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| Sunday, June 28, 2008 ConGraduations Class of 08 |  | | | In This Issue: | | • | Ad Hoc Governance - LATimes: L.A. SCHOOLS CHIEF WANTS PRINCIPALS TO HAVE MORE AUTHORITY + Galatzan: IT'S ABOUT THE $ | | | • | ‘SMALL SCHOOLS II’ IS BIG NEWS FOR LAUSD: INITIATIVE WOULD LIMIT SCHOOL SIZES TO 500 STUDENTS | | | • | The Stars: SCIENTOLOGY IS FOCUS OF FLAP OVER WILL SMITH'S NEW SCHOOL + DE LA HOYA PRESENTS CHECK TO GREEN DOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS | | | • | LOS ANGELES BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES 2008-09 PROVISIONAL SCHOOL BUDGET | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | On Thursday morning I attended the graduation of John Marshall High School's Class of 2008. My daughter was among the graduates and it was a truly wonderful day; wonderful for her and her family and for the 840 or so graduates and families of JMHS Class of '08, wonderful for all the schools and all the gradates; wonderful for the school district and public education. This is what it’s all about.
The theme and the metaphor – repeated endlessly by the speakers until sneaking it in brought first a groan and then a laugh was: "Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will land amongst the stars". As graduation imagery it is as good as any; it fit exquisitely into a program that included a decidedly Vegas piano bar version of "The Wind Beneath My Wings" – complete with a giddy impromptu wave of blue robed graduates. For brief shining moments we stand on the mountaintop and see Camelot; we stand with Moses and Dr. King and see the Promised Land. The metaphor that played out at the Greek Theater on Thursday morning played out at graduations throughout LAUSD; it plays everyday in classrooms throughout LA.
I have been and will continue a critic of LAUSD …but I have never faulted the countless educators, administrators and staff who day-in-and day-out support the educational mission of this district. My daughter has received an unparalleled education at the LAUSD schools she attended, her wings and talent and skills have been lifted time and time again by teachers, administrators, school, local district and central district staff, consultants and bureaucrats. She was shown the best and she took it; she takes the tools she has been given with her into a future filled with promise. We parents agitate for better and cannot and will not settle for good enough; Excellence is the desired outcome — for the most part the unsung heroes have listened and agreed.
Do we have a way to go? Yes. But onward we will and must proceed, relentlessly.
Thank you - and bless you all —smf
Ad Hoc Governance - LATimes: L.A. SCHOOLS CHIEF WANTS PRINCIPALS TO HAVE MORE AUTHORITY + Galatzan: IT'S ABOUT THE $
►L.A. SCHOOLS CHIEF WANTS PRINCIPALS TO HAVE MORE AUTHORITY
by Howard Blume | LA Times Staff Writer
L. A. schools Supt. David L. Brewer said this week he would "kick some ass" to improve schools if the school board would give him political cover, which would include standing up to employee unions who might resist reforms.
The comment came at a public but hard-to-reach meeting Thursday on the 24th floor of school district headquarters. The meeting's topic was the governance of the school district, and the discussion gravitated toward giving school principals real power over their budget -- along with demanding real accountability for results.
The room happened to be weighted with administrators -- even a representative from the League of Women Voters was a retired principal. There was broad agreement on a need to decentralize the district.
UCLA Professor William Ouchi offered the New York City schools as an example of progress through focusing on principals. These unchained administrators have used their new authority to reduce the number of students each teacher must handle per day, he said, because that tactic raises student achievement.
The strategy would be impeded in Los Angeles, because of union work rules and because the district bureaucracy largely controls how schools are staffed, Ouchi and others said.
Brewer, a retired admiral, echoed the strong leader theory as something that worked in the Navy.
"The captain of a ship is a god," he said. "I want the principals to be captains of their ships....Then I found out about all the union issues," which, he added, revolve around wrong priorities.
"There are so many things that protect adults in this system that have to change," Brewer said, adding, "Give me political cover to kick some ass and make some changes."
Later in the meeting, Brewer directly addressed the three board members in the room: Tamar Galatzan (who convened the meeting), Marlene Canter and longtime teachers union ally Julie Korenstein: "Tamar, Julie and Marlene: Give me the political cover and we're going to go there."
The role of Brewer has come under scrutiny in the wake of his hiring of longtime superintendent Ramon C. Cortines to work directly under him. Many district insiders and civic leaders have praised the hire, but some have also questioned whether Brewer (with his high salary) is actually needed at all.
The board members did not respond directly to Brewer's comments, although Canter said that union issues consume "so much of our time, with so little results on either side." She added: "Children don't have a union."
There was no representative from the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, although one had been invited. Contacted later, UTLA vice president Joshua Pechthalt said that authority at a school should be shared among teachers, parents, administrators, and even students, when they are old enough.
"I find it incredibly ironic for an educational institution that puts front and center the idea of educating children to be active participants in a democratic society, then when it comes to actually creating that democratic notion the leadership of the district says, no, we don't mean here," Pechthalt said. "This idea that you need an ultimate decision-maker, because he or she has great insight, is not borne out by reality."
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►GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE OFF TO FAST START
Galatzan Gazette #42 - June 27, 2008
"Governance is one of those words than make even wonks get sleepy," says freshman School Boardmember Tamar Galatzan in this weeks edition of her e-mail newsletter.
She continues: "Yet as I discovered this week, an ad hoc committee that I chair on School Governance can be anything buy dull. For two hours some of the best minds and prominent stakeholders in Los Angeles public education offered ideas, suggestions and cautionary tales on the subject of how to make this district run better. They referenced previous commissions, studies and panels convened fr precisely this purpose, and suggested ways that this latest effort could succeed.
"I made it clear that I don't want another report to sit on a shelf - I want to tackle core issues and change the way this District delivers education to students. My colleague Marlene Canter, who was involved in previous attempts at governance reform, said she was pleased that this group appears to be "less politicized" than those in the past.
"From this first meeting it became clear to me and others in the room that the distribution of money - and by extension recourses - is probably the single most important issue that the committee will consider over the next several months.
"Who gets the money, and more important, who gets to spend the money, has a direct impact on the education of LAUSD's 700,000 students.
"Accountability which was another theme of the meeting, is meaningless without being able to influence a budget., adopt a curriculum, or make a personnel decsison.
"This Committee will conduct its business out in the open, and I would encourage you to to contact my office with any suggestions on how to improve operations at LAUSD. -Tamar"
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▲smf notes: • I'm a wonk, 'Governance' is a word that wakes me right up! …but 'It's about money, and who gets to spend the money, and accountability.' Really? Imagine that! • One can find little to argue with in Superintendent Brewer's comments; he's a sailor - with the sea you get the salt. • Dr. Ouchi spoke glowingly of the governance successes in Chicago in New York. Parents in both cities beg to differ.
If you look on the LAUSD School Board Committees Schedule, the Online District Master Calendar - or search LAUSD.net for "Ad Hoc Governance Committee" you will find no note of this committee or notice, agenda or minutes of the meeting referenced above - which took place "in the open" at 10AM on Thursday June 26 the room 24-163 of the 24th floor at LAUSD Beaudry.
The last LAUSD Ad Hoc Governance Committee evolved into the President's Joint Committee on LAUSD Governance - which cogitated and met over a one year period and made recommendations that were largely ignored as "politics by other means" transpired in other directions in the form of the unconstitutional AB 1381 mayoral takeover.
‘SMALL SCHOOLS II’ IS BIG NEWS FOR LAUSD: INITIATIVE WOULD LIMIT SCHOOL SIZES TO 500 STUDENTS
by Karl Zynda - Eastern Group Publications Staff Writer
June 27, 2008 - An initiative to reduce all school sizes in the Los Angeles Unified School District was passed by the LAUSD Board of Education by a vote of 6-1 Tuesday evening.
“Small Schools II” calls for all new school construction to be of schools with a student capacity of 500 students or less. Plans for larger schools that are ready to be built would be altered when possible. Existing large campuses, such as high schools with thousands of students, would be divided into smaller schools. The smaller schools would give special emphasis to subjects, such as sciences or the arts. A complete list of college preparatory classes would be offered at all schools.
Implementation of the plan will first focus on the district’s 34 high-priority middle and high schools, beginning no later than 2010. High-priority schools have been previously defined in LAUSD documents as a school where 42 to 75 percent of the students had scores Far Below and Below Basic on the California Standards Tests in the 2006-07 school year.
The resolution does not intend for every LAUSD school to become a small school. Schools that choose to become small schools would be permitted to do so during the initial implementation period.
The initiative, which was introduced June 10, was authored by Board Vice President Yolie Flores Aguilar and co-sponsored by Board President Monica Garcia and Board Member Dr. Richard Vladovic. It is the second attempt to pass a small schools initiative. The first attempt, in July 2007, failed due to vagueness as to how it would have been implemented, Aguilar said. She said the new version is “bolder, and more thoughtful, as to implementation.”
Aguilar said that the time for LAUSD to create smaller schools has come to pass.
“I’m impatient. There’s enough evidence now,” she said, referring to small school system implementations in New York City, Denver, Colo., Austin, Tex., Oakland, and San Diego. “The results are overwhelmingly great.”
Research cited in the initiative indicates that small schools are safer, have better attendance and lower dropout rates, retain more teachers, and show improved academic performance, particularly for students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
Flores Aguilar said that the number-one issue parents raised with her during her campaign for school board was school size.
“I think parents look for a different environment where parents can be engaged, participative, and be part of their children’s education,” Flores Aguilar said.
A proposed bond measure of over $3 billion, with $200 million allocated for small school construction and remodeling, will be on the board’s agenda July 22, Flores Aguilar said. The remainder of the bond issue will be for school maintenance and upgrades.
“There will be up-front costs, but small schools decrease the dropout rate,” Flores Aguilar said. “This will bring in state revenue, because it’s based on per-pupil attendance.”
Aguilar and other board members went on a field trip to San Diego to observe large schools that were redesigned into small schools. They studied their structure and systems and talked to students at the schools. She concluded that the schools were economic in the long run.
“You aren’t tearing everything down, starting from scratch, and building new buildings, ” Flores Aguilar said. “You’re remodeling the schools you already have.
If the Board of Education approves the initiative, then the LAUSD superintendent will have several months to prepare reports about how the small schools will be implemented.
The Stars: SCIENTOLOGY IS FOCUS OF FLAP OVER WILL SMITH'S NEW SCHOOL + DE LA HOYA PRESENTS CHECK TO GREEN DOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
►SCIENTOLOGY IS FOCUS OF FLAP OVER WILL SMITH'S NEW SCHOOL: Some teachers at New Village Academy in Calabasas are church members, and instructional methods developed by the religion's founder will be used. But an official says the religion will not be taught.
by Carla Rivera | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 29, 2008 - In Los Angeles' rarefied world of private schools, where tuitions are high, academics are tough and educational philosophy is taken seriously, the newest member of the tribe is getting the kind of breathless attention reserved for a music or film star.
That may be because the founders of New Village Academy are themselves such stars: Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Entertainers have long flocked to private schools on the Westside and in the San Fernando Valley, where campuses are comparatively small, offer a discreet environment and are close to studios.
The Smiths, however, will be among the few celebrities -- Oprah Winfrey, Andre Agassi and Tiger Woods among them -- to establish their own school or program.
It is one of several initiatives by the couple, including a new foundation that will give grants to young people in the arts and education. About 80% of New Village students will receive financial assistance in the fall.
But the school's Sept. 3 opening, on the leased campus of a former school in Calabasas, will be accompanied by a whiff of controversy. Some of its teachers are members of the Church of Scientology, and it will use teaching methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
That has provoked a slew of headlines: On FOXNews.com, "Will Smith Funds Private Scientology School"; from Britain's The Guardian, "Will Smith funds school teaching Scientology creator's study method"; and on the religion blog of the Dallas Morning News, "Is Will Smith school a front for Scientology?"
Both Smiths have said they are not Scientologists.
In a statement, Will Smith said of the school: "About 10 years ago, Jada and I started dreaming about the possibility of creating an ideal educational environment, where children could feel happy, positive and excited about learning. . . .
"New Village Academy was born of a simple question, 'Is it possible to create an educational environment in which children have fun learning?' Jada and I believe the answer is 'Yes.' "
New Village Academy began about three years ago as a home school for the Smiths' youngest children -- Jaden, 9 and Willow, 7 -- and those of several other families. After an extensive search, Jacqueline Olivier, previously an administrator at private schools in Santa Monica and La Jolla, was hired to head the school.
Since joining the school a year ago, she has been responsible for hiring staff and preparing for the opening of the new campus.
Olivier responded to written questions about the school submitted through Will Smith's publicist. She said some staff members are Scientologists and others are Muslim, Christian or Jewish. The school has no religious affiliation, she said.
"We are a secular school and just like all nonreligious independent schools, faculty and staff do not promote their own religions at school or pass on the beliefs of their particular faith to children," Olivier said.
One teaching method the school uses is study technology, which was developed by Hubbard and focuses on students gaining hands-on experience, mastering subject matter before moving to the next level, and being taught not to read past words they don't understand.
"People tend to think study technology is a subject, but it is really just the way the subject is taught," Olivier said. "They then come to the conclusion that we are teaching Scientology when actually a methodology doesn't have anything to do with content."
The school, she said, will use many philosophies, including Montessori, Bruner and Gardner. Olivier said the Smiths would pay nearly $900,000 to lease the Indian Hills High School campus in the Las Virgenes Unified School District for three years. Fall enrollment is expected to be about 40 students and will eventually rise to about 100, she said. The school will include pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, with a top annual tuition of $12,500.
The school's executive director is Jana Babatunde-Bey, who worked as general manager of Smith's Overbrook Entertainment and is currently director of philanthropy and vice president of the Smith Holdings Group, according to the school's website.
New Village plans to have nonprofit status, as well as accreditation from the California Assn. of Independent Schools, which demands strict accountability and an on-site visit by a team of educators.
The success of a new school is not guaranteed, noted association Executive Director Jim McManus. Many fail after a few years, and it remains to be seen how the Smith cachet will affect enrollment.
Olivier is a respected educator, McManus said. "I think she's really energetic, hardworking and in tune with evolving research and responsible trends in education," he said.
The New Village curriculum includes literacy and math, and subjects such as living skills, Spanish, karate, yoga, robotics, technology, etiquette and art. Parental involvement is encouraged, as is limited access to television and sugary foods.
But critics contend that the school is not being honest about its links to Scientology. David S. Touretzky, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, created a website that dissects study technology and asserts that it is Scientology religion disguised as education.
Touretzky said many phrases and concepts on the school's website are specific to Scientology. For example, the school lists a "Director of Qualifications" and another teacher who is an assistant in the "Qual" department. The "Qual," said Touretzky, is where people who have completed a Scientology counseling, or "auditing," session or a course in the Church of Scientology are tested by a qualifications teacher.
"There is no reputable educator anywhere who endorses [study technology]," said Touretzky, a critic of Scientology. "What happens is that children are inculcated with Scientology jargon and are led to regard L.R. Hubbard as an authority figure. They are laying the groundwork for later bringing people into Scientology."
A spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology, Karin Pouw, denied Touretzky's assertions and said the teaching methods are not religious and are widely used in schools around the world.
Ron Reynolds, executive director of the California Assn. of Private School Organizations, which represents primarily independent religious schools, said all schools should strive for transparency.
"I know next to nothing about Scientology, but if you're using some method or technology closely associated with Scientology and Scientology is characterized as a church or religious body, it raises a question if they proclaim themselves as other than religious," Reynolds said. He has not seen the school's website.
"I don't want to insinuate the school is failing to disclose anything. But as a matter of good practice, if a school has an affiliation, it would behoove it to expose it."
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►DE LA HOYA PRESENTS CHECK TO GREEN DOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT OSCAR DE LA HOYA ÁNIMO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Green Dot Press Release
June 22, 2008 - Green Dot Public Schools, the largest charter school organization in Los Angeles, announced Thursday that ten time World Champion boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, donated $3.5 million to fund his namesake Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School and additional Green Dot schools. De La Hoya presented this gift to Green Dot Public Schools at the commencement ceremony of the Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School on Thursday, June 19th. The ceremony took place at Sullivan Field at the Loyola Marymount University campus.
De La Hoya, whose foundation is dedicated to helping underprivileged families in East Los Angeles, has been actively involved with his namesake school since its inception in 2003 and delivered the commencement speech last year to the first-ever graduating class. De La Hoya is a strong believer in supporting the community and often visits the school to encourage the students to study hard and dream big.
“Growing up in East Los Angeles, I know how important it is to keep a positive attitude and to stay focused on your goals,” said De La Hoya. “I’m so proud of these students. Every one of them deserves a quality education and I’m honored to help them realize their dreams! This is a landmark day for everyone involved with Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School and I’m thrilled to be building a new school in my hometown.”
Green Dot has founded and is in the process of building Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School and sixteen other Green Dot high schools, including several new schools representing the re-structured Locke High School in Watts. Green Dot schools offer quality education facilities to Los Angeles communities faced with educational, social and economic adversity. Last year, 92% of the seniors at Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo graduated and 71% of those students were accepted to four-year universities. Students from this year’s graduating class are expected to go on to four-year universities including: University of California Los Angeles, University of California Davis, University of California Berkeley, University of California Irvine and many others.
“Oscar De La Hoya has been an amazing source of inspiration to Green Dot since its inception,” added Steve Barr, founder and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools. “With his generosity and goodwill, so many gifted students have been granted the opportunity to obtain a safe, quality education and a chance to succeed in life. With De La Hoya’s current donation, we will be able to continue to build schools that will ensure all kids receive a quality education for years to come.”
The success of the Green Dot schools, whose students score on average 113 points higher than Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) high schools on the state of California’s Academic Performance Index, is credited to the “Six Tenets” school model. The “Six Tenets of High Performing Public Schools” calls for schools to: 1) be safer and no larger than 500 students each; 2) implement a college preparatory curriculum for all students; 3) empower principals, teachers, parents and students to own all key decisions related to budgets, curriculum and hiring; 4) add more dollars to classrooms and significantly increase teacher pay; 5) value and support parent participation; 6) stay open later for community use.
By implementing this model, Green Dot has produced incredible results, helping students close the achievement gap, graduate from high school and attend four-year colleges. Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo is ranked among the top 10% of high schools in the state of California that serve similar communities.
LOS ANGELES BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES 2008-09 PROVISIONAL SCHOOL BUDGET
District Press Release
June 25, 2008 - LOS ANGELES—Resisting further cuts that could impact student achievement in the upcoming school year, the Los Angeles Board of Education late Tuesday approved the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) $13.4 billion Provisional Budget for the 2008-09 school year that avoids class size increases and preserves teacher jobs for at least one more year. Unless K-12 education funding is restored, the LAUSD faces the prospect of significant teacher and staff layoffs, and boosting class size in the 2009-10 school year and beyond.
“With the approval of this budget, I ask that students, teachers, parents and community leaders demand that elected officials in Sacramento give K-12 education the highest priority,” said LAUSD Superintendent David L. Brewer III. “Statewide, schools are chronically under funded and any budget cuts that exacerbate the situation are simply unacceptable.”
The District’s spending blueprint contains about $350 million in budget cuts and adjustments, which includes Board authorization for staff furloughs of up to four days during the upcoming school year. Furloughs could save up to $60 million, which was included among the reductions.
The budget cuts are in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $3 billion reduction in K-12 education statewide.
“The Governor’s budget cuts to our schools amount to educational malpractice,” said School Board President Mónica García. “In the midst of one of the worst financial crises in our history, the Board passed a budget of necessity that protects the quality of instruction by maintaining class size, that preserves and enhances school safety and that makes deep cuts to the Central Office in order to prioritize direct services to children.”
The Board’s approval allows the LAUSD to submit its provisional budget to the Los Angeles County Office of Education by the June 30 deadline and provide funds for the new school year, which begins July 1. The final District budget will be approved in September, by which time the California State Legislature and the Governor are expected to have approved the State Budget, which will include final funding for education.
Despite the cuts, the LAUSD sustained current class size in all grades, maintained funds for the Los Angeles School Police Department and preserved jobs for all teachers through the 2008-2009 school year. The District was unable to fund staff pay hikes or a cost of living adjustment this year.
The budget also ensures that Small Learning Communities—which counteract the negative effects of poverty and poor academic achievement for low-income and/or students of color—will have the same level of resources for at least one more year.
The LAUSD trimmed $80 million from its Central Office budget and cut 680 positions throughout the District—most of which at District headquarters and Local District offices. About one third of the staff reductions will be achieved through attrition and the removal of vacant positions. Central Office expenditures make up about nine percent of the District’s budget; however, the $80 million reduction represents 18 percent of the entire budget cut.
In addition to its Central Office reductions, the District will give more authority and fiscal responsibility to Local Districts, which will now assume increased decision-making authority and will be held accountable for budgeting wisely.
The Board of Education also approved the use of furlough days to help save additional funds and stave off additional job cuts. District employees will be required to take up to four furlough days. Details of the program will be announced later.
The District will also save money during the upcoming school year by deferring the purchase of math and reading textbooks, and delaying program improvements like class-size reductions for fourth and fifth-grade students.
However, the LAUSD will need additional revenues to address program and staffing needs in future budget years. Including the 2008-09 budget cuts, the District will need to cut more than $1 billion over the next three budget years unless the Governor and the State Legislature generate more revenues for K-12 education statewide.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN CHANGE SCHOOLS: Think Globally, Act Locally
• Democracy is nourished by education.
• Neighborhood councils can affect education.
• Neighborhood councils help themselves by helping their schools.
WILLIAMS COMPLAINT FILED TO REMEDY PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEFICIENCIES IN LAUSD SCHOOLS
June 24th, 2008 - Diverse allies have filed a Williams complaint with the Los Angeles Unified School District to remedy physical education deficiencies.
Physical education teacher vacancies, misassignments, and lack of subject matter competency are recurring problems in various schools from semester to semester and year to year. Teacher deficiencies are part of a pattern and practice by LAUSD of failing to provide quality physical education.
The Small Schools Resolution – SMALL SCHOOLS II: A BOLD VISION FOR THE LAUSD
Whereas, Research indicates that small schools offer a personalized learning environment and help strengthen academic performance when coupled with quality teaching, strong leadership, as well as relevant and rigorous instruction…..
College Readiness of Community College Students: EDUCATION DATA TELL A SORRY STORY
June 24, 2008 - The Legislature's budget analyst issued a report last week on the chronic problems that the state's community colleges encounter in instilling the fundamental reading, writing and mathematics skills their students need to obtain college educations.
SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER? FOCUSING ON MONEY DOESN'T GO DEEP ENOUGH
Back in January, the state's superintendent of public instruction said that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal would change what the governor promised would be the "year of education reform" to a "year of education evisceration."
If the governor's proposal comes close to becoming reality, the impact on California schools would be an estimated reduction in funds of $3 to $4 billion. The Legislative Analyst's Office reports: "The Governor's budget provides total K-12 per-pupil funding (PPF) of $11,626 for 2008 09. This is roughly $300, or 2.6 percent, less than total PPF for 2007-08. In inflation-adjusted terms, the reduction is about double-roughly $600, or 5 percent."
SOMEONE NEEDS TO SET PRIORITIES, TOKOFSKY SAYS
"I think we are getting close to where it's time for a county revolt, for Los Angeles to separate from the state because we aren't getting our fair share. We pass the state bond measures and get only 43 percent of the money. Where's the logic in that?"
LAO Reports: A NEW SYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS
California currently operates two systems designed to turn around low–performing schools—one for state purposes and one for federal purposes. The two systems are uncoordinated and often duplicative, in addition to being poorly structured. We recommend replacing the two systems with an integrated system that serves both state and federal purposes. Under the new system, the state would support district reform efforts. Districts would receive different levels of support depending on the severity of their underlying performance problem and be given short–term funding linked to specific short–term district reform activities.
'SEGREGATION FOREVER' - WHY INTEGRATION NEVER CAME TO THE LAUSD
ZELMA HENDERSON, the last living plaintiff from the Brown v. Board of Education desegregation suit, died last month at the age of 88. Unlike other parents involved in the case, Henderson was satisfied with the quality of all-black schools. What mattered more to her was giving children of different races a chance to learn together and understand each other.
If that had ever happened in Los Angeles, the city's public schools might look much different than they do today.
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
YEAR 'ROUND CALENDAR SCHOOLS:
90:30/4 Track - Tracks B,C and D starat Tuesday July 1.
Concept 6/3 Track - Tracks B and C start Tuesday July 1.
Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-893-6800
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Yolie.Flores.Aguilar@lausd.net • 213-241-6383
Marlene.Canter@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Julie.Korenstein@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• Register.
• Vote.
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| Scott Folsom is a parent and parent leader in LAUSD. He is immediate past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and represents PTA as Vice-chair on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee. He is a Community Concerns Commissioner, Legislation Team member and a member of the Board of Managers of the California State PTA. He serves on various school district advisory and policy committees and is a PTA officer and/or governance council member at three LAUSD schools.
• In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other material copyright © 4LAKids.
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