What works in education? TEST SHOW LAUSD OUTPERFORMS CHARTERS

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Guests John Deasy, superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District Marco Petruzzi, CEO and President of Green Dot Public Schools, a charter organization that runs Watts’ Locke High School Blair Taylor, president of the Urban League, which along with USC and the Bradley Foundation oversees Crenshaw High School Marshall Tuck, head of Partnership for L.A. Schools, Mayor Villaraigosa’s education organization smf: I don’t see much room in the four listed guests for any differences of opinion.    Life is not fair …but in fairness: The Mayor’s Partnership Schools, Green Dot Locke and Crenshaw High School are NOT charter schools – not even Green Dot  despite Mr. Petruzzi’s claim otherwise. He admits that parents at these schools don’t have ‘choice’ – even though that is the justification under NCLB!  These schools are hybrids combining most o’ th’ the worst and little o’ th’ best of both worlds! Web Resources L.A. Times: L.A. Unified bests reform groups in most cases, data show LAUSD: Superintendent John Deasy Green Dot Public Schools: Marco Petruzzi Urban League: Blair Taylor Partnership L.A.: Marshall Tuck News Release: LAUSD 2011 Star Results Show Steady Progress

New test scores released Monday revealed that the LAUSD not only held its own in math and English test scores, but in most cases outperformed schools run by four charter reform efforts. So what works in public education?

After all the debate over teacher evaluation, class size, reading & math fundamentals, special ed, etc., what actually works in public education? New test scores released Monday revealed surprising results: that the Los Angeles Unified School District not only held its own in math and English test scores, but in most cases outperformed schools run by four charter reform efforts.

What’s more, the district achieved the feat without outside funding brought in by reform groups to their schools. LAUSD is championing the results but the charters say it’s not the whole picture. They claim the numbers alone leave out important elements, like the large number of students who greatly improved their scores but still did not meet proficiency standards, school safety, and student retention to list just a few.

David leads a discussion with the LAUSD and heads of some of those reform efforts about what approach they take, what works—both in the long and short term—and what the goals of public education should be.

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