‘It Shocks the Conscience’
'It Shocks the Conscience' “Victory for students in California.” That’s how the plaintiffs in Vergara v. California case reacted to the news that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that long-held...
View ArticleFact Check: San Diego Unified’s Bragging Rights on Dropout Rates
Fact Check: San Diego Unified's Bragging Rights on Dropout RatesStatement: “We now rank at or near the top in these categories compared with California’s other large urban districts. San Diego Unified...
View ArticleWhere San Diego’s Fatal Hit-and-Runs Happen
Where San Diego's Fatal Hit-and-Runs HappenIn the last five years, 57 bikers and pedestrians have been killed in San Diego County by drivers who left the scene without stopping to help. The numbers...
View ArticleOne Piece Missing from the Hit-and-Run Puzzle: Prevention
One Piece Missing from the Hit-and-Run Puzzle: PreventionThere are certain details that Rudy Delgado remembers, whether they’re backed up by official reports, which help him cope with the death of his...
View ArticleWhat’s in Cindy Marten’s ‘Bubble Gum and Scotch Tape’ Budget
What's in Cindy Marten's 'Bubble Gum and Scotch Tape' BudgetThis post has been updated. When Superintendent Cindy Marten was handed the keys to San Diego Unified, she inherited some daunting mandates:...
View ArticleMeet Lincoln’s New Leader
Meet Lincoln's New LeaderTwo months after San Diego Unified’s most polarizing principal left her post at Lincoln High School, the school has found its new leader. John Ross, who has served as interim...
View ArticleWhy the School District Isn’t Afraid of 2016
Why the School District Isn't Afraid of 2016More stringent graduation requirements will kick in for San Diego Unified’s class of 2016, and to prepare for the crunch, the district said it has put more...
View ArticleMeet the Man Who Strolled Onto the School Board
Meet the Man Who Strolled Onto the School BoardIf you’re a parent in San Diego Unified, you might not know Mike McQuary. But you probably should. As an incoming school board member, his decisions will...
View ArticleCaught in San Diego Unified’s Crosshairs, a Charter School Lives Up to Its Name
Caught in San Diego Unified's Crosshairs, a Charter School Lives Up to Its NameThat charter school the San Diego Unified school board tried to kill has roared back to life. Thrive Public School was...
View Article4 Rose-Colored Schools Claims vs. Reality
4 Rose-Colored Schools Claims vs. RealityEverything is rosy in San Diego Unified, except when it’s not. Earlier this month, after the school board passed a budget, trustee John Lee Evans thumbed his...
View ArticleEnglish-Learners Could Get Lost in the District’s Teacher Shuffle
English-Learners Could Get Lost in the District's Teacher ShuffleUp against a June 30 budget deadline, Superintendent Cindy Marten made an executive decision to save money by shuffling teachers instead...
View ArticleThe ABCs of English-Learning Students
The ABCs of English-Learning StudentsParents at Hoover High don’t care why the only teacher at the school assigned specifically to help English learners is going away next year. They care about the...
View ArticleMarten to President Obama: Let’s Do This
Marten to President Obama: Let's Do ThisSuperintendent Cindy Marten has a message for President Barack Obama: Let’s do this. On Monday, San Diego Unified became one of 60 urban school districts to...
View ArticleNew La Jolla Agreement Highlights the Best — and Worst — of SD Unified’s...
New La Jolla Agreement Highlights the Best — and Worst — of SD Unified's 'Vision'In many ways, the La Jolla cluster of schools’ new agreement with San Diego Unified represents exactly what the school...
View ArticleA New School of Thought on Discipline
A New School of Thought on DisciplineA report by the Harvard researchers who visited San Diego Unified says it best: The tough-on-crime, zero tolerance policies America used to fight the war on drugs...
View ArticleBehold the Power of an Educated Guess
Behold the Power of an Educated GuessIlan Samson may be the kindest, most patient man you’ll ever hate talking to. He’ll make you do math. Worse yet, he’ll make you defend your answer. Samson invented...
View ArticleIf You Hit Someone With a Car and Drive Away, You’re Probably Not Getting...
If You Hit Someone With a Car and Drive Away, You're Probably Not Getting PunishedSan Diego drivers who kill or injure someone with their car and just keep driving evade punishment almost nine out of...
View ArticleOops: San Diego Unified Might Have Just Unwittingly Validated ‘Vergara’
Oops: San Diego Unified Might Have Just Unwittingly Validated 'Vergara'Seniority-based hiring policies in San Diego Unified mean the poorest schools usually end up with the least experienced teachers....
View ArticleA New Face and Old Battle Lines for Local Schools
A New Face and Old Battle Lines for Local SchoolsYou’d be forgiven for thinking Lindsay Burningham became the new president of the teachers union because she likes a good tussle. Conflict, and pushing...
View ArticleThis Little-Used Parking Lot Is the Epicenter of a Yearlong Political Power...
This Little-Used Parking Lot Is the Epicenter of a Yearlong Political Power StruggleA little-used, city-owned parking lot in Barrio Logan has kicked up a lot of fuss. For more than a year, Family...
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