By David Rattray, David Gordon, Bruce Fuller, Special to CalMatters

This Op-Ed was originally published as Guest Commentary in CalMatters on February 26, 2020

Sonia Campos Rivera, VP of Public Policy and Public Affairs, responds to governor's budget proposal

Congratulations to Juana Hernandez as she is honored for her work leading higher education initiatives through the L.A. Compact

UNITE-LA unveils "We Choose ALL" book

L.A. Youth at Work joins Mayor Garcetti as he kicks off this summer's HIRE LA's Youth Program

On January 26, 2017, a DACA/CA Dream Act training for school counselors and college access providers at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was hosted in partnership with the Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN), LAUSD, and the California Community Foundation.

UNITE-LA congratulates our President, David Rattray, on being named a Linked Learning Alliance 2017 Champion Award winner.

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.  

State Board of Education Approves New Groundbreaking School Accountability System

By David Rattray

A recent editorial gave a critical review of the upcoming changes to the Los Angeles public school accountability system. I believe it is an unfair look at a very promising tool.

Instead of a single score number under the old system, the new model will use a variety of measures that rate overall school and district performance. Imagine your car’s dashboard – a clear indicator of all items that will make your car run smoothly and safely. Likewise, this dashboard for schools will allow individuals to see the complete picture of a school and make determinations based on what matters to them. 

UNITE-LA Applauds State & Local Assessment Scores Progress

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson, LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King and LAUSD School Board President Steve Zimmer for released the 2016 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, sharing gains in English literacy and math were made when compared to the previous year, but there is still much work to be done.

“We believe the test scores announced today are evidence that we are on the right course to build a strong workforce, but clearly more work is needed. As the leading business organization for the Los Angeles region, we know this future workforce must close the skills gap and keep up with the needs of our area’s employers,” said David Rattray, president, UNITE-LA & executive vice president, Education & Workforce Development, L.A. Area Chamber. “We also know that without an educated workforce, our economy suffers directly, and it is not just here in California – but in the U.S. and in the world. Our global competitiveness is tied to the preparedness of our workforce.”