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Last month, I wrote in an article about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposing a legislative bill to take control of the Los Angeles schools (see Los Angeles Schools Strongly Opposed to Takeover by Mayor Villaraigosa). Reform Bill 1381 passed the state legislature at the end of August, with some changes.
Villaraigosa, who portrayed himself as the one person who could make a success of the Los Angeles schools system, instead must share control of the school system with the Los Angeles schools board and the Council of Mayors. The mayor did, however, receive direct control of three low-performing high schools and their feeder elementary and middle schools.
The final reform bill makes running the Los Angeles schools much more complex for everyone concerned. First, there is a logistical problem with Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles schools board in two separate locations, making decision making a longer, more drawn out process. The role of teachers in deciding curriculum now is uncertain, and many believe the mayor's plan may impede new school construction, considered a successful endeavor by the Los Angeles schools board. The bill's language is confusing, already causing conflicting interpretations.
There also is a question on the legality of the bill, which is expected to face an immediate legal challenge. The Los Angeles schools board, which was adamantly opposed to the bill, already has discussed a lawsuit, claiming that the bill violates the requirement in the state constitution that schools remain within the educational system. The opinion of the legislature's counsel is that the Los Angeles schools board has a case, but Villaraigosa believes it will survive a challenge.
Ever the politician, the mayor now is looking to foster cooperation with teachers, parents and the Los Angeles schools board, but he may find this difficult. He leveled blistering criticism at the school board and its members over the past year. Even Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles) criticized Villaraigosa during a hearing by the Assembly Education Committee, which she chairs, stating that she was disappointed that he did not have the same dialogue with the Los Angeles schools board as he did with the teachers' unions.
Villaraigosa continues to promote the passage of the bill as an opportunity for parents, educators, the Council of Mayors, the cities and himself to partnership for the betterment of the Los Angeles schools. Though no clear specifics have even been given by the mayor on how he will proceed, he remarked that the new power-sharing arrangement will reshape and invigorate a “lethargic bureaucracy that has underserved generations of students”. He further stated that success depends on his leadership and the contributions of his Los Angeles schools partners.
After bidding adieu to the Bush era, many parents and concerned citizens experience lingering indignation toward the ineffectualness of the No Child Left Behind Act. Fortunately, institutions like Teach for America target twenty-nine urban and rural areas where educational inequality has hit the hardest. With only 45.3 percent of high school graduating seniors, the Los Angeles Metropolitan area is one of the nation's most prominent regions of educational disparity. One of the goals of Teach for America is to ensure that a child's birthplace does not determine his or her education and life prospects. For the 2008 school year, Teach for America has employed 350 teachers to alleviate the education gap in underserved schools in Los Angeles. As there has been a 42 percent increase in Teach for America applicants for the 2009 school year, Teach for America staff will continue to improve students' performances in Los Angeles schools in 2009.
For applications due February 13th, Los Angeles candidates had the choice to sign up for several interview dates and locations throughout Los Angeles. Applicants signed up for interviews at three venues including McKinsey & Company in downtown Los Angeles. They attended interviews consisting of a five minute teaching presentation, problem solving activities, a group activity, and a personal interview. These rigorous evaluations were designed to provide interviewers with a way assess the dedication, preparedness, and stamina of future teachers and educational leaders in underfunded Los Angeles communities. Such communities include Baldwin Park, Compton, Los Angeles, Lynwood, and Pasadena.
In the five minute teaching presentation, applicants demonstrated their organizational aptitude and ability to teach key academic subjects. The subjects and grade levels chosen for five minute teaching presentations reflected the subjects taught most by corps members in LA , including: Secondary English, Secondary Science, and Secondary Math. To ensure successful funding for these grades and subject levels, twenty-eight percentage of Teach for America's budget is used for corps member's professional development. Twenty percent is devoted to pre-service training; eighteen percent for recruitment and selection; sixteen percent for national support; six percent for alumni support and development; and five percent is dedicated to local program administration.
Without support from corporate and public foundations, Teach for America would be unable to fulfill its increasing budget demands. The organization receives corporate and public support from such companies as The Ahmanson Foundation, The Eisner Foundation, MSST Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, State Farm Insurance, Symantec Corporation, and The Weingart Foundation. These contributions make it possible for Teach for America to extend its services to new regions such as the Mississippi Delta and Greater New Orleans, in addition to expanding the corps' population in Los Angeles.
You may wonder why Teach for America generates such a colossal impact on students' lives. Why are so many organizations donating funds to support a non-profit organization when there are qualified teachers who already exist? Do schools in Los Angeles really need Teach for America or is the corps' presence in Southern California superfluous, especially during a time of such profound economic hardship?
To avoid sounding like a propaganda flier, I have to admit that the selection process is far from transparent. It is difficult to know what you, as an applicant, are being tested for when you have to participate in a phone interview, write two essays, provide two references, give a five minute teaching presentation, demonstrate your quantitative problem solving skills, and participate in a group critical thinking activity. During various times during the interview process I yearned to see some kind of rubric to learn what assessments carried the most weight. The program--despite a few opaque accountability factors—is, nevertheless, an invaluable community resource for college graduates and school aged children alike. As Wall Street plummets, Teach for America staff have derived inspiration from public service and giving children hope for a better future.
This non-profit organization spends three months training new teachers before placing them in a school. With rigorous standards and intense preparation, teachers learn how to manage a classroom, teach effectively, and use creative problem solving skills to last them the full two years of their service. Many principals have shown their enthusiasm for the program, admitting that they would hire more Teach for America instructors in the future. Even though the Los Angeles School district is not at a loss for teachers, it can always benefit from energetic, highly focused do-gooders supported by an effective structure. What separates the Teach for America program from normal Los Angeles schools? Corps members spend more than six hours a day educating their students. If a student is falling behind a little or even drastically (it is not uncommon for Teach for America instructors to work with students three grade levels below their required math or reading levels), corps members will stay after school, arrange parent conferences, or do whatever they can to help their students on an individual level. It looks like our progeny do have hope!