The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District has hired Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the schools in Miami-Dade, too PPP become superintendent of the Los Angeles. Carvalho has served in Miami as superintendent since 2008. Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to hire him in New York City in 2018, but Carvalho backed out after the appointment was announced.
Alberto Carvalho, who has led Miami-Dade County Public Schools since 2008 and is among the nation’s most experienced and admired school district leaders, has been named the next superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, district officials announced Thursday.
The Board of Education made the announcement after a special, closed meeting. In recent weeks board members have interviewed and deliberated over candidates in a series of closed sessions.
In coming to L.A. Unified, Carvalho, 57, moves from heading the fourth-largest K-12 public school system in the country to the second-largest, taking on one of the highest-profile and most challenging posts in public education…
Born in Portugal, he came to the U.S. at age 17. Carvalho learned English as a young adult and quickly worked his way up from construction and restaurant jobs as he attended Broward Community College. He later won a scholarship to Barry University and enrolled on a premed track. He excelled academically, but took a hard turn in his career path when, in his mid-20s, he interviewed for a teaching position at Miami Jackson Senior High. He was offered a job the same day, a Tampa Bay Times profile reported in 2019.
After four years in the classroom — teaching physics, chemistry and calculus — he became an assistant principal. The superintendent at the time was so impressed that he brought Carvalho to work downtown without his having been a principal. Carvalho oversaw federal programs and later became the district’s chief communications officer. He gained further experience by overseeing grant administration and lobbying state officials.
Under Supt. Rudy Crew, Carvalho launched several initiatives, including a Parent Academy and a School Improvement Zone, focusing on schools with low academic achievement.
After becoming superintendent, Carvalho eventually filled a gap in his resume, serving as a principal. He put himself at the helm of a new campus called iPrep Academy, a pre-kindergarten-to-12th-grade magnet school “designed to promote respect and responsibility among the students and staff,” according to its website. All students are required to take honors classes.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Eli Broad gave him a prize for being a school choice enthusiast. That’s bad. That’s really bad. Board Member Jackie Goldberg is thrilled with his selection, though. That’s good. I guess it could be worse, and I didn’t hear any better options being floated. Okay, this time the selection was made with an online survey of parents and staff instead of no input at all. That’s marginally better, even though the narrowing survey had only charter supportive answers to choose from. This time, the vote was made without a convicted felon on the board who refused to leave until casting a vote, an improvement. Okay. For now.
This is one of those times where the resume looks stellar, but reality differs. As a past teacher for 12yrs in the Miami Dade School District who keeps in touch with present teachers and staff in that District I can tell you that if the Los Angeles parents asked Miami Dade teachers they would receive a negative response to the he performance of the district administration. Teachers are burned out from excessive standardized testing, no input into the curriculum they must teach, lack of classroom support and wage decline. And this was all before the problems brought by the pandemic.
Oh. Dear. As leftcoast would say: that’s bad.
Hey susan, I’m a reporter for LA-based Capital & Main (www.capitalandmain.com) trying to get teacher perspectives on Carvalho. Would love to talk with you for the story. My email is Jacktross95 [at] gmail
His iPrep school and curriculum sounds great (see website excerpts attached below) but it looks like it’s only for the “A track students”, as we were called in my student days 60 years ago. Why is this not also provided for the B and C track students?
THAT would be half of my definition of a great educational leader. Is he not aware that some students have low achievement and attendance because they DON’T have this kind of classroom and curriculum? Even if such students’ achievement and attendance don’t improve, wouldn’t they be better off in such a program?
I believe MOST students would benefit from an interdisciplinary, cross cultural curriculum with access to technology.
MOST students would benefit from a relaxed setting like home or cafe.
MOST student benefit from analytic discussions, lab sciences, and career explorations.
At the middle and high school levels there will always be students who can move faster and go farther and deeper, and I have no objection to tracking if necessary to accommodate this, but don’t limit the others to a desk-bound pencil and paper education.
The other half of my definition of a good leader is one who can eliminate the twice yearly testing madness and reclaim the wasted week of tests twice a year, followed each time by another week of make-ups. That’s a month of interruption each year, PLUS thousands of dollars in costs at each school.
From the iPrep website—
“… Alberto M. Carvalho challenged educators to create a learning environment that closes the cultural and digital divide… a symbol for education innovation…collaboration across disciplines, cultures and economic standing… every child has access to technology.
“This brightly colored school without doors or bells is purposely designed to promote respect and responsibility…Our educators have met the challenge to… embrace innovative … teaching without sacrificing the highest standards or rigor… iPrep has emerged as a leader ….
“At iPrep, students learn in a setting that is more reminiscent of a café or their own homes…. engaged in analytic discussions with educators while sitting on a beanbag or sofa. Although the environment may seem relaxed,…All students are enrolled in honors, Advanced Placement, or Dual Enrollment courses. Additionally…career exploration opportunities…a setting…to fit the teens of today, iPrep Academy… the model of education for the future.
“Admissions Requirements:
**First Grade through 5th Grade:
Minimum 2.0 in academics
Minimum 2.0 in conduct
No more than 10 absences per school year
Effort Grade of 2 or better
**6th Grade Requirements:
Minimum of 2.0 in all core courses (English, Math, Science, History)
No more than 10 absences per school year
**9th Grade Requirements:
Minimum GPA 2.5 Unweighted
Minimum of 2.5 in all core courses (English, Math, Science, History)
Prerequisite Complete BOTH Honors Algebra I AND Honors Physical Science or Honors Biology before starting 9th grade.
No more than 10 absences per school year.”
Pass the trash??
Yes, the TRASH has been passed to another school district. These yahoos recycle themselves to do more harm.