KPCC: Education News

Green Dot Public Schools Chairman Steve Barr steps down

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:10:23 -0800

Green Dot Public Schools Chairman Steve Barr is stepping down from his position at the company to focus on national education issues.

LAUSD and teachers union agree to substitute teacher changes

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:51:59 -0800

Los Angeles Unified and its teachers union announced Thursday they’ve solved a conflict over the school district’s approach to filling substitute teaching slots.

Poetic presidential speeches put to music

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:08:09 -0800

Through Saturday, UCLA is hosting a grand opening for its new Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions.

Cops in riot gear keep an eye on protesters at UCLA

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:49 -0800

About 100 University of California police officers tried to keep student protests under control on the UCLA campus today. Officers wore riot gear and used barricades and pepper ball rifles during demonstrations against the student fee increases the UC Regents approved.

Southland charter schools get funding windfall from Bill Gates

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:26:40 -0800

Software mogul Bill Gates announced today that his foundation will distribute more than $300 million in grants to improve teaching in public schools across the country. Gates pledged nearly one-fifth of that money to charter school operators who run dozens of schools in the Southland.

Gates Foundation gives $335M for teacher quality

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:04:40 -0800

Three school districts and a coalition of charter schools have agreed to be test kitchens for some radical ideas for improving teacher quality - from paying new teachers to spend another year practicing before getting their own class to letting student test scores affect teacher pay. In exchange, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is handing them the biggest pile of cash it has spent on education reform in about a decade. The Gates Foundation was created in 2000 by the Microsoft chairman and his wife.

Committee approves 32% increase to UC student fees

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:56:33 -0800

Police arrested 14 protesters at a University of California Regents finance committee meeting at UCLA today.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's isolated U.S. college days

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:23:59 -0800

A professor and a classmate recall the professed Sept. 11 mastermind's years in North Carolina.

USC continues to lead in international student enrollment

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:03:00 -0800

USC may have taken a tumble on the football field against Stanford during the weekend. But it leads in one category of stats – the number of international students who enroll there.

Wanted: Grateful Dead librarian

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:37:51 -0800

Nowadays jobs are tough to come by in California, but one choice spot is now open for someone with a master's degree in Library Sciences and a deep love of the Dead. The Grateful Dead that is.

Getty Leadership Institute announces move to Claremont Graduate University

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:13:06 -0800

The Getty Leadership Institute announced Thursday that it’s changing locations, from the campus of the Getty Center in West Los Angeles to the campus of Claremont Graduate University.

In South Korea, nation stops for mega exam

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:23:27 -0800

More than 650,000 high school seniors in South Korea took a national college placement exam Thursday that many believe will determine the rest of their lives. The government takes it so seriously that aircraft are barred from flying near the test site, and the workday begins an hour late, to prevent traffic jams.

Writing study ties autism to motor-skill problems

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:45:31 -0800

Researchers who looked at handwriting samples found that children with autism struggle more than their peers to correctly form letters. The findings add to evidence that autism is a brain disorder that isn't limited to behavior, but affects motor skills, too.

Tug of war over LA Unified reform models

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:52:09 -0800

Groups that want to take over governance of several dozen Los Angeles Unified schools have less than a week to apply. The process is part of a major policy change approved three months ago to improve education by handing over control of up to 300 low-performing and new campuses to groups that submit reform plans.

LA Unified officials celebrate new arts high school

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:07:18 -0800

Los Angeles Unified officials and elected leaders cut the ribbon Monday on Central L.A. High School #9, the district’s shiny new arts high school.

40 years of lessons on 'Sesame Street'

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:30:26 -0800

As the classic children's television program celebrates its 40th anniversary, the producers of Sesame Street talk about how the show has changed.

Task force to decide on marine protected areas in Point Dume, Palos Verdes, Laguna

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:21:59 -0800

The state's wrapping up a months-long process for selecting marine protected areas along the coast from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. At a meeting near L.A. International Airport Tuesday, a blue ribbon task force will decide which plans to forward to state commissioners.

Digital school library leaves book stacks behind

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:31 -0800

A boarding school in Massachusetts has removed its stacks and book collection to make way for Kindles and a subscription to millions of digital books. Administrators say the changes reflect current student habits; critics say they're rash and don't account for different learning styles.

Critics say LA pot dispensaries too close to schools

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:32:27 -0800

Los Angeles city officials have received complaints that dispensaries have opened up within a few feet of public schools. That would be illegal if the L.A. City Council approves new restrictions to regulate the city’s ballooning number of medical marijuana dispensaries.

Schools emerge as new tactic in gay marriage votes

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:18:57 -0800

In one ad after another, voters in California and Maine were besieged with images of what would supposedly happen if same-sex marriage were legal: Students on a field trip to a lesbian wedding, elementary kids gobbling up books featuring gay couples, kindergartners learning about homosexuality from their teachers.