EDITORIAL TEACHERS NEEDED.For Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his ambitious plans to take over the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. , the political pieces are all falling into place. The endorsement of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger provides key support in Sacramento. And the latest damning LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human statistics show once again the need for major reform. Even those usual stubborn defenders of the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. - the bureaucracy and the unions - are proposing modest reform plans. They can see what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. . They know that change is in the air. The question, though, is what kind of change? And that's a question that teachers must play a major role in answering. It is teachers who, by their very experience, know best what works in a classroom. They know how to motivate kids, how to engage parents, and what supports educators need to succeed. It is also teachers who have a real passion for education - or at least they do when they start out. Too often, though, the dehumanizing bureaucracy of the LAUSD and the entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. hackishness of its unions sap even the most inspired young teacher. And so it is teachers who can - and must - shape the long overdue, ongoing debate about the future of the LAUSD. What sort of governance system would lead to the most flexibility and support in the classroom? What kind of leadership is needed to empower the LAUSD's teachers to do their jobs well? The teachers of the LAUSD must step forward and share their wisdom about fixing the district and reinvigorating their profession. And they need to do it separate from a union leadership that's more interested in thwarting reform than in contributing to it. The politicians and special interests will have plenty of say in this debate. But we need to hear what the experts think, too. |
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