L.A. Unified needs to reform middle schools

Re “Romer Presents Own Plan to Help Troubled South L.A. School,” Feb. 22

It seems the Los Angeles Unified School District completely ignores its troubled middle schools. There are few distinguished middle schools in the district. As a graduate of one of its most troubled and overcrowded schools, I can rightfully complain that middle school is where many students lose themselves prematurely in these large, impersonal campuses and fall off the college track.

The fact that the district is not displaying any interest in reforming its middle schools demonstrates its incompetence in realizing that there are sociological reasons why many students fall off track. This -- coupled with a lack of quality and the overly suburban structure of middle and high schools in the district’s urban areas -- produce the heavy dropout rate that many seem to not comprehend. Having small learning communities, I believe, is a fantastic idea for middle schools, given that middle school is generally just a three-year transition to high school. Making the middle school curriculum more interactive and innovative would make the students interested in learning.

BRIAN PACHECO

Berkeley