Mayor Garcetti, LAUSD & LACCD collaborate to send graduating high school seniors joint L.A. College Promise Welcome Letter

As graduation approaches, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) graduating high school seniors are receiving a sweet surprise in their mailboxes this week. 

LAUSD Graduation Surges Despite Increased Requirements

In 2016, LAUSD achieved its largest one-year increase in high school graduation - five percentage points - to 77%.  (See Figure 1 below)

LAUSD and UTLA leadership enter into a bold partnership

1 Free year of Community College Promised to LAUSD Graduates

The L.A. College Promise officially kicked-off with a public celebration at Los Angeles City College on September 14, 2016 that featured Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States and Honorary Chair of President Obama’s national College Promise Campaign who stresses that the L.A. College Promise is not a “one-way street.”  She spoke directly to students in the audience and explained that if they benefit from the L.A. College Promise, they must also give back to their communities once they graduate.  

By Charles Taylor Kerchner on September 15, 2016

excerpted below with link to full article

What I call Learning 2.0...is about building a learning infrastructure that is available to every student, public or private, charter or district, extending the schoolhouse into the community and into the home.

Los Angeles K-12 and higher education leaders plan for collaboration around the L.A. College Promise and other joint college access priorities

On July 21, senior leaders from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) came together at the LAUSD-LACCD Executive Roundtable to discuss the L.A. College Promise and other shared priorities related to expanding college access for L.A. youth. Announced by Mayor Eric Garcetti in April during his annual State of the City address, the L.A. College Promise(Promise) is a landmark initiative that will provide one year of free community college tuition to LAUSD high school graduates who enroll at LACCD campuses, beginning with the Class of 2017. The Mayor’s Office has since established a committee of government, school district, community college, business, and philanthropic leaders to help develop and oversee the initiative.

Reducing kindergarten chronic absence can help solve LAUSD's money problems

A recent article from LA School Report highlights that chronic absence costs the District $139 million annually.  Debra Duardo, Executive Director of Student Health and Human Services says, “Attendance is our strongest revenue generator–90 percent of the money generated in this district is based on the students coming to the school every single day.” 

We commend the LAUSD board of education on the collaborative spirit of the Superintendent selection process and we are delighted with its result.

“The board conducted a thoughtful and exhaustive nationwide search, and we are confident that the selection of Michelle King represents their best judgment. She possesses the experience, talent and dedication needed to lead this district. We look forward to collaborating with King as we strive to ensure all students graduate from high school college-and-career-ready,” said David Rattray, president of UNITE-LA, which convenes the L.A. Compact.

Streamlined transfer pathway guarantees admission to California State University

Full article

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Associate Degree for Transfer program, a joint venture between the California Community Colleges and the California State Universities (CSU) systems, is showing rapid and marked success as it continues to grow. The number of degrees awarded through the program in 2014-2015 is nearly double the number of degrees awarded the year before.