Audit finds years-long backlog of investigations into accused teachers [Los Angeles Times, 4/8/11]: The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing took years to begin investigations into a teacher accused of showing pornography to children and another one who allegedly kissed a student, according to a new audit.

Teacher who evades March 15 notice loses appeal [4/7/11]: Michael Sullivan, a second year probationary teacher at Hawthorne High School knew he was about to receive a March 15 non-reelection notice and avoided receiving the written notice by March as required. He was absent from school andwas not at home to receive the certified letter. The Second District Court of Appeal ruled against Sullivan and upheld his non-reelection, even though the school district was one day late in personal delivery of the notice. Read the decision in Sullivan v. Centinela Valley H.S. Dist. (4/7/11).

Incentives or grade-selling? Line blurred in Sacramento-area cases, critics say [Sacramento Bee, 4/7/11]: Schools eager to show their smarts or raise money often give students incentives to do well on tests or participate in fundraisers. Many students can earn T-shirts or toys by raising money.

McRae: New tests for students with disabilities have wider implications [Thoughts on Public Education, 4/6/11]: For the past dozen years, California has been acknowledged as having some of the highest K-12 academic standards in the nation. However, recent changes in our assessment and accountability systems suggest that these standards have been eroded for at least one subgroup of kids in California schools.

OCR "Dear Colleague" Letter Addresses Sexual Harassment in Schools [Title IX blogspot, 4/6/11]: The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights today released a new guidance document geared to help schools, colleges, and universities understand and implement their responsibilities under Title IX to prevent and correct sexual harassment. The “Dear Colleague” letter put particular focus to sexual violence like rape and sexual assault, which are forms of sexual harassment and thus actionable under Title IX. With regards to all manners of sexual harassment, an institution's responsibility under Title IX is to take immediate action to address harassment that it knows or should know about. Read the “Dear Colleague” letter from the OCR:

Singled-out L.A. Unified teacher shares skills with colleagues [Los Angeles Times, 4/3/11]: Miguel Aguilar was cited as among L.A. Unified's most effective in an L.A. Times article on the 'value-added' evaluation method. Since then, many at his Pacoima school have adopted his methods. But budget cuts threaten his job.

California lawmakers fight over bill to teach students about gay people's contributions [Los Angeles Times, 4/2/11]: A measure proposed by state Sen. Mark D. Leno of San Francisco would require new social science textbooks to include 'a study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.'

No Breakdown on Teacher Layoffs [Thoughts on Public Education, 3/31/11]: Parents in Oakland who want to know how many teachers received layoff warnings this month, by school, can find this information in rich detail. Most districts don’t publicize this information, for fear that parents will find out that a system of layoffs based on seniority creates vast disparities, with schools staffed largely by new teachers, which are often in low-income neighborhoods, getting slammed.

Court upholds ruling on improperly fired Chicago teachers [Chicago Tribune, 3/30/11]: A federal judge's ruling that Chicago Public Schools improperly fired nearly 750 tenured teachers last summer was upheld Tuesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The appellate court agreed that the teachers are entitled to a recall procedure and that they should be given a "meaningful opportunity" to show they're qualified for new vacancies. But CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union, which had filed the suit in protest over the termination of teachers protected by union contract, had different interpretations of the ruling. You can also read the School Law Blog posting on this case. Read the 7th Circuit decision.

Baron: California schools move closer to doomsday [Thoughts on Public Education, 3/30/11]: Gov. Jerry Brown called off negotiations Tuesday with Republican lawmakers, aimed at putting the tax extension up for a statewide vote in June, in a move that pretty much crushes any chances of sparing public schools from even deeper cuts for the next school year.

Weingarten for the Union Defense [Wall Street Journal, 3/26/11]: Teachers unions are on the defensive these days. The Obama administration is pushing various measures long opposed by the unions: charter school expansion, pay-for-performance, teacher evaluations and more. States and localities are looking to change collective-bargaining rules and scale back costly, bloated education work forces that have grown even when student enrollment was flat or declining. And Hollywood, in recent documentary films like "Waiting for 'Superman,'" "The Lottery" and "The Cartel," has highlighted how teachers unions block or stifle education reforms to the detriment of the low-income minority kids who populate the nation's worst schools. Read this interview with AFT President Randi Weingarten. Read a Contra Costa Times account of a recent Weingarten speech [Contra Costa Times, 3/29/11]:

'Value-added' teacher evaluations: L.A. Unified tackles a tough formula [Los Angeles Times, 3/28/11]: Los Angeles school district leaders are poised to plunge ahead with their own confidential 'value-added' ratings this spring, saying the approach is far more objective and accurate than any other evaluation tool available, despite its complexity.

High Court to Weigh Bias Exemption for Religious Teachers [School Law Blog, 3/28/11]: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether a private school teacher involved in secular and religious instruction falls under a widely recognized exception to employment-discrimination laws for ministers and other church leaders. The case is Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the 6th Circuit ruling is here.

National debate continues over Bible education in public schools [Inland County Bulletin, 3/26/11]: The debate over the Bible-centered curriculum at Chino Valley Unified School District mirrors a national debate that has divided those who believe a secular study of the influential holy book is constitutional and those who think the offering of such curriculum is religiously motivated.

U.S. education secretary calls for overhaul of No Child Left Behind [Los Angeles Times, 3/23/11]: Arne Duncan, speaking in Los Angeles, urges Congress to rewrite the law to measure how much students improve on standardized tests. He also says L.A. school management and teachers union leaders should negotiate a new contract that bolsters teacher evaluations.

Report: More than 10 percent of California school districts are in financial trouble [Contra Costa Times, 3/22/11]: Nearly 2 million California students attend school in financially troubled districts, according to a report released Monday by state schools Chief Tom Torlakson.

Baron: Worser and worser [Thoughts on Public Education, 3/22/11]: In case anyone needed more evidence that California public schools are in decline, this year’s annual report on learning conditions at California high schools is aptly entitled Free Fall: Educational Opportunities in 2011. Read the report. The LA Times [3/22/11] reports also.

Note pinned to kindergartner's shirt prompts review [California Watch, 3/22/11]: The first time John Sinnott Elementary School sent the note home for the kindergartner's parents to sign, it was not returned. The second time, the note – printed on an 8.5-by-11-inch sheet of pink paper – was pinned to the student's shirt.