meeting Tuesday, some calling for board member Ref Rodriguez to resign the week after news broke that he was taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena bar and restaurant.
Rodriguez was not cited or charged in that incident, but was held for more than five and a half hours before being released.
The school board member faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. He is accused of getting more than two dozen people people to donate to his campaign for his school board seat with the understanding that he would reimburse them.
He stepped down from his post as school board president after he was charged last fall, but he did not give up his seat on the board. He has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May.
“He can’t give his full focus to our students,” said Rebecca LaFond, a Highland Park parent whose three children marched with her as she chanted, “Ref resign.” One daughter marched in front of her, using a drum stick to hit the bottom of a gallon-size empty water jug.
“Our kids deserve someone who has the utmost ethical standards representing them,” LaFond said.
The protests continued into the board meeting, where some addressed Rodriguez directly, calling on him to step down during public comment portions of the meeting.
Rodriguez, through his chief of staff, declined to comment.
Some parents outside the board meeting did not know about the charges against Rodriguez but came out to protest the possibility of sharing their school campuses with charter schools.
Cynthia Martinez said her son, who goes to Christopher Dena Elementary School in Boyle Heights, has been bullied in the past by students from a charter school sharing the campus. She said she didn’t know who Rodriguez was.
Some parents and teachers are worried about losing computer labs, robotics rooms and fitness centers if they are required to share their campus with charter schools, said Ilse Escobar, a parent community organizer for United Teachers Los Angeles.
The issues of Rodriguez and colocation are related, Escobar said. Rodriguez is part of a majority on the school board elected with financial backing from charter school supporters, and many parents, she said, feel that the “school board is compromised” if he is a part of it.
Staff reporter Howard Blume contributed to this post.
California’s test scores, Inglewood’s school woes, DeVos’ words to Oklahoma teachers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Scores on national tests were mostly flat across L.A. Unified.
The chaos of constant turnover has contributed to uncertainty over whether the Inglewood Unified School District can be saved.
A charter schools advocacy group recently announced that it would drop two long-running lawsuits against L.A. Unified.
In California:
This week, the state Board of Education will meet to vote on a plan to meet federal requirements.
The Parkland, Fla., shooting and the activism it inspired have led more California teenagers to preregister to vote.
Nationwide:
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that “Dreamers” are ineligible for in-state tuition.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told the Oklahoma teachers who walked out of their classrooms to “serve the students.”
Delaine Eastin tries to gain momentum in the California governor’s race, one voter at a time
Delaine Eastin was a sophomore in high school when a drama teacher urged her to try out for a part in “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” She hesitated until he told her: “This is a metaphor for your whole life. If you never try out, you will never get the part.”
Eastin auditioned and won the role. Decades later, the advice sticks with the former state schools chief, this time in her unlikely run for governor.
Despite calls for more women in leadership roles in state politics following sexual misconduct allegations in Sacramento, Eastin has been largely overlooked in the race, lagging far behind her Democratic rivals in fundraising and the polls.
Arizona high court rejects in-state tuition for DACA recipients
Young immigrants granted deferred deportation status under a program started by President Obama are not eligible for lower in-state college tuition, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The unanimous ruling will affect at least 2,000 students attending the state’s largest community college district and hundreds more at other colleges and the state’s three public universities.
The Maricopa County Community Colleges District and state universities said they would begin raising tuition immediately for the coming school year.
New York high school students injured when bus strikes overpass
A charter bus carrying teenagers returning from a spring break trip Sunday night struck a bridge overpass on Long Island, seriously injuring six passengers and mangling the entire length of the top of the bus.
The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday on the Southern State Parkway in Lakeview, according to New York State Police.
One of the six injured passengers had very serious injuries, said State Police Maj. David Candelaria. Thirty-seven other passengers suffered minor injuries.
Some good news for California in national student test scores
Every two years, the nation’s fourth- and eighth-graders are tested in math and reading — and newly released results from last year’s tests give California at least a little reason to be pleased.
The 2017 results — out Monday night — were mostly flat nationwide compared with 2015, though the average score in eighth-grade reading went up.
But while that improvement largely came from the increased scores of the highest-performing students, California eighth-graders showed some reading progress from the lowest levels to the highest.
Under state control, Inglewood school district’s financial picture worsened
When Eugenio Villa agreed to return to the Inglewood schools for a second tour last summer, he knew the district remained one of California’s most troubled.
Inglewood Unified had been nearly insolvent when it was taken over by the state Department of Education in 2012. Six years later, its enrollment was still declining. Its school buildings were tired — some edging into decrepitude. Its test scores and graduation rates were still below the state average. And the public was out of patience.
Still, Villa, who had signed back on as the district’s chief business official, was shocked at what he found when he arrived in June 2017. Two years earlier, he had left the school system on what he thought was firm ground.
Charter school group drops two lawsuits against L.A. Unified
A charter schools advocacy group last week announced that it would end two long-running lawsuits in which it was seeking more classroom space and construction money from the Los Angeles school district.
The decision, the California Charter Schools Assn. said, reflects better relations between charter schools and the L.A. Unified School District. But the move also suggests that the litigation, which already contributed to significant gains for area charters, was unlikely to produce much more.
“It takes time, money and effort to litigate,” said Ricardo Soto, general counsel for the charter group. “Maybe it’s better to see if we can find the time and opportunity for collaboration.”
Rodriguez arrested, racial bias in student discipline, D.C. teachers walk out: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified school board member Ref Rodriguez was recently arrested in Pasadena on suspicion of public intoxication.
A look at how the arrest of father Romulo Avelica Gonzalez put the Lincoln Heights neighborhood and its families on edge.
In California:
UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox, while serving as Michigan State University provost in 2010, allowed a dean accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women to keep his job, the Detroit News reported.
A small, rural district in Tulare County began offering free preschool for all after teachers found kindergarteners to be unprepared.
Nationwide:
On average, U.S. schools continue to show racial bias when disciplining students, a GAO report found. The report came as U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos considers rolling back President Obama’s 2014 guidelines intended to fix this problem.
Teachers briefly walked out of Anacostia High School in Washington on Wednesday to protest conditions in their building. That morning, the toilets weren’t working.
L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez is arrested on suspicion of public intoxication
Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez was arrested recently on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena restaurant, the latest trouble for an elected official who faces political money-laundering charges.
Pasadena police took Rodriguez into custody on March 16, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. Officers arrested Rodriguez at about 4:30 p.m. at the Yard House restaurant and bar at the Paseo Mall and held him in jail for more than five-and-a-half hours.
Rodriguez was ultimately released without being cited or charged, Derderian told The Times. Other details about the arrest were not available, she said.
Report links UC Riverside chancellor to Michigan State sexual assault scandal
UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox, while serving as Michigan State University provost in 2010, allowed a dean accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women to continue in his post, the Detroit News reported.
William Strampel, then dean of MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, was arrested this week on charges of harassing, propositioning, sexually assaulting and soliciting pornographic videos of female students.
The arrest came as part of a broader probe into MSU’s handling of complaints against former sports doctor Larry Nassar, whom Strampel supervised. Nassar was sentenced in January to up to 175 years in prison after more than 150 girls and young women — some of them Olympic gymnasts — testified he sexually assaulted them under the guise of medical treatment over two decades.
Wilcox told The Times in January that he did not know about Nassar’s behavior while he served as MSU provost from 2005 to 2013.
But the Detroit News reported this week that Wilcox did know that multiple people had complained that Strampel repeatedy made crude comments about women’s bodies, ogled their breasts and boasted about his sexual conquests. The complaints were made during Stampel’s 2010 performance review.
Nonetheless, according to a letter in the dean’s personnel file, Wilcox wrote he would allow Strampel to continue as dean.
“Our several discussions over the past several months have reinforced my commitment and that of Dean Strampel to advancing the goals of the College within the broad mission of Michigan State University,” Wilcox wrote.
In a brief interview Wednesday, Wilcox said he could not comment on why he allowed Strampel to continue in his job because of legal considerations.
Later, in a statement to The Times, Wilcox said he was “appalled and saddened by the stories brought forward by the courageous women” about Nassar and Strampel.
“I join MSU in supporting efforts to provide the public and authorities with all documents and records necessary for a full and transparent investigation, including any records that involve my participation,” he said.
UC President Janet Napolitano sees no need to take action involving Wilcox based on the facts as she knows them, said her spokeswoman Dianne Klein.
“When the report came out in the Detroit News, Chancellor Wilcox proactively came to me and described the situation as best he could recall,” she said through Klein.
“He would like full transparency into this matter, which I support as well. There should be a full and fair evaluation of all the facts as it pertains to Chancellor Wilcox,” Napolitano said.
5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox and UC President Janet Napolitano.
This article was originally published at 2 p.m.
Kentucky teachers rally at Capitol over state budget
Thousands of Kentucky teachers filled the streets near the state Capitol in Frankfort on a cold, overcast Monday to rally for education funding.
Teachers and other school employees gathered outside the Kentucky Education Assn. a couple of blocks from the Capitol chanting, “Stop the war on public education” and holding or posting signs that say, “We’ve Had Enough.”
“We’re madder than hornets, and the hornets are swarming today,” said Claudette Green, a retired teacher and principal.
Dutch schoolteacher who saved hundreds of Jewish children during Holocaust dies at 107
An inspector from the Dutch education ministry arrived at Johan van Hulst’s teacher training institute in Amsterdam on the morning of June 19, 1943. He noticed youngsters and, with SS soldiers standing nearby, asked, “Are those Jewish children?”
“You don’t really expect me to answer that, do you?” Van Hulst replied.
The garden of Van Hulst’s Reformed Teachers’ Training College bordered the garden of a Jewish nursery. Under Van Hulst’s supervision, hundreds of Jewish infants and children had been passed across the hedge and hidden in his school. As Van Hulst recalled, the inspector shook his hand and said, quietly, “In God’s name, be careful.”
Bonnie Reiss, early and key advisor to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, dies at 62
Bonnie Reiss, who played a key role in crafting education and environmental policy for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, died Monday at her home in Malibu.
Reiss made her way from national politics to entertainment law to government service, serving as a senior advisor to Schwarzenegger and later as the California’s Education secretary.
A family spokesman said she was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. Reiss was 62.
Fallen boy found, sex ed controversy in Fremont, the Parkland generation: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
The 13-year-old boy who fell into a Griffith Park drain pipe was found alive. “I was just praying to God to help me and not to die,” he later said.
L.A. Unified settled a $20,000 lawsuit filed on behalf of a girl whose bus driver allegedly declined to pick her up in a high-crime neighborhood.
A San Fernando father who, after his son’s alleged school threat, was accused of improperly storing firearms, pleaded not guilty Monday.
In California:
Despite proposed federal budget threats, funding for after-school and summer-school programs has increased slightly, allowing the state to expand its offerings.
In Fremont, controversy has delayed the teaching of a sex-education curriculum for students in grades four, five and six.
Nationwide:
As shown by the activism following the Parkland shooting, young people are one of the biggest untapped forces in U.S. politics. Millennials will soon outnumber baby boomers, but they vote in smaller numbers.
Oklahoma’s teachers walked out Monday to protest low wages and cuts to education funding.
The political potential of millennials remains untapped because they don’t vote. Will Parkland change that?
Kobey Lofton is 15 — too young to vote, but not too young to get political.
Over spring break, he plotted with other young activists on the west side of Chicago to set up voter registration booths at school and make regular announcements over the intercom urging his slightly older classmates to vote.
“Students are waking up,” said Kobey, a sophomore at North Lawndale College Prep. “Suddenly they are saying, ‘OK, now that I know my vote does matter, I can do something.’”
Boy speaks out after sewer pipe rescue: ‘I was just praying to God to help me and to not die’
During the 12 hours he spent in the city’s vast network of sewer tunnels, Jesse Hernandez was praying.
“I was just praying to God to help me and to not die,” Jesse, 13, said in an interview with NBC News. “I was scared.”
The boy, who was rescued early Monday morning after a frantic overnight search, told the station the tunnels were dark and quiet.
Finding a new LAUSD superintendent, getting students to continuation school, Trump tweets about Dreamers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified’s board is starting to interview superintendent candidates this week.
A 13-year-old boy was rescued after he fell 25 feet into a 4-foot-wide drainage pipe in Griffith Park. Officials say the pipe led to the L.A. River.
In California:
Continuation schools are struggling to get students to show up every day.
But school districts are questioning the accuracy of the state’s attendance data.
Nationwide:
Michigan State University’s financial rating has dropped to “negative” after the Larry Nassar scandal.
President Trump suggested there would be no deal to help “Dreamers.”
A student compared the security line for entering Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to the airport.
Why we marched for our lives
High School Insider students Sarah Wang, a sophomore at Arcadia High School, and Lily Richman, a junior at Brentwood High School, were among the hundreds of thousands who participated in last week’s March for Our Lives.
They shared their experiences in a joint piece that in places reads like a poem.
Sarah Wang: With every step I took, it was a step toward a day when my right to live will not be taken away by an AR-15.
Lily Richman: Every step I took was one of hope. A step towards a day when I won’t locate the exits before I set my books down in a classroom.
SW: With every step I took, it was a step toward a day when I no longer jump, at a paralyzing echo, when someone drops a textbook in class.
LR: Every step I took was a step toward a day when politicians’ policies and votes won’t be driven by NRA money.
SW: With every step I took, it was a step toward a day when I will no longer see the faces of our youth, broadcasted on television and labeled as “Victims of Another School Shooting.”
LR: Every step I took was a step toward a day when my little cousin doesn’t go to school afraid.
In Easter Sunday tirade, a frustrated Trump suggests he will make no deal to help Dreamers
President Trump on Easter Sunday appeared to rule out efforts to revive deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought illegally to the United States as children, tweeting “NO MORE DACA DEAL!”
The president issued a series of combative statements on Twitter, centering on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he described as a “cash cow” for Mexico. At the same time, he railed against what he described as a dangerous lack of security on the U.S. southern border.
In a trio of tweets, Trump also asserted that Mexicans “laugh at our dumb immigration laws,” and suggested that U.S. Immigration and Customs agents were being improperly constrained from carrying out their duties.
So who could be the next Los Angeles schools superintendent?
The search for the next superintendent to lead Los Angeles’ public schools moves into high gear this week as the school board starts to interview and discuss candidates Monday and Tuesday.
The process is confidential, and it’s not clear that anyone has the inside track. Still, advocates who have influence with L.A. Unified’s elected Board of Education are pushing certain names.
The decision will hinge in large measure on what the board views as the most pressing challenge for the nation’s second-largest school system: lagging student achievement or looming financial pressures.
New guidelines for protecting immigrant students, Howard building occupied, reporting on ‘ineffective teachers’: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Stevante Clark called for more resources for students at his brother Stephon’s funeral.
A local teacher was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
In California:
Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra released a policy guide for school officials that lays out how they can protect students from immigration enforcement on school grounds.
Starting this fall, California’s school districts must report on how “ineffective” teachers are distributed.
Nationwide:
Howard University students occupied an administration building after the school investigated misappropriation of financial aid funding.
Apple has a new approach to its educational products.
In Oklahoma schools, bosses are helping teachers go on strike
Earlier this month, Melissa Abdo visited a class of future schoolteachers — education majors at Oklahoma State University.
“How many of you are considering teaching in Oklahoma?” she asked them.
Of the roughly 20 students in the class, a single hand went into the air.
California tells schools how they should protect students from immigration enforcement
As the fight over California’s immigration laws intensifies, Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Friday released a policy guide for school officials that lays out how they can protect students from immigration enforcement on school grounds.
The guide details the steps school officials should take if federal immigration agents try to detain someone on campus, or if a child’s parents have been detained or deported. It also instructs schools on how to shield the immigration status of students and their family members, and illustrates the kinds of court records federal officials must present before entering campuses.
Florida high school shooting suspect’s brother pleads no contest to trespassing
The brother of the suspected Florida high school gunman pleaded no contest Thursday to trespassing on the campus where the deadly rampage happened and was sentenced to time served and six months of probation.
Judge Melinda Kirsch Brown also ordered Zachary Cruz to enroll in therapy, wear an ankle bracelet and said he cannot possess firearms or ammunition.
The 18-year-old was arrested March 19 after police found him skateboarding at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High after school. Administrators had told him not to come on campus.
A push for school accountability, debating district lines, teachers lose their grants: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A task force advising L.A. Unified wants clearer data on the district’s performance, starting with school report cards.
The district and the Music Center are staging a benefit concert for arts education in April.
In California:
A debate over school district election boundaries is brewing in the Bay Area.
Gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa snagged a key charter school endorsement.
Nationwide:
Teachers feel betrayed by the U.S. Department of Education after their grants were turned into loans.
An anonymous Medium article accused Howard University employees of stealing $1 million in financial aid money.
An L.A. school task force calls for more accountability — starting with school report cards
Officials at Los Angeles Unified will tell you that the nation’s second-largest school system is doing well or at least has shown strong signs of improvement. Others are not so sure.
A task force examining the district wants a clear way to find out and has two suggestions: school report cards and a new commission aimed at making such assessments.
The L.A. Unified Advisory Task Force already has weighed in on what to do about students who miss a lot of classes and how to manage the school system’s real estate holdings.
Teachers whose federal grants turned into loans feel betrayed, NPR reports
Thousands of people who thought they had been given $4,000 a year from the federal government in exchange for promising their services to high-need classrooms now find they owe the government money.
Many teachers have had federal grants taken away and turned into loans, often for paperwork errors, according to a government report whose contents were first revealed by NPR on Wednesday.
The fund, known as the TEACH Grant, gives college students preparing to become teachers up to $4,000 each academic year. In exchange for the money, the students must agree to teach in a high-needs field for at least four years within an eight-year period.
After leaving their training programs, they must certify each year that they are either currently teaching or intend to teach. But for recipients who don’t meet the teaching requirements — or don’t inform the federal government of their plans — the grants become loans.
The U.S. Department of Education surveyed 500 TEACH Grant recipients, and found that while 89% initially expected to fulfill the teaching requirements, 63% had their grants converted to loans.
Maggie Webb, an eighth-grade teacher in Chelsea, Mass., told NPR that without any warning, her grant switched over and started accruing interest. “My $4,000 grant was now costing me $5,000,” she said.
Webb told NPR that she never received the paperwork she needed in order to tell the Education Department that she was indeed teaching. She asked for the form, she said, and submitted it on time. But FedLoan, the company contracted to administer the grants, said it had not been received.
After NPR’s story came out, teachers took to social media to air their stories of struggle with the TEACH Grant.
Massachusetts’ attorney general is suing FedLoan over the problem.
In a statement to NPR, the federal Department of Education said the report shows there’s room for improvement.
Whittier’s new leader, USC inclusivity, Apple’s plans: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Whittier College’s new president is a dean and businesswoman and the first person of color to lead the liberal arts school.
USC’s undergraduate student senate voted to create a committee on inclusivity, which would, among other things, work to rename a building named after a eugenicist.
In California:
California’s schools that were damaged by wildfires can get federal recovery aid.
What it’s like to be Matthew Duffy, the first-time school superintendent leading West Contra Costa Unified.
Nationwide:
Parkland, Fla., activist and student David Hogg said he was rejected by four University of California campuses, including UCLA and UC San Diego.
Apple announced a new iPad and highlighted its educational offerings at an event at a Chicago school.
Listening to Parkland students, marching for gun control, what teachers want: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Thousands of demonstrators, including many students, protested gun violence at Saturday’s March for Our Lives.
Two Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students addressed L.A. high schoolers on Friday.
USC officials announced a record low acceptance rate.
In California:
Ballot measures in Alameda and San Francisco counties would each raise $140 million in taxes annually to subsidize childcare.
Gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom called higher education funding in California a “code red” situation.
Nationwide:
Naomi Wadler, 11, urged the March for Our Lives crowds to recognize and fight for the black women who experience gun violence every day. The youngest speaker was Yolana Renee King, 9, Martin Luther King Jr.’s granddaughter.
Teacher uprisings are about more than money.
San Francisco State business school dean named Whittier College’s first nonwhite president
Linda Oubré, a businesswoman and dean of the College of Business at San Francisco State University, will serve as Whittier College’s 15th president starting in July, the school announced Monday.
She will become the first person of color to lead the liberal arts college.
At San Francisco State, Oubré more than tripled fundraising, the announcement stated. She spearheaded a curricular review and created a new executive MBA program.
Tens of thousands gather in downtown Los Angeles for March for Our Lives rally
Joining demonstrators around the country, tens of thousands of Southern California residents enraged by the gun violence that has ravaged American schools and other public places flocked to downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to call for stricter gun control laws.
Under grey skies, demonstrators in L.A.’s March for Our Lives rally walked from Pershing Square to Grand Park, carrying handmade signs and banners that said, “Protect kids, not guns” and “I shouldn’t be afraid to send my child to school.”
The sound of drums, tambourines and call-and-response chants rippled through the crowd of thousands of students, parents and grandparents and echoed off the historic buildings of Broadway’s theater district.
On the road for gun control, Parkland students bring their stories to L.A. schools
One day in February may have saved Mia Freeman’s life. A second day changed it forever.
On Feb. 2, Mia’s fourth-period class, which had been meeting in her high school’s freshman building, was moved back to its original classroom space on another part of the campus.
On Feb. 14, a former student brought a semiautomatic rifle into the freshman building and started firing, killing 17 people.
USC’s newest admitted class has an average GPA of 3.86
More students applied to USC for next year’s class than ever before, the school announced Friday.
USC received 64,000 applications, up 14% from last year. Officials said it was the biggest increase in two decades, with the exception of the year the Common Application was introduced.
“We’ve never had a harder time selecting which applicants to put in the classroom,” Timothy Brunold, USC’s dean of admission, said in a statement.
The school said its acceptance rate dropped by 3 percentage points, to 13%. The average unweighted high school grade-point average of admitted students was 3.86, and 60% of them had standardized test scores in the 99th percentile.
Students have until May 1 to decide whether they want to enroll.
The admitted class comes from 50 states, 87 countries and 3,287 high schools, USC said. Officials credited amped-up recruitment efforts, with admissions staff now visiting about 2,200 high schools a year.
One-quarter of admitted students are Asian, 16% are Latino and 6% are black. California is home to 39% of admitted students. Texas, New York, Illinois, Washington and Florida are also highly represented.
Despite uncertainty about the future of some student visas, USC saw a steady level of international applicants — 17% of those admitted. The highest numbers came from China, India, South Korea, Canada and Brazil.
Admitted freshmen range in age from 15 to 29. And, USC officials noted, there are 85 sets of twins.
In the L.A. area, many options for joining the March for Our Lives on Saturday
Josie Hahn, who attends Polytechnic High in Long Beach, is not a survivor of a school shooting. Neither is Sofia Lizardi of Venice High or Edna Chavez of Manual Arts. But all three seniors are part of a movement that found full voice after a 19-year-old wielding a semiautomatic rifle killed 17 at a high school in Parkland, Fla., last month.
On Saturday, these students and hundreds of thousands of others are expected to take part in at least 838 marches and other official and unofficial events worldwide in what organizers have called the March for Our Lives.
The Saturday event, spearheaded by Parkland survivors, is a follow-up to the school walkouts on March 14.
In ruling for victim in UCLA attack, California Supreme Court says universities should protect students
The California Supreme Court, reviving a lawsuit against UCLA, decided Thursday that the state’s colleges may be held liable for failing to protect students in the classroom from violence by classmates.
In a unanimous decision, the state high court agreed that a former UCLA student who was stabbed by a classmate in a campus laboratory in 2009 should be able to try to show at trial that UCLA breached a legal duty to protect her from foreseeable violence.
“Students are comparatively vulnerable and dependent on their colleges for a safe environment,” Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote for the court. “Colleges have a superior ability to provide that safety with respect to activities they sponsor or facilities they control.”
Army-bashing teacher fired, new Cal State presidents, Saturday’s big march: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Are you joining this weekend’s March for Our Lives? Tell us about your plans.
The Pico Rivera teacher criticized for bashing the military has been fired.
In and around California:
Cal State trustees voted in two new campus presidents Wednesday.
California is one of just three states to make suspension rates a key indicator of overall school performance.
Nationwide:
Former San Francisco schools chief Richard Carranza prepares to run the nation’s largest school system.
Language inserted into the new federal budget bill prohibits Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from reorganizing the Department of Education’s budget office.
Female presidents now in the majority at Cal State
When administrators invited Lynnette Zelezny, a budding psychology lecturer at Cal State Fresno, to apply for a tenure-track job, she was excited — but there was a catch.
She didn’t have her doctorate yet, and tenure-track jobs required one. She was also a mother of three, and at the time, she said, there were no doctoral psychology programs in the Central Valley.
“I had to make a decision: Did I want to move forward and leave the Central Valley?” she said. “Was I willing to take a risk with three young children?”
Pico Rivera teacher who bashed military fired by school board, president says
A Pico Rivera teacher whose anti-military rant was caught on video and drew widespread condemnation has been terminated from his post, the school board president said.
El Rancho Unified School District voted unanimously Tuesday evening to fire Gregory Salcido, who taught history at his alma mater El Rancho High School, said Board of Education President Aurora Villon. He has 30 days to appeal the decision.
Villon said students should feel respected on campus, and in this case, she felt “that was not happening.”
Are you joining the March for Our Lives? The L.A. Times wants to hear from you
On Saturday, demonstrations are planned across the country to protest government inaction on gun violence and mass shootings and to honor the 17 lives lost in the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting last month.
Are you joining the March for Our Lives? If so, we want to hear from you.
(Note: Fields marked with an asterisk * are mandatory.)
From community colleges to UC, boosting Cal State enrollment, Oklahoma teacher pay: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Are the state and local districts, including L.A., hiding their lowest-performing schools?
In California:
UC President Janet Napolitano is calling for guaranteed admission for all qualified community college students.
Trustees are set to vote Wednesday on a measure to help boost Cal State enrollment by finding spots for qualified applicants shut out of their programs and campuses of choice.
Nationwide:
Oklahoma’s teachers have not received raises in a decade. They could be the next to strike.
At a hearing Tuesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos finally stated that private schools that discriminate against LGBTQ students should not be eligible to receive federal funding.
Female presidents now in the majority at Cal State
Cal State University trustees announced two new campus presidents Wednesday.
Lynnette Zelezny, 61, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fresno State University, will be the first female president of Cal State Bakersfield.
With her appointment, more than half of Cal State’s campuses now are led by women.
Zelezny has worked in a variety of roles at Fresno State since 1988. She earned her doctorate in applied social psychology and also has an MBA.
Thomas Parham, 63, a vice chancellor of student affairs at UC Irvine, was selected to serve as president of Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Parham spent over 30 years working as an administrator and adjunct faculty member for UC Irvine. He earned his doctorate in counseling psychology and is licensed to practice in California.
Parham will make $324,029 and Zelezny will make $313,044, the same as their predecessors.
Proposals to boost Cal State enrollment pass key trustees committee
A proposal to help find spots for Cal State applicants who are shut out of the most popular campuses passed a key committee Tuesday at the trustees meeting in Long Beach.
The trustees are expected to vote Wednesday on the plan to chip away at a problem so serious that about 32,000 eligible applicants were turned away from the nation’s largest public university system last fall because of oversubscribed programs and campuses.
Six of the system’s 23 campuses are in such high demand that each of their programs has more qualified applicants than can be accommodated.
How they saw it: Students report on the school walkouts
At the Los Angeles Times, we try to do our part to raise the next generation of storytellers. Our High School Insider program offers young journalists a helping hand, with classroom resources, special conferences, paid internships and a chance to get their work published on our website.
Some of our HS Insider reporters were on the job March 14, when students all over the nation organized walkouts and other activities to honor the 17 people killed a month earlier at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and to push for stricter gun control to try to prevent future mass shootings. You can read their accounts here.
At 10:17 a.m., the students returned to class, but not without a profound new realization of the role their generation will play in changing the world for the better.
— Sarah Wang, junior, Arcadia High School
Find out more about what HS Insider has to offer and how to get involved here.
Student gunman wounds 2 in Maryland school attack, dies in clash with officer, officials say
A teenager wounded a girl and a boy inside his Maryland high school Tuesday before an armed school resource officer was able to intervene and the shooter was fatally wounded in the encounter, a sheriff said.
St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron said the student with the handgun was declared dead at a hospital, and the other two students were listed in critical condition. He said the officer was not harmed.
Cameron said authorities were still investigating whether the shooter was killed by the officer.
UC President Napolitano calls for guaranteed admission of all qualified community college students
University of California President Janet Napolitano said Monday that the public university system should open its doors more widely by guaranteeing admission to all qualified state community college students.
She said she also has asked campus chancellors to work toward raising the four-year graduation rate to 70% from the current 64%. Getting more students to graduate more quickly, she said, would make room to enroll an additional 32,000 undergraduates — the equivalent of another UC campus — by 2030.
“This would be a major leap for the University of California,” Napolitano said at a forum sponsored by Town Hall Los Angeles marking the 150th anniversary of the UC system. “Knowing how transformative a UC education can be — for the individual, for the society at large — it’s incumbent upon us to help more Californians become part of the opportunity story” of the UC.
Cal State turned away 32,000 students because campuses were too full to accommodate them. Now, trustees will focus on how to fix that
California is raising and educating more and more qualified Cal State applicants — but the system can’t put all of them on the campuses where they want to be.
Trustees of the public university system will focus on the problem during their two-day meeting in Long Beach.
Cal State campuses are so oversubscribed that 32,000 fully qualified students were left out in the cold last fall because the locations or programs they wanted could not accommodate them.
L.A. Unified’s potentially lucrative real estate, training teachers for the worst, ‘SNL’ mocks DeVos: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Los Angeles Unified could be making millions of dollars off its real estate holdings, a report found.
A UCLA student won a sexual misconduct claim against a professor — on her second try with the Title IX process.
In California:
An Oakland science teacher won a national grant that will allow her to stock her lab with $20,000 worth of equipment.
On the same day as the student walkouts in favor of gun control, about 50 Oakland teachers took a class training them to handle an active shooter.
Nationwide:
The next group of teachers to strike is in Jersey City, N.J. They took to picket lines following the district’s failure to come to an agreement with the union on healthcare.
Kate McKinnon revived her Betsy DeVos impression on “Saturday Night Live.”
UCLA student wins sexual misconduct claim against professor
UCLA graduate student Kristen Glasgow says she first met Gabriel Piterberg, a history professor, in 2008. They had coffee together and then, she alleged, he walked her to her car, pushed her against it and forced his tongue into her mouth.
Glasgow detailed this and other claims of Piterberg’s sexual misconduct over a five-year period in a lawsuit she filed against the University of California in 2015.
The lawsuit said that UCLA essentially ignored her complaints when she tried to go through the Title IX complaint process. It led to a settlement in which the UC gave her $110,000 and a fellowship to support her work on her doctoral dissertation.
As a mega-landowner, L.A. Unified has lots to figure out, a new report says
The Los Angeles school system’s vast real estate holdings cost millions of dollars a year to maintain, but they also present an opportunity, according to a task force studying the district.
Some properties could generate millions for the financially stretched district, concludes a report the task force released Monday. Many could be used better to serve students and their families.
“We’re recommending three things: Take a careful inventory, figure out how best to utilize these properties and engage the community along the way,” said Austin Beutner, co-chair of the L.A. Unified Advisory Task Force.
UC’s nonresident tuition hike, Gehry at the Colburn School of Music, DeVos’ budget moves: What’s new in education today
In and around Los Angeles:
An LAUSD music teacher was honored by Tony Bennett’s foundation.
Frank Gehry is to design an expansion of the Colburn School of Music downtown.
In California:
UC regents approved a tuition hike for nonresident students.
A report warns states against using the SAT or ACT for the purpose of rating schools. Some California school administrators have been pushing for the option.
Nationwide:
Apple is holding an education event at a Chicago public school this month.
Despite opposition from the White House Office of Management and Budget, Betsy DeVos is moving ahead with her plan to dismantle and decentralize the Education Department’s budget office, according to Politico.
UC regents approve nonresident student tuition hike
University of California regents voted Thursday to increase tuition for nonresident students, as they struggle to raise more revenue amid surging enrollment and what they say is inadequate state funding.
They approved the increase by a 12-3 vote but also agreed to rescind the increase if they could lobby the Legislature for more money. They also unanimously voted to seek authorization from the state to offer financial aid to needy nonresident students, a benefit eliminated in 2016.
The 3.5% tuition increase would boost the supplemental tuition that nonresident students pay by $978 — from $28,014 to $28,992 for the 2018-19 school year. The increase would raise nearly $35 million.
Students fight for gun control: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Students in Los Angeles joined their peers in nationwide walkouts to promote gun control. Most students stayed on campus, as requested by L.A. Unified officials.
A campus safety officer at Cal State L.A. shot a coyote after it bit a small boy.
A controversial UCLA history professor accused of sexual assault lost his job.
In California:
A UC regents committee approved a tuition hike for nonresident students.
The State Board of Education approved a motion to postpone a key vote on satisfying a major federal law.
Nationwide:
Students across the country left classes to protest gun violence. At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., students mourned their friends who had died in an attack a month earlier.
President Trump has explicitly drawn a connection between school shootings and the Obama administration’s discipline guidance — rules the former president created to prevent undue school punishments for minorities.
Campus officer shoots, wounds coyote at Cal State L.A. after it bites small boy, officials say
A campus safety officer shot and wounded a coyote Wednesday evening at Cal State Los Angeles shortly after the animal bit a small boy, officials said.
The attack was reported about 6:40 p.m. near a grassy area in a central part of campus, said university spokesman Robert Lopez. The boy’s family took him to a medical facility to get checked out.
When public safety and animal control officers arrived soon after, the coyote made an aggressive move toward a woman about a quarter-mile away, Lopez said. An officer shot and struck the coyote, which fled.
L.A. students join nationwide walkouts and actions to remember Parkland victims, push gun control
At Hamilton High School, the protest began with a young man and a bullhorn.
Ari Elkins, a senior, stood on the front lawn of his Palms school and in a voice both firm and loud, cried out: “No more silence! End gun violence!”
Seconds later, hundreds of his fellow students came pouring out the building’s double doors.
UC regents committee approves tuition hike for nonresident students
A University of California regents committee on Wednesday approved a tuition increase for nonresident students, despite their pleas that it would cause them hardship.
The proposed 3.5% tuition increase would boost the supplemental tuition that nonresident students pay by $978 — from $28,014 to $28,992 for the 2018-19 school year. The increase would raise nearly $35 million.
UC officials say nonresident tuition dollars have helped pay for more courses at UCLA, academic support and advising at UC Berkeley and programs to raise graduation rates at UC San Diego.
UCLA professor accused of sexual harassment loses job
A controversial UCLA professor accused of sexual harassment has lost his job with the university and any chance of future employment with the University of California under a settlement announced this week.
History professor Gabriel Piterberg made unwelcome sexual comments and contact — including an open-mouth kiss — to a person or persons in 2008 and between 2009 and 2013, a UCLA Title IX investigation has found. UCLA did not disclose the number or names of the complainants.
Piterberg disputes the findings but agreed to leave UCLA and forgo any emeritus status, future employment in the UC system, office space or other privileges under the settlement.
He did not respond to a request for comment.
A UCLA statement said the university “remains firmly committed to increasing transparency on the issues of sexual harassment and sexual violence.” A university spokesman declined to provide further details.
Piterberg’s ouster came after years of legal tussling.
Two of his graduate students, Nefertiti Takla and Kristen Glasgow, filed a federal lawsuit against the University of California in 2015 alleging insufficient action on their complaints. They accused Piterberg of repeatedly harassing them over many years by making sexual comments, pressing himself against them and forcing his tongue into their mouths.
The two women reached a settlement with the university in 2016, with one student receiving $350,000 and the other, $110,000 and a fellowship to support continued work on her dissertation.
UCLA subsequently disclosed it had reached a separate settlement with Piterberg in 2014 involving complaints by Takla. The professor agreed to pay a $3,000 fine, accept suspension without pay for one quarter, be removed as head of the university’s Center for Near East Studies and attend sexual harassment training. UCLA also imposed restrictions on his behavior, including a three-year ban on closed-door meetings with individual students.
Piterberg did not admit to wrongdoing at the time and UCLA agreed not to pursue further action with the Academic Senate to oust him or jeopardize his tenure. UCLA also agreed to end its Title IX investigation into the harassment charges without reaching a conclusion.
That settlement was widely criticized by students, faculty and staff for what they viewed as weak sanctions and unwarranted secrecy. Several students protested his return to teaching last year.
The Title IX office subsequently launched another investigation involving other complaints and last year found Piterberg had violated the university’s sexual harassment policy. Officials referred the findings to the Academic Senate, which urged UCLA and Piterberg to negotiate a settlement, the UCLA statement said.
Senate panel explores why the FBI missed warnings before Parkland school shooting — and whether gun measures can pass Congress
As students walked out of schools across the country Wednesday to protest gun violence, a Senate hearing examined law enforcement agencies’ failure to heed multiple warnings about the Parkland, Fla., man accused of killing 17 people at a high school, as well as the long record of failed gun control measures in Congress.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing took place as the accused gunman, Nikolas Cruz, 19, appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was arraigned on a 34-count indictment in connection with the shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.
Cruz did not speak and a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf after state prosecutors filed notice that they would seek the death penalty in the case.
Teacher accidentally fires gun during safety lecture at Monterey County high school
A teacher at a Monterey County high school accidentally fired a gun in a classroom Tuesday afternoon during a lecture on “public safety awareness,” authorities said.
Dennis Alexander, who also serves as a reserve police officer with Sand City, discharged the weapon at Seaside High School about 1:20 p.m., according to the Seaside Police Department.
Police Chief Abdul Pridgen told the Salinas Californian that the teacher was pointing the gun at the ceiling when he inadvertently fired it.
Ready, set, walk out: Schools prepare for expected student protests on Wednesday
As a 16-year-old in high school and a student of history, Axel Ortega faces a tough choice on Wednesday morning: Does he walk out of class at Garfield to take a stand or stay put? And if he walks out, does he leave his East Los Angeles campus?
Axel’s principal and other administrators also have been pondering what choices Axel and other students will make and how to respond.
Wednesday is the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Student activists across America have declared it a national day of action to raise awareness about the effects of gun violence and push for lawmakers to take action to reduce it. Many different activities have been planned, and thousands of students from coast to coast are expected to walk out of classes for 17 minutes, in honor of the 17 killed in Parkland.
California presses ahead with color-coded school reporting plan despite a dig from DeVos
When Betsy DeVos spoke to a group of education leaders in Washington, D.C., last week about her dissatisfaction with states’ efforts to satisfy a major education law, she gave California a subtle shout-out.
One state, the Education secretary said, “took a simple concept like a color-coded dashboard and managed to make it nearly indecipherable.”
She was referring to the California School Dashboard, the color-coded school rating tool at the heart of the state’s plan to satisfy the Every Student Succeeds Act. California and DeVos’ U.S. Department of Education have been in a months-long argument over how to satisfy the law.
UCLA posts video with heckling of U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin
UCLA has posted video of U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin being heckled by an audience at the university, footage that Mnuchin previously had demanded be kept under wraps.
The incident at the campus last month might have attracted little attention had Mnuchin not refused to allow the university to post a video of his appearance.
UCLA officials said they were bound by an agreement that gave Mnuchin control over whether video of the event could be aired.
A new kind of computer science major delves into how technology is reshaping society
In an upper-level seminar on artificial intelligence, Occidental College professor Justin Li started a discussion outside the realm of a typical computer science class.
Should a self-driving car, if unable to brake in time, be programmed to steer into a wall to avoid crashing into pedestrians — perhaps killing a single person in the vehicle in order to save five on the street?
One question led to another. Is it morally OK to choose five lives over one? How about 10? Who gets to make this decision anyway — the programmer, the government, the person who can afford a self-driving car?
Trump backs off raising age limit to buy some weapons and focuses on arming teachers
President Trump is pushing forward with a plan to arm teachers and improve background checks for gun purchases, but has retreated from his promise to raise the age limit to buy certain kinds of weapons, a move many see as caving to the National Rifle Assn.
Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday that there is “not much political support (to put it mildly)” for raising the age limit from 18 to 21 to purchase powerful rifles like the one used to kill 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last month.
During a meeting with six students and families from the Florida high school in the White House last month, Trump pledged to be “strong” on increasing the age limit. A recent CNN poll found strong support for the idea, including among Republicans.
‘Lock up your guns’: City attorney charges parents of teens who reportedly threatened schools
The Los Angeles city attorney on Monday announced charges against two parents who kept unsecured guns in their homes and whose children threatened violence against their schools and peers, officials said.
City Atty. Mike Feuer filed the charges last week against San Fernando Valley parents Robert Christy and Dazo Esguerra accusing both fathers of keeping firearms easily accessible to teenage sons who made threats in February, Feuer’s office said.
“For goodness’ sake, lock up your guns. There’s no excuse not to,” Feuer said Monday in a prepared statement. “Locking up firearms saves lives and it’s the law. Incidents like these are potential school shooting tragedies waiting to happen. My office will continue taking swift, decisive action against parents who don’t safely store their guns.”
Betsy DeVos mocked for messy ’60 Minutes’ interview
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos — who has been on the job more than a year — has been taking extensive criticism over an interview Sunday night on “60 Minutes” during which she appeared to stumble over answers.
In one exchange, DeVos, who has slammed America’s public schools as severely underperforming, said she hasn’t “intentionally” visited such schools in her home state of Michigan. When interviewer Lesley Stahl suggested that DeVos should visit more challenging schools, DeVos responded, “Maybe I should.”
When DeVos tried to argue that America’s public schools haven’t benefited from an infusion of money, Stahl pushed back, saying test scores have actually increased. DeVos defended her argument by saying America’s schools have stagnated relative to those of international competitors.
DeVos, who had a troubling visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., again struggled to defend her position on arming teachers. She repeated her position that communities that want to bring guns into schools should be able to do so, but then said she couldn’t imagine her first-grade teacher wielding a firearm.
Some took to Twitter to mock the interview.
DeVos pushed back on Twitter, saying “60 Minutes” did not use some of the material she provided on charter school performance in Detroit.
When Stahl pressed DeVos on the performance of public schools in Michigan, a state where DeVos has influenced education policy, DeVos said “I don’t know. Overall, I, I can’t say overall that they have all gotten better.”
Stahl then said that DeVos’ contention that pulling money from public schools — while adding alternative options such as charter schools — can help them improve isn’t true in Michigan.
“I hesitate to talk about all schools in general because schools are made up of individual students attending them,” DeVos said.
DeVos also wavered when asked if rapes or sexual assaults were more common than men falsely accused of assault.
“Well, one sexual assault is one too many, and one falsely accused individual is one too many,” DeVos said.
Are they the same, Stahl asked?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. But I’m committed to a process that’s fair for everyone involved.”
At the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders sidestepped questions about DeVos’ performance. School safety is the “focus of the president — not one or two interviews, but actual policy,” she said.
“I’m not sure if he saw the whole thing or not,” Sanders said when asked if President Trump had watched the interview.
John B. King Jr., an Education secretary in the Obama administration, appeared on CNN on Monday to respond to DeVos.
“It certainly was hard to watch, but more concerning are the policies of this administration,” King said.
Wolf Blitzer asked King, who now heads the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group the Education Trust, whether DeVos has asked him for advice.
“We had a conversation before she took office but not since,” King said. “I worry; it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of listening to students, to teachers and the kinds of things they’re concerned about.”
UPDATES:
1:52 p.m.: This story has been updated to include quotes from John B. King Jr.’s interview on CNN.
This story originally published at 1:17 p.m.
A UC Berkeley student struggles with housing, DeVos on ’60 Minutes,’ mixing music with math: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Schools are preparing for Wednesday’s walkouts against violence.
L.A. Unified made sure 4,000 students didn’t have to pay the $60 fee for taking the SAT last week.
In California:
He attends elite UC Berkeley but lives in a trailer with no heat or sewer hookups. Soon, he’ll be scrambling to find new shelter.
A Bay Area teacher is putting research on the benefits of mixing math with music into practice.
Nationwide:
Betsy DeVos appeared on “60 Minutes” Sunday night. Several news outlets criticized her performance.
As wealthy Long Island households give teens luxury cars, high schools struggle with parking.
He attends elite UC Berkeley but lives in a trailer with no heat or sewer hookups. Soon, he’ll be scrambling to find new shelter
Ismael Chamu looks the part of a typical college student, with his backpack, black jeans and stylish fade haircut. But he bears extraordinary burdens.
In the last 18 months, he has slept on couches and floors, in trailers and attics. Since November, he and his 20-year-old brother Edward have rented the 20-foot-by-8-foot mobile home, parked in a Hayward driveway. His sisters joined them in January after their parents fell on hard times in the Central Valley and were forced to live in their car.
They’ve been girlfriends for about 80 years now, ever since elementary school in Boyle Heights
When you’ve known each other nearly 80 years, you can’t be expected to recall every detail.
But who can forget Arlene Dunaetz’s curls back in Boyle Heights, in third grade?
“Each one was pulled tight like a corkscrew,” says Helen Bialeck.
Student dies after collapsing during P.E. at an LAUSD middle school
A sixth-grader died Tuesday after collapsing during a physical education class at Dodson Middle School in Rancho Palos Verdes.
School staff declined to answer questions about the incident, but the Los Angeles Unified School District released the text of a recorded message sent to parents.
“The student collapsed this afternoon while running during physical education class,” said Assistant Principal Sarah Aiello on behalf of the school’s interim principal, Kathleen Miyamoto. “He received immediate attention from the school nurse and from paramedics, who rushed the student to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.”
Torlakson and top California teachers tell Trump: ‘We do not need guns in the classroom’
California’s top education official and more than 60 of the state’s top teachers have sent a message to President Trump: Guns do not belong in schools.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and the large group of California Teachers of the Year wrote an open letter to Trump on Thursday, telling him that arming teachers is not the answer to school violence.
After the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., President Trump suggested having teacher carry guns.
At her visit to the school Wednesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said communities that want to arm educators “who are expert in being able to defend” should be able to do so.
The California letter suggests a different approach.
“We do not need guns in the classroom,” it states. “We need more mental health services, smaller class sizes, more counselors, more nurses, and more training in how to effectively deal with students in crisis.”
Bringing guns to school would breed anxiety instead of making students feel safe, the letter argues:
“Teachers should focus on helping students, not marksmanship and police work. Students should never have to wonder where a gun is hidden or worry that a teacher might make a mistake and shoot them.”
Is the right to a favorite gun worth the lives of our children when so many other guns are available for recreation and for self-defense? Clearly, it is not.
— Tom Torlakson, California’s state superintendent of public instruction
The letter urges the federal government and other states to implement some of California’s gun control measures, particularly a law that lets family members and police ask a judge to remove weapons from someone they believe to be a threat.
Local law enforcement officials have reported a surge in tips about school threats in 2018.
Shortly after the Parkland shooting, L.A. County authorities recovered two semiautomatic AR-15 rifles, two handguns and 90 high-capacity magazines from the home of a Whittier student who was heard telling his classmate about the likelihood of a shooting in school.
This Monday, police arrested a 19-year-old in Northern California who was accused of threatening a student on social media. They searched his car and recovered a loaded AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle, authorities said.
“We dream of the time when schools are so safe that the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the California Teachers of the Year do not have to talk about guns, but can focus entirely on education and teaching our children,” the California letter said.
Marking International Women’s Day, helping community college transfers, schoolgirls in 55 places: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Schools across L.A. are celebrating International Women’s Day.
Cal State Fullerton announced a $50,000 grant from Mercury Insurance for the women’s leadership program in its business school.
In California:
University of California President Janet Napolitano wants to start exploring ways to guarantee admission to community college transfers who meet certain academic requirements.
A Riverside Assemblyman’s bill would make ethnic studies classes mandatory in California’s high schools.
And beyond:
What school looks like for girls in 55 spots around the world.
How the West Virginia teachers strike fits into the history of U.S. teacher activism.
They faced 66 years in prison. The ‘Eastside 13’ and how they helped plan the East L.A. walkouts
As Los Angeles schools and others this week observe the 50th anniversary of the East L.A. walkouts, when thousands of Mexican American students marched to demand a better education, much attention has focused on those who became known as the Eastside 13.
But who were the Eastside 13?
They were 13 men secretly indicted by a grand jury on June 1, 1968, on conspiracy charges stemming from the “East L.A. blowouts.” The walkouts kicked off on March 5, 1968, when students began protesting at Garfield High School, and spread to other campuses to decry the shortcomings of public schools in Los Angeles’ barrios. The walkouts are viewed as a turning point in the political development of the nation’s Mexican American community.
Who’s out in L.A.’s schools chief search, DeVos visits Parkland, Oakland’s tough spot: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
New York’s dramatic search for a new schools chief has removed two big-name candidates from the pool of potential Los Angeles Unified candidates.
In California:
The state’s school districts have varied responses to the March 14 National School Walkout planned to advocate for gun control.
Oakland Unified is in a very tough spot. It has to make big budget cuts while improving student performance in order to stave off both insolvency and state intervention.
Nationwide:
The Florida Senate passed a sweeping Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, but it doesn’t meet many Parkland students’ demands and ban assault and assault-style weapons.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited the Parkland school on Wednesday.
Betsy DeVos’ visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School prompts complaints from some students
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos toured Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday to offer her support after last month’s mass shooting, but some students panned the visit for failing to provide more access to student journalists.
On Tuesday, DeVos’ office said the visit would be closed to media “out of respect for the students and faculty” who returned for their first full day of class at the South Florida campus since the Feb. 14 shooting that left 17 people dead.
At a short news conference after the visit, DeVos said she met with “a small group of students that are having a particularly tough time.” She said their faces lit up when she asked them about the comfort dogs dispatched to their school.
“I heard a variety of things from the students that I spoke with,” she said. “Some of them are doing quite well but they all acknowledge it’s a day-to-day situation.”
DeVos first met privately with the principal, then spoke to several staff members before walking around the school, said Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union.
Afterwards, Fusco said, DeVos walked into a classroom where students were receiving grief counseling. Fusco said she and her colleagues walked out when they saw they were interrupting counseling, and how confused the students were. DeVos stayed, though it’s unclear whether she knew what was happening before she walked into that room.
DeVos walked into another classroom and spoke to a few students about their projects, and put a wreath in front of the site of the shooting.
DeVos said several reporters from the school’s publications accompanied her around the building.
But Carly Novell, a student and editor of the school newspaper, disputed her account.
Other students also criticized DeVos’ visit.
DeVos spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill said in an email that three students — representing the yearbook, newspaper and broadcasting — “were all there for the secretary’s visit. She also had the opportunity to answer their questions.”
After the visit was first announced, some students took to Twitter to complain.
DeVos has said school districts that want to arm teachers should be free to do so, and famously invoked the threat of grizzly bears when asked during her confirmation hearing about guns in schools.
And, because Parkland’s students have been so vocal since the shooting, some stated they thought the event was closed to the press not out of respect for students, but because DeVos didn’t want to face tough questions.
When asked about her views on arming teachers, she said at Wednesday’s press conference, “To say [I support] arming teachers is an oversimplification and a mischaracterization.” President Trump has indicated his support for having teacher carry guns.
“The concept is, for those schools and those communities that opt to do this as they have in Texas and as they have in Polk County [in central Florida], to have people who are expert in being able to defend and having lots and lots of training in order to do so,” DeVos said.
DeVos said she promised student journalists that she would return to sit down with them.
UPDATES:
11:44 a.m.: This story has been updated to include further comments from students.
12:55 p.m.: This story has been updated to include comments from Anna Fusco.
This story originally published at 9:15 a.m.
N.Y. drama takes two big prospects out of discussion for L.A. schools job
For a while, the nation’s three largest school systems all were on the hunt for new leaders, but now Los Angeles has the only vacancy.
On Monday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio named Houston schools Supt. Richard A. Carranza as chancellor of the nation’s largest school district. In January, homegrown administrator Janice K. Jackson got the top job in Chicago, the third-largest district, about a month after being named interim chief executive.
The New York City selection process was fraught with drama. Late Wednesday, the mayor’s office confirmed that the new chancellor would be Alberto M. Carvalho, the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Florida state Senate passes a Marjory Stoneman Douglas gun control act — and some call it an insult to its namesake
Florida’s Senate on Monday narrowly passed a sweeping yet contentious bill to increase school safety and restrict gun purchases, nearly three weeks after the shooting that left 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Senate Bill 7026, named the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, would raise the age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21, require a three-day waiting period for most gun purchases, and ban the sale or possession of “bump stocks,” which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire faster.
But the bill, which passed by 20 to 18 votes and now goes to the Florida House, does not ban assault and assault-style weapons — a measure vigorously pushed by many Parkland students and parents.
Teen who escaped Perris home posted videos on YouTube under an alias
One of 13 siblings found living captive in a Perris home in January had posted a video of herself on social media days before she and her siblings were rescued, according to a new report.
The 17-year-old girl, who escaped and alerted authorities to the alleged abuse, posted a series of recordings on YouTube that show her singing inside the home, ABC7 Eyewitness News reported.
“You blame me for everything, you blame me in every way, you blame me for what they say, what they say,” she sings in one video, which she posted using an alias.
California’s public college campuses are so diverse, but their faculty and leaders aren’t, a new study says
California’s public colleges and universities face a “drastic disparity” in diversity between their undergraduates, who are overwhelmingly students of color, and their predominantly white faculty and campus leaders, a new study has found.
That mismatch can negatively affect student academic success and must be addressed, says the report by the Campaign for College Opportunity, a Los Angeles nonprofit.
“Our public colleges and universities have to do more than communicate that they ‘value’ diversity while tolerating its absence,” Michele Siqueiros, the nonprofit’s president, said in a statement. “We can no longer accept excuses that leave out African Americans, Latinx, Asians and women from faculty and leadership positions in our colleges and universities, especially when we know including them on our campuses is key to our students’ success.”
The report was issued Tuesday on the 50th anniversary of the East Los Angeles walkouts in which Latino students demanded better educational conditions. It is based on 2016-17 data from the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges.
Researchers reviewed data on the racial, ethnic and gender composition of the systems’ students, faculty and leaders on campus, in central offices and on governing boards.
In some cases, the data already are dated. The study says, for instance, that UC has only one female chancellor. There are now two, after Carol Christ was named to lead UC Berkeley last year. And while Cal State had no Asian American trustees at the time the research was conducted, this week, Gov. Jerry Brown nominated Wenda Fong, a Los Angeles TV executive, to the board.
Among the study’s findings:
— In the UC system, 69% of students are Latino, African American, Asian American, Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians and American Indians/Alaska natives, while 70% of tenured faculty and campus senior leadership are white. Women make up more than half of UC students and are proportionally represented in the UC Office of the President, filling 57% of senior positions. But there were no Latino senior leaders in the central office as of last year. Among UC regents, 73% are men and 62% are white.
— At Cal State, 65% of undergraduates are students of color, while about 6 out of 10 tenured faculty, campus leaders and senior executives in the chancellor’s office are white. No Asian Americans served in the Cal State Chancellor’s office as of last year, but they were proportionally represented among faculty. Nearly half of the senior leaders at the 23 campuses were women.
— At the California Community Colleges, Asian Americans, Latinos and blacks made up about two-thirds of students but less than one-third of tenured faculty, governors and senior leaders in the office of Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, who is Latino. More than half of students, faculty and campus leaders were women.
The report called for a “wholesale review” of hiring, promotion and tenure practices and called on the governor to appoint more diverse governing board members.
You can read the report here.
An O.C. professor’s viral comment, California Dream Act applications, New York’s new schools chief : What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Coast Community College District officials said they were reviewing a viral video in which a professor told a Long Beach couple to “go back to your home country.”
L.A. Unified encourages educators to participate in a charity campaign and use it to help make students “civic minded.”
In California:
Applications for college aid through the California Dream Act hit their mark after administrators and educators assuaged vulnerable students’ fears.
California’s college faculties are overwhelmingly white and don’t match the increasingly diverse student populations, a study found.
Nationwide:
Oklahoma’s teachers may follow West Virginia’s lead and go out on strike for better pay.
New York City has (another) new schools chancellor: Richard Carranza, who previously ran school districts in Houston and San Francisco.
O.C. college professor accused of racism in street encounter caught on viral video
Coast Community College District officials said Monday they are reviewing how to proceed after a professor at Golden West College in Huntington Beach was identified in a video telling a Long Beach couple to “go back to your home country.”
“We’re very aware the community has deep concerns, and we’re not going to let this die,” said district spokeswoman Letitia Clark. “We’re looking at past interactions with students and staff to see if it relates to the comments made on the video.”
The video was posted Thursday on Facebook by Tony Kao, who wrote that he and his wife and daughter “encountered a bigot and a racist today in our neighborhood in Long Beach” while taking a walk.
Oklahoma comes closer to joining West Virginia in a major teacher strike
On Feb. 28, high school track coach and government teacher Bon Bennett stepped up to the microphone at the community center in Bartlesville, Okla., as hundreds of parents, students and teachers sat rapt in attention.
An education crisis was brewing across Oklahoma, and the district’s school board had called a special meeting to hear from the community. By some measures, Oklahoma’s teachers are the lowest-paid in the nation, and Bennett drew the audience’s attention to the massive statewide teachers strike that had just launched in West Virginia.
“Now let’s just take one second and digest that. West Virginia teachers walked out — and they make more than us!” Bennett said, his voice rising, according to a video of the meeting. “West Virginia!”
After educators assuaged fears, more students applied for aid under the California Dream Act this year
After a month of advocacy and efforts to reassure vulnerable students that filling out applications for financial aid would not put them at risk, the state has reached its goal for applications for aid under the California Dream Act, officials said Monday.
The act allows many students who are in the country illegally — and those afforded temporary protection under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — to apply for financial aid packages available to others.
When officials saw applications were down last month — for the second year in a row — they enlisted college counselors, teachers and even DJ Khaled to convince more students to apply. They were concerned that immigrant families’ increasing distrust of the government was driving numbers down.
“The headlines about immigration make people feel like they’re really in the spotlight,” Jane Slater, a teacher at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif., said at the time.
By the March 2 deadline for applications, however, the program had received 37,612 applications, up 4% from last year.
“Despite intimidation tactics by federal authorities, students still showed up to apply for California financial aid for college,” Lande Ajose, chairwoman of the California Student Aid Commission, said in a statement on Monday. She noted that news about the applications came the same week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted raids in Northern California.
More than 27,000 students have received more than $240 million in state aid under the California Dream Act since the application process launched in 2013, said Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission.
Students respond to the Parkland, Fla., shooting with an open letter, a poem, walkouts
Jaylee Cortes, a junior at Charter Oak High School, wrote an open letter to the president.
Mr. President, where were you on Valentine’s Day? Were you out to dinner with a loved one or were you sitting in the Oval Office, alone?
I was scrolling through Snapchat when I saw a story about the Florida shooting. My parents came home and immediately were engrossed by the television. My mother watched with tears streaming down her face, my father watched in horror, and I sat there, a million thoughts racing through my mind.
Where were you?
Jett Hays, a sophomore at Torrance High School, wrote a poem.
Empty beds and broken hearts / No hearts beat / No children dance
Post mortem I love you’s, I would’ve told you if I had the chance
This is no new news / This is not the first, this is not the last
Too many children killed walking to class
Crystal Foretia, a junior at Richard Montgomery High School in Maryland, reported on a student walkout.
This is has not and will not be the only student protest. On President’s Day, the group Teens for Gun Reform traveled to the White House for a “lie-in,” where they posed as corpses. National marches have been scheduled for March 24 and April 20, as the latter is the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.
Studying school safety in L.A., growth time for campus security businesses, UC Irvine’s barn and yurt: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
In the wake of the Parkland shooting, L.A.’s political leaders are focusing on making schools safer. The city attorney is forming a blue-ribbon panel and three school board members are pushing a resolution calling for stronger state and federal gun control.
A potential threat led to canceled classes Monday at Cypress College in Orange County.
In California:
Oakland students joined members of Congress on a civil rights tour of the South.
Why a barn and a yurt are considered landmarks on the campus of UC Irvine.
Nationwide:
Concerns about school shootings mean more business for campus security companies.
An Oklahoma police department shot textbooks to see if they could stop bullets.
For the record:
9:05 a.m.: An earlier version of this post misspelled the name of Cypress College as Cyprus College.
Barn at UC Irvine reflects local legacy of famed theater director Jerzy Grotowski
When renowned theater director Jerzy Grotowski was considering a job as a UC Irvine professor in the 1980s, the founding chair of the school’s drama department promised him perks.
“He said, ‘Well, what I really want is a barn,’” Robert Cohen, 79, recently recalled.
Luckily, the school’s campus was built on a cattle range that included a barn that was being used as a storehouse.
Classes canceled at Cypress College after potential threat; police investigate text message
Classes were canceled Monday morning at Cypress College in Orange County after the school became aware of a potential threat, though police say they do not believe there is any risk.
Police are investigating a text that was sent from someone in Pico Rivera to a person in Whittier on Sunday night, said Whittier Police Lt. Jay Tatman.
The text contained a “nonspecific threat that a person was potentially suicidal and was considering shooting a school,” Tatman said. “We do not have any specific threat toward any specific school.”
L.A. officials push for new focus on school safety after Parkland
Political leaders in Los Angeles want the city to join the nation in focusing hard on how to prevent violence on campuses in the wake of one of America’s deadliest school shootings.
On Monday, L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer will announce his formation of a blue-ribbon panel to look at measures that would make schools safer and how to make them happen. The next day, L.A. school board members will introduce a resolution calling for stronger state and federal gun control and for a review of school district policies.
“Everyone recognizes this is a key moment,” said Feuer of the aftermath of the shooting that killed 17 people last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. “Every school district, especially in the wake of Parkland, should be doing everything it can to ensure its schools are as safe as possible.”
L.A. Unified mixed message on walkouts, Mnuchin’s UCLA heckling, Carvalho’s change of heart: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1968 walkouts, but the district has told students they should stay on campus during a planned March 14 walkout to honor the victims of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting.
- Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin blocked the release of a video of students heckling him during his speech at UCLA. That only drew attention to the incident.
In California:
- Some state legislators want to add over $1 billion more for schools to what is proposed in Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget.
- A San Diego County teen was arrested on suspicion of posting a photo of a rifle made out of Legos with a threatening message on social media.
Nationwide:
- A look at the recent actions of Alberto Carvalho, the Miami school superintendent who, in the course of a couple of days, accepted and then publicly declined New York City’s top education post.
- Hundreds of school districts across the country already arm teachers. They’re mostly small and rural.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin blocks release of video of him getting heckled at UCLA
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin has blocked the release of a video that shows him being heckled at UCLA, causing the initially little-noticed incident to go viral.
Mnuchin was being interviewed by Kai Ryssdal, host of the public radio show “Marketplace,” which focuses on news about business and the economy. About 400 people attended the free event Monday at the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Korn Convocation Hall, said Peggy McInerny, a university spokeswoman.
Mnuchin’s appearance was arranged under the auspices of the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, which had an agreement with the Treasury Department that video would be posted on the center’s website. But department officials “subsequently withdrew the consent,” said McInerny.
L.A. Unified commemorates 50th anniversary of Eastside walkouts, but tells students to stay in class March 14
Fifty years ago, Mexican American students in East L.A. high schools walked out of class and launched a historic movement protesting substandard conditions in their schools.
Garfield High School, where the walkouts began March 5, 1968, commemorated that movement Thursday by ceding the stage to its current students. One group performed a musical history of the so-called blowouts: “We’ve got to walk out, walk out for justice. We’ve got to walk out, walk out for brown rights.” A young man recited a poem he had written about what it means to be Chicano in East L.A. today.
In 1968, students were trying to call attention to a host of problems in their schools, including massive class sizes, racist teachers and the use of corporal punishment, said Yoli Rios, who walked out of Lincoln High School half a century ago. She told hundreds of Garfield students gathered for a special assembly that her math teacher would put an assignment on the board, then pull out a putter and and practice his golf.
UC system’s global rankings slip amid funding cuts, international competition
The University of California has slipped in the rankings of an annual global survey of higher education, escalating concerns that funding woes and growing international competition are beginning to erode the quality of the nation’s top public research university.
The survey released Wednesday by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, assessed nine UC campuses in more than three dozen subjects. Ratings dropped in 80 categories and improved in 24.
UC Berkeley and UCLA still were ranked in the top 10 universities in the world — with Berkeley tied with Harvard for third and UCLA in seventh place — but the biggest declines came at those flagship campuses. UCLA slipped in 22 subjects and improved in four while UC Berkeley dropped in 15 areas and rose in two. In civil and structural engineering, for instance, UCLA’s ranking fell from 40th to 51st and Berkeley’s from second to fifth.
UC rankings, New York’s schools chief drama, remembering the 1968 walkouts: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
The school walkouts 50 years ago, now being commemorated, were the first act of mass militancy by Mexican Americans in modern California history.
New York City reportedly selected Miami-Dade schools leader Alberto Carvalho as its new schools chancellor — pulling him out of the pool of potential candidates for L.A. Unified superintendent job.
UPDATE: Carvalho said Thursday he is staying in Miami.
In California:
The University of California lost quite a bit of ground in an annual worldwide ranking of universities. Some faculty fear erosion of quality with international competition and continued funding woes.
School climate — a read on how safe and welcoming a school feels — is becoming more important to the state’s assessment of schools, but there’s little consistent, reliable data to measure it.
UC Berkeley entered into an agreement with the federal government over its handling of sexual misconduct on campus.
Nationwide:
When a teacher fired a gun at his school in Georgia, students took the opportunity to tell President Trump that arming educators isn’t the answer.
After their teacher fires a gun at school, Georgia students use opportunity to challenge Trump’s proposal
Jesse Randall Davidson wasn’t a stranger, some mysterious threat from the outside. He was a bearded, bespectacled, 53-year-old social studies teacher and the play-by-play announcer for the football games at Dalton High School in northwest Georgia.
But when the teacher brought a gun to school, barricaded himself in his classroom Wednesday and fired a single shot, students quickly recognized that this wasn’t just a sad local incident.
Amid national outrage over school shootings — and suggestions by President Trump that schools would be safer if some teachers packed guns — it was a political event.
East L.A., 1968: ‘Walkout!’ The day high school students helped ignite the Chicano power movement
Teachers at Garfield High School were winding down classes for the approaching lunch break when they heard the startling sound of people — they were not sure who — running through the halls, pounding on classroom doors. “Walkout!” they were shouting. “Walkout!”
They looked on in disbelief as hundreds of students streamed out of classrooms and assembled before the school entrance, their clenched fists held high. “Viva la revolucion!” they called out. “Education, not eradication!” Soon, sheriff’s deputies were rumbling in.
LAUSD superintendent applications due soon, commemorating the walkouts, back to school in Parkland: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified is holding a series of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1968 walkouts by students demanding educational justice.
- Candidates for the LAUSD superintendent job have two weeks to apply.
In California:
- Studies that take stock of just how well California’s schools are doing will come out in June, in advance of the state’s November elections.
- Five candidates are running for California’s top education spot.
Nationwide:
- Two weeks after a deadly school shooting, students returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
- In the wake of the shooting, Dick’s Sporting Goods will immediately stop selling assault-style rifles.
Two weeks after the bloodshed, classes resume at Florida high school where gunman killed 17
For Isabela Barry, it was time. After two weeks of tears, vigils and funerals — reliving her and her classmates’ ordeal when a gunman rampaged through their school, killing one of her best friends — the 16-year-old was ready to go back to class.
“I’m tired of crying,” the goofy junior with wavy blond hair and dark-rimmed glasses said as she contemplated the idea of returning. “I’m dreading going back, but at the same time I want some normalcy.”
Thousands of students flowed into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., early Wednesday to resume classes for the first time since 17 of their classmates and instructors were gunned down Feb. 14 in one of the worst mass shootings in American history.
19-year-old arrested on suspicion of threatening to ‘shoot up’ Inland Empire high school
A former student was arrested early Tuesday after he made threats to “shoot up” a high school in Chino Hills, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies were dispatched to Ruben S. Ayala High School at 2:59 p.m. Monday after the ex-student, Nicholas Ceballos, made the threats.
The school was closed when authorities received notice of the threats, “affording investigators the opportunity to work swiftly to resolve the matter before it posed an active threat to students or staff,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
House Republican leaders dismiss Trump plan to arm teachers as a local matter
The federal response to Florida’s school massacre remained captive to competing political imperatives Tuesday, as House Republicans declined to sign onto President Trump’s proposal to arm and reward teachers willing to carry weapons, even as they made clear their aim is to oppose further restrictions on guns.
At the White House, meantime, spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders put off discussions of whether the president had formally backed away from his earlier proposal to raise the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic from 18 to 21. Trump advocated that move in the early days after the Feb. 14 killing of 17 students and teachers by a former student armed with an AR-15 rifle. Since meeting with NRA officials last weekend, he has not raised the proposal.
Sanders pushed forward by several days the debate over where the president stands on measures to prevent a recurrence of the Florida attack, refusing to offer a yes-or-no answer when asked by reporters whether the president favors a ban on gun purchases by those on the terrorist watch list.
College completion woes, a strike vote, emergency help for college students: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A union representing L.A. Unified’s non-teaching employees announced Monday that members would vote on whether to strike.
In California:
- Sure, more California students are graduating from high school — but college completion rates aren’t keeping up, a new study finds.
- Some of California’s struggling college students can get micro grants to help keep them keep going.
Nationwide:
- Conservative lawmakers in Arizona take direct steps to try to counterbalance what they see as too much liberalism on college campuses.
- Schools stay closed in West Virginia as teachers continue their strike.
Non-teaching L.A. school employees will vote on authorizing strike
The union that represents Los Angeles school cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodians announced Monday that it will hold a vote to authorize a strike.
If the workers approve a strike, a walkout would not be inevitable, but union leaders could call one without returning to the membership for permission. The move could provide more leverage at the bargaining table to negotiators for Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union.
Voting is scheduled to take place March 12 through March 24.
Supreme Court extends relief for ‘Dreamers,’ refuses to rule now on Trump immigration plan
The Supreme Court handed President Trump a significant defeat Monday, turning down the administration’s plea for a quick ruling on the president’s power to end special protections for so-called Dreamers.
The court’s decision not to immediately hear the administration’s appeal could keep in place a legal shield for nearly 700,000 young immigrants for the rest of this year, and perhaps longer.
The Justice Department had sought to leapfrog the U.S. appeals courts in California and New York. The department had asked for an “immediate review” of a nationwide order by U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco that required the government to maintain for now the Obama-era program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.
Former UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks: The American university is ‘under growing attack’
Four years ago, Nicholas Dirks left a top job at Columbia University for the chancellorship of UC Berkeley, the nation’s top public research university. It was not a smooth ride. He faced crisis after crisis: a critical budget deficit, sexual harassment scandals, a free-speech riot, personal controversy and declining faculty confidence in his leadership. He stepped down in 2017.
Now the specialist in South Asian studies is writing a book about the history and future of the university and has returned to the classroom to teach an undergraduate seminar on the subject. He also has joined a venture to create an international school system, starting with campuses in the U.S. and China. Dirks spoke to The Times about his bumpy tenure as chancellor and his feeling that universities and the American Dream are under assault.
Do school safety measures discriminate against some students? L.A. schools debate hot-button issue
Amy Guerrero said she started getting randomly searched at her Koreatown middle school, Young Oak Kim Academy, when she was 12 years old.
“I got searched all the time, but I never saw the nurse, not once,” said Amy, who is 15 and a sophomore at UCLA Community School, which also is in Koreatown. “Whenever I felt sick or had a cut they said the nurse wasn’t there that day, but I saw the officers all the time.”
In the wake of the school shooting that took 17 lives in Parkland, Fla., earlier this month, there has been much debate about how to make campuses more secure.
Grilled on school shooting, Florida sheriff says he provided ‘amazing leadership,’ but ‘we all make mistakes’
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday asked the state Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the response to the Parkland school massacre, as questions mounted over the Broward County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of the shooting.
The announcement came just hours after Broward Sheriff Scott Israel appeared on CNN and denied any blame for his agency’s missteps and touted his own “amazing leadership.”
The governor’s office said the investigation will begin immediately in a statement released Sunday. It did not specifically name any law enforcement agencies. But the Sheriff’s Office was the lead agency on the scene and criticism has swirled about how it handled the first few minutes after a former student at the school opened fire in a hallway.
L.A. Unified rushed to rebuild cafeterias, then fought for years to recoup excess costs
For the Los Angeles Unified School District, the $37-million Cafe L.A. project at first seemed like a stunning success. In about 18 months, 64 school cafeterias had been gutted and transformed so that students could be served faster — with more time to eat and more healthy options to choose from.
Then the district’s auditors took a look at the books and concluded that the construction had come at too high a cost.
The three companies that had done the work, the auditors told school officials, had violated their contracts by overcharging for equipment and services, charging for unnecessary equipment that was never purchased and using different, less expensive materials than they had said they would.
UC students lobby for more state funding to avoid a tuition hike
University of California students plan to lobby state legislators Tuesday for more state funding in order to avoid a tuition increase in the upcoming academic year.
Students from UC campuses in Berkeley, Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego say they will speak out at an Assembly hearing Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento, demanding that state legislators reinvest in the 10-campus public research system. The state share of per-student funding has plummeted from $19,100 in 1990-91 to about $7,160 in 2016-17, according to UC data.
Meanwhile tuition and fees have more than tripled over the last 15 years, rising to $12,630 for California students in 2017-18 after the UC Board of Regents approved the first increase in seven years. Regents were set to vote on another increase in January, but pressure by students and some board members led them to put off a decision until May to allow more time to lobby for more state funds.
“Our state legislators talk a good game about college affordability, but they pass the buck when it comes to actually making the system affordable,” said Varsha Sarveshwar, who is leading the lobbying campaign for UC Berkeley’s Associated Students of the University of California. “While it’s the height of irony for students to miss their classes while advocating for those classes to be properly funded by the state, we’re ready to show our legislators that we will hold them accountable for decades of disinvestment.”
The Berkeley student group and the systemwide UC Student Assn. have launched the #RingTing phone-banking campaign to lobby Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who heads the Assembly budget committee.
The hearing of the Assembly budget subcommittee on education finance begins at 3 p.m. You can watch the live webcast or the archived video here.
A century-old suffragist’s story inspires high school girls to ‘Hear Our Voice’
Inside the well-worn choir room at Van Nuys High School, a scuffed-up old grand piano rumbles as composer David O pounds out slow, bluesy chords.
“Who I am,” the choir sings soulfully above his accompaniment, their voices rising in pitch with each word, “is a woman who fights a good fight.”
Choral director Brianne Arevalo calls out the beats above the piano’s chords, signaling the song’s climax: “Never afraid to speak my mind. That’s who I am. That’s who I am!”
Recent shootings can make going to school seem scary, but there are ways to help kids cope
Alysia Evans’ son was 4 in 2013, when a man went on a shooting rampage in Santa Monica, killing five people before officers killed him. Her son was in preschool a few blocks from Santa Monica College, where the attack came to an end.
The preschool was placed on lockdown that day, and everyone there was safe, but “it’s the first panic attack I’ve had in my life,” said Evans, an attorney who lives on the Westside.
Two weeks ago, she was driving to work when she heard on the radio that there had been a shooting at an L.A. middle school. At first, she thought incorrectly that it might be the school where her daughter is in the sixth grade.
17 dead in Florida high school shooting; suspect is a former student who was expelled
A former student opened fire at a South Florida high school Wednesday afternoon, killing 17 people and wounding at least a dozen others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the city of Parkland, officials said.
The suspected gunman, Nikolas Cruz, 19, was quickly arrested “without incident” in nearby Coral Springs, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said. Officials think he acted alone. Cruz had been expelled from the school for disciplinary problems and had made “disturbing” posts on social media before the attack, Israel said.
“It’s a horrific situation. It’s just a horrible day for us,” said Broward County Public Schools Supt. Robert Runcie.
A school shooting victim’s long recovery, LAUSD approves benefits package, how DeVos boosted teacher activism: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
The L.A. Unified board narrowly voted to approve a new three-year benefits package.
A former teacher at L.A.’s Sal Castro Middle School said one of the victims of the recent shooting there still has a bullet lodged in his head.
In California:
A guide to how the state oversees charter schools.
Gov. Jerry Brown named his picks for a new panel on computer science education.
Nationwide:
While Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has approved most states’ education plans, several governors — primarily Republicans — are disputing them, saying their student progress goals are weak.
After one year on the job, DeVos has emboldened teacher activists.
L.A. school board approves three-year benefit package with some cost containment
The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday approved a three-year benefits package that contains some costs but falls well short of the savings that district officials say is needed to keep the school system solvent.
The 60,000 employees of L.A. Unified are not among the nation’s highest paid, but most enjoy comprehensive medical benefits for themselves and their families without paying monthly premiums. Such subsidies are rare in the workplace.
The package narrowly passed with support from four out of seven board members. Even board members who supported the agreement said they are concerned that the district’s budget could be careening toward a deficit, threatening programs for students.
Student wounded in Westlake school shooting still has a bullet lodged in his head, his former teacher says
A boy who was wounded in a shooting at Sal Castro Middle School nearly two weeks ago has been released from a hospital but still has a bullet in his head, his former teacher said.
A bullet struck 12-year-old Issa Al-Bayati in his skull, but didn’t hit any vital organs, said Bridgette Robinson, who instructed Al-Bayati in English, science and English language development at the school last year. The teacher said he will require additional treatment.
Robinson, 31, said she was “horrified and saddened” when she learned her former student was wounded in the gunfire.
Helping ‘Dreamers’ pay for college, Trump’s education budget, LAUSD seeks a new student board member: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified is soliciting applications for the district’s next student board member.
A USC football player was arrested Monday on suspicion of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.
In California:
Authorities are concerned that fewer students who are in the country without legal permission are applying for college aid.
A group of school districts and organizations is working to create a more coherent and readable district budgeting system.
Nationwide:
The U.S. Department of Education confirmed that its policy is to no longer investigate complaints regarding transgender students’ rights to use the bathrooms of their choice.
Trump’s budget proposal would cut protections for student borrowers.
Applications for college aid through the California Dream Act are down again
Each year, California invites students who are in the country without legal permission to apply for the same financial aid packages available to others. But officials once again are concerned that fears are keeping those they want to help from seeking the funding.
The deadline to apply for aid through the California Dream Act is March 1, just about two weeks away
As of Monday, 19,141 students had applied. That’s a little more than half of last year’s total.
Decathlon champs, magnet late applications, Betsy DeVos’ donations: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A video showing a police officer body-slamming a handcuffed San Diego area high school student has led to protests and soul-searching.
L.A. Unified is giving students another chance at magnet programs with a late application process.
El Camino Real Charter High School won the district’s academic decathlon this weekend, beating out powerhouse Granada Hills Charter High School.
In California:
A Northern California school district is investigating how a science project correlating low intelligence with racial groups made it to a local science fair, where it drew outrage.
Educational reforms pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown appear to be paying off in higher graduation rates and improved math performance for low-income 11th-graders, a new study found.
Nationwide:
Betsy DeVos said she is giving away her salary to a group of educational nonprofits, including Vision to Learn, started by former Los Angeles Times publisher Austin Beutner, which brings free vision tests and glasses to children in need nationwide.
Harvard’s new president used to run Tufts and has expertise in environmental policy and higher education.
El Camino Real Charter High School wins L.A. Academic Decathlon
In something of an upset, El Camino Real Charter High School has won the 2018 Academic Decathlon for the Los Angeles Unified School District, officials announced Sunday.
Though El Camino, located in Woodland Hills, was clearly an academic powerhouse in this competition, the win ran counter to recent form because Granada Hills Charter High has triumphed repeatedly. Granada Hills won the L.A. crown on its way to the 2017 national championship — its third straight.
Granada Hills remains in the running for the state and national prizes because it finished second; L.A. Unified will send its top 15 teams to Sacramento to compete for state honors in March.
El Camino Real Charter High School wins L.A. Academic Decathlon
In something of an upset, El Camino Real Charter High School has won the 2018 Academic Decathlon for the Los Angeles Unified School District, officials announced Sunday.
Though El Camino, located in Woodland Hills, was clearly an academic powerhouse in this competition, the win ran counter to recent form because Granada Hills Charter High has triumphed repeatedly. Granada Hills won the L.A. crown on its way to the 2017 national championship — its third straight.
Granada Hills remains in the running for the state and national prizes because it finished second; L.A. Unified will send its top 15 teams to Sacramento to compete for state honors in March.
Video of officer body-slamming female student sparks debate, soul-searching
It began with a police officer trying to deal with a willful student who refused to leave the campus of Helix Charter High School. It quickly escalated into a physical altercation where the officer body-slammed the handcuffed teenage girl to the ground as she tried to get away.
And it was caught on video.
The Jan. 19 incident sparked student walkouts, a march on police headquarters, heated exchanges at town halls and three separate investigations.
High school student’s science project linking race, low intelligence spurs investigation
A Northern California school district is investigating how a science project correlating low intelligence with racial groups was on full display at a science fair, where it drew outrage from some students, parents and staff.
The project by a Sacramento high school student enrolled in an elite magnet program titled “Race and IQ,” questioned whether certain races lack the intelligence for the program’s academically challenging coursework.
The Sacramento Bee, which published the story Saturday, did not speak to the student at C.K. McClatchy High School and is not identifying the minor. The project was on view with others Monday as part of an annual science fair but was removed Wednesday after complaints.
L.A.’s superintendent search, a proposal to ban football, students who write laws: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified and New York City — the nation’s two largest school systems — are seeking a new leader at the same time.
Police still don’t know how the girl whose gun fired one bullet at Sal Castro Middle School got her weapon.
In California:
California could become the first state to ban organized tackle football until students reach high school.
First-generation African American students face the greatest needs at Cal State, researchers found.
The University of California’s new free-speech center will be based at UC Irvine.
Nationwide:
When union leaders and activists went to deliver report cards to Betsy DeVos, the Education secretary would not let them into the agency’s building.
At one school in Virginia, students regularly send ideas for new laws to state legislators.
L.A. Unified once again embarks on a tough search for a new superintendent
Less than two years after members of the L.A. school board chose a superintendent from the district’s ranks, they now find themselves in search of a new one — and the task may be harder than ever.
The nation’s second-largest school system has a dizzying array of problems, but the board is divided on how to solve them. Meanwhile, there aren’t many candidates considered qualified for such a daunting job, and those who are may be getting other offers.
The challenge of improving large urban school districts — and of keeping the job for more than a year or two — can be seen in the job openings. New York City, the nation’s largest school system, also is searching for a superintendent. So was Chicago, the third-largest district, until a new leader recently was hired.
At Cal State, first-generation black students face the greatest needs
Cal State students who are African American and the first in their families to attend college struggle most with food and housing insecurity, including homelessness, according to a new survey by the nation’s largest public university system.
Researchers surveyed a sample of the population at all 23 Cal State campuses and interviewed selected students to explore their experiences in the two areas.
The resulting report, released at a Cal State conference in Sacramento this week, found that about 2 in 10 African Americans who were the first in their families to attend college at times lacked a fixed, regular and adequate place to stay at night, which is among the federal definitions of homelessness. That number was 1 in 10 for surveyed students overall.
First-generation black students also reported the highest rate of food insecurity. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they lacked a consistent source of nutritious and varied food, compared with about 4 in 10 students across races.
Students said their struggles to find adequate food and housing negatively affected their academic performance and mental and physical health, according to the study by Rashida Crutchfield of Cal State Long Beach and Jennifer Maguire of Humboldt State.
The study marked the second phase of a systemwide effort launched by Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White in 2015 to address food and housing insecurity among students. White released a separate report this week detailing how each campus is offering support.
Each campus, for instance, now operates a food pantry or food distribution program, and a majority provide short-term emergency housing.
The problem is growing nationwide but is particularly acute in California, where rents in many campus communities have skyrocketed. The University of California also has launched a systemwide initiative to address students’ lack of stable housing and regular access to nutritious food. UC President Janet Napolitano has given each campus $3 million to use for housing assistance.
You can read the Cal State reports about food and housing insecurity here and find out what each campus is doing here.
LAPD still searching for owner of gun that went off in Westlake classroom
A week after students were struck by gunfire at Sal Castro Middle School, Los Angeles police are still trying to determine where the gun came from.
The gunfire erupted in a classroom Feb. 1, with a single bullet striking a 15-year-old boy in the temple and a 15-year-old girl in the left wrist. The girl was discharged from the hospital over the weekend and the boy remains in fair condition. Two other students and a teacher suffered minor injuries.
A 12-year-old girl was taken into custody and a semiautomatic pistol was recovered at the scene. Prosecutors charged the girl with one felony count of being a minor in possession of a firearm and a second felony count of having a weapon on school grounds.
Ref Rodriguez’s court date, L.A. Unified’s enrollment woes, the new Gerber Baby: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A judge set a May preliminary hearing date for L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez’s political money laundering case.
LAUSD enrollment is expected to drop by about 12,000 this year.
In California:
Nearly 250 school districts got letters from the state asking them to double check records they’d filed showing all their students had perfect attendance last year.
State education officials hope to persuade young people under the age of 21 not to use marijuana. They say they want to use part of the tax on the newly legalized recreational drug on programs aimed at health, education and drug prevention.
Nationwide:
This year’s Gerber Baby is the first with Down syndrome.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke in defense of “Dreamers” on the floor of the House for over eight hours Wednesday, breaking records for the chamber’s longest speech.
Betsy DeVos has been in office for one year. She told the Washington Post that her background — with no professional work in public education — has been an asset, because she doesn’t “know what can’t be done.”
UC Irvine named command post for new systemwide free-speech center
UC Irvine will oversee the University of California’s new center to promote free speech and civic engagement, the campus announced Thursday.
UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman, a constitutional law scholar, also announced the center’s inaugural class of 10 fellows. The scholars, students and analysts from across the country will explore such issues as the intersection of diversity and free speech, protests over police practices and challenges to safeguard the 1st Amendment amid today’s polarized politics.
Several fellows also plan to develop curricula and toolkits to help students better understand free speech issues.
“The first class of fellows exemplifies our goal of bringing together the country’s great minds to study the complicated issues of free speech, activism and civic engagement,” said Gillman, co-chair of the center’s advisory board.
Gillman told The Times in a recent interview that today’s students are not fragile “snowflakes” but need to better understand the importance of 1st Amendment freedoms. He recently co-wrote a book, “Free Speech on Campus,” with Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley law school.
UC President Janet Napolitano announced plans for the new National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement last fall. Gillman will organize a national conference on free speech this year and has launched a search for an executive director to run the center’s day-to-day operations from the UC DC center in Washington.
In recent years, UC campuses have been roiled by skirmishes over free speech involving controversial speakers. UC Berkeley recently disclosed that it spent nearly $4 million in security costs for a month of free speech events last year involving conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and Milo Yiannopoulos.
You can read about the new fellows and their research projects here.
May preliminary hearing set in Ref Rodriguez’s political money laundering case
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Wednesday set a May preliminary hearing date for L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez, making it more likely that Rodriguez, who faces criminal charges, will be on hand to cast important votes on the school board in the coming months.
Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including three felony counts. Prosecutors allege he engaged in political money laundering in his 2015 campaign for office.
While he stepped down as school board president after he was charged, Rodriguez did not give up his seat. But he could be forced to should he be convicted.
Ref Rodriguez back in court, LAUSD’s search firm do-over, USC fundraising drop: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified’s search firm must honor its warranty and help the district find a new superintendent yet again — mostly for free this time.
School board member Ref Rodriguez is scheduled to be back in court today.
Fundraising for USC has dropped amid controversy at its medical school.
In California:
Gov. Jerry Brown wants school districts to be more specific about their budgeting.
Two Northern California high school students were arrested Tuesday on charges of bringing a loaded gun to school.
Nationwide:
The Gates Foundation is shifting its focus to improving school curriculums.
Inside the fight over teaching climate change in Nevada.
Search firm must give L.A. Unified a mostly free do-over in hunt for schools chief
The unexpected departure of Los Angeles schools Supt. Michelle King — after less than two years on the job — has triggered a rarely used clause in the contract of an executive search firm: its warranty.
The contract the school district signed with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates stated that the firm would not charge a consulting fee for a new search if the superintendent were to leave the job within two years.
The fee for the first search was $160,000 plus approved expenses. This one is supposed to be all but free.
Fundraising at USC tumbles amid medical school scandals
USC, known nationally for its aggressive fundraising operation, saw contributions tumble in the second half of 2017, a period in which scandals roiled its medical school.
An internal accounting reviewed by The Times shows donations to the university were down nearly $100 million between July and December of last year compared with the same period in 2016. The falloff represents a 22% decline and was particularly severe at the Keck School of Medicine, where donations dropped 55%, or roughly $45 million.
Two weeks after the accounting period’s July 1 start, The Times reported that former Keck dean Carmen Puliafito had used methamphetamine and other drugs while running the medical school and treating patients in a campus eye clinic. USC subsequently acknowledged that President C. L. Max Nikias had kept Puliafito, a prolific fundraiser, in the post despite years of complaints from faculty and staff about his behavior.
School board member Rodriguez back in court in political money laundering case
Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez is scheduled to be back in court Wednesday over charges that he made illegal donations to his campaign in 2015.
Rodriguez, 46, faces three felony charges for conspiracy, perjury and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Decathlon stars, rating the Dashboard, an attempt to make college free: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Mark Keppel and South Pasadena high schools aced L.A. County’s Academic Decathlon Super Quiz.
A La Verne special education aide has been charged with sexually abusing a young student in her care.
In California:
It turns out parents find the California School Dashboard useful, though many hadn’t heard of it, according to a new poll.
A ballot initiative seeks to make California’s public colleges and universities tuition free.
Nationwide:
Betsy DeVos’ Department of Education wants to delay Obama-era rules around special education laws.
American University now has a comedian in residence.
Encinitas students push for an end to human trafficking
Mallika Seshadri, a senior at San Dieguito Academy, reports on her school’s efforts to combat human trafficking.
Human trafficking, often referred to as modern-day slavery, is where individuals are forced into participating in commercial sexual acts, according to the State of California Department of Justice.
San Dieguito’s Amnesty International club conducted a signature drive advocating for increased police involvement and the Christian Mission Mustang club held a benefit concert called “Breaking Chains” to raise funds for faith-based organizations that combat trafficking.
Returning to Sal Castro, learning math outdoors, testing school water: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Sal Castro Middle School students returned to school Friday following Thursday’s campus shooting, which police said was caused by a gun discharging from a backpack.
For this year’s superintendent search, L.A. Unified will likely use the same search firm that helped them hire Michelle King.
In California:
Some teachers are taking advantage of California’s hiking trails, redwood groves and baseball fields to help students learn math.
State officials are requiring that schools built before 2010 test their water supplies for lead.
Nationwide:
A Colorado teacher has been accused of assaulting a student who didn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
The public school systems of the regions represented by last night’s Super Bowl teams got into a cute Twitter feud.
A jittery day after for L.A. school where gun went off in student’s backpack
At first, reports of gunshots at an L.A. middle school seemed likely to follow an all-too-familiar narrative: A young person opens fire on a campus with deadly consequences. Then a new story emerged, still harrowing but less grim — more of a cautionary tale about unintended consequences when children get their hands on guns.
The account that began to fill out Friday was that a 12-year-old girl at Sal Castro Middle School had brought a gun in her backpack and that the gun had gone off, firing a single round that injured two students shortly after the start of the school day.
“The physical evidence seems to support that it was discharged from within the backpack,” LAPD Deputy Chief Robert Arcos said Friday morning.
Wary students return to Westlake middle school after shooting
Students returned to class at Sal Castro Middle School Friday morning, a day after an unintentional shooting left four students injured and sent others scrambling for cover.
Guadalupe Segura placed her hand on her heart, worried as she watched her 13-year-old daughter, Jazmine, walk into the Westlake middle school, along with dozens of other students.
“I’m bringing her here to the school alive, and I don’t know what will happen to her between now and when she comes home,” Segura said. “Anything can happen, even at schools.”
What exactly does L.A. Unified do to try to prevent school shootings?
Gunfire erupted in a classroom at Sal Castro Middle School on Thursday morning. Two 15-year-olds were hit — one in the head. A 12-year-old girl was taken into custody.
The incident immediately revived an ongoing debate about how best to keep students in the Los Angeles Unified School District safe.
The nation’s second-largest district relies on both policing and counseling to try to prevent campus violence. It also has an experienced team of counselors to deal with the aftermath — although most deadly episodes happen outside school.
Middle school shooting renews debate over how L.A. Unified keeps students safe
Frightened parents rushed to the scene of a Los Angeles middle school Thursday morning, crowding outside the gates, desperate to hear if their children were safe. Word had spread fast that a gun had gone off in a classroom and that students had been shot.
News helicopter footage showed a handcuffed girl in jeans and a sweatshirt being led away by police officers, one of them carrying her backpack.
Such scenes of anguish are not common in L.A., where until Thursday, seven years had passed without a student being shot inside a district school building.
As police investigate L.A. school shooting, parents and officials question how a gun got into a classroom
As police investigated a shooting at a Westlake middle school on Thursday, parents and local officials questioned how a 12-year-old girl apparently was able to get a semi-automatic pistol and smuggle it into a classroom.
Four students were injured in the shooting at Sal Castro Middle School, and two of them remain in the hospital. A 15-year-old boy was in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his temple and a 15-year-old girl is in fair condition with a gunshot wound to her left wrist.
The shooting suspect, a 12-year-old girl, has been taken into custody.
Frantic parents descend on school after shooting: ‘I just want my daughter, I want my daughter’
Frantic parents rushed to Salvador Castro Middle School in Westlake on Thursday, desperate for word about the safety of their children after a shooting injured two students.
Tyresha McNair was standing at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Loma Drive with her young niece seeking information about her daughter, who attends the school. McNair was among many parents who rushed to the scene after seeing reports of the shooting on television.
“I saw it on the news and I came here to get my baby,” she said. “I just want my daughter, I want my daughter.”
Amid middle school shooting, a debate rages over random weapons searches at L.A. campuses
The shooting Thursday at a middle school in the Westlake area comes amid a debate in the Los Angeles Unified School District about the effectiveness and fairness of random searches for weapons on campuses.
Two students shot at Salvador Castro Middle School, one in critical condition. Girl in custody
Two students were shot in a classroom in Salvador Castro Middle School in Westlake on Thursday morning, and one is in critical condition, authorities said.
Police received a report of shots fired about 8:55 a.m. in the 1500 block of West 2nd Street, according to LAPD Officer Drake Madison.
The victims were described as a 15-year-old male, who is in critical condition, and a 15-year-old female, who was reported in fair condition.
Cal State trustees pick UC Davis campus diversity leader to be San Diego State’s new president
California State University’s Board of Trustees has appointed Adela de la Torre the new president of San Diego State, reflecting a push by the nation’s largest public university system to diversify its top campus leaders.
De la Torre, who is currently the vice chancellor of student affairs and campus diversity at UC Davis, is the ninth woman appointed as permanent Cal State president under Chancellor Timothy P. White. She is the first woman to serve as San Diego State’s president and replaces Sally Roush, who has led the campus on an interim basis since last summer.
The appointment of Roush, and now De la Torre, mark the first time that more than half of Cal State’s 23 campus leaders are women. Trustees on Wednesday agreed to give De la Torre the same $428,645 salary — the highest of any Cal State president — as her predecessor, Elliot Hirshman.
Cal State trustees debate tuition increase, how schools recover from fires and mudslides, LAUSD’s task: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
A video of a Pico Rivera teacher and councilman calling the military the “lowest of the low” has caused outrage.
School board members are trying to find common ground as they search for the next L.A. Unified superintendent.
In California:
Cal State trustees debated a controversial plan that would increase tuition for the second year in a row.
Here’s how the state’s schools are recuperating from natural disasters.
Nationwide:
A closer look at Betsy DeVos’ new student loan plan found that it would reduce relief payments to students defrauded by for-profit universities by about 60%.
The State of the Union said very little about education.
Cal State trustees debate tuition increase, ‘unsustainable’ funding gaps at nation’s largest public university system
Cal State University Chancellor Timothy P. White delivered a reality check Tuesday in his annual address to students, faculty and campus leaders, challenging “status quo” thinking and calling out “unsustainable” budget demands facing the nation’s largest public university system.
“It’s important to keep costs as low as possible for our students, while also understanding the reality that a quality education does take resources,” White said in his state of the university speech during a Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. But “the simple truth is that someone always pays — it’s who pays that has changed over time.”
Although Cal State has increased enrollment by 31,000 students since the recession and hired more than 700 tenure-track faculty in the last year, with 700 additional hires underway, the pressure to accommodate more students — while preserving the quality of education — continues to outpace the “incremental increases” in state funding, he said.
Cal State trustees debate tuition increase, ‘unsustainable’ funding gaps at nation’s largest public university system
Cal State University Chancellor Timothy P. White delivered a reality check Tuesday in his annual address to students, faculty and campus leaders, challenging “status quo” thinking and calling out “unsustainable” budget demands facing the nation’s largest public university system.
“It’s important to keep costs as low as possible for our students, while also understanding the reality that a quality education does take resources,” White said in his state of the university speech during a Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. But “the simple truth is that someone always pays — it’s who pays that has changed over time.”
Although Cal State has increased enrollment by 31,000 students since the recession and hired more than 700 tenure-track faculty in the last year, with 700 additional hires underway, the pressure to accommodate more students — while preserving the quality of education — continues to outpace the “incremental increases” in state funding, he said.
Education Department may slash by 60% the loan relief it gives to defrauded students
The Education Department’s plan to provide only partial loan forgiveness to some students defrauded by for-profit colleges could reduce overall relief payments by about 60%, according to a preliminary analysis obtained by the Associated Press.
The agency announced in December that it was discontinuing the Obama administration’s practice of fully wiping out the loans of students deceived by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges under the borrower defense rule.
The department said some students will now be getting only partial loan forgiveness to make the process fair and to protect taxpayers from excessive costs. The agency will look at average income for specific programs to determine if the loans should be forgiven fully or partially.
Two LAUSD officials resign, United Airlines Memorial Coliseum, Cal State’s budget woes: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Two senior L.A. school district officials have resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.
USC’s Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will officially be known as United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.
In California:
What UC Irvine’s chancellor thinks students need to know about free speech.
Cal State officials are considering yet another tuition increase to alleviate a budget crunch.
Nationwide:
Some West Virginia teachers likely will stage a walkout to protest low wages and benefits.
Facebook is investing in “personalized learning,” but advocates of the practice repeatedly cite research from 1984.
With few budget solutions in sight, Cal State administrators say another tuition increase is possible
California State University faces difficult budget problems with no quick solutions, and administrators are preparing for tuition increases, program cuts and other unpopular options that seem unavoidable.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2018-19 budget plan, released earlier this month, proposed a fraction of what administrators say they need in state funding to support the nation’s largest public university system. The system’s 23 campuses are under pressure to enroll more students and graduate them faster, while also keeping up with faculty salary demands and a $2-billion building maintenance backlog.
Chancellor Timothy P. White is expected to address these issues Tuesday in his annual state of the university address during a Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. The state covers a smaller proportion of Cal State’s costs than it used to, and the number of students who want to attend exceeds campus abilities to accommodate them. Last fall, Cal State had to turn away about 31,000 fully qualified students. Total enrollment has grown to more than 484,000 students.
Two senior L.A. school district officials resign amid sexual harassment allegations
Two senior administrators have resigned amid allegations that they tolerated a climate of sexual harassment in the procurement division of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
They are George Silva, chief procurement officer, and Quinton Dean, deputy chief procurement officer, The Times has learned. Dean’s resignation took effect on Jan. 11, Silva’s on Jan. 12.
L.A. Unified made no announcement, but high-level sources within the district said that Silva and Dean were given the choice of resigning or facing potential dismissal. The sources are not be named because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
It’s now officially the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has a new official name: The United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.
USC officials announced the change — the result of a 15-year, $69-million deal — on Tuesday at a ground-breaking ceremony related to the $270-million upgrade the 95-year-old venue is receiving.
The Coliseum, which opened in 1923, has been host to two Olympics — with a third coming in 2028 — two Super Bowls, a World Series and a papal Mass.
UC Irvine chancellor: Students are not ‘snowflakes,’ but they need to understand free speech
UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman has plenty of experience with free speech issues. His campus has been rocked by controversial appearances of right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, a dust-up with College Republicans and annual skirmishes between supporters of Israel and Palestinian rights. Gillman has taught U.S. constitutional law for 30 years and launched a course on free speech three years ago. Now he’s written a new book, “Free Speech on Campus,” with Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley Law School.
Napolitano considers revamping her office, five state superintendent candidates, the study of happiness: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
After a baby suddenly dies, a 911 call from USC’s former medical school dean sparks detectives’ interest.
L.A. Unified is soliciting nominations for Teacher of the Year.
In California:
University of California president Janet Napolitano is considering an overhaul of her office amid criticism about its size.
Five candidates are running for state superintendent of education, a situation that could lead to a runoff vote.
Nationwide:
Yale’s most popular class is a psychology course that studies happiness.
School support staffers often work second and third jobs.
UC President Janet Napolitano considers overhauling her office amid political criticism
University of California President Janet Napolitano is considering a potentially sweeping overhaul of her office in the wake of sharp political criticism over its size, cost and budget practices.
An extensive outside review of the office provided to The Times found relatively little fat in its oversight of the most complex university system in the nation — a $33-billion operation of 10 campuses, five medical centers, three national laboratories and global research.
But the review suggested streamlining the office in what could amount to a 50% budget reduction. Suggestions for those potential savings include spinning off the UC medical and health system to a new statewide network, moving some programs to campuses and eliminating others, such as the UC-Mexico Initiative.
UC regents’ tuition vote delay, USC’s fund fight, a new anti-DeVos campaign: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Students and alumni are protesting USC administrators’ decision to take over control of a fund — paid for and largely managed by students — that gives extra support to classmates who are first-generation immigrants or come from low-income families.
L.A. Unified Board member Kelly Gonez told HuffPost that she is determined to fight President Trump’s policies proactively.
The LAUSD is promoting “data privacy day,” with a chance to win subscriptions to password management software.
In California:
The UC Regents decided to delay a controversial vote on a potential tuition hike.
Gov. Jerry Brown had sent the regents a letter urging them to reject the increase.
Nationwide:
The National Education Assn. is launching a campaign to tell Betsy DeVos that she has “failed to make the grade.” Its hashtag? #BetsyFailed.
Lou Anna Simon, president of Michigan State University, resigned after facing pressure over her handling of sexual abuse allegations against sports doctor Larry Nassar.
Protests over USC administrators’ takeover of student-funded scholarship program
For decades, students at USC have been charging themselves a small fee each semester to support classmates who come from low-income households or are the first in their families to attend college.
The Norman Topping Student Aid Fund was launched in the 1970s by two undergraduates who wanted to help diversify their too-white, too-privileged campus.
From the start, the fund has been administered largely by fellow students. Over the years, it has supported over $10 million in scholarships, fostered a close-knit community of scholars and garnered national attention for the ways in which its programs help underrepresented students navigate the emotions, logistics and academics of the college experience.
One recent Topping student became a Rhodes scholar. Another was elected student body president. All have contributed to their local communities.
But now the university has stepped in and taken charge.
Administrators announced this month that they were restructuring the program in order to let more than the current “small number of students” benefit.
“USC now enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduates who are potential Topping Scholars,” Provost Michael Quick wrote.
Administrators have yet to detail what changes they will make to the program. But under the restructuring, USC students learned, the provost’s Office of Undergraduate Programs will oversee the fund, and the fund’s director for 11 years, Christina Yokoyama will be removed.
The news has angered many students, who have described it as a “money grab” and “takeover.”
Under pressure, UC regents delay vote to raise tuition and fees
They circulated petitions, shared their stories of hardship and pressed the University of California regents to delay a controversial vote to raise their tuition and fees.
In the end, UC students pulled off a stunning victory when the regents voted Wednesday to put off a decision until May in order to allow time to step up pressure on the Legislature to increase state funding for the public university system.
“This is an important win for both students and the university,” said Devon Graves, a UCLA graduate student and student regent-designate.
Under pressure, UC regents delay vote to raise tuition and fees
University of California regents decided Wednesday afternoon to put off a controversial vote on raising tuition and fees.
Their delay until May was a stunning victory for students, who circulated petitions, shared their stories of hardship and pressed the regents to delay action in order to step up pressure on the Legislature to increase funding for the nation’s top public research university.
“This is an important win for both students and the university,” said Devon Graves, a UCLA graduate student and student regent-designate.
Why perfectionism can add to college-application stress
Jenna Wang, a sophomore at Iowa City West High School, talks to students and a counselor at her school about the stress of the college application process and the tendency toward perfectionism.
As an increasing number of high school students apply to college each year, just as many diverse perspectives form about college. Iowa City West High School’s student publication West Side Story examined some of these perspectives to redefine what a “dream school” really means.
Throughout her career as a high school counselor, Kelly Bergmann has noticed a growing trend of perfectionism among high-achieving students toward college applications and the consequences and myths that come along with it.
“A lot of our kids are going for Ivy League schools. That’s [the] kind of the culture we live in,” Bergmann said.
The idea of perfectionism has led students to think in a closed mindset, where they believe that a successful future lies only in going to their dream school. This mindset leads to students spending hundreds of hours poring over test-prep books, pushing parents to shell out hundreds of dollars on expensive programs and coordinating every action to what they believe an admissions officer would find appealing.
Gov. Jerry Brown urges UC regents to reject tuition increase
Gov. Jerry Brown just racheted up political tensions over a potential increase in tuition and fees for University of California students.
In a letter delivered to UC regents Wednesday afternoon, Brown urged them to “reject outright” the proposed 2.7% increase. He said he has increased funding to the 10-campus UC system by $1.2 billion since 2012 and that raising student costs now would be premature amid economic uncertainty.
“Economic expansions do not last forever and the future is uncertain,” he wrote. “More work is needed now to reduce the university’s costs to insure that students and families have access to an affordable, quality education.
“I urge you to focus on reducing the system’s cost structures rather than increase the financial burdens on students.”
Judge who sentenced Stanford swimmer to six months in jail for sexual assault faces recall vote
The Santa Clara County judge who sentenced a former Stanford University swimmer to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman after a fraternity will be up for a recall vote later this year, the Registrar of Voters announced on Tuesday.
Though only a fraction of the 94,539 signatures submitted in a recall petition on Jan. 11 were counted, officials found more than enough for the measure to qualify Judge Aaron Persky’s recall for a countywide vote, officials said.
In March 2016, Brock Turner, a three-time All-American high school swimmer, was found guilty of sexually assaulting “Emily Doe” after a fraternity party.
UC students speak out against proposed tuition increase
University of California students urged regents Wednesday to reject a proposed tuition increase, saying it would hurt those already struggling to afford the high costs of housing, textbooks and food.
Regents meeting at UC San Francisco are scheduled to vote later in the day on the proposal to increase tuition and student services fees for state students by 2.7%. That would be an extra $342 for state students, which would bring their total bill to $12,972 for the coming academic year. Non-resident students would pay an additional $978 in supplemental tuition, and $28,992 overall.
UC officials say increased financial aid would cover the higher costs for more than half of UC’s 180,000 California undergraduates.
About two dozen students stood up at the regents meeting, holding signs saying “FUND OUR FUTURE” and “UC U suck.”
Sarah Abdeshahian, a UC Berkeley student majoring in political science and economics, criticized regents for increasing tuition by more than 300% in the last 15 years. Yet, she said, the 10-campus UC system was founded 150 years ago on the “revolutionary idea that college should be available for all.”
“The UC is not accessible,” she said. “A vote for this tuition hike is a vote for exclusion, privatization of our public institution and further basic needs insecurity.”
Like several students, Abdeshahian called on Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is running for governor, to support more funding for public higher education. “Will you be increasing education funding as governor or is your anti-tuition-hike rhetoric just for show?” she asked Newsom, who nodded in response,
Newsom said Wednesday that he would oppose the proposed hike because public university costs are unaffordable for middle-income families and raising tuition would give the Legislature reason to continue underfunding public higher education.
Victoria Solkovits, a UCLA student in political science and human biology, said she received no financial aid because her family is classified as middle-income but still struggles to make ends meet. Her parents — one retired, the other a Los Angeles Unified teacher — are still paying off college loans for her older brother. Those expenses are not counted in federal financial aid forms, she said.
Solkovits said she has to work 15 hours a week, which is hard to juggle with schoolwork for two majors and leaves little time for extracurricular activities. .
“This tuition increase will harm many students like me who will not be covered under new aid sources.” she said. “We matter too.”
The University of California Student Assn. gave regents a petition signed by more than 2,500 students statewide asking them to delay the vote and pursue alternative funding sources instead of raising tuition and fees.
UC chancellors explain why they support a tuition increase
Overcrowded classrooms. Unmet demand for courses. Less money for faculty and graduate student fellowships. Failing elevators and exhaust systems.
Those problems plague UC Berkeley, the nation’s top public research university, and stand to get worse without a tuition increase, Chancellor Carol Christ says.
Christ lays out the case for a tuition increase in prepared remarks set for delivery Wednesday afternoon at the UC regents meeting in San Francisco. The regents are set to vote on a proposal to raise tuition and student services fees by $342 for state students and an additional $978 for nonresident students for the coming academic year.
Two dozen students protested a hike earlier in the day, telling regents it would hurt those already struggling with high college costs. More than 2,500 UC students statewide have signed a petition urging regents to delay a vote and lobby Sacramento for more money instead.
Christ, however, told The Times that a delay would hinder planning for the school year for both families and administrators.
“We need to have the faculty hired and classes scheduled so students can sign up for classes,” she said.
Among the chancellor’s points:
- Berkeley has added 4,700 students since 2013-14. The gap between the per-student cost of educating them and funding received to do so has grown to $10,000. To raise money, the campus enrolled more nonresident students, who pay higher tuition, but the shortfall is still $5,500 per student.
- The campus has not been able to hire enough faculty to keep pace with enrollment growth. As a result, the student-faculty ratio has grown to 26:1 from 23:1. The average size of lower-division lecture classes in electrical engineering and computer science ballooned to 227 last year from 65 in 2011-12.
- The campus has cut graduate student fellowship block grants by $800,000. It also cut $2.5 million from other programs that benefit graduate students for travel, summer research and housing and childcare.
- The campus has a $700 million deferred maintenance backlog. One of the world’s leading chemists declined to move to Berkeley because the laboratory could not be properly renovated.
Christ says that Berkeley, which is working to close a major budget deficit, has cut hundreds of administrative positions and developed new ways to raise money. But she said the funding crunch has made it harder for students to get the courses they need to graduate on time, adding to their costs.
“This is not only not sustainable,” Christ says in her remarks, “it threatens our institution’s academic and research excellence.”
A tuition increase would help UC Merced, the system’s smallest and youngest campus, hire more faculty and advisors, Chancellor Dorothy Leland said in prepared remarks. Financial aid would cover the costs for three-fourths of Merced students, who are largely low-income and the first in their families to attend college.
UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal told The Times he also supports a tuition increase. Without more money, he said, the campus can’t adequately repair buildings, increase housing or expand popular majors, such as health sciences.
“The chancellors do want a tuition increase,” he told The Times. “We want it badly. We will be putting the money into things that benefit students.”
UC regents face showdown with Gov. Brown over proposed increase in tuition and fees
University of California regents face a showdown with Gov. Jerry Brown as they prepare to vote Wednesday on a plan to raise tuition and student services fees for the next academic year.
The proposed increase would amount to 2.7% — or $342 for state students.
Neighbors and others caught glimpses of the Turpin siblings. Now they’re struggling to process what they missed
Two years ago, the neighborhood watch of the Perris community where David and Louise Turpin lived with their 13 children held a Christmas decorating contest, offering $50 and $25 gift cards to the winners.
Some of the Turpin siblings joined in, placing a Nativity scene in their frontyard, with hay for the manger and a Nativity star in a window. Santa Claus sat in his sleigh near the garage.
When the winners were announced at a community gathering, the parents and five of their children were there.
The year’s first fatal school shooting, a UC tuition showdown: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
Parents in L.A. Unified’s Northwest district can sound off on English language acquisition at an early February meeting.
No teachers in Snowline Joint Unified, a Redlands school district, lost their teaching credentials over the last five years, a local news outlet learned.
A children’s guide to the Broad museum.
In California:
UC Regents are preparing for a standoff with Gov. Jerry Brown ahead of Wednesday’s vote on a potential tuition hike.
Walt Disney Co. announced plans to spend $50 million on a new higher education program for its employees. The plans, along with $1,000 bonuses for 125,000 employees, are tied to the new federal tax law.
Nationwide:
A high school shooting in rural Kentucky left two students dead and 17 injured.
2 dead, 17 injured in Kentucky school shooting; teenage suspect held
A 15-year-old male student opened fire with a handgun inside a rural Kentucky high school Tuesday morning, killing two classmates and injuring 17, including 12 with gunshot wounds. Police led a suspect away in handcuffs and said there is no reason to suspect anyone else in the nation’s first fatal school shooting of 2018.
Hundreds of students ran for their lives out of Marshall County High School, jumping into cars and running down a highway, some not stopping until they reached a McDonald’s restaurant more than a mile away.
“They was running and crying and screaming,” said Mitchell Garland, who provided shelter to between 50 and 100 students inside his nearby business. “They was just kids running down the highway. They were trying to get out of there.”
Agreement between unions and L.A. Unified preserves health benefits, but it won’t fix financial woes
A tentative three-year agreement between the Los Angeles Unified School District and eight unions is good for the district’s 60,000 employees, at least in the short term. They hold onto the healthcare choices they have now without having to contribute to their costs.
“After years of district threats to our healthcare, it is a victory to have all unions remain steadfast against any concessions,” the unions said in a joint statement.
The district’s continued commitment to covering a broad range of benefits for employees, however, does nothing to ease its pressing financial problems.
Help for Malala, parsing LAUSD’s healthcare deal, school accountability problems: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified’s tentative deal on healthcare is good for employees, but it does little to alleviate the district’s ongoing financial woes.
A video of a Carthay Center Elementary School teacher stripping naked on campus has parents up in arms.
In California:
Will the legalization of marijuana lead more California teens to use it? It’s a subject ripe for research.
California’s new system for identifying low-performing school districts in order to help them seems to be leaving some needy districts out.
Nationwide:
Apple announced that it will help Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai expand her efforts to educate girls.
Staff members are fired at a Maryland school accused of fraudulently boosting graduation rates.
L.A. Unified’s healthcare deal, UC weighs tuition hike, kid-friendly science standards: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
L.A. Unified and its labor unions have reached a tentative deal on healthcare.
Ben Austin, an L.A.-based education activist, is creating a new school accountability campaign focused on LAUSD.
In California:
UC regents will vote on a tuition increase Wednesday.
Teachers say their youngest learners love the hands-on focus of the state’s new science standards.
Nationwide:
A gunman opened fire at a Texas high school and wounded one student.
Betsy DeVos told a conservative audience that Obama-era regulations around sexual misconduct on campus were “an egregious use of government force.”
UC regents to vote on increasing tuition and student fees by $342
The University of California is proposing to raise tuition and the student services fee for state residents by 2.7%, an increase of $342 to a total of $12,972 for the 2018-19 academic year.
The budget proposal, which UC regents are set to consider Wednesday, would mark the second consecutive tuition increase after a freeze of several years. Nonresident students would pay an additional $978 in supplemental tuition, bringing their total to $28,992.
Increased financial aid would cover the higher costs for more than half of the system’s 180,000 California resident undergraduates who already pay no tuition, UC officials say. Those students also would receive about $100 more each for other expenses, such as housing, food and books.
UCLA fraternities ban booze at in-house events
UCLA fraternities no longer can host parties with alcohol at their houses, the university’s student-led Interfraternity Council announced Wednesday.
A collection of fraternity leaders “self-proposed an indefinite ban on events involving alcohol that take place within IFC chapter facilities,” and approved it unanimously Tuesday, according to a statement from UCLA’s Interfraternity Council Executive Board.
“Safety will always be the main priority when evaluating the IFC community and we are working towards enacting measures to promote security and prioritize safety,” the statement read.
When it comes to education policy, it’s ‘the California way’ vs. Betsy DeVos
California is headed toward another standoff with the federal government — this time, over education.
The U.S. Department of Education, led by Betsy DeVos, had told the state that its plan to satisfy a major education law had significant flaws. On Thursday, the California State Board of Education voted to send a revised version of that plan, still missing an important component, back to Washington.
The plan is supposed to lay out how the state intends to satisfy the main federal education law, called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the 2015 Obama administration successor to the No Child Left Behind Act. Where No Child took a prescriptive, test score-based approach to evaluating the quality of schools, Every Student Succeeds gives states more agency to design their own systems.
UCLA’s frat rules, LAUSD’s dual language push, chronic absenteeism in D.C.: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- UCLA’s fraternities have indefinitely banned alcohol at in-house events.
- L.A. Unified is expanding its dual language offerings.
In California:
- The California State Board of Education voted to send an incomplete education plan back to Betsy DeVos.
- UC Merced representatives lobbied California’s congressional delegates, asking them to extend DACA.
Nationwide:
- DeVos’ pick for a crucial civil rights post made it through a Senate committee.
- Over 10% of Washington, D.C. public school graduates missed most of the academic year.
Couple invested $50 million in L.A.’s neediest kids and it made them richer
Melanie Lundquist, a philanthropist from Palos Verdes Estates, stood in the hall near the principal’s office at Santee Education Complex near downtown Los Angeles.
Jaden Pitts, a 17-year-old senior from South L.A., happened to be walking by. He is a Lundquist fellow, which means he’s no slouch. The young man has served as student body treasurer, was a member of the committee that chose the current Santee principal, plays guard on the basketball team, runs sprints on his track team, and started a campus club — Brothers and Hermanos — to explore why male students lag behind females in school performance.
Lundquist was curious about his college plans.
Federal audit finds problems with California’s graduation rate calculations
Every year, the California Department of Education and many of its school districts boast about record-high graduation rates.
But a federal audit raises questions about the accuracy of the local and statewide numbers.
The report by the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Inspector General, released Wednesday, looked at samples of graduation-rate data from the class of 2013-14 and found that quality control was lacking in self-reporting by school districts.
Graduation rates questioned, bridging the rural digital divide, a Puerto Rico school gets power: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A federal audit questioned the accuracy of graduation rates in California, and in L.A. in particular.
- As Democrats ask Trump to focus on school infrastructure, LAUSD contends with leaky roofs following last week’s rains.
In California:
- How rural communities trying to bridge the digital divide became enmeshed in a political fight.
- An LGBT college student in Orange County was stabbed 20 times, and prosecutors are trying to determine whether it’s a hate crime.
Nationwide:
- The U.S. Department of Education stopped publishing a list of colleges under investigation for sexual misconduct. Instead, it posted this searchable database of all academic institutions that face open civil rights complaints.
- A Puerto Rico school finally gets power, after having none since September.
Betsy DeVos criticized California’s education plan. How defiant will state officials be?
Less than a month after Betsy DeVos’ U.S. Department of Education sent California a scathing critique of its educational plans, state officials must decide just how defiant they want to be.
The December letter from Washington asked the state to resubmit its plan for satisfying the Every Student Succeeds Act. The California State Board of Education will discuss an updated draft at this week’s meeting, which starts Thursday morning.
President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 to replace the No Child Left Behind Act. Where No Child took a punitive, test-score-based approach to rating schools, ESSA gives states more agency to design their own systems.
But the state has pushed the limits of independence — the initial plan kept key details minimal — and the federal government noticed.
And in DeVos’ first major policy address of 2018 on Tuesday, she clarified that when she says education should be locally controlled, she means by districts, not states.
The letter said the plan lacked learning goals, used tests improperly and did not set up an adequate system to identify underperforming schools.
California State Board of Education president Mike Kirst said the state would make technical clarifications, but maintained that “there are areas of disagreement over the interpretation of federal statute.”
The state’s proposed new draft, critics charge, doesn’t change its substance but rather justifies California’s decisions.
“We have seen no substantive changes to the ESSA plan,” said Carrie Hahnel, deputy director of research and policy at the Education Trust-West, an advocacy group. “It’s clear that California wants to press ahead and is not going to make adjustments because the federal government asked for them.”
The board will also discuss how to support recently identified low-performing districts under state law.
You can follow along with us here.
UC Merced chancellor: For young immigrants, DACA ‘is not a reality show’
UC Merced doctoral student Boe Mendewala dreams of helping the world as a scientist specializing in solar energy. But she fears she won’t be able to finish her studies, continue as a teaching assistant or launch a career in the United States unless Congress renews DACA.
On Wednesday, the 27-year-old lobbied lawmakers in Washington to extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has helped thousands of young immigrants like herself study and work without threat of deportation.
She and UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland met with U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock), as well as U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and staff members of fellow California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“I’m here to put a face on ‘Dreamers,’” Mendewala said. “This is not just a policy issue.”
Born in the Indian city of Mumbai, Mendewala arrived in the United States legally at age 5, but her family overstayed their visas, she said. She grew up in Fullerton and majored in physics at Cal State Long Beach. When she was a senior there and her DACA application was approved, she burst into tears, hugged her friends, then applied to UC Merced’s doctoral program.
Waiting and wondering about the fate of DACA has been stressful for Mendewala and her husband, a U.S. citizen, she said.
“Every day we don’t know if we should be afraid, if we should be hopeful, and it’s so hard to have to go in to work every day and try really hard to get this degree that I don’t know if I’ll be able to complete,” she said. “But I have to have faith in the country. I want to live here so bad, so I have to have faith that it will come through for me and for all the Dreamers like me.”
Leland also spoke Wednesday at a news conference sponsored by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a new national organization promoting a “welcoming environment” for immigrant and international students.
More than 230 university and college presidents and chancellors have signed on, including 45 from California. Three California campus leaders — Leland, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White and David Oxtoby, president emeritus of Pomona College, are steering committee members.
“This is not a reality show for them or a political debate du jour,” Leland said about DACA recipients. “Their lives and futures are at stake. Like so many other immigrants, these students are … hard-working, respectful young people who just want to create a better life for themselves and their families. They should not be treated as political poker chips — tokens to be wagered or bartered in exchange for legislative favors and budget appropriations.”
In separate events on Wednesday, UC President Janet Napolitano urged students to apply to renew their DACA status. She also called on Congress to permanently enshrine the DACA protections into law, saying it was a “fair compromise” to do so in exchange for increased border security. Napolitano created the DACA program while serving as President Obama’s secretary for Homeland Security.
California is the state with the largest number of DACA recipients — about 223,000, nearly twice as many as Texas, which comes in second.
Democrats ask Trump to invest in fixing crumbling school infrastructure
Many of the nation’s schools are crumbling, according to 150 Democratic members of Congress. They want President Trump to help change that.
On Wednesday, the lawmakers, including Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, sent a letter to Trump, asking him to support legislation Scott wrote last year to invest $100 billion in school upgrades.
“In addition to upgrading our bridges and roads, we must also invest in the critical infrastructure that affects every city and town in the nation — our public schools,” the lawmakers wrote. “Too many of the over 50 million students and six million staff who learn and work in our public schools spend their days in facilities that fail to make the grade.”
The letter cites a 2014 U.S. Department of Education study that found it would take nearly $200 billion to upgrade public schools to “good” condition.
Democratic committee staffers said they were highlighting the issue now because of Trump’s promises to promote infrastructure. If an infrastructure bill is signed, they want to make sure schools are a part of it.
School facilities made national news this month when Baltimore Public Schools shut down because of inadequate heating during frigid snowstorms. The Baltimore Sun reported that since 2009, the city schools have had to return about $66 million in state funding for building repairs because heating and roof upgrades got too expensive or took too long to complete.
Last week, the rains in Los Angeles created challenges in some schools. Over the course of the week, L.A. Unified received 1,166 rain-related service calls, said district spokeswoman Elvia Perez Cano. By Friday, 128 had been completed and the district had a backlog of 1,344 rain-related requests — some predating the rain.
At Dyer Elementary School, the auditorium roof had sprung a leak. A storm drain was clogged at Lantern High School. At Normandie Elementary, administrators observed water coming from a wall.
For Perris couple arrested after kids found chained, home-schooling kept spotlight away
Days after law enforcement authorities found a dozen siblings locked up in a foul-smelling, dark home in Riverside County, the discovery is focusing new scrutiny on California’s loose home-schooling regulations and raising questions about whether they contributed to the children’s prolonged neglect.
Arrested on nine counts of torture and child endangerment, David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, have so far offered no public insight into why they shut their 13 children inside their home in Perris.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said deputies had never been called to the home while the family lived here, nor had the county Department of Public Social Services. Had the children attended a public school, they would have interacted daily with teachers who might have noticed their emaciated bodies and contacted law enforcement, authorities say.
L.A. Unified approves a plan to reveal more information about its schools
If you are a parent considering one of two special academic programs at Hamilton High School in Palms, you face something of a challenge: The Los Angeles school district provides no data to the public that allows for a direct comparison — even though it has this data.
On Tuesday, the Board of Education took a step toward making available its data, preferably in a form that the public can make sense of. The goal is to start with a single webpage that would lead to information that could be downloaded, sorted and searched.
The initial expense is estimated at $1.255 million, but whether the effort will cost much more or actually save money in the long run remains uncertain.
LAUSD’s data improvements, fact-checking DeVos, how home-schooling masked abuse: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified approved a plan to provide more precise school-level information to parents.
- The district invites you to nominate your favorite educator for Teacher of the Year.
In California:
- Neighbors of David and Louise Turpin in Perris suspected something was weird about the way they treated their 13 children, but the reality was far worse than they imagined.
- The Turpins’ home-schooling helped keep the spotlight away from the abuse of their children, who were found chained to beds.
- Some University of California regents want to delay a vote on a potential tuition increase.
Nationwide:
- Washington, D.C.’s charter school board voted to shut down the district’s only public all-girls school.
- Betsy DeVos gave her first major policy address yesterday. Chalkbeat fact-checked her.
Some UC regents push to delay vote on possible tuition increase
Controversy is brewing over whether University of California regents should vote next week on another possible tuition increase — or delay a decision to allow more people to weigh in.
UC officials have floated the idea of another increase of 2.5%, which would amount to about $290 more in tuition for the coming 2018-19 academic year.
The regents approved a similar increase last year — the first since 2010-11 — which brought tuition for California resident undergraduates to $11,502.
Regents last year also increased the student services fee by $54, but offered enough financial aid to cover the higher costs for two-thirds of the university system’s roughly 175,500 California resident undergraduates.
State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, an ex-officio regent, asked UC President Janet Napolitano over the weekend to delay a vote because he and some of the other regents won’t be able to attend the budget discussion scheduled for Jan. 25 at UC San Francisco. That’s because Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State address is scheduled for the same day.
At least two other ex-officio regents, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torklakson, also will attend Brown’s address and miss the regents meeting. Newsom opposes any tuition increase, his spokesman said.
“To start, it lets the Legislature off the hook of addressing the state’s underfunding of public higher ed,” Rhys Williams, Newsom’s spokesman, said in a text Tuesday.
Students also have asked Napolitano to delay any vote until the March meeting, to be held at UCLA. Student Regent Paul Monge said he and two other student leaders met with Napolitano on Friday and asked for a delay, saying more students would be able to voice their views at a meeting at UCLA than at UCSF, which has no undergraduate campus.
“We’re wanting to provide access to the meeting and make sure there’s robust input from students,” Monge said Tuesday.
Monge said UC officials told students that they wanted a decision on tuition in January to give families time to prepare for any increase. But students countered, he said, that admission decisions for freshmen and transfer students usually are not released until the spring anyway. Freshmen have until May 1 to commit to enroll and transfer students, until June 1.
Delaying a vote, Monge argued, also would give the UC community more time to lobby the Legislature and governor for more money. That, in turn, could eliminate the need for another tuition increase, he said.
Brown made it clear in the 2018-19 budget proposal he unveiled last week that he did not support another tuition increase at UC or Cal State.
“The Administration remains concerned about the impact of tuition increases on lower income students and families and believes more must be done to reduce the universities’ cost structure,” his budget proposal said. “Further reforms should be implemented before the segments consider charging students more.”
At the same time, Brown proposed a 3% increase in base funding for 2018-19, down from a 4% increase in each of the last few years. Leaders of UC and Cal State have expressed concern over the smaller funding increases.
Napolitano and UC Board of Regents Chairman George Kieffer could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Transgender bias complaints dismissed, a call to focus more on history of Reconstruction: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- The Clippers and L.A. Unified are helping students in need get glasses.
- The district urged students to spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service.
In California:
- Police freed children who were malnourished and shackled to beds in Perris.
- Education was yet again a major flashpoint in a recent gubernatorial debate.
Nationwide:
- The U.S. Department of Education has dismissed transgender students’ complaints of discrimination, saying they fall outside the department’s purview.
- Some educators are asking schools to teach students more about America’s Reconstruction era.
Clippers are partnering with LAUSD to give eyeglasses to students
Blake Griffin was in third grade when his mother took him and big brother Taylor to the eye doctor. Blake’s vision was fine.
“My brother couldn’t see at all,” said the Clippers forward, a five-time All-Star.
His brother was in sixth grade. He would need glasses. Two decades later, what remains most vivid about that day to Griffin is the reaction of his mother.
UCSD ‘Dreamer’ arrested after wrong turn into Mexico
On the day before Orr Yakobi’s final quarter at UC San Diego, he was arrested by border officials after his roommate took a wrong turn and drove into Mexico.
Yakobi, 22, is originally from Israel and came to the U.S. on a visa with his family when he was about 5, according to his attorney. When his visa expired, he became an unauthorized immigrant.
He joined the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program in 2013, his attorney said, which gave him a renewable two-year permit protecting him from deportation and authorizing him to work. DACA does not authorize recipients to reenter the U.S. if they leave.
UC San Diego ‘Dreamer’ arrested, Texas’ special-education missteps, Manual Arts lockdown: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A UC San Diego student and “Dreamer” originally from Israel was arrested after he took a wrong turn into Mexico.
- Manual Arts High School was placed briefly on lockdown Thursday after a nearby officer-involved shooting.
In California:
- Schools across the state are preparing for the possible loss of students after the Trump administration announced it would revoke temporary protected status for thousands of Salvadorans.
- Early education advocates say they’re glad Gov. Jerry Brown increased funding for the state’s littlest learners in his latest budget proposal, but they say much more help is needed.
Nationwide:
- The U.S. Department of Education found that the Texas Education Agency has been violating a major special education law.
- Columbia University Teacher College’s former financial aid chief and three students face criminal charges amid accusations of running a financial-aid kickback scheme.
Gov. Brown proposes California’s first fully online public community college
Gov. Jerry Brown wants California to launch its first fully online public community college to help 2.5 million young adults without college credentials gain skills for better jobs and greater economic mobility.
In the 2018-19 budget plan he unveiled Wednesday, Brown proposed spending $120 million to open such a college by fall 2019, with a focus on short-term credential programs for careers in fields including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and child development.
The governor is a longtime advocate of online learning, which he sees as more cost effective than traditional education.
Brown’s big idea, Connecticut’s aid to Puerto Rico, schools and the governor’s race: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- School superintendents often don’t stay in place for long. A look at the churn, locally and nationally, as the school board starts considering a replacement for Michelle King.
- District officials praised Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal.
In California:
- Brown’s budget proposes California’s first fully online community college.
- Education issues could be key in the state’s gubernatorial election.
Nationwide:
- Detroit’s school board voted to allow schools to be named after living people, which could lead to a school named for Ben Carson.
- Schools in Connecticut have opened their doors to students arriving from storm-ravaged Puerto Rico. Hartford has taken in nearly 400.
L.A.’s superintendent search, Cal State’s budget worries, recruiting teachers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- The L.A. Unified school board voted to keep Vivian Ekchian on as interim superintendent and move deliberately on a search for a permanent replacement.
- UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools aims to help local schools identify new strategies for improvement.
In California:
- Cal State officials, tasked with expanding their student body, are disappointed that Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to propose only a 3% budget increase.
- The state created a new advertising campaign for teacher recruitment.
Nationwide:
- This Vox project shows you whether and how your school district was gerrymandered to exclude certain kinds of students.
- A Louisiana teacher was handcuffed and arrested at a school board meeting.
L.A. school board keeps interim leader, prepares for superintendent search
Meeting for the first time since Supt. Michelle King announced her retirement, the Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to name Vivian Ekchian — who has been filling in for King since October — as interim superintendent.
Board members announced the decision after a 2 ½-hour closed session.
“The board had a very thoughtful and rich conversation about the work of the superintendent and the selection process ahead,” board President Monica Garcia said after the meeting.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature plan for low-income schools gets full funding in his new state budget
Gov. Jerry Brown’s landmark law that sends additional dollars to K-12 students from disadvantaged communities will meet its funding goals two years ahead of schedule under a budget proposal to be unveiled in Sacramento on Wednesday.
The governor’s budget, according to sources who spoke on the condition they not be identified, will commit to full financing of the Local Control Funding Formula at a cost that could be close to $2.6 billion in the fiscal year that begins in July.
L.A.’s push for attendance, funding for low-income schools, campus pot bans: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- As students return to L.A. Unified classrooms, the district stresses the importance of attendance.
- According to public records, L.A. Unified had only 12 unfilled teaching positions at the start of this school year.
In California:
- The Local Control Funding Formula — a relatively new education funding and accountability law — gets fully funded in Gov. Jerry Brown’s state budget proposal.
- The state’s colleges and universities plan to continue to ban marijuana on their campuses.
Nationwide:
- What the Trump era means for Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C.
- More female and minority students are taking AP computer science classes.
Apple should study how iPhone use might hurt kids, two big investors say
Two big shareholders of Apple Inc. are concerned that the entrancing qualities of the iPhone have fostered a public health crisis that could hurt children — and the company as well.
In a letter to the smartphone maker dated Jan. 6, activist investor Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System urged Apple to create ways for parents to restrict children’s access to their mobile phones. They also want the Cupertino, Calif., company to study the effects of heavy usage on mental health.
“There is a growing body of evidence that, for at least some of the most frequent young users, this may be having unintentional negative consequences,” says the letter from the two investors, which combined own about $2 billion in Apple shares. The “growing societal unease” is “at some point is likely to impact even Apple.”
Michelle King era closes with questions about the future of the Los Angeles Unified School District
Board of Education members face difficult decisions this week after the sudden retirement of L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King. The school board will meet Tuesday in closed session, its first gathering since King announced Friday that she has cancer and that she will not return to work following a four-month medical leave.
King’s departure and what comes next has raised questions about her legacy, the state of the school district and the path forward. People also are concerned about King, who is making a stunning, saddening exit from the scene after a term in office that began in January 2016 with widespread hope and good feelings.
UC Davis veterinarian sees some of the world’s most exotic patients
UC Davis veterinarian Dr. Jenessa Gjeltema opened her 7:30 a.m. staff meeting with a rundown of the day’s patients:
An armadillo, a tarantula, a western pond turtle, a thick-billed parrot, a flamingo, a baby bongo and a Wolf’s guenon monkey.
Gjeltema doesn’t treat the usual dogs and cats. Her veterinary practice is one of the most exotic in the world. A specialist in zoological medicine, she cares for the Sacramento Zoo’s animals. There are about 575 of them, representing nearly 130 species — from tiny whiptail scorpions to 1,500-pound giraffes.
Michelle King’s legacy, UC Davis goes to the zoo, fighting the teacher shortage: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King is undergoing treatment for cancer and has announced that she won’t be returning to the job. She was the first black woman to hold the district’s top job.
- King was known for working with competing factions. The L.A. Unified board will meet in closed session Tuesday to begin discussing what happens next.
In California:
- UC Davis’ long-standing partnership with the Sacramento Zoo lets veterinary students learn about exotic animals while the zoo’s inhabitants get the care they need. The school’s veterinary teaching hospital, by the way, treats some fascinating cases.
- Some Bay Area districts are using millennial-friendly tactics and cross-country university partnerships to attract teachers.
Nationwide:
- Heating outages during bitterly cold weather caused Baltimore schools to close their doors Friday. Most were set to reopen today.
- A national roundup of new state laws that affect schools.
After a chilling sex abuse scandal, many Chinese seek a new way to protect their children: sex education
Fifty elementary school students crammed into a rickety classroom at Tongxin Experimental, a school for children of migrant workers in suburban Beijing. Most days, they study math, science, history and other government-mandated subjects.
But on Fridays, they learn about sex. Today’s lesson: how to prevent sexual assault.
“And if your internet friend asks to meet you alone in person, what do you say?” asked the teacher, Li Xueyan, a pharmaceutical industry representative in her early 30s. A part-time teacher, Li volunteers on Fridays for Xixi Garden, a Beijing-based non-governmental organization that teaches sex education in Chinese lower-income schools.
After a chilling sex abuse scandal, many Chinese seek a new way to protect their children: sex education
Fifty elementary school students crammed into a rickety classroom at Tongxin Experimental, a school for children of migrant workers in suburban Beijing. Most days, they study math, science, history and other government-mandated subjects.
But on Fridays, they learn about sex. Today’s lesson: how to prevent sexual assault.
“And if your internet friend asks to meet you alone in person, what do you say?” asked the teacher, Li Xueyan, a pharmaceutical industry representative in her early 30s. A part-time teacher, Li volunteers on Fridays for Xixi Garden, a Beijing-based non-governmental organization that teaches sex education in Chinese lower-income schools.
LAUSD chief Michelle King to retire, won’t return from medical leave, sources say
Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Michelle King, whose four-month medical left a leadership gap at a school system facing challenges on numerous fronts, won’t return to her position and plans to retire later this year, the district announced Friday.
King’s move will allow the new Board of Education, which last year for the first time became controlled by supporters of charter schools, to select a new leader to run the nation’s second-largest school district.
Her decision to step down came amid growing questions about when she would be returning and demands that the school district be more clear about her condition. Some, both inside and outside the district, expressed concern about the district’s direction in her absence.
Questions over LAUSD chief’s extended medical leave intensify as new semester begins
The Los Angeles Unified School District is poised to start the spring semester next week amid lingering questions about when ailing Supt. Michelle King will return to the job, leaving what some see as a leadership gap in the face of daunting challenges.
Though day-to-day decision-making has been handed over to an acting superintendent, King’s long-term strategic plan has been in limbo during her four-month absence. Some efforts, including one to reduce the number of students who miss weeks of school, appear to be moving forward without King.
L.A. Unified is confronting budget deficits, labor negotiations and internal disagreements over reform strategies.
Michelle King’s leave, Baltimore’s cold classrooms, the benefits of writing: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- The students of L.A. Unified are going back to school, but Supt. Michelle King is still on extended sick leave.
In California:
- A UC Berkeley student was arrested at the border on his way home from a party.
- A rural school district in Imperial County is improving by infusing writing into all lessons.
Nationwide:
- Baltimore’s schools closed after outrage over students’ sitting in near-freezing classrooms. The district has returned federal money due to its failure to fix heating systems.
- A Columbia University professor/photographer has been charged with sexual misconduct.
UC Berkeley student arrested by Border Patrol while visiting girlfriend
A man visiting his girlfriend for the holidays after his first semester as a transfer student at UC Berkeley was arrested by Border Patrol agents at an immigration checkpoint in Jamul.
Luis Mora, 20, and his girlfriend Jaleen Udarbe, 21, were on their way home from a party around 10 p.m. on Saturday when they missed a turn and ended up at the checkpoint. Mora has been detained in a temporary holding cell in a Border Patrol station since then.
“Luis Mora was found in violation of his visa condition,” said Tekae Michael, a spokeswoman for the Border Patrol in the San Diego sector. “Currently, Luis Mora is listed in DHS custody. This is all the information I have on the subject at this time.”
Burbank teacher arrested on suspicion of unlawful sex with former LAUSD student
A Burbank Unified teacher was arrested on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor this week after a former student came forward with allegations of an inappropriate sexual encounter, authorities say.
Sean Sigler, 53, has been accused by a 17-year-old girl of engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with her.
According to the Burbank Police Department, Sigler met the girl when she was a fifth-grade student at Gardner Street Elementary School when he was a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Burbank teacher arrested on suspicion of unlawful sex with former LAUSD student
A Burbank Unified teacher was arrested on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor this week after a former student came forward with allegations of an inappropriate sexual encounter, authorities say.
Sean Sigler, 53, has been accused by a 17-year-old girl of engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with her.
According to the Burbank Police Department, Sigler met the girl when she was a fifth-grade student at Gardner Street Elementary School when he was a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The arts in LAUSD, RFK’s legacy, auto shops in school: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A Burbank teacher was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a 17-year-old former student.
- A deep look at what’s been happening at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, a campus for multiple schools at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel, where RFK was assassinated.
- KPCC revisits the state of arts education in L.A. Unified.
In California:
- While the number of auto shops in California high schools has been cut in half over time, many schools still emphasize vocational education.
- EdSource has some 2018 predictions for education in California.
Nationwide:
- How Texas is trying to help college-enrolled Latino students, only half of whom graduate.
- An evolving effort to help foster youth in Seattle is bearing fruit.
UC Santa Cruz has offerings far beyond hippies and banana slugs. So why can’t it draw more transfer students?
UC Santa Cruz sits on an idyllic expanse of redwood groves and rolling meadows. World-class surf is just minutes away.
Its researchers were the first to arrange the DNA sequence of the human genome and make it publicly available.
It is quirky and colorful, with campus traditions that include a naked run through the season’s first heavy rain and a banana slug for a mascot.
UC Santa Cruz’s transfer problem, decoding the tax law, timing math right: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Class times matter. A study based in Los Angeles found that students who took math earlier in the morning learned the subject better.
- Several schools in San Diego won a major award from Apple.
In California:
- UC Santa Cruz is struggling to attract transfer students.
- Many LGBTQ youth across the country and in California end up homeless.
Nationwide:
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to investigate the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to help defrauded student borrowers.
- How the new tax law affects education.
California high school football player can’t be forced to stand for national anthem, court rules
An Imperial County high school football player must be allowed to kneel during the singing of the national anthem and can’t be ordered by his school to stand for the performances, a federal court has ruled.
The decision temporarily strikes down rules set by the San Pasqual Valley Unified School District that prohibited “kneeling, sitting or similar forms of political protest” at athletic events and required students and coaches to “stand and remove hats/helmets … during the playing or singing of the National Anthem,” according to the Dec. 21 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
The school district set the rules after students from a rival high school in neighboring Arizona yelled racial slurs at San Pasqual Valley High School students and threatened to force the football player at the center of the controversy to stand, the ruling said.
The fight over San Francisco’s achievement gap, California football players can kneel, predictions for 2018: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- What L.A. Unified’s construction efforts look like to Roy Romer, the former superintendent who advocated for expansion years ago.
- The San Diego Unified School District has been deemed the region’s agency most hostile to transparency.
In California:
- San Francisco’s schools are among the state’s worst for low-income black students, but there’s an argument over how to change that.
- UC Regent Norman Pattiz will retire — but he told The Times that his decision was not prompted by growing pressure for additional disciplinary action after sexually inappropriate remarks he made to a podcaster last year.
- California schools can’t force football players to stand during the national anthem, a federal court ruled.
Nationwide:
- Meet the 16-year-old student who is helping NASA develop technology that tracks mangroves.
- NPR’s education predictions for the new year include a Betsy DeVos departure.
Inside the fight over how to address San Francisco’s ‘state of emergency’ for black student achievement
Black students in San Francisco would be better off almost anywhere else in California.
Many attend segregated schools, and the majority of black, Latino and Pacific Islander students did not reach grade-level standards on the state’s recent tests in math or English tests.
UC Regent Norman Pattiz, dogged by fallout over sexually inappropriate comments, to retire
University of California Regent Norman Pattiz, who has been dogged by fallout over sexually inappropriate comments he made last year, announced his retirement Thursday after 16 years of service.
Pattiz, chairman of the Courtside Entertainment Group, told The Times that his decision was not prompted by growing pressure from fellow regents and UC students for additional disciplinary action after sexually inappropriate remarks he made to a podcaster last year.
Pattiz had jokingly asked Heather McDonald, a Los Angeles comedian, if he could hold her breasts while she was taping a bra commercial in his PodcastOne studio in May 2016. After she aired his remarks on her “Juicy Scoop” show five months later, Pattiz apologized. He also took sexual harassment prevention training, as is now required for all regents under a stricter ethics and misconduct policy prompted by the Pattiz incident.
Built to last: Former LAUSD Supt. Roy Romer, 89, surveys $20-billion school construction effort
Former Los Angeles schools Supt. Roy Romer gave an A+ to the polished cement under his feet this month at the newly constructed Maywood Center for Enriched Studies.
The cement had the sheen of the tile flooring that is common in most schools, but it should last much longer and cost less to maintain.
“That is one of the things we learned as we built,” Romer said.
Federal judge blocks Arizona from banning Mexican American studies classes
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the state of Arizona from enforcing a controversial law banning ethnic studies courses, bringing near a close a seven-year battle over teaching about Mexican Americans in Tucson public schools.
Wallace Tashima, a federal appeals court judge sitting in the district court in Arizona, said in his injunction that state legislators who passed the ban in 2010 violated the Constitution.
The decision came in a lawsuit brought by students in 2010 against the state’s board of education. Supporters of ethnic studies said the law, which banned courses designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group, was racist and targeted Mexican Americans.
No more library fines for most young readers in L.A. County
Leilany Medina, 11, loves books so much that she’d like to become a librarian. But even she sometimes forgets to return books on time, especially if she hasn’t quite finished. And she’s racked up some late fines.
But local libraries are providing a way out for such book lovers, and creating new lures for other children, who haven’t caught the reading bug, by doing away with late fees, automatically signing up students for library cards through their schools and allowing them to “read away” their fines and fees.
The most recent move was a vote last week by Los Angeles County supervisors to end late fees for patrons under 21 at county-run libraries, effective immediately. That did not help Leilany because officials offered no amnesty for past fines.
Do L.A. Unified’s daily random searches keep students safe, or do they go too far?
Kevin Castillo was in his freshman year at Hamilton High School when administrators carrying hand-held metal detectors interrupted his English class to conduct a random search.
They asked a student to pick a number between 1 and 10. The student chose 7, so every seventh person in the class had to gather up belongings and step out of the classroom.
The chosen students, Kevin among them, were taken to a nearby office, he said, where they were instructed to open their backpacks slowly to allow administrators to look inside. The administrators used sticks to move items around, he said. They also waved the metal-detector wands up and down the students’ bodies.
Betsy DeVos’ Education Department tells California that its education plan does not yet comply with federal law
The U.S. Department of Education has asked California to resubmit its plan for satisfying the Every Student Succeeds Act, a major education law.
President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 to replace the No Child Left Behind Act. Where the much-criticized former act took a prescriptive, test-score-based approach to grading schools, ESSA gives states more agency to design their own systems.
Californians used the opportunity to include multiple factors, such as attendance rates and suspensions, in new school ratings under ESSA.
In developing the state’s plan, education officials said they kept details minimal, because anything promised amounts to a contract with the Trump administration. Civil rights advocates, however, criticized the plan as incomplete and missing the mark on educational equity.
This week, DeVos’ assistant secretary James Botel sent state officials a letter asking for revisions. Some areas in which Botel said the plan needed to be filled out more were those that experts debated before its submission. Here are a few of them:
- The U.S. Education Department wrote that California has not sufficiently “provided longterm goals for all students” and each group of students.
- There also aren’t goals for improving high school performance, Botel wrote.
- The state plan leaves too much in the hands of districts when it comes to measuring certain aspects of progress.
- The state’s proposed metric of academic achievement does not always include the right tests.
- The state has “not sufficiently” described how the plan would satisfy the law, which requires academic metrics to factor into school ratings more than other measures.
- There are also holes in how the state would identify and help underperforming schools.
“California appreciates the federal government’s feedback and looks forward to the opportunity to further clarify and strengthen our Every Student Succeeds Act plan,” California State Board of Education president Mike Kirst said in a statement. “We will be working to address technical points of clarification while noting that there are areas of disagreement over the interpretation of federal statute.”
The state has until January 8 to submit the revisions.
Eagle Rock’s theater grant, financial literacy fail, foster youth attendance: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Eagle Rock Elementary won a grant of over $32,000 from Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber’s foundation and the American Theatre Wing to spruce up its auditorium.
In California:
- One-quarter of the state’s foster youth are considered chronically absent, according to new attendance data.
- California flunked in a survey of how much effort schools are making to teach financial literacy.
Nationwide:
- Pennsylvania’s education board chief resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
- One alumna’s reflection on how intensely focused arts high schools often end up leading students toward more traditional academic paths.
Education Department scraps policy of fully forgiving all defrauded Corinthian students’ loans
Students who were defrauded by the for-profit Corinthian Colleges may not get their loans forgiven entirely, the Education Department announced Wednesday, in a reversal of the Obama administration policy of wiping out the debt.
Under President Obama, tens of thousands of students deceived by Corinthian — which operated schools under its Everest, Heald and WyoTech brands before collapsing in 2015 — had more than $550 million in federal student loans canceled in full. Among judges’ findings against Corinthian was that the school falsely advertised, providing untrue or misleading statements about graduates’ job placement rates.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced Wednesday she is putting a new process in place that she says is more efficient and fair. The department will now look at average income for specific programs to determine whether the loans should be forgiven fully or partially.
UCLA’s new scholarship, California’s child poverty problem, the fate of Berea College: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- UCLA Law School is launching the Chris Cornell Scholarship, thanks to a donation from a coalition led by the late musician’s wife.
- L.A. Unified’s year, by the numbers.
In California:
- The state’s childhood poverty rate has increased.
- A Northern California family’s quest to get schools to stop banning medical cannabis.
Nationwide:
- How a small, tuition-free college serving low-income students became a casualty of partisan fighting over the tax bill in Washington.
- Carmen Farina is stepping down as chancellor of the New York City public school system.
- Under a new process announced by Betsy DeVos, students defrauded by Corinthian Colleges might not see all their loans forgiven.
Today’s lesson: Teachers should not fib on disability claims
A local teacher learned a hard lesson this month when a judge sent her to jail and ordered her to pay $92,000 in restitution for disability insurance fraud.
Sheila Marie Green, who lives in Lake Elsinore, pleaded guilty to two counts of insurance fraud after prosecutors accused her of submitting claims on several policies that pay benefits for being injured and unable to work. At the time, Green was also collecting a paycheck for working as a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In this situation, Green was stealing from three insurance companies, but her actions are part of a suite of fraudulent behavior related to false disability claims. L.A. Unified makes a concerted effort to go after employees who might be cheating the system, often through falsified or exaggerated workers’ compensation claims.
Winter break, disability fraud, understanding test scores: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A teacher was fined nearly $100,000 and sent to jail for disability insurance fraud.
- L.A. Unified is on winter break until January.
In California:
- The state Legislative Analyst’s Office suggests lawmakers might want to “exercise caution” in expanding a pilot program that lets some community colleges offer bachelor’s degrees.
- San Mateo County is boosting students’ reading skills with a renewed focus on the early years.
Nationwide:
- A Washington, D.C., school sent a 3-year-old home with the wrong adult, police say.
- In an extensive interview with Slate, Stanford researcher Sean Reardon discusses how some tools for evaluating low-income schools miss the mark.
New report says California colleges protect free speech better than peers
California colleges and universities do a better job protecting free speech than their national peers but they still need to improve, a new study has found.
Nationally, 32% of campuses have at least one policy that “clearly and substantially” restricts free speech, according to an annual report by the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. In California, that number drops to about 14%. The report gives these schools its lowest rating — a “red light.”
On its website, the foundation, known as FIRE, states that its mission “is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities” and that those rights “include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity.”
The report— which reviewed 461 public and private schools — dings UC Riverside for what it calls an overly broad definition of sexual harassment. The university’s Title IX office, it notes, included offensive jokes and sexually suggestive remarks as examples of harassment in its brochure on sexual violence.
UCR got rid of those examples this year when it revised its policy, a spokesman said.
Many universities improved their their free speech policies since last year. One of them was UC Merced, which revised its ban on bullying, according to the foundation’s report. The old policy was broad. The new one specifies which behaviors are prohibited and how the rules will be enforced.
More than 58% of campuses the foundation reviewed did not explicitly violate free speech, but had at least one ambiguous policy that “too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application,” the report said. They received “yellow light” ratings.
UC Davis, for instance, acknowledges on its website that acts of hate and bias could be protected expression. But the school’s definition of such acts is vague, which could chill expression, said Samantha Harris, FIRE’s vice president of policy reform.
About 8% of universities have eliminated all their rules regulating speech, earning FIRE’s highest “green light” rating. None of those 35 campuses are in California.
Lawsuits over campus speech restrictions and congressional involvement in the issue are helping push universities to improve, Harris said.
You can read the report here.
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School district and sheriff investigating suicide of bullying victim; family files claim
A Inland Empire school district has launched an internal investigation of the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who was the apparent victim of repeated bullying by classmates, officials confirmed Monday.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has already been conducting an inquiry.
The announcement came as an attorney for the family of Rosalie Avila announced they would file a financial claim accusing the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District, which spans Riverside and San Bernardino counties, of contributing to the girl’s death by failing to respond appropriately to the bullying.
Investigating a suicide, protecting free speech, graduate students’ tax-bill reprieve: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
An Inland Empire school district has launched an internal investigation of the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who was the apparent victim of repeated bullying by classmates.
L.A. Unified is promoting a hotline that employees can use to report harassment.
In California:
- California colleges and universities do better than their peers at protecting free speech — but some still have work to do, a new report finds.
- How professional sports teams in the state are getting involved in math and science education.
- A school district in Northern California is fighting chronic absenteeism with incentives for students.
Nationwide:
- Some University of Baltimore students turned their backs on Betsy DeVos when she spoke at their commencement Monday.
- The tax bill no longer includes a measure that would have increased taxes for graduate students, but they may not be out of the woods.
At UC Berkeley, a conservative student aims to bridge the political divide
On a recent evening at UC Berkeley, liberal and conservative students argued for nearly an hour about healthcare, economic policy and climate change.
There wasn’t a police officer or security guard or heckler in sight. No one waved protest signs. Observers applauded politely.
At the epicenter of the nation’s free speech wars, people who did not share the same views had managed to have a civil political debate.
Hacienda La Puente district ordered to pay $2.8 million in school sex-abuse case
A high school student who was drawn into a sexual relationship with her teacher won a $2.8-million judgment Thursday against the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found that the “negligent supervision” of Los Altos High School Principal Cheli McReynolds was a “substantial factor in causing harm” to the girl.
An attorney for the student said other district employees also shared blame for not uncovering the predatory behavior by the teacher, David Park, at the Hacienda Heights campus.
From Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris to 10,000 teenage girls: ‘Speak up’
Female politicians are used to finding themselves in rooms full of men.
But on Friday, two of the nation’s most prominent political women got the chance to address 10,000 girls.
Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) shared their experiences and offered advice to the young women in middle and high school at the annual Girls Build L.A. leadership summit in downtown Los Angeles.
Westside families sue over construction next to school
Several Westside families and school employees are suing to prevent construction that they say will harm students at Palms Elementary School.
The cause for concern is a large apartment development that would be built adjacent to the campus. A fence is all that separates the construction site from the kindergarten play area, potentially exposing the students to toxic dust and other harms, according to the lawsuit filed by attorney Olu K. Orange, a parent at the school.
An additional worry, Orange said, is the potential effect on hearing-impaired students who benefit from a special program at Palms. These students use devices that amplify sounds and spend some of their time in a specially outfitted classroom — with carpeted walls and a low ceiling — that is designed to minimize extraneous sounds.
Powerhouse advice to teen girls, civilized debate at Berkeley, the Kindness Curriculum: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Some parents are suing to halt construction of a large apartment development next door to Palms Elementary School.
- Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris offered advice to 10,000 local teenage girls Friday.
- A high school student who was drawn into a sexual relationship with her teacher won a $2.8-million judgment against the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District.
In California:
- A conservative UC Berkeley student has made it her mission to foster civilized political discourse.
- A new report looks at ways California’s public colleges and universities can better manage the high costs of pressing renovation and construction needs.
Nationwide:
- A look at the Kindness Curriculum, which aims to help preschoolers become more aware of their emotions.
- Washington, D.C.’s board of education may investigate graduation standards.
Freshman applicants to UC soar to a new record, with UCLA again leading the way
UCLA has shattered its own record as the nation’s most popular college choice for high school seniors, attracting more than 113,000 freshman applications for fall 2018, according to preliminary data released Thursday.
Applications to the Westwood campus soared among California high school students and across all racial and ethnic groups. UCLA again led the University of California’s nine undergraduate campuses, which collectively received more than 181,000 freshman applications — a 5.7% increase over last year.
“We are thrilled by yet another record-shattering year,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement. “The steady momentum of increasing application numbers underscores the university’s standing as one of the best higher education institutions in the world.”
UC’s application boom, raising Latino graduation rates, never-ending grief in Newtown: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified is promoting a national day of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January.
- An father who has been serving abroad in the U.S. Naval Reserve for more than a year surprised his children with a visit at their school in Monrovia.
In California:
- Applications to UC campuses broke new records this year.
- Five California colleges lead the way in Latino graduation rates.
Nationwide:
- The mourning never ends in Newtown, Conn., where five years ago, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School killed 26 people, including 20 children.
- Babies born to mothers who lived near fracking wells face many health risks, a study finds.
Freshman applicants to UC soar to a new record, with UCLA again leading the way
UCLA has shattered its own record as the nation’s most popular college choice for high school seniors, attracting more than 113,000 freshman applications for fall 2018, according to preliminary data released Thursday.
Applications to the Westwood campus soared among California high school students and across all racial and ethnic groups. UCLA again led the University of California’s nine undergraduate campuses, which collectively received more than 181,000 freshman applications — a 5.7% increase over last year.
“We are thrilled by yet another record-shattering year,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement. “The steady momentum of increasing application numbers underscores the university’s standing as one of the best higher education institutions in the world.”
Five California colleges rank in top 10 for high Latino grad rates
Five California colleges and universities rank among the nation’s top 10 for promoting Latino student success, a new study has found.
Whittier College topped the list by the Education Trust, which analyzed data from 613 public and private four-year institutions.
Whittier, a private nonprofit liberal arts college, had a higher graduation rate for Latinos — 71.2% — than whites — 65.6% — based on a weighted average over 2013, 2014 and 2015. Whittier also had the highest graduation rates for Latinos when compared to other colleges with similar demographics.
“This report confirms what we have known for many years now — Whittier College is a model for the nation of how a campus can successfully embrace diversity and achieve notable outcomes,” President Sharon Herzberger said in a statement.
She said the college offered strong support through academic advising, career counseling and “gateway courses” to help ease students into more rigorous fare. Officials also placed a high priority on cultural awareness in hiring and staffing, she said.
Two Jesuit institutions, the University of San Francisco and Loyola Marymount University, ranked second and third, respectively.
UC Riverside and UC Irvine also made the top 10 list. UC Irvine won federal recognition this year for serving Latinos, one of the few elite research universities to do so.
UC Riverside also made the Education Trust’s list this year for promoting African American student success.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was ranked one of the nation’s worst seven institutions for Latino student success.
You can read the report here.
Investigation of embattled L.A. school board member now includes conflict-of-interest allegations
In the three months since prosecutors filed criminal charges against him, Ref Rodriguez has continued to go about his duties on the Los Angeles Board of Education. He attends meetings, sponsors resolutions, tweets life-affirming messages — and firmly brushes aside calls to step down.
When the initial commotion over his legal woes subsided, he seemed to settle right back into his $125,000-a-year job.
But the criminal case against him inched forward, and on Wednesday sources close to it confirmed that the scope of the investigation has widened.
Rodriguez investigation widens, LAUSD’s new calendar, Santa Barbara’s closed schools: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- The criminal investigation of L.A. Unified school board member Ref Rodriguez has widened to include conflict-of-interest issues.
- Check out the district’s newly approved academic calendar for next school year through 2020-21.
In California:
- Framroze Virjee will step in as Cal State Fullerton’s interim president.
- The Thomas fire has caused the longest Santa Barbara shutdown of Santa Barbara schools since the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918.
Nationwide:
- A House GOP overhaul of the Higher Education Act would push job training, roll back some Obama-era student protections and eliminate some loan subsidies.
- School shootings have increased significantly in the five years since Sandy Hook.
Framroze Virjee to take over as president of Cal State Fullerton
Framroze Virjee, California State University’s executive vice chancellor and general counsel, has been appointed president of Cal State Fullerton for an interim period, administrators announced Wednesday.
Virjee, who goes by Fram, oversees all legal services for the system’s 23 campuses and has focused on areas including sexual assault, intellectual property and the 1st Amendment.
He begins his new role Jan. 1 and replaces Mildred García, who is leaving Fullerton to head the American Assn. of State Colleges and Universities.
“I am confident Fram will maintain the momentum gained under President García as well as provide stability to the campus,” said Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White, who said faculty and staff asked for someone who was a strong communicator and collaborator and focused on diversity and student success.
“Fram excels in all of those areas,” White said. “He has a long and distinguished history of championing education in California, and through his current role, he is intimately aware of the challenges and opportunities facing the CSU.”
Before working for Cal State, Virjee, 56, was a partner for almost 30 years at the private law firm O’Melveny & Myers. He specialized in labor and employment law and represented education institutions in collective bargaining, education code compliance and discrimination and employment litigation. He has also taught at Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management and Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law.
Virjee said he hoped to build on the work of García, who was the Cal State system’s first Latina campus president. During her tenure, the four-year graduation rate at the Fullerton campus went up by 65% and the school won recognition from a host of state and national education groups for closing the achievement gaps between Latinos and their white and Asian peers.
Cal State Fullerton now graduates more Latino students than any other California campus, and the second most nationwide. The campus enrolled a record 40,439 students this year.
“President García and her team have worked tirelessly to lay out a clear pathway for implementing the university’s strategic plan,” Virjee said. “This is a wonderful opportunity, and I am very excited to be part of such a well-respected and recognized university.”
Cal State will begin a national search next fall for Fullerton’s next permanent president, administrators said. Virjee, who will receive the same $356,431 salary as García, is expected to serve as president through June 2019.
Andrew Jones, Cal State’s associate vice chancellor and deputy general counsel, will take on Virjee’s current role in January.
Framroze Virjee to take over as president of Cal State Fullerton
Framroze Virjee, Cal State University’s executive vice chancellor and general counsel, has been appointed president of Cal State Fullerton for an interim period, administrators announced Wednesday.
Virjee, who goes by Fram, oversees all legal services for the system’s 23 campuses and has focused on areas including sexual assault, intellectual property and the First Amendment.
He begins his new role on Jan. 1 and replaces Mildred García, who is leaving Fullerton to head the American Assn. of State Colleges and Universities.
“I am confident Fram will maintain the momentum gained under president García as well as provide stability to the campus,” said Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White, who said faculty and staff asked for someone who was a strong communicator and collaborator and focused on diversity and student success.
“Fram excels in all of those areas,” White said. He has a long and distinguished history of championing education in California and through his current role, he is intimately aware of the challenges and opportunities facing the CSU.”
Before working for Cal State, Virjee, 56, was a partner for almost 30 years at the private law firm O’Melveny & Myers. He specialized in labor and employment law and represented education institutions in collective bargaining, education code compliance, and discrimination and employment litigation. He has also taught at Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management and Chapman University’s School of Law.
Virjee said he hoped to build on the work of García, who was Cal State’s first Latina president. During her tenure, the four-year graduation rate at the Fullerton campus went up by 65% and the school won recognition from a host of state and national education groups for closing the achievement gaps between Latinos and their white and Asian peers.
Cal State Fullerton now graduates more Latino students than any other California campus, and the second most nationwide. The campus enrolled a record 40,439 students this year.
“President García and her team have worked tirelessly to lay out a clear pathway for implementing the university’s strategic plan,” Virjee said. “This is a wonderful opportunity and I am very excited to be part of such a well-respected and recognized university.”
Cal State will begin a national search next fall for Fullerton’s next permanent president, administrators said. Virjee, who will receive the same $356,431 salary as García, is expected to serve as president through June 2019.
Andrew Jones, Cal State’s associate vice chancellor and deputy general counsel, will take on Virjee’s current role in January.
L.A. school board sticks with early start for school
Los Angeles school board members often divide along ideological lines, but one of their most spirited debates Tuesday was over nuts and bolts: when the next three school years should begin and end.
Many parents of younger students favor a later start to leave more time for summer programs and family vacations. High school students often prefer to start early to finish the semester before winter break.
In the end, the board voted 4 to 3 for a mid-August start and a first semester that will end before a three-week winter break.
LAUSD’s August start date, new requirements for special ed teachers, race and university admissions: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- After a spirited debate, the L.A. Unified school board opted to stick with an academic calendar that starts in August.
- The board is also considering a measure to make its data more transparent and accessible.
In California:
- The state is changing its preparation requirements for special education teachers, adding core courses to what they must study.
- A look at which schools in San Diego County have the lowest student attendance rates.
Nationwide:
- The Boston Globe investigated the role that race plays in college admissions, and found that some Boston-area universities haven’t recruited black students aggressively.
- A Florida jury ruled against a professor who sued his university for firing him after he declared that the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting was a hoax.
L.A. school board considers move to increase transparency
The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday will introduce a proposal that could make it easier to track the progress of a Los Angeles school or of the school district as a whole.
Under the measure proposed by board member Nick Melvoin, all data “determined to be accessible to the public” would be available online from a single portal. The information would be downloadable, sortable and searchable. The measure is scheduled to be voted on at a board meeting in January.
Melvoin is part of a new majority elected with financial support from charter schools, and the proposal to boost transparency is part of its broader agenda. But it would not necessarily fully apply to local charter schools, which are publicly funded but not under the direct control of L.A. Unified.
The new board majority will have more opportunities to put its stamp on the nation’s second-largest school district.
The board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on proposed new rules for how the seven-member body operates. They would give more authority to the board’s president, Monica Garcia, who is part of the new majority.
Among other things, the revised rules would give Garcia more authority to appoint representatives to other organizations, such as the California School Boards Assn. In California, such groups are typically dominated by representatives of traditional school systems, and charter backers want more of a voice.
The proposed rules also would give Garcia more control over what appears on the meeting agenda.
Some of the changes are attempts to improve public access and responsiveness. Public hearing starting times will now move to 4 p.m. or later — to give parents the chance to attend after they get their children home from school. An unofficial “parent help desk” set up outside the board chambers will become permanent.
The board also is expected to vote to oppose state legislation that, if passed, would limit the growth of charter schools. Such a vote would reverse the board’s previous stand on the legislation.
1:30 p.m.: A previous version of this post suggested that the data transparency measure would go to a vote on Tuesday. That vote is scheduled for January.
Campus conversation: University of Redlands’ Reggie Robles talks about Trump, ‘myths of masculinity’
When Donald Trump won the presidential election last year, Reggie Robles felt like all his work had hit reset. Then came the drumbeat of sexual assault reports in Hollywood, politics, academia.
Robles is the associate director of campus diversity and inclusion at the University of Redlands. He also is the co-founder of a campus program called DUDES, or Dudes Understanding Diversity and Ending Stereotypes.
DUDES encourages young males to talk to each other about compassion, violence and the social pressures they feel to be masculine. It brings them together to consider with full frankness what it really means to be a man.
Viral video about bullying, L.A. Unified attendance, Chicago schools’ leadership problems: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- When the fires shut down many L.A. Unified schools, the district worked to provide food for children and their families. (All district schools are now open).
- The district has launched a new campaign to boost attendance.
In California:
- Meet Reggie Robles, who leads diversity and inclusion initiatives at University of Redlands.
- How a school district in the San Gabriel Valley works to boost the performance of its Latino students.
Nationwide:
- Chicago Public Schools have lost yet another leader due to scandal.
- A mother posted a video of her son’s heartbreaking account of bullying — and it went viral, yielding some grand gestures of support.
Which San Diego schools have the worst student attendance?
One out of every 10 students in San Diego County public schools were chronically absent last year, according to data released last week by the California Department of Education.
A student is defined as chronically absent if he or she misses 10 percent of the school year for any reason, even excused absences and suspensions. Education officials have attempted to fight student absences for decades but the issue has come into the forefront lately as more data become available.
The U.S. Department of Education recently identified student truancy as a hidden educational crisis, after 2013-2014 data revealed that 14 percent of all students nationwide were chronically absent.
Schools are closed amid firestorms, but campus kitchens stay open
When L.A. Unified closed 265 schools because of area fires, meals were sacrificed as well as academics.
About 80% of district students are from low-income families, and many depend on schools for breakfast, lunch and — in some cases — dinner.
The nation’s second-largest school system responded by designating three San Fernando Valley schools as areas where students and area families could pick up food Friday and Saturday. Many campuses that were unaffected by the firestorms stood by through Friday to provide dinners to students who stopped by within 10 minutes of the close of school.
A high school sophomore in Covina takes a look at cyberbullying
Adrian Llamas, a sophomore at Charter Oak High School, talks about the rise of cyberbullying in social media.
Cyberbullying is defined by dictionary.com as “the act of harassing someone online by sending or posting mean messages, usually anonymously.” With the prevalence of social media, cyberbullying is rampant in this generation.
A study done in 2015 by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System said, “An estimated 16% of high school students were bullied electronically in the 12 months prior to the survey.” If these numbers were applied to the 1,500 students at Charter Oak, about 240 would have been cyberbullied.
It is important for the individual not to retaliate and stoop to the level of the bully, because it can lead to additional conflict.
Social media definitely plays a role in cyberbullying because sending a message anonymously through apps with the intention of hurting somebody is easy. Apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Kik, Twitter and YouTube are common places where a person can be cyberbullied.
An anonymous sophomore said, “A few years ago I was cyberbullied on ask.fm and was told that I was ugly and told to move schools by people on the app.”
A high school junior talks fire with Ventura residents
Anna Lapteva, a junior at Foothill Technology High School, caught up with a few residents in the Ventura area to learn their perspectives on the Thomas fire.
“I’m honestly still in shock,” Foothill Technology senior Gwynnie Redemann said of the drastic effects of the Thomas fire, which spread at an alarming rate, engulfing numerous structures and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents in Ventura.
“It is a day I will never forget.”
The dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds create the ideal environment for the fire.
School and work have been distant concerns for Ventura residents as they have battled to save their houses and families or to find shelter.
Luckily, Redemann’s house withstood the fire. However, she still could not believe that the fire “would reach Ventura, let alone nearly get to my house.”
Many LAUSD schools will still be shut down Friday, but families can get meals at these campuses
Fires close 265 L.A. Unified schools; Santa Monica-Malibu closures continue
All Los Angeles Unified schools in the San Fernando Valley as well as 17 schools on the city’s Westside will be closed for the rest of the week, district officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
The decision closes at least 265 schools in neighborhoods affected by the wildfires raging in and near Los Angeles. The district’s number doesn’t include all adult schools and charter schools, some of which are also expected to close.
The district’s website has a list, as well as a reminder that everyone else is still expected to come to school this Thursday and Friday.
On Wednesday, more than 50 L.A. Unified schools were shuttered.
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will keep all of its 16 schools closed Thursday.
Officials made that decision “predominantly based on the expected high winds and the ongoing fires in our area, and the air quality,” said spokeswoman Gail Pinsker. As of Wednesday afternoon, the district planned to open schools Friday, but it will make a final determination Thursday.
Here are all the L.A. Unified schools closed Wednesday because of wildfires
Dozens of schools in evacuation zones in the northeast San Fernando Valley will be closed Wednesday as firefighters work to get a handle on the wildfire in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest that has scorched at least 11,000 acres.
How L.A. Unified could reduce absenteeism, if it listens to outside advisors
Two years ago, an independent policy group warned Los Angeles Unified School District officials that high levels of student absenteeism were eating away at the district’s finances.
Since then, the problem has not gone away. As L.A. Unified’s student enrollment has continued to shrink, the percentage of chronically absent students has remained essentially unchanged — a concern because funding is based on attendance. According to one estimate, absenteeism cost the nation’s second-largest school district $20 million last year, at a time when it’s desperately in search of new revenue.
Now, a different advisory body is trying again.
California isn’t doing enough to teach kids how to read, lawsuit says
Too many California children can’t read, and the state doesn’t have an adequate plan to fix the problem, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by the advocacy law firm Public Counsel, alleges that the state is not meeting its constitutional responsibility to educate all children.
California lags behind the national average in both reading and writing for fourth and eighth graders, according to national education data.
Advice for exam-stressed UC Berkeley students: ‘Be the llama’
Masood Jan is stressing out over his five finals next week at UC Berkeley, the hyper-competitive, top-rated public research university.
But some of his anxiety melted away Monday, thanks to close-up time with some unusual therapy animals: llamas.
The freshman from San Ramon, who hopes to major in molecular and cell biology, is spending six hours a day studying for finals in chemistry, math, physiology, psychology and English. He said his 40 minutes with the llamas, petting their soft fur and feeding them carrots and alfalfa pellets, definitely relaxed him.
“They’re soft,” he said. “Soothing.”
Berkeley’s student government arranged for four llamas to visit campus as part of the school’s annual De-stress Week. Though therapy dogs are more common for the task, the South American camelids have special spiritual powers, according to Geo Caldwell, the bearded owner of Llamas of Circle Home, a Sonora ranch that brought Quinoa, Tombo, Amigo and Waiki to Berkeley.
The ranch also provides llamas for hikes, packing trips and visits to hospitals and nursing homes.
“The ancient Andeans say llamas were dreamed into existence to communicate at the soul level,” Caldwell said. “When people see the llamas, they open up their hearts. It’s a beautiful synergy of energy going back and forth.”
“Oh wow,” Jan said when he was told what Caldwell had said. Asked if he connected spiritually with the llamas, he said: “I guess. Yeah. My friend was saying you have to be the llama. Peaceful. Calm. It’s good advice. I’m definitely working on it.”
Ana Mancia, a junior majoring in business and a member of the student association, arranged the llama visit as one of several events to help students cope with finals week stress. In the first-ever “Blackout Challenge,” on Monday, campus groups gave pillows and sleep masks to students who turned in their phones for a few hours to avoid distractions from studies.
The usual contingent of therapy dogs — including a black Labrador, terrier and Corgi — also visited last week.
But nothing quite excites the students like llamas, Mancia said. ”They’re unusual and super-cute.”
Joseph White, pioneering black psychologist who mentored students at UC Irvine, dies at 84
A pioneer in the field of black psychology and an influential figure to countless students at UC Irvine, Joseph L. White was 84 and planning for the future.
The psychologist and retired professor, friends said, had books he wanted to write. He was thinking of compiling recordings of his past lectures. But on Nov. 21, while on a connecting flight to visit family in St. Louis for Thanksgiving, he died of a heart attack.
White’s career was a blend of activism and scholarship.
Brown’s school funding choice, remembering Joseph White, a museum by and for teens: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Milo Yiannopoulos was supposed to visit eight U.S. college campuses, but the only one he has made it to is Cal State Fullerton — so he’s heading to Australia.
- L.A. Unified is hosting a “salute to the Latino spirit” fundraiser.
In California:
- Joseph L. White, a pioneer in the field of black psychology and a beloved mentor at UC Irvine, died at 84.
- Will Gov. Jerry Brown tackle education funding, or wait for his successor to do it?
- UC Berkeley’s student government brought in therapy llamas to ease students into their finals.
Nationwide:
- How Atlanta’s historically black colleges are contending with sexual assault allegations.
- Teenagers in Maryland are building a museum about their generation and their lives.
- An AP analysis found charter schools are becoming more racially isolated.
High school was justified in suspending students who ‘liked’ racist social media posts, judge rules
A Bay Area school district acted properly when it suspended five students who “liked” or commented on racist images on another student’s Instagram account that included nooses drawn around the necks of a black student and coach and comparisons of African American women and students to gorillas, a judge has ruled.
The case raised thorny questions about how strictly schools can regulate student speech and whether “likes” on social media should be treated similarly to the original posts.
U.S. District Judge James Donato said in his decision late Wednesday that the five students contributed to disruption at Albany High School in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Malibu’s choice, Chicago school closures, linked STEM learning: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Malibu’s city council decided to hold off on trying to create its own school district, for now.
- You can catch L.A. Unified’s drill team and marching band competition this Saturday in Monterey Park.
In California:
- A judge ruled that a Bay Area school district acted properly when it suspended students who “liked” or commented on a student’s racist Instagram images.
- Take a look inside STEM Academy L.A., one of over 150 Linked Learning programs statewide.
Nationwide:
- Chicago is closing more public schools.
- A New York teacher was found dead of an apparent overdose in a school bathroom.
Graduate students nationwide protest House tax bill, saying it could cost them thousands
Rashad Ahmed left his high-paying job on Wall Street for USC, where he’s using economic research to help tackle social problems such as homelessness. At UCLA, Emily Yen is studying the environmental justice movement in Long Beach and Los Angeles. And at Caltech, Celeste Labedz is using seismology to understand glaciers.
But the doctoral students say their work and the important research of graduate students nationwide are in jeopardy if changes in House Republicans’ tax bill become law. The House version of the tax bill, passed this month, would repeal a decades-old provision that has shielded graduate tuition from taxation, potentially increasing student tax bills by as much as $10,000 a year.
On Wednesday, the three researchers joined thousands of graduate students at nearly 60 campuses in 33 states to protest the tax bill. Hannah Khoddam and a handful of her classmates at USC began organizing the walkout this month and then joined forces with students from six East Coast colleges to sponsor a national day of action.
California sues for-profit Ashford University, accusing the online school of ripping off students
As the Trump administration backs away from Obama-era efforts to crack down on for-profit colleges, California is taking a step into the regulatory void.
On Monday, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra announced at a news conference in San Francisco that the state is suing for-profit Ashford University and its parent company, Bridgepoint Education. The state has accused the online-only school of misleading students about its tuition costs, burying them in student loan debt and offering little of value in return.
Ashford has an enrollment of about 43,000 students, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which published an investigation of the university earlier this month. It called the school “a poster child for the ills of the for-profit college sector.”
Grad students protest tax bill, a for-profit university is sued, the nuances of an LGBT-inclusive curriculum: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Advocates are holding a “call-in marathon” Thursday to teach undocumented students about their rights.
- Thousands of graduate students protested the House tax bill — which contains changes that would raise their taxes.
In California:
- Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra announced a state lawsuit against for-profit Ashford University, accusing the online school of ripping off students.
- California is the first state to use textbooks that explicitly teach the contributions of LGBT individuals, but there’s some controversy about outing historical figures who didn’t publicly state their sexual orientation during their lives.
Nationwide:
- Anthony Scaramucci got in a fight with Tuft’s student newspaper.
- District of Columbia Public Schools will investigate the school that claimed a 100% graduation rate while many seniors were chronic absentees.
Hundreds of grad students at USC, UCLA, Caltech join national protests against GOP tax bill, saying it will devastate research
Hundreds of graduate students at USC, UCLA and Caltech joined national protests Wednesday against the House Republican tax bill passed this month, saying it contains changes that would significantly increase their taxes and make it difficult for many to continue their research.
At USC, more than 100 students and professors gathered at the Tommy Trojan statue to urge peers to call their lawmakers and fight the changes. Many held colorful signs describing how their research benefits society: “Graduate students study food safety,” “Graduate students design highways.”
USC student Hannah Khoddam and a handful of classmates began organizing the walkout this month, then joined forces with students from a group of six East Coast colleges to sponsor a national “day of action” that drew thousands of participants at nearly 60 campuses in 33 states.
The House tax bill slashes $65 billion in tax benefits for higher education over 10 years, according to Steven Bloom, the American Council on Education’s director of government relations. Graduate students would be hit hard by a repeal of a decades-old provision that shields from taxation their tuition — which is waived by universities in exchange for their work as teaching assistants and researchers.
A UC Berkeley analysis found that taxes would rise by 61%, or about $1,400, for a campus teaching assistant, and 31%, or about $1,100, for a research assistant if the university’s $13,793 annual tuition benefit became taxable. At MIT, a private institution that charges about $49,600 in annual tuition, taxes would more than triple to $13,577, said the analyst, Vetri Velan, a doctoral student in physics.
Bloom said the provision benefited 145,000 graduate students in 2011-12, the most recent data available. About 60% were students studying science, technology, engineering and math — providing crucial knowledge and skills, he said, needed to drive the nation’s economy.
Some of the nation’s brightest STEM students joined the protest at Caltech in an unusual display of campus political activism. Celeste Labedz, a doctoral student studying glaciers with seismology, said the tax bill, if it became law, would make her graduate education unaffordable, forcing her to take out a loan and go into “massive debt.”
The tax hikes could close off graduate education to all but those from wealthy families, said Emily Yen, a doctoral student in sociology at UCLA, where about 250 graduate students joined the protest Wednesday,
“The UC system has prized itself on diversity — its first-generation, low-income students — and this is just going to reverse all these gains,” said Yen, president of the UC Student-Workers Union (UAW 2865).
Others said they feared a tax boost would set off a brain drain of American researchers fleeing to Europe. Asked how many would consider doing so, more than half of the roughly 70 Caltech student protestors raised their hands.
The Senate has yet to pass its tax bill. Once it does, the differences between the two bills will need to be resolved. The Senate bill does not contain the changes the students are protesting.
Graduate students at USC, UCLA, Caltech join national protest against GOP bill they say will significantly hike their taxes
Graduate students at USC, UCLA and Caltech plan to join national protests Wednesday against the House Republican tax bill passed this month, which analysts say makes changes that would significantly boost the taxes of many of the nation’s young researchers.
USC student Hannah Khoddam and a handful of classmates began organizing a walkout this month, then joined forces with students from a group of six East Coast colleges to sponsor a national “day of action” expected to draw thousands of participants at about 50 campuses in 32 states.
The House tax bill slashes $65 billion in tax benefits for higher education over 10 years, according to Steven Bloom, the American Council on Education’s director of government relations. Graduate students would be hit hard by a repeal of a decades-old provision that shields from taxation their tuition — which is waived by universities in exchange for their work as teaching assistants and researchers.
Bloom said the provision benefited 145,000 graduate students in 2011-12, the most recent data available. About 60% were students studying science, technology, engineering and math — providing critical knowledge and skills, he said, needed to drive the nation’s economy.
“Why would you repeal a provision that is an essential way we help make graduate education affordable and accessible?” Bloom said. “It makes no sense as a matter of good public policy.”
A UC Berkeley analysis found that taxes would rise by 61%, or about $1,400, for a campus teaching assistant, and 31%, or about $1,100, for a research assistant if the university’s $13,793 annual tuition benefit became taxable. At MIT, a private institution that charges about $49,600 in annual tuition, taxes would more than triple to $13,577, said the analyst, Vetri Velan, a PhD student in physics.
Velan and fellow student Kathy Shield created a calculator for students to figure out how the change, if it became law, would affect their own taxes.
Overall, the University of California says, 23,000 graduate students earned $250 million in tuition benefits in 2015-16. Students from all nine of the system’s undergraduate campuses plan to join the protest.
“Tax reform should not be borne on the backs of our hardworking graduate students,” said UC President Janet Napolitano in a statement this week with Student Regent Paul Monge and Student Regent-designate Devon Graves. “They are vital to the university community and society at large: They further groundbreaking research, mentor the next generation and contribute to the economy. They are our nation’s future and deserve congressional support — not a tax hike.”
At USC, the House bill could triple or quadruple taxes for 3,100 PhD students, said Provost Michael W. Quick. “In the long run, such legislation could dissuade some of our leading innovators and creative talent from pursuing graduate careers,” he said in a statement.
One of the organizers of the national walkout is Miriam Rubenson, a USC doctoral student in clinical psychology who is studying ways to help youth offenders with mental health problems. She is married to a UC San Diego student in a joint MD-PhD program who is researching gene therapies to cure HIV. They each earn about $30,000 in stipends, which are taxable. But under the House bill, they would have to pay taxes for the first time on the value of their tuition waivers, which they expect to rise to $90,000 next year — socking them with a $20,000 tax bill.
“This kind of taxation is meant for luxury items,” Rubenson said. “To tax graduate education as if it’s a golf club membership is absurd.”
Khoddam and others said the specter of enormous tax bills has prompted some students to consider dropping out or taking on even more burdensome loans. But the House bill repeals the deduction for interest on student loans, which 12 million taxpayers claimed in 2015.
The bill also eliminates the tax deduction for “lifelong learning” programs — skills training for adults, for instance — and for employer tuition assistance to workers.
The Senate has yet to pass its tax bill. Once it does, the differences between the two bills will need to be resolved. The Senate bill does not contain the changes the students are protesting.
Grad student protests, Meghan Markle’s alma mater, expanded child-care subsidies: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
— Graduate students at UCLA, USC and Caltech join others around the nation in protests against the House Republican tax bill passed earlier this month.
— Students and teachers at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Feliz are celebrating the engagement of their famous alumna Meghan Markle to Prince Harry.
— South Pasadena High School set a record in the first round of the Academic Decathlon.
— The UCLA basketball players arrested for shoplifting in China are still suspended, indefinitely.
In California:
— A law makes more low-income parents eligible for subsidized child care.
— Most ninth-graders won’t complete college, in part due to a lack of college counseling, a new report finds.
Nationwide:
— An investigation into a public school in Washington, D.C. that claimed a 100% college acceptance rate found half the graduates last year missed more than three months of school.
Measuring school climate, a football team’s tough time, reading preferences: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
— LAPD will provide part-time jobs and training for high school graduates.
— The story of a scandal-plagued South L.A. school football team.
— UCLA has a new football coach.
In California:
— The state must figure out how to measure school climate.
— Parents in Northern California are suing their school and its band teacher, saying he sent their daughter inappropriate text messages.
Nationwide:
— On Thursday, former Trump rival Jeb Bush will introduce Betsy DeVos at an education reform conference.
— Children are still not getting into nonfiction, a survey found.
A mural with a back story comes to a West Hollywood public school
The tale of a new mural in a local schoolyard includes a dash of Charles Dickens and a hint of Hustler Hollywood.
It’s also a telling look at how business gets done and at the differences between public schools in areas of poverty and privilege.
Unveiled last week at West Hollywood Elementary School, the mural is made up of images and concepts the school’s students suggested to English pop artist Peter Blake, perhaps best known for the cover of the Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Two former employees file lawsuit accusing Lancaster middle school principal of subjecting female teachers to harassment and ‘sex-based ridicule’
A former vice principal and a former teacher at a middle school in Lancaster said they were forced to quit in June because the school principal subjected women to “sex-based ridicule” and “harassed, discriminated against, or retaliated against” numerous female employees, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
The lawsuit, filed by Dawn Dolinski and Jody Finks against the Eastside Union School District and Francisco Pinto, principal of Gifford C. Cole Middle School, cited a number of alleged incidents that they claim portrayed a sexist and hostile work environment under Pinto.
“Principal Pinto had a reputation among teachers and staff for retaliating against women who, like Ms. Dolinski, did not fit his sexist view that women should act with a submissive manner and be subservient to men,” the lawsuit claims. “A female teacher or staff member who was experiencing career success, recognition from the District, or was strong-willed, would generally become the target of Principal Pinto’s attacks.”
A new school mural, a conversation with Cal State’s first Latina president, costly science standards: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
— How a new mural at a West Hollywood public school tells the story of privilege within L.A. Unified.
— A former vice principal and former teacher in Lancaster sued their school district, saying they were forced to quit because of their principal’s sexual harassment.
Statewide:
— Get to know Cal State Fullerton’s outgoing president, Mildred Garcia.
— California’s schools — and sometimes teachers — are spending more to implement the state’s new science standards.
Nationwide:
— Unlike lawyers, educators book their flights early — to save money, a survey found.
— Betsy DeVos is making yet another trip to Florida.
At temporary L.A. County shelters, some foster kids just keep cycling through
Inside a small dorm on a neatly manicured campus in La Verne, two teenage girls were flitting between rooms.
One adjusted a tight-fitting tank top over her chest and checked her reflection in the mirror. The other danced to Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” as it played from a cellphone.
The teens were getting ready to run away from a temporary shelter for foster youths.
The county’s foster youth, focus on first-years, affirmative action investigation: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Take a look inside a transitional county shelter for foster youths.
- Check out the new murals at Playa Del Rey Elementary School.
- HopSkipDrive has raised money to help parents in the L.A. area use the child-friendly ride-sharing service to get their kids to school.
In California:
- California’s Democratic gubernatorial candidates say they support universal access to pre-K.
- Some Cal State campuses are focusing on helping students persist through their first year in college.
Nationwide:
- An embattled charter school financier used racially charged language in newly public emails to a black New York City deputy mayor.
- The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Harvard’s affirmative-action policies.
Mother driving her boys to school when Rancho Tehama gunman struck shielded her son despite her wounds
Johnny Phommathep was driving home to Rancho Tehama from a quick trip to Sacramento on Tuesday morning when he got a text message from his wife, Tiffany, telling him she was dropping their three youngest sons off at school.
He texted her back to ask if she wanted something to eat. When he got no response, Phommathep called. No answer. He called again. Nothing. Again and again he called without a word back from his wife.
A few minutes later, a colleague called to tell Phommathep that there had been a shooting at Rancho Tehama Elementary School.
A visit from a king, UC regents’ admonishment, a school’s perfect ACT scorers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- At JSerra Catholic School in San Juan Capistrano, three students had perfect ACT scores.
- Nigeria’s King Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was in L.A. for the African Prestigious Awards, so he visited Hollywood High School last week.
In California:
- The UC Regents admonished the system’s president, Janet Napolitano, for her approval of interference in a state audit.
- Napolitano responded by saying she will make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Nationwide:
A teen’s pledge to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance as ‘a declaration of liberty’
Mirabelle Chernick, a senior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, explains why she stands to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, even though most others in her classroom do not.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…”
These 12 words, recited so patriotically for previous centuries, have now become synonymous with the contentious political climate of today. To me, this is where the real issue stems from. The Pledge of Allegiance is a declaration in support of liberty.
That is, the freedom of equal opportunity, not the equality of outcome.
Last year, about half the class reluctantly stood for the pledge while the remaining half snickered on with disgust. Today, those students, now narrowed down to a mere two, leap to their feet and faithfully reassert their respect for the country. Tomorrow, I will once again stand tall, unashamed, and honor America.
Read the UC regents-ordered investigation into the UC president’s office’s interference in a state audit
You might have read the University of California regents’ rebuke of UC President Janet Napolitano’s approval of interference in an audit.
You can read the full investigation that the UC regents ordered here.
It found that top aides to Napolitano interfered with a state audit of her office’s finances, suppressing campus criticism of its services and operations. Napolitano approved a plan instructing UC campuses to submit responses to confidential questionnaires for review by each college’s chancellor and her aides before returning them to the state auditor.
Janet Napolitano: ‘I regret deeply that I did not show better judgment’
UC president Janet Napolitano responded to the Regents’ admonition with this statement:
I accept the results of the Board’s fact-finding review and the actions the Board has taken in response. I recognize and understand that nothing is more important for someone in my position than to uphold the highest possible ethical standards – and to ensure that all of my staff do likewise.
I would like to assure the Board of Regents, the students, faculty and staff of the University of California, state legislators and the people of California that I hear them loud and clear. I regret deeply that I did not show better judgment in connection with this matter. I have already taken steps to ensure that this does not happen again and together with the Board will work to implement the additional changes being recommended by the Board to further strengthen our processes in this regard.
I am incredibly proud to lead the University of California. I apologize again for the actions that I have taken that may have detracted from the reputation of this wonderful institution and the great people associated with it.
UC regents chastise UC President Janet Napolitano for approval of interference in state audit
University of California regents meeting on Thursday admonished UC President Janet Napolitano for agreeing to a plan that led to interference in a state audit on the operation of her office.
“Her decision and then follow-on actions of her direct reports reflect negatively on the University of California community, which is committed to the highest ethical standards in furthering the University’s mission of teaching, research and public service,” board chairman George Kieffer said in a statement after the regents met behind closed doors for nearly five hours.
The regents asked Napolitano to apologize, which she did right after Kieffer read his statement.
Read the UC Regents chair’s admonishment of Janet Napolitano
UC Regents chair George Kieffer issued this admonishment of the system’s president, Janet Napolitano:
The President is responsible for setting an appropriate tone from the top and fostering a culture of transparency and accountability on behalf of the University, which operates as a public trust for the State and people of California. She is also responsible for the conduct of her staff, particularly her direct reports, including her Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff.
It is important to note that, in directing that the State Auditor’s campus surveys go through the Chancellors and also to her office for review, the President relied on the advice of counsel. We are also mindful of the context for the actions taken, including the lack of trust between the Office of the President and the State Auditor based on a previous audit. Finally, we view the President’s conduct in the context of a long record of public service and leadership, including strong leadership of this University. The Board continues to have confidence in and fully supports her continuing leadership.
Nonetheless, the President’s decision to approve a plan to coordinate the survey responses reflected poor judgment and set in motion a course of conduct that the Board of Regents finds unacceptable. Her decision and the then follow-on actions of her direct reports reflect negatively on the University of California community, which is committed to the highest ethical standards in furthering the University’s mission of teaching, research and public service. The Board has therefore made clear to President Napolitano that her decision in connection with the audit did not meet the high standards and good judgment expected of her. The Board has also directed the President to further examine the culture within UCOP that may have contributed to the failure of others to meet their respective responsibilities.
You can read Napolitano’s response here.
Why no children died during the Rancho Tehama school shooting
It was one of the worst-case scenarios for a school shooting: a yard full of children playing with a rampaging gunman just minutes away.
At Rancho Tehama Elementary School, children who were outside were quickly hustled Tuesday morning into locked rooms as Kevin Janson Neal drew closer.
One student was shot, but nobody died. And that, authorities say, is stunning.
UC regents seek ways to expand financial support and speed graduation
University of California regents are looking at ways to make UC educations more affordable, including handing out grants for summer school and giving students multiyear financial aid commitments.
A recent survey found that the 10-campus UC system awards the most generous freshman financial aid of top public universities nationwide, averaging $19,000 to $22,000 annually. UC campuses also enroll a higher share of low-income students than their peers. About 4 in 10 UC students receive federal Pell grants.
But regents will consider another tuition increase at their next meeting in January, and some of them at their meeting Wednesday said they need to do more to help.
Online threats of violence against O.C. schools sparks fear, increased security
A series of online posts threatening violence against several Orange County schools has sparked fear on the campuses and prompted increased security.
Authorities are investigating a new threat Thursday against two of the four Orange County schools that were previously named this week in an online shooting threat allegedly made by a student who was arrested.
The new school-shooting post, which also was shared on social media, was traced back to Buena Park, and claimed the wrong person has been arrested in connection with the violence threatened at the four schools, according to the Anaheim Police Department.
UC regents to grill Napolitano on why she approved a plan to interfere in a state audit into her office’s operations
University of California regents are expected to grill UC President Janet Napolitano on Thursday about why she approved a plan to interfere in a state audit of her office’s operations.
The regents, meeting in San Francisco, will debate how to respond to an independent investigation that found Napolitano’s top aides had sought to suppress campus criticism of the central office in confidential surveys from State Auditor Elaine Howle.
Napolitano approved a plan to review the surveys about her office’s operations and services before they were sent back to the auditor.
After Howle publicly alleged that Napolitano’s office improperly interfered, the regents commissioned the investigation by former state Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno and the Hueston Hennigan law firm. The investigation found that Napolitano’s chief of staff, Seth Grossman, and deputy chief of staff, Bernie Jones, had prescreened campus responses “with the specific purpose of shaping the responses to be less critical of” the UC Office of the President. They also tried to hide their actions from the auditor, the investigation determined.
Though Napolitano knew about the plan to review the survey responses, investigators said there was “insufficient evidence to conclude that she was aware of [the aides’] conduct in purposefully and systematically targeting unfavorable responses.”
Napolitano has apologized for the plan, saying she wanted to make sure the information sent to the auditor was accurate. Her office’s relationship with Howle has been “toxic,” she told investigators, stemming from an earlier audit last year accusing UC of hurting California students by accepting too many out-of-state applicants. Napolitano denounced that audit as “unfair and unwarranted.”
Grossman and Jones resigned last week. Grossman said through a spokesman that he had done nothing improper and that all actions had been cleared with university attorneys and internal auditors. He has taken a job in Washington, D.C., as chief of staff and counselor to American University President Sylvia M. Burwell.
Jones told The Times in April that allegations of improper interference were groundless. He did not respond to an email last week asking whether he had resigned because of the investigation.
The regents plan to vote Thursday on corrective measures, including a new policy to bar UC employees from attempting to “obstruct, interfere or in any way attempt to coordinate requests for information in regards to any state audit.”
A new law approved by the Legislature that takes effect Jan. 1 also makes interfering with auditors an offense subject to fines.
The audit, released in April, found that Napolitano’s office paid excessive salaries and benefits to its top executives and did not disclose to the UC Board of Regents, the Legislature and the public $175 million in budget reserve funds. It included 33 recommendations on how to improve financial accountability, which UC officials have accepted and are putting in place.
Napolitano’s office, UC affordability, DeVos’ apprenticeship push: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Police arrested an Orange County student who said his online threat was a joke and stepped up security at the four schools the threat mentioned.
- Three UCLA basketball players who were detained in China for shoplifting were suspended indefinitely and apologized.
In California:
- UC’s regents are looking for ways to make students’ educations more affordable.
- An investigation ordered by the regents found that UC President Janet Napolitano’s aides intervened in a state audit of her office’s performance.
Nationwide:
- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calls for a new emphasis in higher education on workforce training and apprenticeships.
- A standardized test company sued Tennessee, claiming the state, which fired the company, owes it millions.
UC President Janet Napolitano’s aides interfered in audit of her office, investigation finds
Top aides to University of California President Janet Napolitano interfered with a state audit of her office, suppressing campus criticism of its services and operations, according to findings of an investigation ordered by the UC Board of Regents.
Napolitano approved a plan to instruct administrators from the UC system’s 10 campuses to submit responses to confidential questionnaires about her office for review by her aides before returning them to the state auditor, according to the fact-finding review obtained by the Times.
“Based on the foregoing review, we conclude that members of the president’s executive office did interfere with the surveys,” stated the investigative report, which was conducted by former state Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno and the law firm of Hueston Hennigan. It added: “We further conclude that two members of the president’s staff undertook these actions with the specific purpose of shaping the responses to be less critical of” the UC president’s office.
UC regents to release findings on whether Napolitano’s office interfered in state audit
University of California regents, meeting in San Francisco this week, will release findings of an independent investigation into whether UC President Janet Napolitano’s staff members improperly interfered with a state audit of her office’s operations.
Regents also will discuss a new report that took a systemwide look at how to avoid the kind of enrollment fiasco that was set off by UC Irvine last summer when it abruptly rescinded nearly 500 admission offers, mostly for minor application paperwork problems.
One day in the not-so-distant future, L.A. schools may have an app
The Los Angeles Unified School District is making plans to smarten up and move into the smartphone age.
On Tuesday, the Board of Education unanimously gave the go-ahead to create an L.A. Unified phone app.
Northern California shooting, UCLA players’ return, an app in the offing: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified is making moves to get an app — which will help many low-income parents who have cellphones but no computers.
- After objections from parents, a Palos Verdes high school student charged with murder will no longer attend classes at his school.
- The UCLA basketball players stuck in China returned home. President Trump got involved.
In California:
- A gunman went on a rampage in rural Northern California, at one point spraying elementary school classrooms with bullets.
- UC’s leaders will release the results of an investigation into whether UC President Janet Napolitano’s office interfered in a state audit.
- The state approved history textbooks that provide an inclusive overview of LGBT issues.
Nationwide:
- A Maryland school board member apologized for using a word that many consider a slur.
- Forbes’ “30 under 30” list for education lacked classroom teachers.
At least 3 dead in shooting at elementary school in Northern California
Authorities said at least three people are dead following a shooting at an elementary school in Northern California on Tuesday morning.
The shooting occurred around 8 a.m. in Rancho Tehama, about 120 miles northwest of Sacramento, authorities said.
Among the dead are the gunman, who was killed by police, authorities said.
California will be the first state to use LGBT-inclusive history textbooks in schools
California has become the first state to approve LGBT-inclusive history textbooks for use in primary schools, the Advocate reports.
The California State Board of Education on Thursday approved 10 textbooks for kindergarten through eighth-grade students that include coverage of the historical contributions of LGBT people, and rejected two that failed to include such coverage.
Palos Verdes High School student accused in murder case is removed from school after parents protest
A teenager charged with murder will no longer attend classes at Palos Verdes High School, officials said Monday.
Some parents whose children attend the high school were angered that senior Cameron Terrell, who is accused of driving the getaway car in a fatal gang-related shooting on Oct. 1, was continuing to attend classes at the campus while out on bail.
Trump asked Chinese leader to help resolve case involving UCLA basketball players
President Trump has asked China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to help resolve the case involving three UCLA basketball players being detained at a hotel in Hangzhou for allegedly shoplifting.
China is “working on it right now,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday afternoon, just as his plane was about to take off from Manila, the final leg of his 12-day trip to Asia.
USC had many warnings about medical school dean’s behavior but took little action
For years, the troubling reports circulated among the faculty of USC’s Keck School of Medicine: Their dean had a drinking problem.
One colleague told of witnessing a boozy Dr. Carmen Puliafito reeling and shouting at a university dinner. Another said Puliafito appeared drunk at an off-campus gathering as he spilled into his car and drove away.
Complaints of Puliafito’s drinking began to reach USC administrators more than five years ago. Then in 2016, and again last March, the university received information that Puliafito was in a hotel room with a young woman who suffered a drug overdose.
Marlborough settlement, UC’s generous aid, online sex ed: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Marlborough, a prestigious all-girls school in Hancock Park, settled a case with a second former student who was sexually abused by her teacher.
- L.A. Unified will decide whether to join a union effort to call for a major increase in state education funding.
In California:
- Among top public universities, the University of California is the most generous when it comes to financial aid.
- Community colleges are figuring out how they will pay for a state-mandated fee waiver for all first-time full-time students.
Nationwide:
- 10 more Penn State fraternity members have been charged in the hazing death of a pledge.
- A Utah lawmaker wants to give the state’s students an alternative to classroom sex ed — in the form of an optional menu of online lessons.
Don’t dismiss the concerns of young people, one teen writes
Athena Jreij, a junior at St. Lucy’s Priory High School in Glendora, describes how she feels when adults write off the worries of young people.
As I kneeled on the pew of the prayer room in my Catholic high school, my skirt tucked around my thighs, my hands were clasped tightly, intertwined. ... My chin rested on my fist and looking up to Mother Mary holding baby Jesus, tears ran down my face, landing on the collar of my white polo. My shoulders sat heavy and my heart lay in my chest with great weight. In my head, I asked for guidance and strength, but was interrupted by the faint noise of two teachers laughing in the faculty room next door.
“Oh yes, it’s so hard being a 16-year-old and your only worry is homework and texting on your phone!”
“Yes, just wait until you’re an adult and have an actual life with bills, dinner to make at home, and kids to look after! You definitely won’t be able to handle that.”
At this moment, hundreds of conversations filtered through my head.
“You aren’t depressed, you’re only 16.”
“You’re a teenager, your life isn’t hard. Stop being so dramatic.”
“You don’t know what real sadness is, you just make a big deal of things.”
New study: When it comes to financial aid, UC is the most generous of top public universities
The University of California is the nation’s most generous public university in awarding financial aid to freshmen, a new study has found.
UC campuses snared seven of the top 10 spots among 250 public universities surveyed about their financial aid packages, according to The Student Loan Report news site.
According to the survey, UC Riverside was the nation’s most generous campus, giving freshmen an average of $22,241. UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine and UC San Diego, also on the top 10, had average awards ranging from $21,100 to $19,028.
The data include grants, loans and work-study awards.
“This report shows what a bargain the University of California is,” said UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein. “It’s the nation’s top public research university, and the excellent education it provides is also the most affordable.”
The UC system’s average cost of attendance this year for students living on campus was $34,700 -- with tuition and fees amounting to $13,900.
The most generous Cal State campus was San Jose State, which ranked 36th, with an average award of $11,596.
Other key facts about UC financial aid, according to Klein:
- The UC system allocates one-third of tuition dollars to financial aid. Students may also receive state Cal Grants and Middle-Class Scholarship awards, federal Pell Grants and private scholarships.
- Overall, financial aid totaled $4.1 billion this year.
- UC awarded aid to three-quarters of all undergraduate students. More than half of UC students pay no tuition at all.
- The average UC student debt at graduation is $20,900, compared with the national average of $30,100.
Marlborough settles suit by second former student who was sexually abused by her teacher
The Marlborough School announced Monday that it has reached a settlement with an unnamed former student who was sexually abused by Joseph Koetters, her English teacher.
The settlement, whose terms are confidential, came just before the case was set to go to trial and one month after the school settled with Chelsea Burkett, 33, who also was sexually abused by Koetters when she was a teenager. The women sued Marlborough for failing to protect them from sexual abuse.
He’s standing up for his East L.A.
Jay Lujan, a senior at East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy, wants people to know about his East L.A., which he says is different from the stereotypes.
Regardless of what people say, and think about MY home, all of the best moments of my life happened here in East Los Angeles. I learned to ride my first bike here in East Los Angeles. I learned how to throw my first baseball. And quite frankly, I learned to be humble here. This is MY home.
New charter rules, California’s foreign students, Detroit’s deal for teachers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A close look at how rules governing charter schools in L.A. Unified are changing.
- How one elementary school drew on “CSI” to get students to use their math.
In California:
- While fewer new foreign students enrolled in colleges in the U.S. this year, California is still their top choice.
- Research shows that California has many jobs that pay well and don’t require employees to have a bachelor’s degree.
Nationwide:
- Some students in Fairfax, Va., are powering a wind turbine as they learn about renewable energy.
- Detroit is giving local educators 50% off on home auction prices.
Enrollment of first-time foreign students dips in the U.S., but California is still No. 1
After years of rapid growth, enrollment of first-time international students in U.S. colleges and universities dipped last year amid concerns about political uncertainty, tuition increases, visa delays and reductions in scholarship money, an annual survey found.
California remained the nation’s most popular destination for foreign students, with 157,000 coming to the state in 2016-17. They made up nearly 16% of more than 1 million international students in the United States that year, according to the survey of more than 2,000 institutions released Monday by the Institute of International Education.
Behind the debate: Read the changes to rules for L.A. charter schools
After they put pressure on officials of the Los Angeles Unified School District, charter school leaders last week won changes to the rules under which they operate.
Students, they say, will benefit. However, some district officials say that it is better for students that the charters did not get everything they wanted.
Here is a look at what the district agreed to change, where charters backed down, and what might happen next.
California bans use of some farming pesticides near schools on weekdays
California will restrict farmers’ use of certain pesticides near schools and day-care centers under a new rule announced this week that regulators said is among the toughest in the U.S.
Under the new rule, California farmers will be prohibited from spraying pesticides within a quarter of a mile of public K-12 schools and licensed day-care centers from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the school week, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation said in a statement.
Money for tutoring, a deal to ease transfers, new textbooks: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Los Angeles will receive an $11.2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for tutoring and summer school.
- The L.A. Community College District signed an agreement with Loyola Marymount University to encourage more transfers and curricular continuity.
In California:
- The state’s public colleges are trying to fix the transfer process.
- Hundreds of people spoke out before the Board of Education voted to approve new textbooks to satisfy the state’s history social science guidelines.
Nationwide:
- Private colleges are expected to outpace public universities in tuition revenue growth for the first time in a decade.
- After some pushback, schools in Spokane, Wash., will not use Planned Parenthood’s sex education curriculum.
L.A. gets $11.2 million grant for tutoring, summer classes, college-readiness prep
Los Angeles will receive an $11.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for a program that helps local students with tutoring, summer classes and college-readiness preparation, officials announced Thursday.
The money will be used to provide help for about 2,000 students in 16 area schools stretching from East Hollywood to the northeast San Fernando Valley.
The schools are in Promise Zones or Promise Neighborhoods, designations that help impoverished areas receive federal funds for economic or educational uses.
Youth Policy Institute, a local nonprofit that provides education and support services, will oversee the grant.
Surrounded by students and educators at a high school in Hollywood on Thursday, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said students from working-class areas should have the same chance to succeed as those from wealthier neighborhoods.
“For families we know that are living from paycheck to paycheck, it’s tough to hire tutors that other parents can afford in other parts of town. Or to do the test-prep course,” Garcetti said.
“We know students who don’t have anyone in the family who has ever graduated, [so] how do you fill out a financial aid form or even prepare for college once you get in?”
The city has received similar Promise Zone and Promise Neighborhood grants in the past, including in 2014 and earlier this year.
Last day for school choice, a private-school tax break, advocating for ‘Dreamers’: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Today is the last day to apply for school-choice programs within L.A. Unified.
- A new accredited culinary school will open in Pasadena next year.
In California:
- Cal State’s trustees passed a resolution encouraging the CSU community to advocate for all their “Dreamers” — students, faculty and staff.
- The State Board of Education voted to change the way it interprets test scores on the California Dashboard, its new education rating tool.
Nationwide:
- Betsy DeVos visited schools in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- The Republican tax bill includes a big break for parents sending their kids to private schools — if they are wealthy enough to put aside large amounts of money in advance.
Education board greenlights changes to the way test scores are categorized
The California State Board of Education voted unanimously on a controversial proposal to change how test scores translate into ratings for schools and school districts.
The vote Wednesday followed a long discussion about whether the state’s statistical design group works in secret, and whether the change might mislead parents.
The change would be made to the California School Dashboard, a new education rating tool unveiled in preview form this year. It’s supposed to provide a more holistic sense of how a school is doing.
The Dashboard translates test scores into colors — blue for the best, red for the worst — and presents numerous color-coded measures of school success.
The data underlying the Dashboard are supposed to be updated soon to reflect a new round of testing from 2017.
But the new scores showed stagnation, something officials didn’t plan for when defining the ranges of the colors. “We guessed the trends,” board member Sue Burr said. “We were off.”
In anticipation of the Dashboard update, education officials said a change was necessary because otherwise many schools and districts that saw only small changes to their scores would go up or down by two colors from one year to the next. In a technical memo to the board, they explained that changing the rubric would mitigate this volatility.
A group of 14 education advocacy organizations wrote a joint letter protesting the move, saying it would lower the bar for students. At the meeting, some of them criticized the fact that the proposal appeared on the agenda at the last minute, at the suggestion of a “technical design group” that meets in private and does not publicly list its members.
“The change combined with the way in which you arrived at your decision will leave you vulnerable to the criticism that you changed the rules because you didn’t like the outcome,” said Brian Rivas, Director of Policy and Government Relations for one of the organizations, the Education Trust-West.
Deputy Supt. Keric Ashley said he would tell anyone who asked who the members are but “we’re trying to insulate them from those without technical expertise.”
Even the professionals found the statistical change confusing. “We’ve been here the last 30-40 minutes explaining this to ourselves,” said board member Bruce Holoday. “We have to be careful about communicating this to parents.”
The tweaks passed unanimously, but two board members, Patricia Rucker and Feliza Ortiz-Licon, asked for a breakdown of how the performance of minority students would look using the new calculations.
Groups of students also came to the meeting to ask the state to measure school climate — how safe a school feels — in an annual survey. Board members expressed reservations about doing so, and did not take any action.
Cal State trustees call for preserving legal protections for ‘Dreamers’
California State University’s board of trustees unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday encouraging leaders of the nation’s largest public university system and each of its 23 campuses to support and advocate for the continued protection of their 8,300 “Dreamer” students and hundreds more faculty and staff members.
Chancellor Timothy P. White urged the trustees to take a public stand at their meeting in Long Beach.
An oil spill near a school, charter school concessions, taxes for graduate students: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Charter school advocates won some concessions from L.A. Unified on Tuesday
- State and local officials are investigating an oil spill a block away from a school
- Three UCLA basketball players were reportedly involved in a shoplifting incident in China
In California:
- What we’re watching at this week’s California State Board of Education meeting
- Cal State faculty tell trustees that they feel too rushed by a plan to loosen course requirements by next fall
Nationwide:
- People who oppose school vouchers won seats in a closely-watched school board race in Douglas County, Colo.
- How the GOP tax bill could hit graduate students very hard
Cal State faculty caution trustees that timetable to loosen course requirements is too rushed
Cal State faculty members lined up at the microphone at the board of trustees meeting Tuesday to express their concerns about executive orders aimed at helping students graduate sooner by dropping noncredit remedial classes and loosening math requirements.
They said they were worried about the speed of the changes, which campuses are supposed to institute by next fall. They said they hadn’t been given enough time to weigh in on how best to make the transition, and that rushing might jeopardize educational quality.
Would changes to California’s color-coded school ratings lower the bar?
After seeing this year’s standardized test scores, state education officials want to change the way those scores translate to school ratings — in a way that likely would make more schools look better.
The statisticians and administrators advocating for the change say it’s necessary as they calibrate the state’s new color-coded school accountability system.
The California State Board of Education will take up this issue — and other proposed changes — in its meeting Wednesday. But what officials call a technical tweak, education advocates see as a lowering of expectations for California’s students.
Agencies are investigating an oil spill a block from a downtown Los Angeles high school
State and local officials have launched a joint investigation after discovering more than 200 plastic bags filled with oil-soaked dirt they believe were about to be removed from the site of a leaky oil well in Echo Park.
City, county and state officials converged on the site just west of downtown this week after a spill, estimated to be from 20 to 40 barrels, was discovered Saturday.
Agreement paves way for L.A. Unified to approve most old and new charter schools
Charter school leaders flexed their new muscle with the L.A. Unified School District on Tuesday to win district concessions on some operating rules. But they stopped short of insisting that all their demands be met, which could have led to school closures and an embarrassing public fight.
Sixteen charters had risked being shut down when they indicated they would refuse to follow district rules. But the deal, announced at Tuesday’s meeting by acting Supt. Vivian Ekchian, led to recommended approvals for most of them.
Charter school rules, Cal State trustees, choosing textbooks: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Charter schools seem ready to strike a deal with L.A. Unified in an effort to avert a public fight Tuesday.
- How an active parent center has helped an L.A. elementary school.
- Cal State’s trustees meet in Long Beach.
In California:
- A lot of people have something to say about what needs to be in textbooks under the state’s new history and social science framework.
- Cal State Fullerton’s president announced her retirement from that job.
Nationwide:
- Massachusett’s highest court will examine the question: Can a college be held responsible for a student’s suicide?
- Tech firms continue to market their wares to America’s schools, sometimes using superintendents as consultants.
Charter schools, L.A. Unified likely to strike compromise to avoid showdown at board meeting
Leaders of a group of charter schools and Los Angeles Unified School District officials were working up to the last minute to avert a public fight at Tuesday’s school board meeting over district rules the charters find onerous.
By late Monday, sources on both sides said a confrontation seemed unlikely, although no one was making public statements.
Cal State trustees face budget challenges amid efforts to lift graduation rates
About 7,000 more students graduated from Cal State this year than last, and the more than 98,700 earning undergraduate degrees was the highest ever in a single academic year, administrators said.
Cal State has vowed to lift its four-year graduation rate to 40% by 2025. Over the last decade, the rate edged up from about 16% to 20%. Today’s 23% is the highest in Cal State’s history.
L.A. teachers union calls on Rodriguez to recuse himself from charter votes
The union representing Los Angeles teachers is calling on school board member Ref Rodriguez to recuse himself from votes on charter schools Tuesday.
At the board meeting, officials have to decide whether to renew or authorize petitions for 33 charter schools, which are independently run but fall under the oversight of L.A. Unified. Some of the votes could be controversial and close.
A letter from a law firm representing United Teachers Los Angeles asserts that Rodriguez’s participation is untenable because he received a $75,000 contribution to his legal defense fund from charter supporter Reed Hastings.
“We have reason to believe that these upcoming votes may constitute government decisions in which you possess a financial interest,” as specified by government regulations, states the letter from Bush Gottlieb to Rodriguez.
Hastings sits on the board of directors of the Kipp charter school network’s national organization. Kipp has six schools and one proposed campus up for a vote Tuesday.
Hastings also has longstanding close ties to the California Charter Schools Assn. He was the largest recent individual contributor to the organization’s campaign wing, which spent record sums this year in successful efforts to elect candidates who would give the board a charter-backed majority.
One source of current contention between charters and L.A. Unified is the role and authority of the district’s inspector general to investigate charters. This issue presents another problem for Rodriguez, the union asserts, because the inspector general is investigating Rodriguez for his alleged actions while running a local charter network before he was elected to the board.
“Mindful of the current investigations ... and the claims of wrongdoing against you personally, your participation in the board’s consideration of that matter also may give rise to an appearance of corruption,” the law firm wrote.
Rodriguez had no immediate response to the letter. But, through his attorney, he has denied any wrongdoing at his former charter.
Separately, he faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering, which is why he set up the legal defense fund. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
The school district’s legal office had no immediate response to the union’s recusal request.
Last week district officials recommended that 10 charter schools be shut down because they refused to comply with district rules. The existing Kipp schools were at risk over similar issues although the district conditionally recommended their approval.
Charter school leaders have said they are standing up against district regulations that they believe to be harsh, inconsistently enforced and unsupported by state law.
(After the publication of this post, an L.A. Unified spokeswoman said attorneys for the district knew of no current circumstance that legally bars Rodriguez from voting.)
Why hasn’t California cracked down on anti-vaccination doctors?
A year ago, California officials appeared to be coming down hard on doctors and parents who were reluctant to vaccinate children.
The state had just implemented one of the strictest vaccination laws in the nation. The state medical board was threatening to pull the license of Dr. Robert Sears, a celebrity in the anti-vaccine community.
One vaccine skeptic called the case against Sears “a shot across all the doctors’ bows.”
But so far, no doctors, including Sears, have been punished for writing unnecessary medical exemptions. The crackdown many foresaw never materialized.
From an East L.A. teen, a look at what it’s like to be a first-generation student
Laura Martinez, a senior at Garfield High School, talks about the challenges of being a first-generation student.
When people ask me about first-generation students, the first thing that comes to mind are the parents of these students, the parents that are not from the United States and didn’t have the opportunity to attend college. Their children would then identify as first generation since they would be the first in their families born in the United States.
Additionally, they would also be the first ones to do everything that their parents weren’t able to pursue when they were teenagers. Oftentimes, these parents might have come to the U.S. without an education and unfortunately didn’t have an opportunity to enroll in school because they probably needed to look for a job.
Being first-generation students attending college is not at all easy because these students have to discover everything on their own since they don’t have anybody to help them. Maneuvering the educational system is difficult enough as it is, but for first generation students it seems nearly impossible.
Rodriguez’s future, brave baseball players, math festivals: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A look at the politics behind Ref Rodriguez’s decision to remain on the L.A. school board, and his colleagues’ request that he take a leave.
- High school baseball players saved two people from a burning car Friday.
In California:
- Schools across the state are holding math festivals in an effort to convey that math can be accessible and fun.
- California’s teachers feel more empowered in their schools than those in other states, a new survey found.
Nationwide:
- Children were among the dead in a mass shooting at a Texas church.
- A federal lawsuit alleges that a Michigan teacher taped the mouth of a student who has cerebral palsy.
Ref Rodriguez won’t step down. Now what?
It’s been nearly two months since prosecutors charged L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, accusing him of political money laundering. At first, as he attended board meetings, his colleagues said little about his legal troubles. But after the charter school network he co-founded recently raised separate questions, about alleged conflicts of interest, his three closest allies on the board publicly asked him to take a leave of absence.
He said no.
Here’s a breakdown of some key relaed issues.
Showdown looming between L.A. Unified and charter schools
Los Angeles school district officials plan to recommend at the next school board meeting that 10 charter schools be shut down because they refuse to comply with district rules.
The district confirmed the recommendations Thursday.
Charter school leaders, who say they are standing up against regulations they find onerous, won’t back down and will leave it to board members to decide their schools’ fates Tuesday.
L.A. Unified’s charter showdown, an effort to woo new teachers, tax plan hits: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. school district officials will recommend the closure of 10 charter schools that refuse to comply with district rules.
- The school district is informing families about options for health insurance coverage.
In California:
- Cal State faculty have protested the pace at which administrators plan to implement major reforms, including eliminating non-credit remedial education. However, a compromise may be in the offing.
- The Natomas Unified School District in Northern California is trying to woo new teachers with bonus pay and free use of Macbooks.
Nationwide:
- Three deadly attacks, including the highly publicized one this week, have occurred near New York’s Stuyvesant High School. One teacher recalls them all, including the first, when she was a Stuyvesant senior.
- Among the House Republicans’ proposed tax changes affecting higher education: an end to the tax deduction for student loan interest.
PUC’s New York problems, school enrollment time, suspensions down: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Echoes of Ref Rodriguez’s L.A. problems can be seen in an audit of PUC’s one school outside of California.
- LAUSD parents, you have one week left to enter your school choices for next year.
In California:
- The state’s suspension and expulsion rates are falling, but there is still a significant gap for African American students.
- A new poll shows that most Californians give public colleges high marks, but they want more done to keep them affordable.
Nationwide:
- A look at the country’s only bilingual MFA creative writing program and new programs emerging elsewhere.
- A senator says Betsy DeVos’ husband broke his promise to stop donating to political causes.
At a PUC charter school in New York, echoes of Ref Rodriguez’s L.A. troubles
When the New York state comptroller’s office recently audited a charter school in Rochester, N.Y., investigators found a number of troubling financial practices, including inadequate oversight.
One issue auditors noted was that the local school contracted out its financial management to the national charter network it was part of — and membership on the Rochester school’s board and the school network’s board overlapped.
Rochester’s PUC Achieve is the only school outside California in the 18-school Partnership to Uplift Communities charter school network cofounded by L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez. Rodriguez and his PUC Schools co-founder Jacqueline Elliot were flagged for being on both of the boards.
In annual survey, Californians give public colleges high marks but say affordability is key
Most Californians think affordability is a big problem in public higher education, and many say the UC and Cal State systems and the state’s community colleges should do more to ensure that all students have affordable housing options, according to an annual statewide survey released Thursday.
The majority of Californians surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California gave the institutions high marks for quality, but more than three-quarters said they believed that students have to borrow too much to pay for a college degree and that college costs prevent qualified and motivated students from pursuing higher education.
“Many say the public higher education system is going in the wrong direction and needs to change, with concerns being raised about affordability, funding and spending,” said Mark Baldassare, president of the San Francisco-based nonpartisan institute.
Student housing, in particular, was a big issue this year, Baldassare said. “In response to the state’s housing crisis, Californians want colleges and universities to do more to make sure that students have affordable options,” he said.
The survey asked Californians about a variety of subjects including tuition, free speech and immigration policies.
Among the findings:
- Most surveyed (62%) said the current level of state funding for higher education is not enough, but about a third (32%) also said they believed that colleges waste a lot of money.
- Almost 80% of those surveyed — spanning all political parties, races, ethnicities, incomes and education levels — are against increasing student fees.
- Higher taxes for higher education are supported by 57% of Democrats, 26% of Republicans and 40% of independents.
- A little over half (52%) said they were dissatisfied with the way campus officials are handling the issue of free speech, and a solid majority (64%) said they were dissatisfied with the way campus officials are handling the issue of sexual assault.
- Almost two-thirds (63%) said that in the upcoming governor’s race, candidate views on higher education were very important to them.
The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,703 California adults in English and Spanish from Oct. 8 to Oct. 17. The survey’s margin of sampling error was about 3.3 percentage points.
Read the full report here.
Milo Yiannopoulos at Cal State Fullerton, Riverside school’s awful afternoon, a seal for civics: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- At least eight people were arrested as protesters gathered outside Milo Yiannopoulos’ speech at Cal State Fullerton.
- L.A. Unified’s homeless population grew by 50% last year.
In California:
- A parent took a teacher hostage at a Riverside elementary school, leading to a seven-hour standoff.
- Soon, students who ace civics and help their communities will get a special seal on their diplomas.
Nationwide:
- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos got a lot of Twitter feedback when she dressed up as Ms. Frizzle for Halloween.
- A veteran teacher’s advice to those new to the profession.
Eight arrested in protests as Milo Yiannopoulos speaks at Cal State Fullerton
At least eight people were arrested at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday night during small but tense protests as conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos spoke, blasting what he called the silencing of conservative views on college campuses.
At least two people were arrested after a scuffle between left-wing protesters and right-wing counter-protesters, said university spokesman Jeff Cook. Another protester, a woman wearing a black helmet and mask, was arrested after shooting pepper spray into the air. Before her arrest, the woman was heard urging protesters to break into the Yiannopoulos event and beat him up. It’s unclear what led to the other arrests.
Standoff over at Riverside elementary school
Police officers on Tuesday evening swarmed a Riverside elementary school classroom where a parent had taken a teacher hostage, ending an hours-long standoff between the man and crisis negotiators.
The teacher, who was not named, was taken to a hospital for a precautionary evaluation, Riverside Unified spokesman Justin Grayson said.
The incident began shortly before 11:15 a.m. when the male parent forced his way past staff in the main office at Castle View Elementary School in Riverside, Grayson said. It’s unclear if the man was armed, but witnesses did not report seeing any weapons.
Betsy DeVos’ Halloween costume is not going over well
Even Betsy DeVos’ Halloween costume has become controversial.
To a White House celebration of the spooky day, she donned a bright red wig and a black dress covered in bright planets.
The education secretary was dressed as Ms. Frizzle, the teacher in “The Magic School Bus,” a recently revamped 1990s cartoon about a science class that travels through space, into a reservoir, even through a student’s intestines.
Lily Tomlin voiced the original Frizzle. The new series, available on Netflix, focuses on her sister, voiced by Kate McKinnon. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda now sings the theme song.
(While the costume attempt is admirable, our humble, nostalgic opinion is that DeVos’ wig is not nearly frizzy enough, and that from the available pictures, it seems DeVos as Frizzle is missing her critical, ever-present assistant: a chameleon named Lizzy. But we’re picky when it comes to this childhood favorite.)
From her confirmation hearing on, as she has pulled back Obama-era rules protecting student loan borrowers and transgender students, DeVos has attracted protesters and controversy. As on most days, on Halloween, many people are voicing their displeasure with her.
DeVos supported Trump’s announcement that he would pull out of the Paris climate change accord. When reporters asked about her views on climate change, DeVos said: “I believe that, certainly, the climate changes.”
No word yet from Tomlin.
Man with hostage barricades inside classroom at Castle View Elementary in Riverside
A parent has taken a hostage and is barricaded inside Castle View Elementary School in Riverside, police said Tuesday.
School district officials were notified about the situation just after 11:20 a.m., Riverside Unified spokesman Justin Grayson said.
LAUSD takes PUC Schools to task, admissions help for fire victims, playing DeVos: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified says it should not have taken PUC Schools so long to unearth the alleged Ref Rodriguez conflicts of interest.
- The district invitesstaff, students and parents to take the “school experience survey.”
In California:
- A college in Fresno replaced ethnic sashes at graduation with a display of international flags, but some students don’t like the change.
- The state’s public university systems are extending admissions deadlines by two weeks for those affected by the wildfires.
Nationwide:
- Actors in New York staged a reading of Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearings.
- How students get sucked into opioid addiction.
L.A. Unified says PUC Schools should have unearthed alleged Ref Rodriguez conflict three years ago
The leaders of a local charter school network are under fire from the Los Angeles Unified School District for failing to uncover and report conflict-of-interest allegations against school board member Ref Rodriguez three years ago.
The district has sent Partnerships to Uplift Communities, or PUC Schools, a sternly worded Notice to Cure, demanding that school administrators explain why it took so long to come up with and report its allegations that Rodriguez, its co-founder, authorized and signed $265,000 in checks to a nonprofit organization under his control.
Says one high school junior: Stop sorting the world into black and white
Crystal Foretia, a junior at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., shares her experience of feeling trapped by stereotypes.
Imagine this: You’re sitting with your friends in the cafeteria. Everyone is laughing, complaining about the school lunches, and copying each other’s homework. Then you show your friends how you changed your Instagram profile picture to a parody of the Starbucks logo. They all chuckle. You quirk your head.
Hannah from across the table says, “Oh my God, you’re so white!” Everyone else nods. Hmm, you think. Hannah goes on: “Think about it– your fashion sense, Starbucks logo, straight A’s – you’re the whitest girl at the table.” You squirm a bit in your seat. Nothing she said was untrue, except for one small detail – you’re black.
Yeah, that happened to me in eighth grade. Looking back, I know my friends didn’t mean any harm, but I find all the implications of their words very troubling. Saying that dressing well and caring about grades makes me “white” implies that black people do not do those things. I am sure they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the problem. People, often those who don’t mean to offend, think and talk about racial behavior in binary ways: You act “black” if you only care about sports and rap music, and you act “white” if you care about school and have a strong work ethic. That is the type of ignorance that I tend to face.
I feel that there is some information I need to make clear. No, I am not a member of the upper class. No, I am not a legacy child who could coast through life on her family’s name alone. Both of my parents emigrated from Cameroon to America for a better education. And in spite of how high I aim or how hard I work, I highly doubt that I will be a millionaire. But for a black person in America, I know I’m privileged. I live in a nice two-story house – three if you count the basement – in a safe neighborhood, learn in one of the wealthiest school districts in the country and have been able to vacation outside the country multiple times.
LAUSD’s clown ban, a fast track to math teaching, discussing the Big One: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- For the second year in a row, L.A. Unified is banning clown costumes on campuses.
- Here are some (mostly) kid-friendly Halloween activities across L.A.
In California:
- How to talk about natural disasters with your kids.
- Because of a chronic teacher shortage, four Cal State campuses will soon speed up the path to getting a math teaching credential.
Nationwide:
- Betsy DeVos’ calendar is full of meetings with religious leaders and school voucher advocates.
- An op-ed examines the connection between child poverty and immigration laws.
How to talk to kids about fires and earthquakes, before and after they happen
There are plenty of ways to make your home safer in case disaster strikes. But it’s also important that children know what to do in an emergency, and that they get support when something does happen.
Here are some tips from experts on how to prepare children for disasters without terrifying them, and how to help them cope after a disaster:
Michelle King’s mysterious leave, free pads and tampons in school, Sandy Hook warnings: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Los Angeles Unified Supt. Michelle King’s extended medical leave raises questions.
- The district invites students to apply for internships, where they can work as energy auditors.
In California:
- A new law will put free menstrual products in low-income middle and high schools.
- Times columnist Robin Abcarian looks at educational efforts to combat sexual harassment and assault from an early age.
Nationwide:
- Betsy DeVos has tapped a former official in the George W. Bush administration who has fought for civil and religious rights for a key position.
- Newly released FBI documents show Adam Lanza threatened to kill people at Sandy Hook Elementary School years before he did so in 2012.
‘A lot of instability right now’: Supt. Michelle King’s long medical leave raises questions for L.A. Unified
The first response to the rumors about Michelle King was: Everything is fine. Then word came that the Los Angeles school superintendent would be back at her desk within days. Then that estimate was extended by a month.
Now the leader of the nation’s second-largest school system, already out for six weeks, has told staff that she will not return to her post before January as she recovers from an unspecified medical procedure.
UC, roiled by 1st Amendment controversies, to launch national free speech center
The University of California, where the free speech movement started and students now argue over how far unrestricted expression should go, announced plans Thursday to launch a national center to study 1st Amendment issues and step up education about them.
“There have been more serious issues about the 1st Amendment on campuses today than perhaps at any time since the free speech movement,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in an interview. “The students themselves are raising questions about free speech and does it apply to homophobic speech, does it apply to racist speech? We have to consider the student concerns but return to basic principles about what free speech means and how do we better educate students about the extent of the 1st Amendment.”
Rodriguez’s public statement, students’ Trump anxiety, Trump’s ‘Ivy League’ defense: What’s new in education
In or around Los Angeles:
- What Ref Rodriguez said about staying put in his post on the L.A. Unified school board.
- A UCLA survey found that teachers said students are more anxious in the age of Trump.
In California:
- Charter schools could face more scrutiny under the state’s next governor.
- But only one gubernatorial candidate, Antonio Villaraigosa, said he would take on teacher tenure.
Nationwide:
- Twenty thousand teachers are in the U.S. under DACA — and they don’t know what the future holds for them.
- President Trump cited his “Ivy League college” education as he defended himself against media coverage that he said portrays him as “uncivil.”
Students are more anxious in the Trump era, teachers say
When UCLA researchers asked public school teachers across the country last spring about their students’ emotional states, just over half said they thought more students were experiencing “high levels of stress and anxiety” than they had in the previous school year.
Researchers surveyed a representative sample of 1,535 teachers at public high schools around the country. In 35 follow-up interviews and an open-ended question on the survey that more than 800 teachers answered, many attributed that shift to the current political climate, said UCLA education professor John Rogers, author of the report “Teaching and Learning in the Age of Trump.”
What Ref Rodriguez said about staying put
Rodriguez won’t budge, Michelle King’s long leave, Caltech’s new drone lab: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Ref Rodriguez’s allies on the L.A. school board asked him to step down. He said no, shortly after pleading not guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges.
- Supt. Michelle King will remain on medical leave through the end of the year. The reason is unclear.
- Caltech has opened a new drone lab, with the hope of teaching robots to react and think more independently.
- The Justice Department sided with a Pierce College student who argued that the school violated his free speech rights.
- Public schools in Santa Monica and Malibu are on a shortened schedule Wednesday because of heat and winds.
In California:
- Education was a topic when Democratic gubernatorial candidates debated on Tuesday.
- California’s community colleges have the lowest tuition of any such system nationwide, a new study finds.
Nationwide:
- A look at how Betsy DeVos became so high-profile and widely unpopular.
- DeVos proposed another delay in the retooling of rules that protect college students from fraudulent lenders.
He claims Pierce College restricted his free speech, and the Justice Department agrees
Kevin Shaw was handing out Spanish-language copies of the U.S. Constitution to fellow students at Pierce College one afternoon last fall when an administrator approached him.
He told Shaw that he needed to move to the campus free speech zone. Before he did so, the administrator said, he would need a permit. If Shaw didn’t comply, he was told, he’d be asked to leave the Woodland Hills campus.
This year, Shaw sued administrators, arguing that those policies severely restricted his free speech rights and violated the 1st Amendment.
L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King on medical leave through the end of the year
L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King has extended her medical leave until the end of 2017, while she and district officials continue to keep secret any details about why she cannot work.
In an email sent Monday afternoon to employees — addressed to “Dear L.A. Unified Family” — King offered no details except to say that she would be away longer than previously disclosed.
“As I continue to recover from my medical procedure, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for your countless well wishes and unwavering support,” King wrote. “To keep you updated, I anticipate returning to the office after the first of the year.”
The acting superintendent is Vivian Ekchian, who, like King, rose through district ranks over a long career.
The district has not discussed King’s medical problems, but some insiders said she may have injured herself in an accident while on vacation with her family. Whatever the details, she was apparently suffering from severe leg pain, which ultimately required surgery, said district sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
King, 56, had begun using a cane at work and then simply stayed at home, directing the district via phone and email. She hasn’t attended a board meeting since Sept. 12. Her last day in the office was Sept. 15.
As late as early October, district officials downplayed any suggestion that King was having medical issues and denied that her work was affected. Her original date to return was Monday, Oct. 9. But the weekend prior, she wrote to senior staff that her doctor had not cleared her to return to work and would reevaluate her condition at the end of October.
At that point, Ekchian was officially appointed to fill in.
UCLA Republicans protest potential security fees for talk by conservative Ben Shapiro
The UCLA Republican club is taking a preemptive free-speech stand against security fees that administrators could charge their club for an upcoming visit by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
“The security costs are being used as a barrier to free speech,” said Tyler Fowlkes, vice president of the Bruin Republicans. “We have to risk our own financial stability simply to bring a mainstream conservative speaker to campus.”
His three allies on the L.A. school board want Rodriguez to take a leave. He says no.
Ref Rodriguez’s closest allies on the Los Angeles school board Tuesday called on him to step aside until he resolves his criminal case and other legal problems.
Rodriguez flatly refused, in a statement he posted on social media.
Democrats running for governor face off in San Francisco over healthcare, charter schools
Reflecting a growing divide among California Democrats on single-payer healthcare and charter schools, California gubernatorial candidates landed on separate sides of those issues during a candidate forum in San Francisco on Tuesday.
Antonio Villaraigosa, who battled teachers’ unions when he was the mayor of Los Angeles, said he did not receive the teachers’ union endorsement because he refused to support a moratorium on charter schools. He also said the next governor must confront policies that the unions have long valued, such as seniority and tenure, because the state’s schools are failing children.
Caltech opens a drone lab, with big ideas to improve how robots work with humans
The mechanical clack, clack, clack of a robot on the march brought Caltech’s new indoor drone arena to life. As it made its way across the floor on ostrich-like legs, six automated drones rose into the air and hovered above, moving with it.
One day, students and researchers hope, a robot much like this one will be able to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Such a robot would have to “walk places it has never been before,” learning as it goes, said Aaron Ames, a professor of mechanical engineering and control and dynamical systems. First the Pacific Crest Trail, then maybe Mars.
On Tuesday, Caltech opened its new Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST), where scientists hope to make these kinds of technological leaps.
Charter school allies demand that Ref Rodriguez take a leave of absence amid corruption allegations
The closest allies of Ref Rodriguez on the Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday called on him to step aside pending the resolution of criminal and conflict-of-interest allegations.
The move by key supporters of the charter school movement put more pressure on Rodriguez, who has said he plans to remain on the board as his criminal case moves forward. Until now, board members have taken a wait-and-see attitude, calling the allegations serious but declining to discuss Rodriguez’s future.
Rodriguez’s arraignment, DeVos changes special ed rules, the children displaced by fires: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Embattled Los Angeles Unified School Board member Ref Rodriguez appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea.
- A charter school is exposing immigrant kids to professional life early, so they begin the college application process on a level playing field.
In California:
- As long as children are living in poverty, California’s graduation rate cannot reach 100%, an expert says.
- Schools are preparing to teach students made homeless by the wildfires in Northern California.
Nationwide:
- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos joined First Lady Melania Trump at an anti-bullying campaign appearance.
- A spokeswoman maintained that DeVos’ decision to withdraw 72 regulatory documents on enforcement of a law for students with disabilities will have no policy implications, because the regulations are outdated. But others challenged that assertion.
L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez pleads not guilty to campaign money laundering charges
Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he illegally reimbursed 25 donors to his successful 2015 campaign for office.
Rodriguez, 46, is charged with three felony and 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged scheme. If convicted, he faces up to four years and four months in jail.
A state board clears Rodriguez, Steyer’s UC gift, new leadership for college Republicans: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- Ref Rodriguez has one less problem to worry about — for now.
- Now is the time to apply for a school within L.A. Unified. (To learn more about how this works, read our guide to magnet school applications.)
In California:
- Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer is giving $2.3 million to eight organizations, including the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center, to step up legal services for immigrants.
- A UC Irvine student with ties to Milo Yiannopoulos won control of the California college Republicans this weekend.
Nationwide:
- A conversation between the mothers of young men who have been accused of sexual assault.
- Seniors raising their grandchildren struggle with balancing the needs of retiring with the costs of college.
Ally of Milo Yiannopoulos wins control of California College Republicans
In a closely divided election, a UC Irvine student who led an insurgency against establishment politics won a bitter battle Saturday for control of the California College Republicans, a triumph for provocative conservatism over a more moderate approach.
Ariana Rowlands, an ally of right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, led a slate called Rebuild, which advocates aggressive actions in campus culture wars and taking on college administrators and liberals who try to suppress the conservative voice.
Rodriguez won’t have to defend himself against conflict-of-interest complaint — for now
State regulators have, for now, closed a conflict-of-interest complaint against Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez.
The decision does not exonerate Rodriguez or free him from the issue indefinitely. It has more to do with how cases are handled by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.
California College Republicans battle over whether to make waves or make friends
UC Irvine senior Ariana Rowlands is buddies with Milo Yiannopoulos, the right-wing provocateur who has sparked campus uproars over free speech. She writes for Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News. And she is unapologetically combative in campus culture wars.
Leesa Danzek, a USC graduate, works for a centrist Republican state legislator. She favors moderation and inclusion and says shock-jock tactics will drive college conservatives away.
The two young women head opposing slates for control of the California College Republicans in its first contested election in nearly a decade.
The bruising battle, to be decided at the state party convention this weekend, mirrors the larger national struggle between GOP establishment insiders and insurgents inspired by President Trump.
Rodriguez’s checks, Snapchat campaign, school hackers: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- See the documents in the new complaints against L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez.
- Former USC medical school dean Carmen Puliafito used meth on the days when he saw patients, investigators allege.
- After a Snapchat threat made against a school this week, LAPD launched a campaign telling students to “End It. Don’t Send it.”
In California:
- Children with at least one non-English-speaking parent are less likely to be enrolled in high-quality preschool programs, according to a new national study.
- Gov. Jerry Brown signed about 100 bills that concern education and children.
Nationwide:
See the documents in the Ref Rodriguez conflict-of-interest complaint
When Partnerships to Uplift Communities, a local charter school network, filed a complaint with a state agency alleging that Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez may have violated conflict-of-interest laws, the evidence included a series of checks and check authorizations.
The Times obtained these documents through a Public Records Act request. The highlights of these documents are embedded in the following article (link below). The charter network, better known as PUC Schools, filed its complaint Friday with the state Fair Political Practices Commission.
Former USC medical school dean saw patients after using meth, investigators allege
For more than a year while he was dean of USC’s medical school, Dr. Carmen Puliafito abused drugs on days he worked as an eye doctor in university facilities and “would return to his medical office to see patients within hours of using methamphetamine,” a state investigation alleges.
Puliafito consumed heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs on a near-daily basis at the Keck School of Medicine campus and in other locations, and the physician supplied drugs to other people, including a teenager and a patient in an addiction treatment facility, according to a filing that details the results of an investigation conducted for the Medical Board of California.
How a cadet program changed one teen’s perspective on police
Valeria Estevez, a junior at El Camino Real Charter High School, talks about her experience in a police cadet program.
When I was little my dad and I used to spend our Sunday mornings sipping chocolate milk and coffee while watching the news. On the news, there was always something being said about the police — and most of the time, it was always something negative.
My television always showed a video of policemen being targeted for police brutality against African Americans or Hispanics. I, being a Hispanic young girl, was automatically triggered by this.
Although cops weren’t exactly beating my family members up, I felt hatred and disgust towards them. I thought to myself, “They’re here to keep us safe. If this is what ‘safe’ looks like, I no longer wish to be part of the community they are intended to protect and serve.”
My first encounter with an actual cop was at the age of 11. I had witnessed my mom receive a traffic ticket, and the cop had the audacity to hand me a sticker in the shape of their badge. After that I wasn’t really fond of the police either because my mom didn’t have much money to spend carelessly, especially not on some piece of paper, and because my television had always told me that cops didn’t exactly “protect and serve.”
Two years later, my mom dragged me to the Topanga police station to enroll me into a program called the Los Angeles Police Department Cadet Leadership Program. The name alone intimidated me.
Ref Rodriguez’s prospects, Cal State’s local students, a school where boys are kings: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- The prospects of keeping Ref Rodriguez on the L.A. Unified school board, as the linchpin of a narrow 4-3 pro-charter majority, have become politically perilous.
- Charter school advocates want the board to change the rules that apply to charters.
- A look at Little League’s troubles in Los Angeles.
In California:
- Cal State has been ordered by state legislators to find ways to help students choose campuses close to home.
- Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have required schools to give teachers paid pregnancy leave.
Nationwide:
- Hartford, Conn., has desegregated half of its public schools.
- NPR’s Codeswitch spends time in a new all-boys school in Washington, D.C., where students are called “kings.”
What Ref Rodriguez’s latest legal problems mean for the charter school movement
When prosecutors filed campaign finance charges against L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez last month, many charter school supporters rallied to his defense in hopes of saving not only his seat but their pro-charter school agenda as well.
They said that Rodriguez, a political novice, had made mistakes and that the amount of money involved, about $24,000, was too small for so much fuss.
But new conflict-of-interest allegations that came to light Monday focus on significantly more money — about $285,000 — and on Rodriguez’s actions as co-founder of a charter school network, his area of expertise.
Now the prospects of keeping him on the board, as the linchpin of a narrow 4-3 pro-charter majority, have become politically perilous.
School district pulled ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ from shelves because it ‘makes people uncomfortable’
The Biloxi, Miss., school district has pulled Harper Lee‘s classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” from its curriculum because it “makes people uncomfortable,” the Biloxi Sun Herald reports.
A member of the school board told the newspaper that the decision was made last week, and was not voted on by the board.
Conflict-of-interest complaint against L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez sparks widespread concern
Early reaction to conflict-of-interest allegations against Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez included silence, concern and calls for his resignation.
The silence was partly explained by his supporters needing time to process what became public on Monday: Officials at PUC Schools, a local charter school network, have filed a complaint with the state Fair Political Practices Commission. The filing alleges that Rodriguez, who co-founded PUC, ordered the transfer of about $265,000 from PUC to a nonprofit that appeared to be under his control. An additional $20,000 went to a private company in which he might have owned a stake.
New troubles for Ref Rodriguez, helping black students, tainted air in NorCal schools: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- The charter school network that L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez co-founded has filed a complaint with state regulators, alleging that Rodriguez had a conflict of interest when he authorized about $285,000 in payments drawn on its accounts.
- A task force asks why L.A. Unified’s black students have the lowest test scores, and looks into how schools can better serve those students.
In California:
- Poor air quality is affecting schools far outside the zone of the Northern California wildfires.
- Under a new law, low-income parents who enroll in English as a Second Language or high school equivalency courses will be eligible for subsidized childcare.
Nationwide:
Gov. Brown vetoes required paid pregnancy leave for California teachers, school employees
Required paid pregnancy leave is off the table for California teachers and school employees.
On Sunday, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed AB 568, which would have required schools to give teachers six weeks of paid time off for pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriages or other reproductive health issues.
L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez faces conflict-of-interest complaint over $285,000 in payments
The charter school network that L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez co-founded and ran for years has filed a complaint with state regulators alleging that Rodriguez had a conflict of interest when he authorized about $285,000 in payments drawn on its accounts.
Officials at Partnerships to Uplift Communities, or PUC Schools, filed the complaint Friday with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.
A Snapchat threat, the end of exit exams, DeVos’ priorities: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- A USC fundraising official quit amid allegations that he sexually harassed female colleagues.
- Someone took to Snapchat to send messages threatening to “just kill everyone” at Van Nuys High School.
In California:
- A UC Davis emergency room doctor is leading an effort to find patterns that will help prevent gun violence.
- Say goodbye to California’s high school exit exam.
Nationwide:
- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released a list of her top priorities. No. 1 is school choice.
- She visited a Bay Area public school last week to learn about “personalized learning.”
Snapchat threat against Van Nuys High School deemed not credible
Snapchat threat against Van Nuys High School. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Van Nuys High School classes are in session Monday morning as police investigate reports that someone threatened the school on Snapchat, authorities said. Police determined that the threat was not credible.
Around 8 p.m. Sunday, Los Angeles police received reports that there was a social media threat against the high school, said Det. Ross Nemeroff. Officers completed an initial preliminary investigation, and the matter is now being handled by the LAPD major crimes division, he said.
A UC Davis ER doctor searches for patterns to try to stop gun violence before it happens
The low-slung building in Sacramento is locked and unmarked for a reason. It’s the nerve center of the newly inaugurated University of California Firearm Violence Prevention Research Center.
The center’s 15 UC Davis researchers, along with others from UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, plan to use a five-year, $5-million state appropriation to conduct the most extensive examination ever of gun violence — who is at risk and how to prevent it. The state dollars help fill a void created when the federal government largely stopped funding gun violence research two decades ago.
One student’s views on the dangers of social media
Alex Schapiro, a senior at CHAMPS, believes social media apps such as TBH instill narcissism in teens.
Social media applications like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter train us to use others’ opinions of ourselves in place of building our own self-image, thus, requiring constant validation from others and eliminating the possibility of complete independence.
Continuing this trend of replacing self-value with superficial comments and likes supplied by social media, a new opponent enters the ring with an innocuous appearance but claws sharp enough to make millennials susceptible to damage in their self-esteem for their whole lives.
The app is called TBH, standing for To Be Honest. It is the best example of how detrimental social media is to the self-image of kids and adolescents who have grown up with it. TBH is different from other forms of social media because it is centered around compliments and avoids negativity entirely, whereas the others are teeming with insults and even death threats.
Fire-related school shutdowns, Michelle King on leave, LAUSD’s enrollment woes: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- L.A. Unified superintendent Michelle King is out on medical leave.
- The district’s enrollment fell short of expectations — and fewer students means less money from the state.
In California:
- A new poll finds that most Californians support increasing state-funded financial aid.
- Nine Orange County schools were shut down because of the fire in Anaheim Hills. Officials reported at least 14 school closures across seven counties in Northern California.
Nationwide:
- Schools in Florida are resegregating, according to UCLA research.
- One in every 10 students in the nation’s largest public school system was homeless at some point last school year.
USC fundraising executive leaves post amid sexual harassment investigation
A USC administrator responsible for raising hundreds of millions of dollars for the university has left his post in the wake of allegations that he sexually harassed female colleagues, the latest blow to a campus already dealing with the arrest of an assistant basketball coach and the departures of two medical school deans accused of misconduct.
David Carrera, a university vice president who helped lead USC’s historic $6-billion fundraising campaign, is the subject of an internal university investigation in which dozens of employees have been interviewed about his treatment of women, university officials confirmed Tuesday in response to inquiries from The Times.
A ballet student learns that pointe wasn’t the whole point after all
Tina Takhmazyan, a junior at Hoover High School, grew up obsessed with ballet. Then she had an accident.
I just thought my life wasn’t exciting enough.
I read about it in books and articles, see it in documentaries and movies; people who do the impossible and get an article published or movie made in their honor. I was inspired, but not truly touched because I could never understand what it really felt like to have everything you loved ripped away from you because of something you couldn’t control. Then, I did.
I was 3 when I joined my first dance lesson. I was sticky handed, rosy-cheeked and smelled like the afternoon’s apple juice. As I ran into my ballet class for the first time, I knew I never wanted to leave.
The silky, soft pink ribbon in my hair would not sit right, but I felt special regardless. My fingers, with the remains of my peanut butter and grape jelly snack, would grab my hair and attempt to construct the chignons I saw my ballet instructor, Madame Camille, pin. They never turned out right and she would float across the room to help.
She smelled like powdery rose and black tea leaves, and the scent would linger behind and tickle my nose. She would brush my hair until it stuck straight onto my head, then twirl the hair as she held the pin between her teeth. In a movement swifter than the pirouettes we did at the barre, she placed the pin by the hair and secured the chignon. The chignon that I made just chose to flop onto my face.
I went to my lessons four days a week for ten years. I made some of my closest friends there, but greater than anything, I found something I was good at. I put every free moment I had into practicing my foot placements and becoming stronger. Then, something changed.
Enrollment drops even more than expected in L.A. Unified
Enrollment has dropped even more than anticipated in the Los Angeles Unified School District, exacerbating budget problems and signaling that efforts to reverse the decline are falling short.
L.A. Unified had been expecting enrollment to shrink 2.1%, but the actual drop has been 2.55%. That small percentage difference translates to about 5,400 students, said Scott Price, chief financial officer for L.A. Unified.
California’s high school exit exam is officially a thing of the past
Eighteen years after lawmakers agreed that California high school students should prove their skills on a final exam before earning diplomas, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday to permanently repeal the requirement.
The move comes two years after Brown and lawmakers imposed a three-year suspension of the law, which would have expired next spring. It marks the final chapter of a law that was originally promised to ensure students should be able to prove a series of basic reading and math skills before graduating.
L.A. Unified Supt. Michelle King on medical leave
Los Angeles schools chief Michelle King is recuperating from surgery and has appointed a subordinate to run the school system in her stead.
In an email over the weekend, she told senior staff that Associate Supt. Vivian Ekchian would serve as acting superintendent “for the remainder of my absence.”
The district has not discussed King’s medical problems, but some insiders said she injured herself in an accident while on vacation with her family. Whatever the details, she was apparently suffering from severe leg pain, which ultimately required surgery, said district sources, who could not be named because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Rodriguez’s school janitors, Cal State’s student trustee, a Marlborough settlement: What’s new in education
In and around Los Angeles:
- When Ref Rodriguez ran for the L.A. school board, three janitors vouched for him in campaign mailers. They also appear on prosecutors’ list of campaign donors he allegedly illegal reimbursed.
- Marlborough School, a private girls school, settled a case with Chelsea Burkett, who was abused by her English teacher.
In California:
- Meet Cal State student trustee Jorge Reyes Salinas, a Peruvian immigrant and DACA recipient who didn’t understand what his lack of legal status meant until high school.
- The state has beefed up the online tools it uses to track how many high school seniors complete and submit college financial aid applications.
Nationwide:
- The Trump administration’s hard-line immigration demands could kill prospects for a DACA deal.
- How America’s schools are working to accommodate Puerto Rican hurricane refugees.
Janitors who vouched for Ref Rodriguez in school board race are named in his money-laundering case
When Ref Rodriguez ran for his seat on the Los Angeles school board, opponents accused him of underpaying the lowest-wage workers at the charter-school group he helped found.
His supporters quickly countered with testimonials on mailers — from three of the charter schools’ janitors.
These janitors who so wholeheartedly backed their boss also are connected to the criminal case now plaguing the school board member — who has been charged with three felonies and more than two dozen misdemeanors.
What DACA has meant for me, a personal story
My parents don’t remember exactly when they told me. But I do.
I was 8 or 9 years old. My teacher gave me a pamphlet about a school trip to Washington.
At dinner that night in my family’s Mid-City apartment, I told my parents I really wanted to go and experience my nation’s capital. At first, my mother danced around the request, focusing on how much it would cost. But eventually, she grew more serious.
“No tienes un ID para viajar, mijo.”
“You don’t have an ID to travel, son.”
I knew something was off, but I wasn’t exactly sure what.
I considered myself American, just like any other kid in my class. I learned U.S. history, bopped along to Snoop Dogg — and, of course, adored a Happy Meal. My parents had often told me I was born in Veracruz, Mexico. But until that night, I’d never given much thought to what that meant.
Knowing that I was in this country without permission from the government changed the way I lived my life — but I have tried not to let it limit me. At times, it has made me cautious and reserved; at other times, brave and ambitious. It’s a basic fact, a part of who I am.
Campus conversation: Jorge Reyes Salinas, California State University student trustee
When Jorge Reyes Salinas was 10, his parents cobbled together enough money to leave Peru to start a new life in Los Angeles. They wanted a better future for their only son, who thought he was going to Disneyland.
Reyes Salinas didn’t understand what his lack of legal status meant until, as a sophomore in high school, he was encouraged to enroll in advanced classes at a local community college. The forms asked for a Social Security number, which he did not have.
State support made it possible for him to attend the one university he applied to: Cal State Northridge. Because he couldn’t qualify for any federal financial aid, he went by bus to a machine shop after class each day and worked 30 to 40 hours a week.
In 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, allowed young people such as Reyes Salinas — who had come to the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired — to go about their lives, studying and working, without fear of deportation. He immediately got a job on campus, which led him to student government. He went from planning events to being campus student president and a vice president for the statewide California State Student Assn.
Now as the student appointee to the Cal State Board of Trustees, the 24-year-old meets with students at all 23 campuses and lobbies for them in Sacramento, often flying back just in time to make an afternoon class. He hopes to earn his master’s degree in communications in 2018. In his free time, he volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
He took a moment this week to talk about DACA and other issues weighing on the nation’s largest public university system.