Which Way, L.A.?
Bad Teachers, Minority Students and the Constitution
Does California law make it too easy for bad teachers to get tenure and too difficult to fire them? Does the law deprive minority kids of their right to a good education?
By Warren Olney • • 25m ListenDoes California law make it too easy for bad teachers to get tenure and too difficult for them to be fired, or are legal protections necessary to attract good teachers and keep them on the job? Does the implementation of current law deprive minority kids of their equal right to a good education? After two months of arguments, a local judge is considering those questions in a case with long-term consequences for teachers’ unions and the public school system. Also, we visit the nerve center of Los Angeles traffic control.
Later, on To the Point, Turkey, which the US calls a stable Democracy, is increasingly polarized, as demonstrated by this weekend’s local elections. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is promising to increase his crackdown on the political opposition — which includes a former ally who lives in the mountains of Pennsylvania. We look at the potential repercussionsfor the Middle East, Europe and for America's interests.
Banner image: Clotee Allochuku
In this episode
2 storiesBad Teachers, Minority Students and the Constitution
It's now up to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu to decide a case brought by Students Matter , a group funded by Silicon Valley businessman David Welch. He hired two nationally known attorneys to represent nine mostly minority kids, claiming California's teacher protection laws give some students a better education than others.
Read the story18 minInside the City's Traffic Nerve Center
KCRW's Kajon Cermak, LA's leading authority on local freeways, drops by to talks about the magic behind local traffic control, and Gideon Brower visits the Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control Center .
Read the story7 min
