We’ve been covering the Los Angeles school-outsourcing plan for a while and it’s no surprise that teachers are among the groups vying for control of various schools. But the gusto with which they’ve entered this fray may come as a surprise--and a source of encouragement...sort of. Groups of teachers, backed by their union, are contending to run thirty struggling schools and new campuses. They’re working 24/7 to write management proposals for the LAUSD competition. "For the first time we're trying to show that we can, as teacher-educators, build a school that will benefit our children because we know our children best," says Josephine Miller, a first-grade teacher at Hillcrest Drive Elementary, a school deemed "failing." It seems that teachers are both energized by the competition--and determined to prevent their schools from turning charter and being run by independent organizations. Too bad it took the threat of actually being held accountable for teachers to sit up and take notice of their schools’ shortcomings and what they might to do rectify these. Better late than never, however.
"Teachers seek control at up-for-bid L.A. Unified schools," by Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2010