OCDE Education in the News

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Former Santa Ana elementary after-school instructor pleads guilty to molesting 4 girls

A 25-year-old after-school instructor pleaded guilty Tuesday, Dec. 10, to molesting four girls in Santa Ana. Eddy Bustamante Infante of Santa Ana pleaded guilty to four counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14, according to court records. Infante is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. He had worked as an after-school teacher at Greenville Elementary School beginning in 2015. All of his victims were students under his care.

https://www.ocregister.com/2019/12/10/former-santa-ana-elementary-after-school-instructor-pleads-guilty-to-molesting-4-girls/

SACRAMENTO BEE

Sacramento schools should consider cuts to teacher salaries, state audit suggests

The California state auditor painted a dire picture of Sacramento City Unified School District’s finances in a new report released Tuesday and suggested the district should consider trimming wages and benefits for teachers. The audit stated the district “has failed to proactively address its financial problems” and is close to insolvency. The audit recommended the district adopt a new plan by March 2020 to resolve its fiscal crisis.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article238210649.html

NEW YORK TIMES

Screens in the Classroom: Tool or Temptation?

Smartphones and other devices have long been maligned as distractions in university classrooms. But when employed strategically, many educators find them useful.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/11/education/screens-classroom-tool-temptation.html

EDSOURCE

California parents, preschool teachers learn to teach math through children’s books

A group of California parents and preschool teachers are overcoming their fear of math and discovering new confidence to teach it to young children through an unexpected source: storybooks. A series of activities designed to teach math concepts inspired by children’s books are being piloted in Fresno as part of the California Statewide Early Math Initiative, which aims to improve how preschool teachers and parents teach and talk about math concepts with young children.

https://edsource.org/2019/california-parents-preschool-teachers-learn-to-teach-math-through-childrens-books/620923

Lawsuits seek to end University of California's SAT or ACT test requirement for freshman admission

Saying they seek to protect low-income and minority students’ rightful chances for college admissions, civil rights organizations and the Compton School District followed through with their threat and filed lawsuits Tuesday demanding that the University of California stop requiring that applicants take the SAT or ACT entrance exams for freshman college admission.

https://edsource.org/2019/lawsuits-seek-to-end-university-of-californias-sat-or-act-test-requirement-for-freshman-admission/620921

Education groups renew call for Newsom to put tax for schools to voters in 2020

A coalition of education organizations and school officials on Tuesday called on Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders to place one tax measure on the November 2020 ballot “solely focused on education: quality child care, pre-school, K-12 and higher education.”

https://edsource.org/2019/education-groups-renew-call-for-newsom-to-put-tax-for-schools-to-voters-in-2020/620914

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