Feinstein Gets Lesson in LEARN Education

Under warm, brilliant skies Friday, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein watched intently as Strathern Street Elementary School’s effervescent drill team smiled and bounced its way through a series of cheers welcoming the California Democrat to their school.

When they were done it was time to get down to business: Feinstein had come to learn why all the hoopla over the school’s LEARN program.

LEARN, an acronym for the Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now, is a reform program designed to raise student achievement by giving schools more local control. The program is used by more than 400 schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“I’ve been very concerned about education for some time and really what has been a failing California education system and wanted to see about LEARN,” the senator said during her visit to Strathern Street in North Hollywood--one of two Valley elementary schools she visited using the LEARN method.

She also visited Roscoe Elementary School in Sun Valley, among the first district schools to adopt LEARN when the program was launched in 1993. Strathern became a LEARN school in 1994.

Feinstein spent two hours between the two schools, touring classrooms, quizzing students on their knowledge of civics and speaking with teachers. Each school held informal round-table discussions, at which Feinstein talked with teachers, principals and parents about everything from school uniforms and student enrollment to new teaching approaches and creating study spaces at home.

Feinstein said she was impressed by the positive attitude and enthusiasm the LEARN program has instilled in the teachers and parents at the schools. “I came away with a real sense of teamwork from parents, teachers and principals,” she said. “That’s a necessary step in improving education.”

For teachers and administrators, Feinstein’s visit was their first opportunity to extol LEARN and its impact on their campuses to a prominent political figure. “There’s a spirit of change here with LEARN that’s quite different than before,” Strathern Principal Floyd Cottam told Feinstein.

Behind Cottam stood an easel with a board listing the changes LEARN brought to Strathern. The school acquired new a new computer lab, got a fresh coat of paint and started a homework club for students as well as an eight-week training program for parents to teach their children about education.

“It’s really kind of satisfying because we accomplished quite a lot during our first year with LEARN,” Cottam said.

Feinstein asked a few Strathern students about the changes.

“I think the teaching has changed a lot,” said sixth-grader Frank Perez, 12. “Now the teachers explain more. They go far so you can feel better about an assignment and don’t just leave you out there to dry.”

Then Feinstein pressed the students about how much time they spent on their homework.

“An hour,” they said in unison.

“When do you work on your homework? Right after school?” Feinstein probed.

“After I pick up the dog’s droppings and clean up the house,” 11-year-old Mishaddia Foucher responded.