Topics Pay and Tenure

January 18, 2019

Class-size conundrum at the heart of Los Angeles teachers strike

In most LAUSD middle schools, the largest core classes have 37 kids — and can sometimes be as large as 46.

January 16, 2019

Beyond higher pay and smaller classes, charter debate is undercurrent of teachers strike in Los Angeles

Union leaders at Los Angeles Unified are concerned that the growth of charter schools has come at the expense of dollars for district schools and the teachers working in them.

January 14, 2019

Teachers mobilize in Los Angeles, but pathway out of strike is murky

California's largest school district joins the "Red for Ed" movement that until now has mobilized teachers in mostly Republican states.

January 13, 2019

Oakland Unified looks to higher teacher pay to improve student learning as teachers threaten to strike

Teachers' union has threatened to strike after rejecting the district's offer of a 5 percent salary increase. Both sides must first participate in a fact-finding with a three-member independent panel.

Theresa Harrington

December 21, 2018

Teacher activism nationwide fueling protest movement in California

Teachers throughout the state are organizing as labor negotiations stall and school districts edge closer to strikes.

Diana Lambert

December 13, 2018

What California can learn from universal preschool in other states

Some states have successfully expanded both access and the quality of their preschool programs. Here’s what some early learning advocates and researchers say California could learn from them.

Zaidee Stavely

November 7, 2018

Tuck has thin edge over Thurmond race for California schools chief

High-spending campaign for a job with little power but a big megaphone comes down to wire.

John Fensterwald, Nico Savidge, And Mikhail Zinshteyn

October 29, 2018

California school districts make new investments in teacher evaluation

San Juan Unified is one of the California school districts making investments in its teacher evaluation system. The district adopted a System of Professional Growth in 2016 that focuses on feedback and mentoring of teachers who are being evaluated.

Diana Lambert

October 25, 2018

Jerry Brown awaits his day in court on pension reform

The governor wants California Supreme Court to give public agencies, like school districts, the ability to change pension benefits for current workers in hard times.

John Fensterwald

August 20, 2018

Fewer Californians than residents nationwide favor raising teacher pay

Strikes in low-paying states opened the public's eyes. In California, where teachers are among nation's highest paid – cost of living aside – Education Next's 2018 poll found more support for raising overall funding than teacher pay.

John Fensterwald

July 11, 2018

Battle ramps up to convince California school employees to withhold union fees

Conservative organizations are spearheading a campaign that will involve emails, phone calls, visits to worksites, or even canvasing teachers at their homes.

Louis Freedberg

July 5, 2018

Higher pay, smaller classes, housing perks in San Francisco Bay Area district’s plan to attract teachers

West Contra Costa Unified has also launched a recruiting website and added new teacher training to attract and retain educators.

Theresa Harrington

June 25, 2018

Interactive feature: Teacher pay by experience level in San Francisco Bay Area 2017-18

Compare teacher salaries by experience and pay level for school districts in 6 Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara

Yuxuan Xie

June 24, 2018

Teachers in Oakland among others pushing for pay raises from California districts in fiscal crisis

Inspired by successful strikes in other states, teachers from Southern California to the Bay Area are threatening fall strikes.

Theresa Harrington

April 26, 2018

Teachers need more time to grow professionally before earning tenure

Providing new teachers more time and support to master the diverse skills their jobs call for would reduce staff turnover.