STUDY NAMES CLEVELAND HIGH, SOCES MODEL SCHOOLS.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

Two San Fernando Valley high schools were cited Monday as models for how best to teach poor and minority students and those who struggle with English.

Cleveland High School of Reseda and the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies were among 10 California high schools featured in an independent study on why some schools succeed - and why some fail.

In ``beating the odds'' in English and in math among students who have historically performed poorly, both schools were among those lauded for their systematized curriculum and highly tuned instruction.

``It's not just about trying harder - putting gas into the engine,'' said Merril Vargo, executive director of Springboard Schools, a nonprofit think tank in San Francisco that authored the report. ``It's about tuning.

``If we're going to make good teaching the norm, we've got to be more systematic.''

The report, ``Challenged Schools, Remarkable Results: Three Lessons From California's Highest Achieving Schools,'' is part of a three-year study of best practices in California schools co-sponsored by the National Center for Educational Accountability.

The study cited the failure of many students to test well on standardized reading and math exams, the ``discouraging'' performance of poor and minority kids and a 50 percent dropout rate in urban schools pupils.

Successful schools, according to researchers, employ a fixed curriculum, frequent testing and ongoing training toward ``best practices'' from the blackboard to the principal's desk.

Last year, the 4,000 students at Canoga High boosted their state Academic Performance Index scores by 69 points. In addition, the API score for Latinos doubled to 126 points, despite some two-hour commutes by bus.

Cleveland High Assistant Principal Cindy Duong said that the California Distinguished School should be nominated for a National Blue Ribbon Award. A few years ago, the school failed to meet federally targeted test scores.

``We hit a homer,'' said Duong, whose students are 56 percent Latino, 9 percent black, with nearly 70 percent who get free or discount lunches. ``Our teachers put in a lot of work teaching to the standards. We do a lot of rah-rah here.

``All the reason that people say that education should be doomed - and we're showing that there are no barriers to success.''

Duong said a combination of high student expectations, long teachers' hours and a willingness to try new teaching methods turned the school around.

The California Best Practices Study included five schools from Southern California, including the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, El Monte High School in El Monte and the Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove.

Researchers said teachers who used a standard curriculum and then compared results with other teachers performed better than those who didn't.

``One week of green hair was my reward for these kids,'' said Robert Weinberg, principal of Sherman Oaks CES magnet, who dyed his hair as a reward for average API scores of 820 for nearly 1,800 students. The school is now among the top 35 high schools in California.

``It's a matter of really looking at the bottom kids and taking care of them. It's a matter of really pushing for excellence.''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com