OCDE Education in the News

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

LOS ANGELES TIMES

L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King on medical leave through the end of the year

L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King has extended her medical leave until the end of 2017, while she and district officials continue to keep secret any details about why she cannot work. In an email sent Monday afternoon to employees — addressed to "Dear L.A. Unified Family" — King offered no details except to say that she would be away longer than previously disclosed.

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-essential-education-updates-southern-l-a-schools-supt-king-extends-medical-1508945919-htmlstory.html

FRESNO BEE

Billionaire Bill Gates praises a Fresno Unified program to help kids get into college

Famed computer whiz and philanthropist Bill Gates gave a special shout-out to Fresno Unified at the annual Great City Schools conference, held in Cleveland last week. After pledging nearly $2 billion to innovations in education, Gates pointed to a program the district started last year as an example of the direction he wants to see schools take.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education/article180657331.html#storylink=cpy

EDSOURCE

California community college tuition still the lowest nationally; UC above average, study finds.

While California continues to have the lowest community college tuition in the county, the costs for UC rank above the average of other research universities, a new report shows. Listed at $1,430 for a full-time student, the tuition and fees for California’s community colleges are the lowest nationwide in 2017-18, as they have been for years, according to the study by the College Board.

https://edsource.org/2017/california-tuition-still-a-bargain-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-nation-except-for-uc-study-finds/589338

SI&A CABINET REPORT

LEAs can consider more than price in food service contracts

New legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will allow school cafeterias to donate leftover food to charity, resolve conflicts with federal law over food service contracts, and qualify nearly 400,000 more K-12 students for free and reduced-price meals. The measures are among a handful of bills that the governor backed that will take effect on January 1, bringing improvements to students’ access to healthy foods and the efficiency that schools manage nutrition programs.

https://www.cabinetreport.com/politics-education/leas-can-consider-more-than-price-in-food-service-contracts

KPCC

Big Bird and Elmo want to help kids and families process trauma

A third of young children in California have experienced trauma. Elmo and Big Bird want to help. The Sesame Workshop, the educational arm of "Sesame Street," recently released an online set of videos, articles and workshops aimed at helping children cope with sadness and anxiety.

https://www.scpr.org/news/2017/10/23/76852/big-bird-and-elmo-want-to-help-kids-and-families-p/

Ref Rodriguez pleads not guilty as LAUSD board urges him to take a leave

Los Angeles Unified school board member Ref Rodriguez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges stemming from an alleged political money-laundering scheme during his 2015 election campaign and refused calls from his fellow board members to take a leave of absence during the duration of the case.

https://www.scpr.org/news/2017/10/24/76964/lausd-board-members-call-on-ref-rodriguez-to-take/

NPR

'They Can't Just Be Average,' Lifting Students Up Without Lowering The Bar

"They can't just be average." Charles Curtis is talking about the roughly 100 young, black men in the inaugural freshman class at Ron Brown College Prep, a radical new high school in Washington, D.C. Curtis, the school psychologist, puts it simply: "There is no place in the world for an average black person."

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/10/25/559535682/they-cant-just-be-average-lifting-students-up-without-lowering-the-bar

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