LAMP Is Yet to Catch Fire : L.A. school reform effort has made little progress in its first year

The ambitious Los Angeles Metropolitan Project, a reform effort that would fund restructuring of public schools and pay for expert educators to improve reading and math instruction, is plodding along. Part of the Annenberg Foundation’s impressive $500-million, five-year commitment to bolster public education, LAMP seeks to spread the success of the LEARN local-control reforms, which have already taken root in the Los Angeles Unified School District. But progress is taking too long.

During the project’s first year, not a dime of LAMP money has been spent on students, teachers or campuses, although a tentative commitment recently negotiated with the Los Angeles district could allow $5 million to be spent--at long last--on training for teachers and administrators. Similar Annenberg Foundation school reform projects in New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco schools are moving more quickly.

The slow start in Los Angeles can be blamed largely on the difficulty of raising the required matching funds. When the Bay Area project needed matching money, billionaire William Hewlett wrote a check. Los Angeles has a number of stellar foundations. Surely some patrons of education could step forward with matching funds to accelerate the LAMP program here.

Fund-raising has been a primary challenge for Maria Casillas, who was both president and sole staffer until late last month when LAMP received its first installment, a $7-million check, and she was able to do some hiring. The able Casillas, a sensitive conciliator, has resolved some differences among consultants and universities competing for grants to evaluate potential LAMP projects, provide expertise and participate in other ways.

Outside of LAMP’s control is the cautious pace of the L.A. district, which will receive half of the $106 million earmarked for this area, half Annenberg money and half matching contributions. Other districts in Los Angeles County will receive the remainder.

Negotiations with LAMP over how the LAUSD will use the money have taken months. No wonder teachers interested in improving education are running out of patience.