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Updated LCAP resources
LACOE's webpage on the Local Control & Accountability Plan and Local Control Funding Formula has been updated with fresh content that reflects recent changes to the plan template and spending regulations.
New resources include an updated eLCAP to assist districts in developing their plans and an overview presentation on changes to the template and spending regulations.
View the webpage here.
Budget workshop online
What does the Governor's proposed state budget for 2015-16 mean for schools?
Find out in LACOE's workshop designed to assist districts with fiscal and policy issues -- viewable as an online webinar here.
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 An official news publication of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, 9300 Imperial Highway, Downey, CA 90242, 562/922-6360.
Arturo Delgado, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Los Angeles County Board of Education:
Katie Braude, Pres. Thomas A. Saenz, Vice Pres. Douglas R. Boyd José Z. Calderón Alex Johnson
Raymond Reisler Rebecca J. Turrentine
Produced by LACOE Communications Dept.:
Frank Kwan, Director
Contributing writers: Kostas Kalaitzidis, Nimfa Rueda
Graphic design: Timothy Cox
PIN# 2015-03-04-1105-NEWS-8 |
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Nine county decathlon teams headed to state contest
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South Pasadena High School dominated the 2015 L.A. County Academic Decathlon and will lead a contingent that also includes eight "wild-card" entrants in the statewide competition in March. The school garnered more than 54,000 points (out of a possible 60,000), passing ahead of second-place Mark Keppel High by more than 4,000 points.
By winning the county competition, South Pasadena automatically advances to the California Academic Decathlon March 19-22 in Sacramento. But because their scores were high enough to qualify as wild-card entrants, Mark Keppel, Beverly Hills, Edgewood, Redondo Beach, West, South, Burbank and Alhambra high schools have also won spots in the state contest.
L.A. County Superintendent of Schools Arturo Delgado announced the results in ceremonies held Feb. 12 at the Quiet Cannon Country Club in Montebello. Nearly 500 students from 55 teams, which included 12 practice squads, participated in the competition that is annually presented by LACOE.
Read the full story here.
Watch a 5-minute video with highlights of the 2015 L.A. County Academic Decathlon here.
Photo: The top-scoring decathlete Elise Matsusaka (c) of South Pasadena High with second-place winner Douglas Wu (r) of Beverly Hills and third-place winner Chaney Tse from Mark Keppel.
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Parent participation is their priority
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 They are two women on a mission. Their task is no small feat: Increase parent engagement in the education of incarcerated and at-risk students in L.A. County. It's among the top three goals contained in LACOE's Local Control and Accountability Plan for Juvenile Court Schools and Alternative Education programs. Sandra Gonzalez is LACOE's parent education specialist heading the effort to increase family participation. "Elements of parent involvement exist, but we need to make it our guiding philosophy," she said. Gonzalez's partner in the initiative is Monica Garcia, a member of the LAUSD Board of Education who handles special projects for the County Probation Department. "School is the solution to recidivism," Garcia said. "Probation is now more open-minded to creating new services that will keep kids from coming back into the system." Read the full story here.
Photo: Monica Garcia (l) of Probation and Sandra Gonzalez of LACOE are committed to increasing parent involvement in the education of incarcerated and at-risk students.
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Literacy celebration kicks off at juvenile hall
| |  Jimmy Santiago Baca was illiterate when he was sentenced to a maximum security prison at age 20 on drug charges.
While imprisoned, he learned to read and write and developed a passion for poetry. He sold his poems to fellow inmates in exchange for cigarettes.
Today, some 40 years later, Baca is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning writer -- and the perfect role model to kick off Read Across America activities at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.
"We want to expose students to the power of words as a way to express themselves instead of using violence," said John Cotton, principal of LACOE's school serving youth detained at Los Padrinos.
More than 100 young offenders detained at the facility hung on Baca's words of advice and encouragement during a Feb. 26 assembly to launch a month of weekly literacy-focused activities.
"You've got hundreds of stories within you worth millions of dollars," Baca said. "Write down your stories. Get involved. The most powerful thing you can do in the world is give back."
This is a first for LACOE's Juvenile Court Schools to participate in Read Across America, a literacy celebration organized by the National Education Association and held on March 2 each year in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.
Los Padrinos was among the stops on March 2 to mark the celebration by NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia and California Teachers Association Vice President Eric Heins.
Photo: Poet Jimmy Santiago Baca speaks to students incarcerated at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on Feb. 26.
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A winning way with words
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 Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem "Queens Cemetery, Setting Sun" clinched the top spot for Aaron Rubanowitz in the 8th Annual L.A. County Poetry Out Loud competition held Feb. 5 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. The Granada Hills Charter High student set the stage by reciting June Jordan's poem "In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr." and won first place, topping 17 other competing students from throughout the county. "We were all mesmerized with the recitations by Aaron Rubanowitz. His interpretation of Ferlinghetti's poem was superb," said organizer Shannon Wilkins, a LACOE curriculum consultant. "He made the words come alive and even used a Brooklyn accent in parts to sound more authentic. I am certain that he will shine at the state-level competition as well." Read the full story here. Photo: LACOE's Shannon Wilkins announces Aaron Rubanowitz's victory in the 8th Annual L.A. County Poetry Out Loud contest. |
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Theatre students tackle challenging drama
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|  "A Patch of Earth" is not a typical high school play.
Written by journalist Kitty Felde, the drama deals with the Bosnian Serb army massacre of Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995 and the trial of confessed war criminal Drazen Erdemovic.
For teaching artist Susie Tanner, whose work often incorporates social and political issues, a production of Felde's play was just the right project to culminate her National Artist Teacher Fellowship grant.
The play's difficult subject manner and mature themes might be more appropriate for a college production. But Tanner's talented students at the L.A. County High School for the Arts were up for the challenge.
Tanner collaborated with LACHSA history teacher John Rodriguez to integrate the production with the social studies curriculum. The play, which ran Jan. 30-31 at LACHSA's Caroline's LOFT theatre, involved professional actors Waleed Zuaiter and Liesel Euler.
Tanner and her work are the subject of a "Teacher Feature" by the Center Theatre Group. Read the feature here.
Photo 1: Student John Lancaster as war criminal Drazen Erdemovic in LACHSA's production of "A Patch of Earth." (Credit: Alejandra Palacios)
Photo 2: Playwright and journalist Kitty Felde (c) and teaching artist Susie Tanner (far right) participate in a "talkback" with cast members and the audience at the play's Jan. 31 matinee performance. (Credit: Dana Wayne)
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Free bus, tickets for LACHSA's 'Carmen High'
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|  Hundreds of students may attend the L.A. County High School for the Arts' award-winning performance of "Carmen High" thanks to the generous support of the Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation.
Free bus transportation and tickets are being made available for the show's matinee performance on Sat., March 14, 2:00 pm, at the Luckman Theatre on the Cal State L.A. campus.
"Carmen High" features the music of George Bizet's famous opera re-imagined in a modern-day high school setting. The opera updates its topics to make them pertinent to teens and addresses topics of bullying, social acceptance, sexuality and prejudice.
The show is performed in English, fully staged and accompanied by LACHSA's symphony orchestra.
Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Send an email to Suzanna Guzman at sguzman@lachsa.net for an order form and more information.
Tickets for the show may be purchased by calling the Luckman Box Office at 323/343-6600.
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A blueprint for transforming arts education
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|  A task force formed by State Superintendent Tom Torlakson is calling for the arts to be reinstated at the core of education for all students in California's public schools.
The task force's recommendations are contained in the recently released report, A Blueprint for Creative Schools.
LACOE curriculum consultant Shannon Wilkins was appointed by Torlakson to serve on the Arts Education Task Force.
"I believe the tides are changing to put arts education back in schools," Wilkins said. "This blueprint shows teachers and administrators how to integrate the arts into a well-rounded school curriculum."
Torlakson charged the task force with providing advice in seven policy areas. Work groups made key recommendations about how to resolve the difficult issues facing the arts in schools while keeping in mind the state's financial realities.
The Task Force was appointed in partnership with a broad coalition of agencies and organizations involved in an arts education reform movement called CREATE (Core Reforms Engaging Arts to Educate) CA.
Get the 30-page summary report here.
Download the complete 118-page report here.
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Campaign aids homeless students
| |  LACOE Student Support Services in collaboration with Feed the Children has provided more than 1,900 backpacks and other school supplies to homeless students throughout L.A. County.
The distribution to representatives of 35 county school districts took place on Feb. 26 at LACOE's Educational Center West in Downey. The action is part of a special community effort sponsored by LACOE's Homeless Program in partnership with Feed the Children, an Oklahoma-based charity provider.
The campaign's goal is to provide impoverished families with a package of supplies to assist children in academics, health and nutrition. School districts around the county have identified more than 57,500 homeless students, an underserved group that often goes unnoticed.
Learn more about legislation affecting homeless students here.
Photo: LACOE employees and volunteers pitched in to distribute books, backpacks and supplies for homeless students in 35 districts.
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| Top teachers in the spotlight | |  The latest edition of LACOE's Schools on Point public affairs show features the two California Teachers of the Year from L.A. County. They sat down with host Superintendent Arturo Delgado to talk about excellence in teaching and how they are preparing students for success in the 21st century.
Maggie Mabery, a science teacher at Manhattan Beach Middle School, and Lovelyn Marquez-Prueher, an English teacher at LAUSD's Dodson Middle School, also discussed how technology, new science standards and Common Core are changing the way they teach.
You can watch the show on LACOE's YouTube channel here. If you subscribe to the channel, you'll get updates when new videos are posted.
And read about LACOE's own Teacher of the Year, Roger Espinosa, a dedicated educator in Juvenile Court Schools. His story is here.
Photo: California Teachers of the Year Maggie Mabery (r) and Lovelyn Marquez-Prueher on LACOE's public affairs show moderated by Communications Director Frank Kwan (l) and hosted by Supt. Arturo Delgado.
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| Roundtable focuses on family engagement | |  Top education experts joined LACOE Supt. Arturo Delgado on Feb. 19 to discuss the importance of family engagement in supporting student success and building great school communities.
The "Take Your Family to School Week" roundtable will be aired on the California Channel and can be viewed here.
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| Local districts win coveted education award | |  Ten innovative programs in nine L.A. County school districts have been honored with the prestigious Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.
They are among 62 school districts and county offices of education from across the state to be honored for their outstanding programs and board governance practices in a range of categories, from accountability to wellness.
Congratulations to the award-winning L.A. County districts: Alhambra USD--Intern Training Academy; Charter Oak USD--Intervention and Teacher Collaboration; Compton USD--Learning Through Literacy; Downey USD--True Lasting Connections Family Resource Center; El Monte Union HSD--Advanced Placement-Onward and Upward; Lynwood USD--Achieving Greatness Initiative/Data Reflection Model; Monrovia USD--Healing Connections; Pomona USD (two awards)--Palomares Academy of Health Sciences and Tots, Teachers and Technology; and Whittier City SD--Reach for the Stars.
Read about all the 2014 Golden Bell Award winners here.
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Model middle schools named;
Green Ribbon nominees announced | |  Four schools in L.A. County are among seven statewide designated as model middle schools in the 2014-15 Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage program.
They are Fedde International Studies Academy (ABC USD), Hawthorne School (Beverly Hills USD), Lakeside Middle School (Little Lake City SD) and Luther Burbank Middle School (LAUSD).
Schools receiving the STW™-TCS designation demonstrate academic excellence, responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, social equity and organizational support.
Learn more here.
Also recently announced are the four California schools and one district nominated to compete in the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools recognition program, which honors schools that excel in energy conservation and environmental education. They include three from L.A. County: El Monte Union HSD, Los Cerritos Elementary (Long Beach USD) and Dorsey High School (LAUSD).
Learn more here.
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| LACOE partner wins leadership award | |  Sandra Gutierrez, founder and national director of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, has been named one of five recipients of the 2015 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. The award recognizes innovative leaders who are advancing solutions to critical issues facing California.
The L.A.-based nonprofit is a partner with LACOE in the area of early childhood education through the Head Start-State Preschool Division. The group helps close the learning gap by preparing low-income Latino parents to be their children's first teachers and advocates.
Watch a 3-minute video here.
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| Abuse reporting training now online | |  A new online tool is available to help school employees receive the annual training they need to identify and report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.
The California Department of Social Services, with input from the California Department of Education, created the online Child Abuse Mandated Reporting Training lessons. It teaches school employees how to identify suspected cases, their obligation to make a report and the appropriate process to follow when making the report.
The self-paced lessons are continuously available at no charge to the public.
View the training site here.
The CDE also has updated its Child Abuse Prevention web page to provide education agencies with resources on training, reporting guidelines and procedures, and other information to create safe environments for children.
View the web page here.
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