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Future Is Now Schools
Founder of Future Is Now Schools; founder and former CEO of Green Dot Public Schools, which operates eight charter schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as two outside the LAUSD
PROFILE
Steve Barr
Guest
FROM Steve Barr
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Making L.A.: Education “Sprawling” might be the word most used to describe Los Angeles. The city has a school system to match. There are more than 900 schools in the L.A. Unified School District and more than 600,000 students. Los Angeles also has more charter schools than any district in the country. Some say that’s bad news—that it’s a threat to the public school system in the long run. Others say they offer a much-needed alternative. Either way, there’s no doubt charters have changed public education here in L.A. On today’s installment of our Making L.A. series : Education. Photo: Clotee Allochuku
Which Way, L.A.?
Following the Money in the LA School Board Race New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to influence public education here in Los Angeles. He's donated a million dollars to the Coalition for School Reform , led by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, which is trying to maintain a reformist majority on the elected school board.
Which Way, L.A.?
Los Angeles Schools Get Their Test Scores Test scores are in for LA Unified , Green Dot charter schools and Mayor Villaraigosa's Partnership for Los Angeles schools. They all show some improvement, but there's no change at all in the gaps between Asians and whites, who score fairly high, and blacks and Latinos, who are far behind.
Which Way, L.A.?
Parents, Teachers Prepare for Another Round of School Cuts The State Senate is about to hold hearings on restructuring government to make it more efficient. In the meantime, service providers and school administrators are “transforming” their operations, to use Governor Schwarzenegger's phrase . That means cutting so deeply that core missions are being compromised. Such budget cuts and teacher lay-offs are leading to hunger strikes and camp-ins at LA Unified schools. Parents have new powers to make tough decisions but no training for a difficult and sensitive job. What’s happening at charter schools? We hear how students, parents and teachers are trying to cope with a changing educational environment.
Which Way, L.A.?
Holes in the LAUSD Budget Threaten 5500 Teachers The LA Unified School District faces a budget shortfall of $718 million. Last night the elected board voted to send layoff notices to 5500 teachers. Can their jobs be saved? What's the possible impact if they can't?
Which Way, L.A.?
Locke High and Green Dot Receive Millions From Gates Foundation The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given Green Dot Charter schools 7.8 million dollars to divide Locke High , with it's three-thousand students, into ten separate institutions. Mayor Villaraigosa will have no direct involvement in the new schools. He’s not even mentioned in the press release from Green Dot and the Foundation . But he showed up for the announcement—his first public appearance in the week since he confirmed his love affair with Telemundo’s Mirthala Salinas . He tried to talk to about education, but reporters only wanted to know about his personal life.
Which Way, L.A.?
Should the LAUSD Have a Lock on Locke High School? The LA Times reports that a majority of the seventy-three tenured teachers at LA’s Locke High School have signed petitions asking that Green Dot Public Schools take over. If the petitions are verified, Green Dot could petition the elected school board for control of the school.
Which Way, L.A.?
Power Politics and the LAUSD David Tokosfsky says he won't run again for the LA School Board . Billionaire Eli Broad has given Green Dot Charter Schools a pile of money. And Green Dot will be part of Mayor Villaraigosa's new education team--if he needs one. On Friday, a court will hear arguments on whether Villaraigosa has any official right to a role in running LA's public schools. The state legislature has given him some authority , but the elected school board says that's unconstitutional . Meantime, the US Secretary of Education's in town to check up on the No Child Left Behind Act , her first stop on a tour of 13 cities. It's a big week for big players in education. What will it mean in the classroom?
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To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.