November 6, 2015
Posted Nov. 6, 2015
Just News from Center X is a weekly education news blast produced by Center X which houses UCLA’s Teacher Education Program, Principal Leadership Institute, and an array of professional development initiatives. This weekly news blast is provided free to all subscribers. Please subscribe and encourage colleagues and friends to subscribe to Just News from Center X by sending them this link. Through this work, we hope to foster a more informed and engaged public for equitable and inclusive public education in Los Angeles.
Professor John
Rogers, Faculty Director of Center X
Dr. Annamarie
Francois, Executive Director of Center X
November 6, 2015
Teaching, Leading, and Social Justice
Better pay, more time to plan and one other thing teachers want from you
Joy Resmovits, Los Angeles Times
When Arielle Bourguignon started teaching at 24th Street Elementary in Jefferson Park about two years ago, she felt UCLA's education school had prepared her well.
Bill Gates spent a fortune to build it. Now a Florida school system is getting rid of it.
Valerie Strauss, Answer Sheet
Here we go again. Another Bill Gates-funded education reform project, starting with mountains of cash and sky-high promises, is crashing to Earth. This time it’s the Empowering Effective Teachers, an educator evaluation program in Hillsborough County, Florida, which was developed in 2009 with major financial backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Possible candidates emerge in LAUSD superintendent search
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC
The search for Los Angeles Unified’s next superintendent enters a new phase this month as recruiters reach out across the country to approach qualified candidates.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/11/03/55421/possible-candidates-emerge-in-lausd-superintendent/
Language, Culture, and Power
California prepares to adopt materials for new English learner approach
Theresa Harrington, EdSource
The State Board of Education is set to adopt a new set of instructional materials and textbooks for kindergarten through 8th grade on Wednesday that incorporates what education officials describe as a pathbreaking approach to more effectively teaching English learners.
The costs of English-only education
Melinda D. Anderson, The Atlantic
Efforts to teach ELL students in their native languages are gaining traction—and they’re benefitting native English speakers, too.
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/11/the-costs-of-english-only-education/413494/
What if every high school had a ‘justice program’ instead of a cop?
Eric Westervelt, NPR
This week's viral videos of a Columbia, S.C., deputy's push-the-chair-over-and-drag-the-student arrest of a 16-year-old high school girl in her classroom has refocused attention on the expanding role of police in schools, "zero tolerance" discipline policies and the disproportionate punishment of minorities.
Access, Assessment, and Advancement
8,000 LA Unified students who failed high school exit exam eligible for diploma
Fermin Leal, EdSource
The Los Angeles Unified School District has identified at least 8,069 former students who are eligible for high school diplomas after failing the California High School Exit Exam.
San Bernardino City Unified praised for work to close black achievement gaps
Beau Yarbrough, The Sun
A new report on the educational achievement and opportunity gaps faced by African-American students praises an Inland Empire city’s school district for its efforts to close those gaps.
Will California run out of college graduates?
Public Policy Institute of California
This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap.
http://www.ppic.org/main/publication_quick.asp?i=1166
New changes in elite college application process raise questions of fairness
Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
Whether justified or not, students and families often view admission to a prestigious college as a ticket to a better life.
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-higher-learning-admissions-20151028-story.html
Inequality, Poverty, Segregation
Schools vs. society in America’s failing students
Eduardo Porter, The New York Times
Here’s the good news: American schools may not be as bad as we have been led to believe. Ah, but here’s the bad news: The rest of American society is failing its disadvantaged citizens even more than we realize.
Skills preparedness, equity must be part of 21st century education policy priorities
Linda Darling-Hammond and Patricia Gandara, The Hill
Despite near-universal consensus that No Child Left Behind is overdue for change, the path toward reauthorization remains uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the global demand for high level thinking skills accelerates daily, and the U.S. must make serious changes to keep up. To that end, the Learning Policy Institute and Jobs for the Future have invited policymakers, advocates, practitioners and business leaders to begin a dialogue on how we can create 21st century learning opportunities for all students, particularly those who have been underserved.
Public Schools and Private $
Only 35 L.A. public schools get an A in supporting the arts
Zahira Torres and Ryan Menezes, Los Angeles Times
The Times' analysis shows that elementary school arts programs in poor neighborhoods have been the hardest hit despite the district's decades-long attempt to close the gap between low-income and more affluent students. A key factor contributing to the disparities is the ability of schools in more affluent areas to tap foundations and community members for help as district funds dwindled.
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-lausd-arts-20151102-story.html
UTLA plans citywide picketing against Broad charter plan
LA School Report
In its latest chess move opposing a massive charter school expansion plan spearheaded by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the LA teachers union, UTLA, is planning citywide picketing at schools across LA Unified next Tuesday.
http://laschoolreport.com/utla-plans-citywide-picketing-against-broad-charter-plan-lausd/
Other News of Note
South African students continue fees protest
BBC
Students protest against tuition fees
Sean Coughlan, BBC
There were brief scuffles in London during a student protest march calling for the abolition of tuition fees and the retention of maintenance grants.
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-34721681
As transgender students make gains, schools hesitate at bathrooms
Julie Bosman and Motoko Rich, The New York Times
Asked to call a transgender boy by a male name he has chosen for himself, teachers and administrators around the country have leaned toward a simple response: Sure.
Just News from Center X is a free weekly education news blast edited by Jenn Ayscue.
