California
Which California school districts are run well?
In abstract
A brand new on-line instrument permits dad and mom and voters to see how nicely their native faculty districts are ready to make the reforms needed to boost tutorial achievement in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is keen on characterizing his state as a nationwide — and even international — mannequin in all issues good, from financial clout to preventing local weather change.
One conspicuous absence on his record of California’s virtues is its public schooling system, for good purpose.
In statewide and nationwide exams of Okay-12 tutorial achievement, California lags badly behind. Studying is particularly poor amongst youngsters from poor households, however even youngsters from prosperous California households are inclined to lag behind these in different states.
To the extent that this instructional disaster receives any consideration within the state Capitol, the dialogue is nearly all the time confined to cash, on the fanciful notion that spending extra will mechanically enhance tutorial attainment.
One purpose cash doesn’t resolve the issue is that the state supplies little or no oversight on how the cash is spent, together with the additional funds that native faculty programs obtain particularly to shut the achievement hole. State schooling officers intervene solely when native programs are flirting with insolvency.
Some faculty districts spend their cash correctly and successfully and a few don’t and outcomes largely hinge on the standard of their governance. These with engaged and dedicated boards and directors are inclined to have higher outcomes than these with inconsistent, politics-driven and sometimes chaotic governance.
That’s why an enormous effort to guage how nicely California’s native faculty programs are structured and managed is welcome.
Arun Ramanathan, CEO of Pivot Studying, an Oakland-based non-profit group that advises faculty programs on enhancing instruction, created a sequence of benchmarks to gauge how nicely faculty districts are ready to embrace reforms. He additionally created a web site that enables the general public to view the outcomes for each faculty district with at the least 2,500 college students.
“Regardless of billions in funding and many years of effort, new reform efforts not often have supposed impacts on the district, faculty and classroom degree, and sustained enchancment is uncommon,” Ramanathan instructed EdSource, a web site of schooling journalism. “There are not often insights into why. The District Readiness Index resulted from that questioning.”
The rankings cowl 5 “domains” – neighborhood relations, finance, management, personnel insurance policies and office circumstances. Customers can see how the districts rating in every, with general rankings designated by colours. Blue is one of the best, yellow is within the center and orange is the worst.
The grading course of resulted in about half of the 420 districts getting yellow grades and about 40% blue marks with roughly two dozen positioned within the orange class, which means they’ve “few foundations” for reaching wanted reforms.
A number of the state’s largest districts are coloured orange, together with Los Angeles Unified, whose enrollment approaches 10% of the state’s 6 million public faculty college students.
It’s not shocking that LA Unified, Oakland Unified, San Francisco Unified and Sacramento Unified acquired low marks as a result of all have been in fixed political turmoil and monetary misery of their very own making.
Three of the massive districts – San Diego Unified, Elk Grove Unified and San Juan Unified – escaped the orange designation and are marked as yellow.
A number of giant districts achieved blue standing for being nicely ready, together with Fresno Unified, Lengthy Seaside Unified and San Bernardino Unified. However many of the blue districts are typically both in prosperous suburbs – no shock there – or in rural areas.
Most curiously, the blue record consists of plenty of districts with giant numbers of poor college students, equivalent to Brawley and Calexico in poverty stricken Imperial County.
The District Readiness Index supplies new ammunition for the college reform motion in California, which seeks to raise college students’ welfare over the petty politics, notably in Los Angeles Unified and different giant districts, that sabotage their educations.
 "Moana 2 movie review: Disney’s sequel is visually breathtaking but fails to recreate the magic of first part")
Democrat Derek Tran ousted Republican Michelle Steel in a southern California House district Wednesday that was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans a stronger voice on Capitol Hill.
Steel said in a statement: “Like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin.” When she captured the seat in 2020, Steel joined Washington state Democrat Marilyn Strickland and California Republican Young Kim as the first Korean American women elected to Congress.
Tran, a lawyer and worker rights advocate and the son of Vietnamese refugees, declared victory earlier this week. He said his win “is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our community. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, I understand firsthand the journey and sacrifices many families in our district have made for a better life.”
The contest is one of the last to be decided this year, with Republicans now holding 220 seats in the House, with Democrats at 214. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in California’s 13th district, where Democrat Adam Gray was leading Republican John Duarte by a couple of hundred votes.
Steel held an early edge after election day, but late-counted ballots pushed Tran over the top.
Steel filed a statement of candidacy on Monday with federal regulators, which would allow her to continue raising funds. It wasn’t immediately clear if she planned to seek a return to Congress.
In the campaign, Tran warned of Republican threats to abortion rights. Steel opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman, while not going so far as to support a federal ban. Tran also warned that Donald Trump’s return to the White House would put democracy at risk.
On Capitol Hill, Steel has been outspoken in resisting tax increases and says she stands strongly with Israel in its war with Hamas. “As our greatest ally in the Middle East, the United States must always stand with Israel,” she said. She advocates for more police funding and has spotlighted her efforts on domestic violence and sexual abuse.
The largest demographic in the district, which is anchored in Orange county, south-east of Los Angeles, is Asian Americans, and it includes the nation’s biggest Vietnamese community. Democrats hold a four-point registration edge.
Incomplete returns showed that Steel was winning in Orange county, the bulk of the district. Tran’s winning margin came from a small slice of the district in Los Angeles county, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Dickies is leaving Cowtown for the California coast, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
The 102-year-old Texas workwear brand, which is owned by VF Corp., is making the move from Fort Worth to Costa Mesa in order to be closer to its sister brand, Vans.
Dickies was founded in Fort Worth in 1922 by E.E. “Colonel” Dickie. Today, Dickies Arena is the entertainment hub of the city and home of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
The company is expected to make the move by May. Approximately 120 employees will be affected, the report said.
By moving one of its offices closer to the other, VF Corp. says it can “consolidate its real estate portfolio,” as well as “create an even more vibrant campus,” Ashley McCormack, director of external communications at VF Corp. said in the report.
Dickies isn’t the only rugged brand owned by VF Corp. The company also has ownership of Timberland, The North Face and JanSport.
VF Corp. acquired Dickies in 2017 for $820 million.
“Their contributions to our city’s culture, economy and identity are immeasurable,” District 9 City Council member Elizabeth Beck, who represents the area of downtown Fort Worth where Dickies headquarters is currently located, said in a statement to the Fort Worth Report. “While we understand their business decision, it is bittersweet to see a company that started right here in Fort Worth take this next step. We are committed to supporting the employees who remain here and will work to honor the lasting imprint Dickies has left on our community.”
Caitlyn Jenner considers another run to become California governor
Caitlyn Jenner, the gold-medal Olympian-turned reality TV personality, is considering another run for Governor of California. This time, she says, if she were to go up against Vice President Kamala Harris, she would “destroy her.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Caitlyn Jenner, the gold-medal Olympian-turned reality TV personality, is considering another run for Governor of California. This time, she says, if she were to go up against Vice President Kamala Harris, she would “destroy her.”
Jenner, who publicly came out as transgender nearly 10 years ago, made a foray into politics when she ran as a Republican during the recall election that attempted to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. Jenner only received one percent of the vote and was not considered a serious candidate.
Jenner posted this week on social media that she’s having conversations with “many people” and hopes to have an announcement soon about whether she will run.
Caitlyn Jenner speaks at the 4th annual Womens March LA: Women Rising at Pershing Square on January 18, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
She has also posted in Trumpian-style all caps: “MAKE CA GREAT AGAIN!”
As for VP Harris, she has not indicated any future plans for when she leaves office. However, a recent poll suggests Harris would have a sizable advantage should she decide to run in 2026. At that point, Newsom cannot run again because of term limits.
If Jenner decides to run and wins, it would mark the nation and state’s first transgender governor.
Big day for Big 12 as West Virginia knocks off Gonzaga, five other teams including Iowa State all win
Jevon Porter scores 29, Loyola Marymount earns 73-70 win over Wyoming
The Life of Pi Network – FAQs and Everything Else You Want To Know
Wall Street Gambit: Where chess meets finance
Navy updates exercise standards for Fitness Enhancement Program
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Appeals court rules Texas has right to build razor wire border wall to deter illegal immigration: 'Huge win'
Vote on new Commission signals EU Parliament instability and ambiguity
Zuckerberg dines with Trump in Mar-a-Lago
Homan taking death threats against him ‘more seriously’ after Trump officials targeted with violent threats
Biden OKs $680m Israel arms sale despite new Gaza ceasefire push: Reports
-
Science1 week agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology1 week agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Health5 days agoHoliday gatherings can lead to stress eating: Try these 5 tips to control it
-
News1 week agoThey disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
Health2 days agoCheekyMD Offers Needle-Free GLP-1s | Woman's World
-
Science2 days agoDespite warnings from bird flu experts, it's business as usual in California dairy country
-
Politics1 week agoSize of slim Republican House majority hangs on 5 uncalled races
-
World1 week agoBangladesh ex-ministers face ‘massacre’ charges, Hasina probe deadline set