Education Headlines

• Inside the Common Core classroom

  The road to Common Core began in December 2008, when a group of school officials, governors and leaders of an education nonprofit named Achieve called for common, internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts. So began the push — stimulated by the $4.35 billion federal Race to the Top grant program — to “prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace.”

  January 26, 2015

• Stockton USD knocks down expulsion rate

  Mirroring a statewide trend that saw a dramatic drop in school expulsion rates, Stockton Unified cut the number of students expelled in 2013-14 by nearly 50 percent from the year before and is on track so far this year to see that number fall by nearly half again.

  January 26, 2015

• San Diego Unified takes on state ed budget

  The biggest comeback story in Sacramento belongs to California schools, which will see more than $6 billion in new funds next year under Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal. But even with that infusion of money, California would still rank among the lowest in the nation when it comes to per-pupil spending. San Diego schools chief Cindy Marten is leading an effort to change that.

  January 26, 2015

• HEMET: School district labor talks enter final stage

  Contract negotiations between the Hemet Unified School District and its teachers will enter the final phase Monday when fact-finding begins. Hemet Unified and its educators have been at odds over salary and class sizes for almost two years and local talks and mediation have failed to lead to a resolution.

  January 26, 2015

• Lottery money provides only small supplement

  California lottery ticket sales have risen above $5 billion for the first time in the state lottery’s 30-year history. That means more money for schools – just not very much more.

  January 26, 2015

• Monterey Peninsula USD teachers low on salary, high in compensation

  Although teachers at the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District earn among the lowest salaries when compared with similar districts, they also get some of the most generous benefits. MPUSD, the largest district on the Monterey Peninsula, also spends more on health care benefits for retirees than other similar districts.

  January 26, 2015