DANES DEAL WITH DILEMMA : EDUCATORS TOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, SEE DIVERSE POPULATION.Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer Getting a jump start dealing with a growing school system, a group of Danish educators toured Ventura County's largest school district Wednesday. The 11 high school principals and three administrators visited the Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. district as part of a tour focusing on American trends in education, technology in schools and multicultural programs. By comparing Simi Valley's 18,900-student district to Funen County's 6,000-student population, Danish educators got a glimpse of the challenges they will face, said Steen Hoffmann, one of the visiting principals. ``We want to look at the problems ahead of us,'' said Hoffmann. ``We're preparing ourselves for future situations - to be ahead of the problem instead of reacting to the problem.'' Escorted by Simi Valley educators on a district school bus, the group toured Garden Grove Garden Grove, city (1990 pop. 143,050), Orange co., S Calif., a suburb of Long Beach and Los Angeles, on the Santa Ana River; founded 1877, inc. 1956. Many of its residents work in nearby aerospace and defense installations, and there is light manufacturing. Elementary, a special-education school; Sinaloa Junior High School, Royal High School and Santa Susana Santa Susana can refer to several places:
n. A public school offering a specialized curriculum, often with high academic standards, to a student body representing a cross section of the community. . The foreign educators appeared especially interested in Simi Valley's multicultural and integration programs, which cater to 27 percent of the student population. Turkish, Vietnamese and political refugees from Bosnia now account for less than 10 percent of student population in Denmark, but immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. is on the rise, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Ole Peterson, one of the visiting principals. He said Danish educators hope to be ready. A major difference between American and Danish schools is the student-to-teacher ratio, Petersen said. In Denmark, the ratio is 10 students per teacher, compared with 20 to one in Simi Valley. Denmark's schools are not overcrowded o·ver·crowd v. o·ver·crowd·ed, o·ver·crowd·ing, o·ver·crowds v.tr. To cause to be excessively crowded: a system of consolidation that only overcrowded the classrooms. , there is never a shortage of classrooms, and discipline problems rarely exist, Petersen said. ``We have absolutely no discipline problems,'' he said. ``Our students are mature and responsible. We are a homogeneous country - a fairy-tale country.'' Simi Valley was the last stop on the group's study tour. Earlier this week, the Danish educators also toured Pepperdine University and schools in the Lennox area of Los Angeles. The group will report on experiences in California to the Ministry of Education in Denmark Education in Denmark is compulsory for children aged approximately 7-16. These nine years of compulsory education is called the Folkeskole ("public school"). About 82% of young people take further education in addition to this. . ``Things here are quite different from where they're from,'' said Tate Parker, Simi Valley superintendent of schools. ``Hopefully, the perspective they gained here will be helpful.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Ran in Conejo and Simi--color in Simi only) A group of school principals and administrators from Denmark watches children file out of Garden Grove Elementary School in Simi Valley. (2--Ran in Conejo and Simi--color in Simi only) Povl Marstal, a Dane, tries out a computer at Santa Susana High. Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News |
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