L.A. Times - Education

Volunteers hear a silent call for help

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

They went as temps to work at a Koreatown rehab center for deaf people. When funding dwindled, they stayed on without pay.

None of them know sign language.

Thomas P. O'Malley dies at 79; former president of Loyola Marymount University

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Jesuit priest also was a dean and professor at Boston College.

Thomas P. O'Malley, an engaging and scholarly priest who headed Loyola Marymount University during a period of significant expansion in the 1990s, died in Boston on Wednesday, apparently of a heart attack. He was 79.

Enrollment dips at L.A. Unified

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The loss of students, apparently to charter schools in some cases, is bad news for the district's budget -- with funding based on attendance. It also has resulted in fewer teachers and larger classes.

An apparent exodus of students to charter schools, combined with an overall enrollment decline, is disrupting Los Angeles-area schools and exacerbating an ongoing budget crisis.

Ford Foundation gives $100 million to reform urban high schools

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The New York-based organization pledges the funds to seven cities, including Los Angeles, to research and improve teacher quality, student assessment and school funding, among other things.

The Ford Foundation pledged $100 million Wednesday to "transform" urban high schools in the United States, focusing on seven cities, including Los Angeles.

Obama calls for end of 'firewall' rules that shield teachers

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

In a tough talk on education, the president spells out criteria for winning $4.35 billion in federal grants. He challenges rules that say teachers should not be judged by how their students perform.

Declaring there should be "no excuse for mediocrity" in public schools, President Obama on Wednesday pledged to push for recruitment of better teachers, better pay for those who succeed and dismissal of those who let their students down.

California's higher-education debacle

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Watching the decline of the California State University system from within its boardroom mirrors the erosion of the California dream.

For nearly six years, I have served on the Board of Trustees of the California State University system -- the last two as its chairman. This experience has been more than just professional; it has been a deeply personal one. With my term ending soon, I need to share my concern -- and personal pain -- that California is on the verge of destroying the very system that once made this state great.

No way to secure school funding

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A bill that would attract federal school grants also includes too many disparate ideas to be practical.

If California schools want a piece of $4.2 billion in new federal education grants, they'll have to make some changes. Legislation by state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) and several coauthors would pave the way for those changes, but the bill is so awkwardly constructed at this point, with so many unnecessary and possibly harmful additions, that it doesn't deserve the fast-track passage Romero is seeking.

Stunned Wilson High students grieve for slain classmate

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Friday night's shooting jolts parents who consider campus to be the safest school in Long Beach.

Mourning students at Long Beach's Wilson High School gathered Monday by the pavement where classmate Melody Ross was shot after the homecoming football game. Leaving handwritten notes to Melody and her family, the teenagers lit candles and shed tears as they remembered the bubbly 16-year-old.

Taxes and bonds top local ballots

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Many cities and school districts, hit hard by the recession, will ask voters Tuesday to approve new spending.

Across Southern California, recession-pinched cities and school districts are asking their voters for help in Tuesday's local elections.

A remarkable turnaround at Pasadena's John Muir High School

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The campus that for years was under state monitoring has improved test scores, attendance rates and student participation.

With each click of his mouse, Sam Picture wondered if John Muir High School was a good career move.