California Education News

Representing eight students, a Bay Area nonprofit known for battling teachers unions has filed a lawsuit that challenge the California laws that protect teachers from losing their jobs. They claim that these laws are misguided and keep ineffective teachers in the classroom long after they should be released.

In the wake of high profile teacher-sex scandals, California lawmakers have been trying to pass three bills making it easier to fire teachers who are accused of gross misconduct. However, after opposition from teachers unions, only one has cleared committee after one has failed to pass and the other has stalled.

In the wake of a recent case of an 18-year old high school student running away with her 41-year old high school teacher, California is poised to pass a law that would make it a felony for a teacher to engage in a relationship with a student regardless of whether that student is 18 or not.

According to a new report from the Legislative Analyst Office, California’s teacher layoff process needs to be revamped because it is too costly and often has school districts sending out more pink slips than needed. This comes just days after 20,000 teachers were laid off across the state.

A new study out of The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, California’s middle schools are struggling in providing quality science education to middle school students. This is attributed to a lack of science education in elementary school due to a focus on teaching math and science in preparation for standardized tests and a lack of teacher training for middle school science teachers.

Around 500 protesters-mostly supporters of adult education, arts education and early childhood education-rallied outside as the Los Angeles School Board and Superintendent John Deasy presented a worst-case scenario budget that could force the cuts of the adult education program and potentially leave many teachers without jobs.

For many laid off teachers in California, exploring options beyond education does not have to be partnerships between universities and school districts are allowing teachers to take classes to get new credentials in different areas. California State University in Sacramento has partnered with the Sacramento Unified School District to provide free classes to receive credentials in hard-to-fill subjects like math and science.

When you think of a school counselor you may just think of someone who helps students decide what classes to take, or gives students information about various colleges and higher education institutions, but in reality, school counselors do a lot more than that.With that being said, many schools in California are struggling with various budget cuts for the upcoming year. For a number of schools, those cuts mean they have to lose a majority, if not their entire, counseling department.

Overhauling a 2-year old labor agreement that allowed charter operators to take over low-performing schools, the Los Angeles Unified District (LAUSD) and its teachers union (UTLA) have reached a new agreement. Under this new agreement, local schools now have more autonomy over hiring, curriculum and working conditions.

After weighing the potential costs of a No Child Left Behind waiver for California at a meeting, the state Board of Education is debating whether to apply for the waiver. According to reports, a NCLB waiver could cost the state over $2 billion to implement all of the changes required to qualify for the waiver.

Starting in January, California will add a second year of kindergarten, called transitional kindergarten, for the youngest students born between December and September. This comes as a response to the state moving the age deadline to register for kindergarten up from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1.