Editorial by Eric Hall, President and Founder of EH&A EH&A along with the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) has worked tirelessly over the years to convince legislators of the need for new school construction as well as modernization of existing facilities. Californians previously voted on a school facilities bond measure in 2016, which passed…
Monthly Archives: November 2019
EducationSuperHighway declares connectivity gap mission accomplished
November 10, 2019
In its 2019 State of the States report, EducationSuperHighway declares mission accomplished on closing the connectivity gap, with 99{310f4324ad65b0a2030a48dd153b38f905c81f5512720fdadc65be8f0797b958} of the nation’s schools now having affordable and reliable broadband connections at a minimum speed of 100 kbps and with a “clear path” to scaling bandwidth for future needs. Despite the “mission accomplished” declaration, administrators and…
How an instructional tech director helped rewrite LAUSD’s narrative
November 10, 2019
Stepping into the role after a troubled iPad rollout, Sophia Mendoza has successfully restructured classroom tech initiatives in the nation’s second-largest district. When one of the country’s most ambitious classroom technology rollouts culminated in an FBI investigation that branded Los Angeles Unified School District home of a major “IT scandal” in 2013, Mendoza entered the…
The growing perils of using undocumented workers
November 10, 2019
The U.S. construction industry, like agriculture and manufacturing, has a reputation for relying on undocumented workers. That’s mostly because legal workers simply aren’t available, and cost much more to employ when they are. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is tasked with ensuring that employers maintain complete I-9 records, and the agency conducts audits throughout…
A former Rockford, Illinois, elementary school employee was unable to prevail on his race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the Rockford Board of Education because he could not prove that he was meeting the Board’s legitimate job expectations or that his past complaints caused his discharge. Roy Ford, a parent and community engagement specialist, was…
When most people think of fraud, things like email viruses, phone scams, and stolen credit card information come to mind. While most businesses have implemented safeguards to prevent and detect these external threats, many business owners overlook the potential for occupational fraud — that is, fraud committed internally. According to a 2018 global study by…
The cybersecurity threats that keep K–12 CIOs up at night
November 10, 2019
From phishing to ransomware, K–12 IT leaders have plenty to worry about. Ransomware, phishing and distributed denial of service attacks tend to be the main assaults perpetrated by outside hackers. But students also may contribute to the problem. Luckily, there are just as many solutions that can help. Click here for the full article…
High-tech surveillance comes at high cost to students. Is it worth it?
November 10, 2019
Advocates of increased school surveillance often say that even if a few inaccuracies arise, ultimately the benefits of increased safety outweigh the costs. But whose safety are we actually talking about? When schools introduce these technologies, they open the door to labeling students’ normal thoughts, words and movements as dangerous—and potentially involving law enforcement. A…
Broken retaining wall threatens high school track season
November 10, 2019
A massive retaining wall inside the Point Loma High School stadium has broken away from the hillside it is holding back. The wall, approximately 20 feet high and over 100 feet in length, was built in 1960, according to Kelly Lowry, PLHS vice-principal, whose responsibilities include the physical structures on campus. School district personnel have…
With marching orders from the Legislature to create a parent-friendly document, the California Department of Education is in the final throes of designing another version — its fourth in 6 years — of the form that districts must use to explain how they’ll use funding from the Local Control Funding Formula (LCAP). The formula covers…