Thursday, September 6, 2007

The Argonaut: Westchester Parents Forge Bond...


Westchester parents forge bond in efforts to improve schools through autonomy from L.A. school district
BY GARY WALKER

Read entire article here: http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2007/09/06/news_-_features/westchester/w1.txt


After a summer of intense discussions and heated debates about the need to improve the level of academic instruction for Westchester students, two parental education advocates have joined forces to seek autonomy from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Kelly Kane of the Westchester Playa-del Rey Education Foundation and Crissina Johnson of Parents of Westchester With Orville Wright, with the help of dedicated teachers, business leaders, local residents and Loyola Marymount University educators, are determined to create a new paradigm for educational success in Westchester through advocacy for autonomy from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Along the way, there have been a few stumbling blocks. Not all parents and teachers are certain that they want to see autonomy from the district in Westchester, although the majority of those who have spoken with The Argonaut have indicated that they would welcome some type of reform effort.

How and when educational reform arrives is still being debated, and the challenge of balancing the need for all interested parties — teachers, parents and district officials — have shown signs of improvement, but they are still a work in progress.

"The reform train is coming to Westchester," Kane declared in an interview this summer, "and everyone is welcome to ride along with it."

Adding to the sometimes contentious movement to bring education reform to Westchester schools are rumors that surfaced recently implying that there was tension between Johnson, who is black, and Kane, who is white.

"The idea is absurd," Kane responded when questioned about the rumors over friction between the two parent support organizations. "For anyone to use that as a way to slow down change in Westchester is unacceptable."

Johnson, whose three sons attended Westchester schools, also sought to quell the rumors, which were heard at a teacher conference earlier this summer.