Magnet Angel

No Matter the Spin, It’s Hardly Raising the Bar

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:37:30 +0000

Achieve. It means to reach or attain by effort or skill. It means to have some level of success with whatever it is one is achieving. So it’s no wonder that Los Angeles was abuzz with conflicting headlines when it was announced they would be raising certain standards while lowering others. Confusion is about all the district achieved.

I awoke to a local morning news program saying that LAUSD was going to lower standards by accepting Ds for college work. With my morning coffee, I read the same news in the Los Angeles Times. And even columnist Steve Lopez, with a child, in LAUSD commented without knowing the reality. I spent all day shaking my head, because as the parent of an LAUSD graduate, I know that LAUSD has considered Ds passing for years.

As a side note, my biggest peeve with my son’s college guidance counselor was that at every event, she’d drone on about how a “D” was a passing grade in high school, but it did not count for college, steering every student toward one of the two nearby community colleges, regardless of his or her grades. I’m sure there are more active college counselors, but it spoke volumes as to how pervasive it is about the district achieving student success.

Actually, the Daily News got it closer to right. LAUSD made attempts to clarify the policy on National Public Radio and its Facebook feed. LAUSD posted the proposal here. The folks on Beaudry would like you to know by 2017, they will require students to earn a “C” to pass, which is long overdue. But buried in the C-D-F bruhaha was the change to require students to meet minimum UC requirements and to drop graduation credits from 230 to 170. The first makes minimal sense. The second is ridiculous.

The minimum University of California requirements would not likely gain a student admission at a single campus. But there’s nothing inherently wrong in students needing four years of English, three of math, two each of social studies, science, and foreign language, and a visual or performing arts course. Even advocates for vocational education can’t say those courses are bad for students.

In lowering the graduation credit requirement from the current 230 to 170 units (the state minimum), LAUSD might as well just say they’re giving up when they suggest that dropping the required credits frees students up to pursue other elective courses or take remedial classwork for classes they’ve failed. In a typical high school with six courses each day, over four years, students have the potential to earn 240 credits. Students could fail nearly one-third of their courses and still graduate. And in recent years, schools have adopted schedules with seven and eight courses per year (on block schedules) which would allow a student to fail nearly half and still “achieve” a high school diploma. These schedules intentionally build in the extra time to help students with remedial work, and yet still have time each day for core subjects.
In the press release for the proposal, Superintendent John Deasy says, “Implementation of the new A-G Curriculum will not only raise the standards of our LAUSD graduates but also prepare all youth to achieve.” I guess that makes sense for a district that graduates roughly 50% of their students, passing two-thirds of a student’s classes would seem like an achievement.

No Matter the Spin, It’s Hardly Raising the Bar (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 04/19/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: Curriculum, LAUSD News
Post tags: A-G, graduation requirements

Social Media Coordinator to Cost $93,000 to Tweet and Update Facebook

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:12:09 +0000

In the same week that LAUSD issued 11,500 pink slips to warn of potential layoffs to teachers and other staff members, the LA Daily News has discovered that the district has hired a social media “coordinator” to the tune of $93,000. The district was quick to point out that $87,000 comes from a foundation grant, but the issue persists: Why spend the money on this? Nearly 24 hours later, as a parent, I’m annoyed. If I were one of the pink-slipped employees, I’d be seething. Having been through more than a few budget cycles with LAUSD, $90K is about the line item of a teacher. Mind you, that’s not what they receive, rather it’s what the district charges from the top end of the pay scale with benefits. So while the salary for the social media coordinator was donated, it begged the question that if they could find a foundation to donate this money, why aren’t they looking for other donations that would provide teachers? And knowing the new budget for next school year doesn’t contain money for librarians or library aides, it just seems like having someone posting on Facebook all day is a way to either an indulgence or a slap in the face.

For about a week, the LAUSD Twitter and Facebook feeds have been buzzing with “feel good” stories about the district. I had wrongly assumed these stories had come at hand of some multimedia intern from one of the local community colleges trying to get on-the-job experience, or even one of the renowned magnet students earning class credit. Having interns would have cost the district nothing. Most companies have Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Honestly I run a few for various organizations. The difference is most companies offer the social media up to their interns to post happy little blurbs about their products or events. I’d hazard to guess very, very few get paid nearly $100K to post on Facebook.

When the department of Media and Communications was created last year, I thought it was a great idea. Those of us who know about the “hidden gems” of LAUSD already shout them from the mountain tops to whomever might listen. We already share links on Facebook or on blogs like these to parents seeking information on schools. But once again, the district proves how out of touch they are with their biggest “fans” when they create a costly position while sending out RIF notices to thousands. Voters remember stories like this when they head to the polls for things like parcel taxes, I’m sure of it.

Social Media Coordinator to Cost $93,000 to Tweet and Update Facebook (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 03/20/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: LAUSD News
Post tags: coordinator, Facebook, social media, Twitter

School Experience Survey Arriving

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:54:27 +0000

LAUSD’s School Experience Survey arrived at my house yesterday. It could be in your child’s backpack, or it might be mailed home (secondary schools). The survey is an attempt to gauge parent satisfaction of many aspects of the school–from safety to meeting with teachers to the school having programs for parents. The questions are all fill-in-the-bubble type questions, so no long-winded responses are necessary.

It might be nice if they qualified some of the questions. In schools without a parent center (or with a parent center room, but no funding to staff it), how does a parent respond? Negatively and hurt the school’s performance or assume they’re doing what they can with what they do have and respond positively?

Bottom line, is LAUSD is holding schools accountable. Here’s the chance to speak out on the school. Not the district, and not education in general. Say what’s right. Say what needs improvement. And every school can use improvement in a few areas.

Students from third to fifth in elementary will be asked to fill out their own surveys, as will middle and high school students. The idea is to give a complete picture of the school, albeit in a one-page format. Last year, the winning elementary and secondary schools received three computers and a printer for their parent centers. In my district, that took 79% of elementary parents. Impressive.

School Experience Survey Arriving (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 03/08/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: LAUSD News
Post tags: school experience survey

LAUSD Launches Survey on Homework, Grading, Retention, and More

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:30:57 +0000

LAUSD is offering an online survey to families who wish to provide input on homework and how much it affects a grade, on moving a passing grade from a “D” to a “C,” on social promotion, and how best to provide intervention to students.

I think as the survey goes on, it gets a bit muddier for every day parents. Does the average parent understand enough about the use of data to make an informed choice between parent outreach and professional development to help struggling students? But the questionnaire is a step in the right direction. Asking parents how much homework their children actually receive, and whether all teachers should be grading on the same rubric for the same class taught seem to be scratching at the surface of some of the issues parents regularly face. Raising a passing grade to a “C” seems to make sense since no college will accept a “D,” but it wouldn’t take affect until 2015 or 2016, so there’d be plenty of time for outreach.

In the end, I believe the homework decisions should be made on a school-by-school decision, but it is a step in the right direction to ask parents where they stand.

LAUSD Launches Survey on Homework, Grading, Retention, and More (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 03/05/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: Curriculum, homework, LAUSD News
Post tags: Survey

Interdistrict Permit Applications Available

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:12:55 +0000

Families interested in obtaining an Interdistrict Permit to attend school outside the LAUSD boundaries should know the permit website is live. Applications are available from 3/1 to 4/30. In recent years, LAUSD has tightened its restrictions on families wishing to attend schools outside the district, claiming the loss of funds as a reason.

Parents seeking help and advice on the Interdistrict permit process may find help in the Facebook group, Stop LAUSD From Denying Permits.

Intra-District permits, within the LAUSD boundaries but not the neighborhood school, do not require the online permit. For more information, visit the site.

Interdistrict Permit Applications Available (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 02/29/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: Public School Choice, Uncategorized
Post tags: interdistrict, permit

LAUSD Affiliated Charter Versus Independent Charter

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:50:04 +0000

In the effort of saving time today, I’ve posted over at “Ask A Magnet Yenta” to explain what an affiliated charter is as compared to an independent charter. Several schools are in the midst of this process, thanks in large part due to the change in Title I funding, and the loss of the $85,000 “grants” that non-Title I schools have been provided the last couple of years to keep those schools afloat. The blog post appears here. If your school is in the midst of the meetings, or is in the process of voting, let us know what you’re going through.

LAUSD Affiliated Charter Versus Independent Charter (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 02/29/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: Uncategorized
Post tags: affiliated charter, non-Title I

Feeling Pretty Shell Shocked?

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:31:25 +0000

It hasn’t been the greatest month to be an LAUSD parent. Or for that matter, a staffer, an administrator, or a teacher. First the Miramonte scandal rocked the headlines with one teacher, then a second, and then another arrest of a janitor at a different school. Several more instances of inappropriate behavior have resulted in teachers and aides being removed from schools. Beyond the scandals, budget projections are out, and as dire as they’ve been the last four years, this year seems to be even more horrific.

And yet, we muddle on. Parents attending meetings for the parent teacher organizations or school governance councils. Parents looking for prospective middle schools and high schools are touring. Despite the fact that these criminal acts have gone on, and despite knowing the battle we face with Sacramento and the district to keep the schools financially afloat, we also know that there are incredible things going on inside classrooms throughout the district. We believe in those great teachers and the fantastic school sites.

The hardest thing to face is the impact these news stories have on the good teachers. Some media-grabbing lawyer implied last week there is something insidious about children in a classroom after school. Really? I sincerely hope he doesn’t have kids, or that by the time he does have children, that he realizes that the best teachers have kids in the classroom long after the bell rings. Some are offering tutoring, others are offering a safer place to be than out on the yard. In the case of my daughter’s school, so many of the teachers have their own children attending, there are rooms after school that almost look like a regular class during the day–children doing their homework, playing school, or helping the teachers prepare for the next day.

With regard to the cuts, the fact that anyone still wants to be a teacher or a principal is a miracle in itself. With the news scandals in recent weeks, it has to make good teachers question everything they do, which is horrifically sad. As parents we need to be aware of our children’s surroundings. And we have to be focused on how the cuts affect those who want to be a teacher, and those who watch staff. Parents should engage in very active conversations asking how these types of incidents are prevented at their children’s schools. And be on campus. And most of all, support the great teachers we all know.

Feeling Pretty Shell Shocked? (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 02/08/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: LAUSD News
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More Abuse Scandals Rock LAUSD

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:38:11 +0000

This week hasn’t been a good one for LAUSD. Or parents. Or students. First the news that a 30-year veteran teacher from Miramonte Elementary school was arrested on lewd acts with a child. And honestly, if that was the only story, I wouldn’t have written about it. The news has covered it well. The police have him under arrest. And rehashing something that horrible serves little purpose.

But this morning, another teacher at Miramonte has been removed from the classroom on allegations of lewd conduct. Allegations can conceivably be false, so for the sake of argument, I can still bite my tongue. Then the “third strike” of the week, a Hamilton High School music teacher has been removed from the classroom since 2010 for having sex with several of his students and the district is seeking his dismissal while he continues to collect a paycheck.

What the HELL is happening in LAUSD? Where are the classroom visits by principals? Where are the parent volunteers? How do children report these crimes and things disappear from the teachers’ files? If there are complaints dating back to the 90s, how was this allowed to continue?

Clearly there is a horrible breakdown somewhere in the system. Miramonte is an underperforming school and its students are clearly victims–and there have been victims for over 20 years that LAUSD has let down. Yet Hamilton is a highly regarded high school with great programs. Families simply can not get complacent with a “that can’t happen here” mentality. Child predators find ways to be near children and young adults and gain the trust of their families regardless of their income and education levels.

At this point, I strongly encourage each family to utilize their legal rights and visit a classroom for 20 minutes to observe their child’s class. Every parent and grandparent should volunteer on campus and in the classroom as much as possible. And if there isn’t a bulletin that requires principals to randomly walk into classrooms all day long, there should be. The local district folks should be walking into classrooms all day long as well.

I keep hoping each story is the last one, but I’m afraid that it’s far from over. The child predators must be removed, but right now it’s clear that LAUSD isn’t doing its job in cleaning house.

More Abuse Scandals Rock LAUSD (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 02/03/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: LAUSD News
Post tags: abuse, Hamilton, Miramonte

Donors Choose/Wasserman Foundation Program Ends Prematurely

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:25:56 +0000

After a robo-call from John Deasy this evening and a Daily News article this afternoon claiming the program would end February 3rd, the funding for the Donors Choose/Wasserman Foundation grants are all gone as of Tuesday evening.

Families attempting to redeem cards on the Donors Choose website were met with a message that said the funds were no longer available. And teachers still posting projects will need to find alternative funding sources for supplies.

The Wasserman Foundation Facebook page is rife with frustrated parents and teachers attempting to redeem cards. In addition, there’s some claims that some Starbucks outlets were requiring a purchase to receive the cards. Approximately 285,000 cards were supposed to be distributed through the Starbucks stores, but at $10 per card, if every one was redeemed, that would have claimed $2.85 million of the grant.

Originally slated for a two-year venture, Los Angeles teachers and families spent the allotted $4 million dollars in less than eleven weeks. Take into consideration the three-week winter break that interrupted the process of project posting and gift cards sent home to fund them, and the program lasted a mere eight weeks.

As of yesterday, the Wasserman Foundation was tweeting that families had until February 16th to redeem the cards sent directly home and the gift cards distributed through select area Starbucks cards were to be good through March 16th. Even Donors Choose predicted the cards to be redeemed through February 3rd. Then tonight, they were all void.

The program successfully funded 8,000 projects, and provided Los Angeles schools with $4 million in matching funds and gift cards toward projects.

Donors Choose/Wasserman Foundation Program Ends Prematurely (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 01/31/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: LAUSD News
Post tags: Donors Choose, Wasserman Foundation

Donors Choose, but the Starbucks Locales are Definitely Odd…

Angel Zobel Rodriguez — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:21:29 +0000

The second leg of the Donors Choose/Wasserman Foundation Los Angeles programs rolls out today. Participating Starbucks offer free $10 Donors Choose gift cards, following a program that provided $15 cards to LAUSD families late last year. But for families along the 118, you’re frankly out of luck. Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, San Fernando and Sylmar don’t have a single Starbucks participating in order to get the $10 gift cards to fund teacher projects. While North Valley families are dismayed, if you happen to be going to Universal City Walk, or LAX, you will have plenty of opportunities to receive the cards, aimed at funding teachers’ wish list projects on the site.

Some schools, in anticipation of the second round of cards, have 100% participation among teachers, writing project requests on anything from the basics like ink cartridges for printers, to science projects like frogs for dissection, to technology splurges teachers could not afford on their own like E-readers for the children.

For families along the 118, many will pay more in gas to retrieve the “free” cards than the cards are worth to the teachers. In addition, many of those venues charge for parking to the tune of $15 or more, so the plan has not been thought out. Even the Wasserman Facebook page said “all area Starbucks” until the list came out Friday. So what gives? Do I really have to drive 10-15 miles to support my daughter’s school? Or perhaps the Foundation would like to reallocate the unused card value to the communities they skipped over? I’m sure that the schools along the 118 in both wealthy and less tony areas would be willing to split, say $1 million dollars in unfunded projects, right?

I’ll report back after I go make an afternoon drive in pouring rain and try to hit as many of these Starbucks and see if there are any cards left. Our teachers are counting on it.

UPDATE: I just received a rather discouraging email from Donors Choose. In essence, this leg of the promotion intentionally sought out locations that would have foot traffic that is not affiliated with a school site. This round of fundraising equates to way to promote Donors Choose rather than to support LAUSD schools. The teachers with projects will still be chosen, but there is no home field advantage by families familiar with the schools.

Donors Choose, but the Starbucks Locales are Definitely Odd… (Permalink) originally appeared on Magnet Angel on 01/23/2012 | Comment on this post
Post categories: LAUSD News
Post tags: Donors Choose, Starbucks, Wasserman Foundation