Local Control Isn't Always the Answer

January 30, 2008 by dave

I saw this Los Angeles Times story and I couldn't help but think that perhaps those involved are too optimistic over the impact that increased local control will have at two traditionally low-performing LAUSD schools.

A venerable, ailing school got the official word this week on a long-awaited cure to its high dropout rate and low test scores: Crenshaw High will fix itself.

That is the reform concept approved by parents and teachers at Crenshaw and also at Westchester High when they voted their schools into the new Innovation Division of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

For both schools, the elections, which took place last week, signify a watershed moment. Crenshaw, south of Leimert Park, was traditionally a successful flagship school for African Americans, but today its woes echo the struggles of the surrounding community. Westchester, near Los Angeles International Airport, hasn't slipped as far, but there has long been a sense of alienation between the school -- abandoned by most of the middle class -- and nearby neighborhoods. Both schools have sharply declining enrollments.

Plans call for the district bureaucracy to cede far-reaching control over budget and curriculum to each school's leadership team of administrators, teachers, parents, older students and community members. The Crenshaw effort is to be guided by the Urban League and the Bradley Foundation, two community-based nonprofit groups, and USC. Westchester is to join with Loyola Marymount University, which is nearby.

"We fully expect great things," said Supt. David L. Brewer, after a celebration rally at Westchester. "A major reform piece is coming into place."

Without the right reforms, how is simply handing the keys of the school to the local administration going to make any difference? I guess there is probably something inherently good in getting out from under some of the LAUSD bureaucracy. My worry is that this will be an excuse for the school to make superficial and ineffective reforms leaving the graduating seniors with no improvement in their education. I hope I'm wrong. I hope these schools will use this opportunity to do great things. Unfortunately, I don't expect this better result.

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