Synopsis of ‘The George McKenna Story’: He risked it all to make the grade
Football players help Principal McKenna paint over graffiti in “The George McKenna Story.” The tag line of the film “The George McKenna Story” (also known as “Hard Lessons”) is a punny George...
View ArticleA movie, a principal and a turnaround school: 30 years since ‘The George...
George McKenna doesn’t talk about it much, but Denzel Washington played him in a TV movie called “The George McKenna Story.” Fellow LA Unified school board members may occasionally rib him about it,...
View ArticleMore money sought for after-school programs
LA Unified School Board members Scott Schmerelson and George McKenna join City Council members in calling for increased funding for after-school programs. (credit: CA3) Members of the LA Unified School...
View ArticleA view from inside LAUSD’s board: Teaching moments from George McKenna and...
George McKenna is often considered one of the more curmudgeonly characters on the LA Unified school board (although he has some competition). As vice president of the board and the senior member of the...
View ArticleA recipe for teaching from LAUSD board member George McKenna, who’s been at...
Principal Aresa Allen-Rochester, Superintendent Michelle King and George McKenna at a January visit to Windsor Hills Elementary Math/Science Aerospace Magnet. George McKenna is going into his 55th year...
View ArticleRenowned educator warns that LA Unified’s future is ‘dire’
Pedro Noguera presents his recommendations to LA Unified board members and superintendent. Internationally renowned education expert Pedro Noguera warned members of the LA Unified school board and...
View ArticleDistrict puts renewed emphasis on required ethnic studies courses
Nolan Cabrera of the University of Arizona. Anti-immigrant rhetoric going on in presidential politics and a potential state law have added a renewed emphasis on developing required ethnic studies...
View ArticleThese 20 LAUSD schools are among the state’s lowest performers
A total of 20 schools—14 district schools and six charter schools—that fall under the LA Unified umbrella are among the bottom 5 percent of low-performing schools in the state of California. The...
View Article‘The data is miserable’: LAUSD board members rake academic officer over the...
“We have a crisis with our youngsters,” board member Richard Vladovic told the district’s chief academic officer. LA Unified’s chief academic officer came before board members Tuesday with an...
View ArticleStrategic plan lacks clear mission, so board agrees to champion ‘100 percent...
School board members and facilitator Jeff Nelsen (far right) at USC’s Caruso Catholic Center for a special committee meeting. LA Unified’s three-year strategic plan lacks a clear mission statement....
View ArticleSchool board concedes they don’t have much to do with what goes on in the LA...
Monica Ratliff places a sticker on a list to identify dysfunctional school board characteristics. Some school board decisions get ignored, all board meetings are too long and most decisions have...
View ArticleLAUSD officials in Sacramento to talk trans-k, adult ed and budget
LA Unified officials are in Sacramento today lobbying for adult education and transitional kindergarten programs. Oh yeah, and the budget, too. Among those joining in on the road trip are Chief Deputy...
View ArticleZimmer names McKenna, Ratliff, Vladovic as LA Unified reps
After Steve Zimmer was elected unanimously last week as the LA Unified board president, one of his first orders of business was appointing a Vice President and finding members to represent the district...
View ArticleStudents face LAUSD board, demanding end to military weapons
The LA Unified board endured a long and unusual protest last night as about 50 students demanded specific actions to get military-style weapons out of the hands of district school police. The...
View ArticleLA Unified board nitpicks survey for superintendent search
Hank Gmitro of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Even before the superintendent search team passes out the first public survey, members of the LA Unified school board yesterday raised questions...
View ArticleLAUSD panel unsure why girls score better than boys on English tests
One of the most interesting and surprising results of LAUSD student test scores this year was that across the board, girls outscored boys in English Language Arts. It didn’t matter if they were in...
View ArticleLAUSD asking public to rate qualities necessary in next superintendent
The whole world can now prioritize the characteristics necessary for LA Unified’s next superintendent through an online survey the district released last night. The question is — as some school board...
View ArticleLAUSD board member websites range from active to somnambulent
Months after LA School Report found confusion, dated information or simply no information on the websites of LA Unified board members, a number of them still appear to be squandering them as their most...
View ArticleAfter passionate debate, LAUSD goes on record: ‘No’ to Broad plan
Scott Schmerelson The LA Unified board today put itself on record as opposing a proposal that originated with the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to expand the number of charter schools in the district...
View ArticleYou can graduate, but LAUSD doesn’t want to settle for D grades
Although LA Unified stands to potentially have its highest graduation rate ever this year, the district doesn’t want students to settle for D grades. In fact, the percentage of students maintaining a C...
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