Pix 11

“A group of parents rallied on the steps of city hall, saying that the Department of Education is to blame for the growing violence in city schools.

The parents are also claiming that their kids are being bullied by student and teachers alike, and they are demanding that the city release the names of teachers with a history of violence.

Seven-year-old Cameron Suarez, his mother, Kristina Martell, and father, Adam Suarez, along with parent activist Shamona Kirkland discussed bullying cases across the city and the DOE’s response.”

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The New York Times

“LOS ANGELES — A fierce battle over the future of teacher tenure in California moved to an appeals court here on Thursday. Lawyers for student plaintiffs argued that the state’s ironclad job protections for teachers deprived students of a quality education, while teachers unions and the state said the system helped recruit and retain teachers.

Two years ago, in a landmark ruling, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge struck down five state statutes dealing with the awarding of tenure, as well as rules governing teacher dismissals and the requirement that seniority be used to determine layoffs. In a strongly worded ruling, the judge, Rolf Treu, said the statutes violated the students’ rights to an equal education under the California Constitution by allowing poor-performing teachers to stay in classrooms indefinitely.”

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The New York Times

“WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s nominee for Education Secretary told senators Thursday that the focus of decision-making on elementary and secondary education is ‘rightly shifting’ to the states and away from the federal government.

John B. King Jr. is poised to oversee the Education Department as it is losing some of its authority. A bipartisan education law passed by Congress and signed by Obama in December revamps the widely criticized No Child Left Behind Act, and substantially limits some of the federal government’s influence ushered in by that 2002 law.”

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Chalkbeat NY

“As New York City officials weigh options to boost school diversity, a new report shows that elementary schools that serve mostly and black and Latino students have less-qualified teachers than city schools that primarily serve white students.

Teachers are less likely to hold a master’s degree, have certifications in core subject areas, and stay long-term at schools where most students are black and Hispanic, according to the report, released Thursday by the advocacy group New York Appleseed. For instance, 42 percent of teachers in those schools have a master’s degree and some additional training, compared to 57 percent in schools where most students are white.”

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Los Angeles Times

“One of the highest-stakes battles in education is about to resume Thursday in a Los Angeles courtroom as teacher unions and their allies try to win back job protections that were tossed out in a landmark 2014 ruling.

An appeals court will weigh the ruling by L.A. Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu that sent shockwaves through California and the rest of the country by striking down the tenure and seniority system that had long protected public school teachers. The ruling is on hold pending the appeal.”

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New York Post

“After months of study, state educrats at last have a timeline for ‘fixing’ the master public-school curriculum. Step One: Study the issue some more.

Yes, it’s a joke — on New York.

On Monday, the state Regents considered a plan to 1) re-jigger the Common Core curriculum, and 2) produce annual student tests based on it. New committees are to start reviewing new standards next month. Then come months of ‘public input,’ followed by months more of added tweaking.”

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The 74

“Nearly two years after Vergara v. California trial first began, the case is set to move forward as judges from a state appeals court will hear arguments this Thursday, Feb. 25.

The plaintiffs – nine students in five California public school districts – argue that five laws governing teacher dismissal, tenure, and ‘last in-first out’ layoff policies deprive them of their right to a quality education, in violation of the state’s constitution. Those policies disproportionately harm minority and low-income students, they say.”

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Education Post

“I distinctly remember the day I stepped into the courtroom for the very first time.

My story made headlines throughout the country—the day a Los Angeles County Superior Court began to hear our lawsuit, Vergara v. California. I am one of the nine student plaintiffs in Vergara who publicly shared their story in hopes of making a difference for public school students throughout California just like us.”

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San Jose Mercury News

“On Thursday, the California Court of Appeal will hear arguments in Vergara v. California.

The nine public school students — including Brandon DeBose Jr. from Oakland — who filed the lawsuit against the state will ask the court to uphold the trial court’s decision that found current California law regarding teacher tenure, dismissal and seniority-based layoffs unconstitutional and disproportionately harmful to low-income and minority students. The story of Learning Without Limits Elementary School, where I serve as principal, illustrates the importance of this decision.”

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The 74

“This week, I was horrified to learn that Mayor de Blasio has been painting a false picture of how safe our schools really are. The de Blasio administration claims that crime is down, but New York State data highlighted in a new Families for Excellent Schools report, Safety Last: New York City’s Public Schools Are More Dangerous Than Ever, shows that 2015 was actually the most violent year in the city’s public schools in at least a decade.”

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