The State : Schools Hope to Raise Scores

The Los Angeles Board of Education today will consider a 10-year, $431-million plan aimed at reversing academic failure, particularly among poor, minority students. The plan incorporates many ideas that school districts are increasingly adopting to fight chronically poor test scores and high dropout rates. Programs emphasize smaller classes and strong early education, as well as ways to restructure school management, shifting authority to individual schools and to teachers. With the board deliberating over $90 million in budget cuts that district officials say are needed to pay higher teacher salaries, the steep price of the plan is likely to prompt concern.