"Some people do not belong in the classroom, OK?"

The new LA schools chief almost seems to be spoiling for a fight with the teachers' union. The union's reponse? "He's also going to have to understand that a major cause of problems at schools are principals and assistant principals who are not team builders or team leaders." So the deficiencies of individual instructors lie at the feet of a lack of team building and leadership? I'm sure that will be a winning message with parents frustrated with poor education. Full story

Education a non-issue on the campaign trail

Staff write Howard Blum argues in the Los Angeles Times that Schwarzenegger's record on education has helped him weather attacks from the California Teachers Association and Angelides on the issue. Full story

"Teens' Dancing Is Freaking Out the Adults"

The Los Angeles Times proves once again that its good for a laugh

Abstinence Education and the ACLU

New religion in the public square debates . . . how far can "secularized" versions of religious dogma (in this case, abstinence) go without crossing the line in public schools? WaPo story

Death of Cursive

WaPo covers the death of handwriting. Full story

It Has Been Filed

The anticipated challenge to the LA schools bill was filed today. Full story

Math education reform

Dan Walters' column highlights changes and reforms in the teaching of mathematics.

Dan Walters: LA Has Grip On Education Pork Barrel

Writing in the Sacramento Bee, columnist Dan Walters advances the argument that recent categorical spending programs demonstrate LA's emerging dominance of pork barrel spending within California. His choice example is a $1 billion program in the infrastructure bond package which targets "hyperdense" crowding; the wording strongly favors LAUSD.

New Higher Ed Trend?

Students without high school diplomas or GEDs are increasingly enrolling in associate and bachelor's degree programs. Full story