Which Way, L.A.?
Education Reform in Washington and in Los Angeles
The deadline has passed for outsiders who want control of some campuses in LAUSD, the latest step in one of the nation's most dramatic efforts at school reform. We hear from charter operators, teachers and parents competing to be in charge. On our rebroadcast of To the Point, President Obama's "Race to the Top" in education features charter schools and standardized tests to evaluate teacher performance.
By Warren Olney • • 53m ListenThe Los Angeles Unified School District has adopted a policy of massive change by offering control of many campuses to groups of outsiders as well as insiders. The deadline for take-over applications was midnight last night. We get a progress report. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, President Obama's "Race to the Top" in education features charter schools and standardized tests to evaluate teacher performance. Will it improve the much-criticized "No Child Left Behind" or is it the same — only more so?
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2 storiesWill 'Race to the Top' Leave No Child Behind?
" No Child Left Behind " became federal law in 2001, proposed by President Bush and supported by the late Senator Kennedy. The idea was to set high standards and measure student performance with standardized tests so that teachers and schools could be held accountable. It's still the law, but many provisions have become controversial .
Read the story27 minLA's Groundbreaking School Reform
After a deadline of midnight last night, LA Unified is still counting the number of applications from groups who want to take over the campuses of 12 struggling schools and 18 new ones. It's all part of a controversial strategy for education reform adopted last August by the elected School Board.
Read the story26 min
