LIFE'S DIVERSITY SHOULD TRANSLATE INTO CLASS LESSONS.

Byline: Jennifer Radcliffe Staff Writer

An 18-month-old effort to boost performance among L.A. Unified's African-American and Latino students by bringing their heritage and daily experiences into the classroom needs a jump start, according to a report released Thursday.

School administrators understand the district's desire to emphasize ``culturally relevant'' lessons, but have failed to pass details of the plan along to teachers, parents and community members, the report said.

``They should have gotten started maybe a little faster,'' consultant Floraline Stevens, who is monitoring the plan, told the LAUSD curriculum committee.

The district designed the plan in January 2003 to help close staggering achievement gaps between white and Asian students and African-American and Latino students. On the 2003 California High School Exit Exam, for example, only 23 percent of African-American students and 27 percent of Latino students passed the math portion, compared with 61 percent of white students. LAUSD's plan asks teachers to relate lessons to students' culture. They might, for instance, teach children metaphors by using hip-hop lyrics or use baseball player Jackie Robinson's story to spark their interest in history.

Classroom books and bulletin boards should reflect the students' diversity, and students should be encouraged to relate their everyday experiences to the subjects they are studying.

Culturally responsive teaching is designed to improve students' self- confidence, build upon their previous experiences and help them understand people from different backgrounds.

``We know that much has been done and much hard work has gone into it, but much hard work remains,'' said Sylvia Rousseau, superintendent of local District I. ``Culture is more than celebrations. It shapes the way people see the world, interpret its meaning and construct responses to life.''

For the plan to work, LAUSD will have to fight the stereotype that some children can't learn and make educators understand that this is more than a passing trend, officials said.

``There's a perception that this is the latest flavor and that the flavor will go away,'' Stevens said. ``It's not going to disappear.''

LAUSD leaders said they have spent the past 18 months studying the issue, working with experts and training educators. Now, they are writing curriculum guides and expect teachers to begin incorporating the lessons and techniques shortly.

Stevens said Superintendent Roy Romer must publicly insist that it is a priority. Teachers and administrators must be trained and disciplined if they don't comply with the plan, Stevens said. Some officials said they will urge Romer, who is out of the country this week, to stress the importance of this program.

Jennifer Radcliffe, [phone]

jennifer.radcliffe(at)dailynews.com