Grading School Board Priorities

A group of Los Angeles business and civic leaders recently criticized the Los Angeles Board of Education, saying it is responsible for the substandard education of children in Los Angeles public schools.

The Committee on Effective School Governance blasted the board for, among other things, changing priorities so often that the Los Angeles Unified School District is left with “no sense of direction.”

KARIMA A. HAYNES asked an LAUSD student, teacher and principal what they consider priorities for the school board member representing the San Fernando Valley.

BARRY SHAPIRO / 57, Granada Hills; biology teacher, North Hollywood High School Zoo Magnet

One of the biggest things to address is the issue of having a uniform curriculum throughout the system. All of the kids who graduate haven’t had the same educational experience. A student at one high school can have great teachers and great experiences, while another at a different high school can march through without really getting turned on to education. It not only happens with students from different schools, but with students within the same school.

Another priority should be teacher professionalism. There are so many things that are taken out of the hands of teachers. Everything is so standards-based and for the [achievement] test; it takes away a teacher’s creativity. If a student sits there for the whole semester and just learns material that is likely to appear on a test, the student will get a better score, but the student would have lost the learning experience beyond the test score.

We are trying to integrate technology into the classroom, which is a positive thing. We have to get these kids ready for the next generation and the new jobs that will be created. We are spending tons of money on buying the equipment, but if it is not being incorporated into the classroom, it’s a waste.

Teachers need extra time to learn the technology, and that is time away from grading papers and teaching classes. Even if it means taking one period out of the school day, it will be an investment.

DAVID PE / 17, Reseda; student body president, Grover Cleveland High School

I think that the top priority should be to meet and then improve educational standards. It doesn’t seem like the teachers are meeting the standards. If they meet these standards, they will better prepare students entering high school and college. The standards exist; they just need to be enforced.

As a senior I take SATs, and I feel as though I haven’t been prepared. If people want to be prepared for the SAT, they have two methods: one is to study really hard on their own . . . and the second method is to pay thousands of dollars to go to test preparation classes to improve their scores. Usually the scores only go up by about 200 points, which is not a big difference for all the money you spend.

I think more money should be set aside for math, reading and computer labs and other [learning resources] that would give students more opportunities, other than only going to the public library.

The board needs to work harder on getting things done and not just arguing all the time.

ROBERT E. KLADIFKO / 62, Arcadia; principal, Reseda High School

The LEARN program is something the school board should focus on.

Our entire school is in agreement on the principles of the LEARN restructuring program [Reseda High is a participating school] and our main goal is to implement those principles. At our school, we have set up principles called ESLRS, or expected school-wide learning results. It is a contract we have as stakeholders with our graduates. The ESLRS [encourage students to become] effective communicators, critical thinkers, self-directed learners, responsible citizens and healthy individuals.

It is said, it takes a whole village to educate a student nowadays. There are certain components that we feel need to be included in any plan to meet these goals, including student learning assessments, governance and accountability, professional development and parent involvement.