EDITORIAL.AFTER taking just three weeks of summer school, nearly 30,000 students managed to improve enough to move to the next grade level.That is no small achievement, especially when so many of the kids are still learning to speak English. It illustrates our belief all along - kids aren't holding back the failing LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) . It's the hack administrators, lackluster lack·lus·ter adj. Lacking brightness, luster, or vitality; dull. See Synonyms at dull. Adj. 1. lackluster - lacking brilliance or vitality; "a dull lackluster life"; "a lusterless performance" principals and demoralized de·mor·al·ize tr.v. de·mor·al·ized, de·mor·al·iz·ing, de·mor·al·iz·es 1. To undermine the confidence or morale of; dishearten: an inconsistent policy that demoralized the staff. teachers who are passing their own shortcomings A shortcoming is a character flaw. Shortcomings may also be:
If these students were pushed to succeed on a year-round basis, not just for three weeks in the summer, the results would be truly startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. . Board President Genethia Hayes is open to increasing classroom time and expanding the summer program. That's a good first move. However, there will never be enough teachers in the world to devote the time necessary to give individual attention to every student who needs it. But there are enough students who can tutor other students. An army of kids helping kids could make dramatic improvements in reading and math scores. Lengthening lengthening (lengkˑ·the·ning), n the use of various massage or muscle energy techniques to relax and stretch muscle and connective tissue. the class day, making students go on Saturdays, making parents sign contracts that they will become involved - it's being done in public schools in Houston and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of with tremendous results. And since part of the problem is parents who can't read themselves or who never finished school, why not provide programs that allow parents to attend classes on Saturday, along with their children? The poverty of ideas and leadership within the LAUSD's administration is the reason so many kids are failing. It's not the kids' fault. Finding programs that work cost money. Can a school district with a $7.3 billion budget manage to squeeze a few extra dollars out to help kids? Maybe, if those dollars aren't going for the legal defense fund of managers who are threatening to sue the public after they were found failing to do their jobs. Why not spend some bucks on kids for a change? Lower-performing students need to be pushed, challenged, tutored. What if we gave them that? They might be in danger of succeeding. |
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