Late last week the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers union (UTLA) reached an agreement on including student test scores in teacher evaluations. The agreement does not include all of the details (UTLA has posted a summary and the full provisions), but it is clear that they will not be using a teacher’s individual value-added score. Instead, they will be using school-level valuContinue Reading »

The 40,000-member United Teachers Los Angeles is not known as a leader in education reform.  In fact, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a former teachers union employee, characterized UTLA leaders as standing as, “one unwavering roadblock to reform.” But reform is brewing within the UTLA.

NewTLA, a progressive caucus within UTLA, currently holds 90 of the 350 elected leadership seaContinue Reading »

Cheryl Sattler on Brad Jupp’s Presentation at the National Title I Association’s Annual Meeting: “He impressed everyone with his ‘roll-up-your-sleeves’ demeanor and passion about revising teacher evaluation without demonizing the profession. He compared the effort to figure out a new form of teacher evaluation to the struggle to break the sound barrier.” (Continue Reading »