Educate Me

There have been an avalanche of articles lately about the LAUSD and how it should be run in the future. After trying to get absolute control, L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa came to a compromise with the teachers' union. He gets veto power over the superintendent, teachers and principles get more authority in how they teach the material they need to cover, and the LAUSD board would lose most of it's budget power. This LA Times article discusses the deal, and reactions to it, in depth.

I get why some people are pissed about the takeover. It's not being done Democratically (Villaraigosa went straight to the Legislature - no voting by the districts) and it takes all the power away from the board, which they can't be happy about. But when you look at the issues LAUSD is facing, you can't blame Villaraigosa for wanting to try something new. In this wonderful article the LA Times discusses how the exit exam all high-schoolers have to take can be failed, and the student will still graduate!! The entire point of the exit exam is to make sure they're prepared. Passing them anyway WILL NOT HELP THEM!!! If the schools are not preparing students for the test, it won't help to remove the test itself. Maybe we should look at improving the schools. Just a thought.

And finally, I have never heard about this program before today. Apparently there's a program called Educational Options, which is aimed at getting dropouts back into school and through graduation. This article focuses on how it's been mostly ignored by both Villaraigosa and Romer (the superintendent), but how it really is working. An interesting program that could really work if promoted and funded correctly.


I'll leave you with this. In the December Educational Options newsletter there was this fabulous little story:

The Teacher

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided the best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can: do. Those who can't: teach." To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"

"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like they've just been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."

"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence."

"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them spell 'definitely & beautiful' over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it in their final drafts in English."

"I elevate them to experience music and art and the joy in performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments."

"I make them understand that if you have brains, then follow your heart...and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make a difference."

"What do you make?"

Contributed by Mark Leos, AP, Fairfax HS, to Educational Options Newsletter.