LEARN Needs to Reach Non-English-Speakers

* Mark Slavkin’s letter of Feb. 26 about Adrianne Mack’s column on the proposed breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District includes the statement that his goal (and that of LEARN) is to provide local controls at the school site level and hold all schools accountable for higher standards of student achievement. He indicates that he believes that those goals are shared by most Valley parents and teachers.

However, he offers no rationale for his belief--not even his personal experience as a resident, teacher or parent.

As a Valley resident for 35 years, a parent of students who attended five Valley schools, an assistant principal in six Valley schools and a teacher in three, I was never in a position to know what educational goals most parents and teachers shared.

The Valley has a diverse population consisting of many non-English-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking students and parents. It has participated in the Permits With Transportation Program for well over 20 years and participates in the Capacity Adjustment Program, both of which bring pupils from outside the Valley. More than half of the 11 Valley schools I had contact with were involved in these programs. The students at the school I am currently assigned to come from more than 130 elementary schools from many areas of the LAUSD. Our parents speak more than 30 languages. Many of them are non-English-speaking. We are making a serious attempt to reach those parents.

Until Mr. Slavkin, his fellow board members and those in charge of the LEARN program communicate with all parents--including non-English-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking parents, they can never claim that the parental vote required for the establishment of a LEARN school or that the parents on the decision-making bodies of LEARN schools are representative of the thinking and talents of all parents.

As can be attested to by the increasing number of Valley private schools as well as the expansion of after-school and Saturday programs sponsored by many cultural groups that have already contributed to the growth of California, we have a great deal of talent yet untapped. The LAUSD and LEARN could at least take a first step toward recognizing and reaching all cultural groups by funding an AT&T; Language Line at schools whose population is diverse.

IRENA SZEWIOLA

North Hills

Szewiola teaches at Hale Middle School in Woodland Hills.