In the Neighborhood : Glendale: For the Schools, Getting Along Is Priority No. 1

Two of three students in the county’s third-largest city claim a primary language other than English, 56 different languages are spoken by this group, but ethnic relations have remained comparatively calm, partly because of district efforts at promoting intercultural acceptance.

Nobody in Glendale claims that their school system is an educational utopia, but many are proud that they’ve avoided the ethnic and racial conflict that flared last autumn at high schools in Los Angeles.

In addition, the schools’ intercultural harmony is helping to rewrite Glendale’s reputation for racial intolerance.

Programs, practice and plain good fortune figure in the district’s intercultural quiescence. A Welcome Center offers enrollment services for non-English speaking parents, providing information about schools and referrals to community and adult education services. Its “Handbook for Immigrants” outlines American school life and student expectations. Junior and senior high school students who speak limited English must take a course in American culture.

Educators and parents add that congenial teacher-district relations, moderate budget cuts and a core of students reared in the diversity of city schools have allowed Glendale to focus on cultivating intercultural peace. Some, however, are concerned that deeper budget cuts may make the district vulnerable to the tough tensions and situations faced by “our unfortunate neighbors next door”in Los Angeles.

Glendale Population: 180,038

Percent change since 1980: 30%

Population by race and ethnicity

District school enrollment

School enrollment by race and ethnicity

Students with limited English proficiency

Students who speak a language other then English at home

Sources: U.S. Census data, programmed by Times analyst Maureen Lyons; Los Angeles County Office of Education; Glendale Unified School District; Long Beach Unified School District; Los Angeles Unified School District

POLICE OFFICER

Rod Brooks

Provides anti-gang services and information counseling to students

The educators are very aggressive about introducing cultures to one another here. The lines of communication stay wide open and establish that we have one thing in common and that’s education. That helps overcome insignificant differences like skin color and the difficult barrier of language. (Demonstrating that) for me is almost too easy because I’m African-American.

We’ve identified in the city of Glendale probably 20 gangs. On Glendale High’s campus I’ve identified less than 40 gang members. What we do have here are a lot of crews. Crews get together and go to party to party to party on the weekend and break dance. So far there have been no problems with the crews. They want to dance or party--they’re a group who like the same clothes, like the same music. Generally, they’re divided ethnically. I see it as an interesting development, something to watch. Some crews have former gang members in them, but teens like to hang around people that talk the way you do and think the way you do. We’ve succeeded in creating an atmosphere where Glendale high school is neutral.

PARENT

Brian Ellis

Resident of Glendale since 1981, vice president of Northwest Glendale Homeowners Assn.

My 8-year-old son is in a class with a large (English as Second Language) group--easily over half are ESL students. It probably slows him down, but kids can go to classrooms with 50 in the room, they can go to a classroom with everybody speaking a different language, and if the parents are involved, they’re still going to get a good education.

I’ve had an argument with people where I work that I have only one shot with my children, and that I’m throwing it away because I’m not sending them over to one of the private schools in the (San Fernando) Valley or in La Canada. There is an issue of money. I’d rather put money away for their college education, but I also think that they’re getting broad-based exposure to different cultures which they may or may not get in a private school, that there’s community involvement, that they’re learning with people in their community.

TEACHER

Sidnie Myrick

Teacher at Edison Elementary for past five years and president of the Glendale Teachers Assn.

There’s a great sensitivity on the part of the administration toward the needs of our ethnically diverse population and the need to make sure that the students grow up learning how to get along from day one. There’s a commitment from the teachers to foster that feeling. There’s a great effort to hire and recruit people of (all) ethnic groups (and) to make sure that communication to the families is in their native language.

STUDENT

Xochitl Martinez

Senior at Glendale High School

It’s a common thing to us to be around different cultures and we accept it. Since I’ve lived here there’s always been a diversity, and actually it’s more comfortable. For me to walk into another city where there’s more of one certain culture it’s really uncomfortable. It’s more appealing to me to know that there’s different types of people around to relate to.