Cindy Marten’s Return from Oz
Cindy Marten's Return from OzCindy Marten left her ruby slippers at home Monday night. Last year’s State of the District address was gauzy and idealistic, complete with on-screen rainbows, colorful...
View ArticleBeware the Graduation Requirement End-Arounds
Beware the Graduation Requirement End-AroundsSan Diego Unified wants to move heaven and earth to get its students on track to graduate under strict new course requirements. It’s making some big changes...
View ArticleNicole Tempel Assisi: The Voice for Charter Schools
Nicole Tempel Assisi: The Voice for Charter SchoolsIt was never Nicole Tempel Assisi’s goal to pick a fight with San Diego Unified. But if the district wanted to tussle, Assisi wasn’t about to back...
View ArticleLa Jolla High Football Coaches Point Fingers After Student’s Brain Injury
La Jolla High Football Coaches Point Fingers After Student's Brain InjuryIt’s been more than three months since a 17-year-old football player at La Jolla High School suffered a concussion during a game...
View ArticleFact Check: Lincoln High’s Bad Rap
Fact Check: Lincoln High's Bad RapStatement: “At one San Diego public charter school, assaults on campus involving mostly black and Hispanic students occur almost daily,” wrote Vicki E. Alger, an...
View ArticleDeciphering San Diego Unified’s Mixed Messages on La Jolla Concussion
Deciphering San Diego Unified's Mixed Messages on La Jolla ConcussionAlmost three months after a La Jolla High School student received a serious head injury during a junior varsity football game, San...
View ArticleScott Barnett vs. San Diego Unified Is the Least Surprising Fight Ever
Scott Barnett vs. San Diego Unified Is the Least Surprising Fight EverIt didn’t take long for former trustee Scott Barnett to clash with his old colleagues at San Diego Unified. Just a month after...
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What LJHS Officials Knew About a Devastating Concussion (Hint: a Lot)
Video of La Jolla High School’s junior varsity football game against Point Loma High in October shows a 17-year-old knocking helmets with linemen, play after play. The La Jolla player, who we’re...
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Coach at Center of Notorious ’90s Concussion Case Oversees Concussion Safety...
On Oct. 2, 1992, Escondido High was desperate for a win. In three games the team hadn’t notched a victory. And in the week leading up to the game against San Marcos High, a group of players, frustrated...
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Barnett to San Diego Unified: Apologize or Else
Former trustee Scott Barnett wants to remove the false impression that he is at war with San Diego Unified. To do that, he is demanding an apology from the district and threatening to sue if he doesn’t...
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School Sports Chief: Poor Schools Face Higher Injury Risks
Football is facing a crisis. Science is only beginning to recognize the long-term impacts the game poses to players’ brains. But the risks might be even higher for players at cash-strapped schools,...
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What the Future of Football Might Look Like
Make no mistake, football holds a special place in the public’s heart. Our favorite football teams are part of our identities. Football is part of the fabric that connects tribes. But when we block...
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‘I Was Meant to Be There’
In 2007, Vu Dang crossed paths with Scott Eveland in a North County hospital room. The circumstances that brought them together are the heartbreaking things of on-screen melodrama. It would read like...
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No Money, No Students, No Problem? District Eyes New Mission Valley School
At a time when San Diego Unified is selling off properties to balance the books, it has quietly entered into negotiations to buy a piece of land where it can build a school in Mission Valley – a...
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Introducing The Learning Curve
The education system is shifting underneath us. Common Core has arrived. Tests are changing. Put simply, parents need to understand how schools work so they can help their children get the most of it....
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Schools Get More Time to Adjust to New Tests
If parents want a simple, clear-cut way of seeing how San Diego schools stack up, they’re going to have to wait. The State Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to suspend the state’s API...
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The Learning Curve: A Guide to School Choice and Choosing Schools
Welcome to round one of The Learning Curve! Last week, I asked you to send some questions about how our local schools work. You stepped up. Thank you. We are now friends. I got questions ranging from...
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The Learning Curve: Notes on Music Education
I spend most of my time at VOSD looking into specific tensions or conflicts, then following those threads over time. That can mean zooming in on concussions, school foundations or graduation...
View ArticleCindy Marten’s Return from Oz
Cindy Marten left her ruby slippers at home Monday night. Last year’s State of the District address was gauzy and idealistic, complete with on-screen rainbows, colorful balloons and copious references...
View ArticleBeware the Graduation Requirement End-Arounds
San Diego Unified wants to move heaven and earth to get its students on track to graduate under strict new course requirements. It’s making some big changes toward that goal, like creating an early...
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