Romer Has Passed One Test on Literacy

The Times accurately lays out some of the challenges facing LAUSD Supt. Roy Romer (editorial, Sept. 23), listing the secondary school literacy crisis, Belmont and labor relations as areas where he has yet to score improvements. Belmont and labor relations remain murky, but it may be premature to assign an “incomplete” grade for Romer’s handling of the literacy crisis.

While it is true that most secondary students “continue to stagnate or fall further behind,” the superintendent has already put in place strong policy directives and massive funding to support secondary school literacy at the “mini-district” level. The local districts are using the central support to implement the “Language!” program, the strongest literacy program now available for secondary students. “Language!” is at the beginning of its implementation, and visible results are at least a year off. Still, we should give the superintendent passing marks for responding in a timely and forceful manner.

Doug Lasken

Woodland Hills