education writer and former teacher
Writer for LA School Report and high school English teacher; writes about teaching and education policy at her blog, Gatsby in L.A.
PROFILE
Ellie Herman
Guest
FROM Ellie Herman
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Back to School: Class Sizes Some 650,000 students went back to school yesterday in Los Angeles and most of them returned to crowded classrooms. Some classes can have more than 40 kids in them. And that means, of course, less time with the teacher. We look at what that means for education in Los Angeles.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Education Lawsuit Verdict This morning, an L.A. Superior Court judge ruled in favor of students who sued the state to change the way teachers are dismissed. The case, known as Vergara v. California, has been closely watched in education circles. The lawsuit argues that strong teacher job protections have made it all but impossible to get rid of ineffective educators.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Common Core 101 The Common Core State Standards Initiative has stirred up a lot of controversy and confusion as it continues to roll out across the country. It’s supposed to establish nationwide standards for what K-12 students should know at the end of each grade. It also aims to encourage analytical thinking with more writing-based curriculums. But it’s up to states to figure out how to implement it. That’s leaving a lot of teachers and parents scratching their heads.
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.