LIFO
I’m a Teacher of the Year and I Got Laid Off Because of Budget Cuts
I got my letter last week. My principal met me at my door. I knew it was coming. Still, it hurt. The formality of “terminate…
Los Angeles Is Losing Good Teachers Because of This Policy
Teachers unions often argue that the “last in, first out (LIFO)” policy is the only fair way to lay off teachers. Reformers say that LIFO…
Coffee Break: Morgan Polikoff on Why Education Is So Complicated and How to Write a Good Tweet
Morgan Polikoff is an associate professor of education, specializing in K-12 policy, at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. He is one…
Failure Is a Part of Success: The Gates Foundation Should Be Praised for Owning Up
A recent Los Angeles Times editorial suggested that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been characterized by hubris. It has hedged big bets, hoping…
After Vergara, We Still Need to Do Right by Our Latino Children
Editor’s note: Readers should consider two recent developments related to the Vergara case referenced by the author. On May 24, the former students who originally challenged teacher…
Coffee Break: L.A. School Board Candidate on Downward Dogs, Underdogs and Finding His ‘Happy Place’
Nick Melvoin is an ed reformer running to represent District 4 on the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board. He is a former LAUSD…
Are Black and Latino Students Stuck With Low-Performing Teachers? Vergara Might Give Us an Answer
I used to teach in a Los Angeles Unified school, so the Vergara court case about teacher tenure is not just an abstract legal decision…
Why I Testified in Vergara, and Why It Still Matters
I distinctly remember the day I stepped into the courtroom for the very first time. My story made headlines throughout the country—the day a Los…
What About Due Process for Children?
Students Matter has launched a new feature at its website, 'Voices of Vergara', where you can hear parents, teachers, school leaders, school board members, and community members from all over Califoria reflect on what the Vergara case really means to them and the people in their lives. "Vergara vs. California is built on the simple and undeniable premise that every child — regardless of background — deserves a quality education." …
These Two Court Decisions Show Just How Far Behind We Are on Education
School districts, despite their track record of not educating tens of millions of students, are still the only protected mechanism for delivering public education. And…
