A reader in Los Angeles welcomes all who care about improving public education:
Parents from all across Los Angeles are Mobilizing!!!!
Please gather tomorrow, Tuesday June 4 at 8:30 am out front of LAUSD central offices on Beaudry street downtown.
Lend your voice to a collective choir that demands to be heard.
We are Students, Parents and Angelenos for Real Classroom Support: SPARCS.
We must ignite the SPARCS of this truth in front of our elected school board:
KIDS NEED SMALLER CLASSES IN ORDER TO LEARN BETTER
What We Stand For:
Strong, Truly Public Schools. In Los Angeles, we demand truly public schools accountable to the public, administered and run by individuals dedicated to educating every child.
Democracy Fortified Through Public Education. Every child in Los Angeles has a civil right to attend a good public school dedicated primarily to their education.
Dynamic, Responsive Public Education. Appropriate, effective evaluation of our public schools, with parents welcomed, respected and contributing to decisions regarding the school system at every level.
What We Stand Against:
Privatizing Public Schools. The educational system is a sacred public trust, part of the social contract. We have a moral responsibility to the social and educational welfare of all among us.
Mechanized Schooling. All learners are individuals; standardization of classes and tests eliminates the unique contribution of a professional teacher to education and learning.
Public School Control By Non-participants. Educators should drive educational public policy; family and society its social components. Political demogoguery has no place in our social contract to provide effective Public Schooling for all.
Who We Are:
We are many. We are parents from across all of Los Angeles Unified’s seven districts. We have children in LAUSD. We are children in LAUSD. We are concerned with and about children in LAUSD.
We are Students, Parents, Angelenos for Real Classroom Support: SPARCS
If you stand with us, amplify our SPARCS by joining here:
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Please read in today’s LA Times the OpEd piece by Jim Newton wherein he talk about The Quick “Trigger”…and leaves out so much info as to be irresponsible.
If you agree that he does not report accurately, and does not tell about claims of intimidation, poor contact with all parents, offers of recompense reported by both Wiegand and Adelanto parents, that his column is far from worthwhile. If so, please join me in writing a letter to the editor today and redefine the talking points of the LA Times.
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I already wrote my letter, but I think I’ll write another one!
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We are in the process of organizing a group of educators and activists to form more action on the issues of our community being bought out by privatizers of public education. Any LA educators (particularly those such as Jack who has informed us so well) and other contributors to this blog are welcome to join me, with George Buzzetti, Linda Johnson, from this blog site, and various teachers from targeted high schools in LAUSD, to meet on June 17 in a centrally located venue.
Please contact me at UCLApolicywonk@aol.com.
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Ellen is correct and all are invited to join us. This will be a combination of all participants: parents, teachers, community and all interested in facts and fighting the takeover of our schools by those who do not care. Our purpose is to gather information, find out what each has to bring to the table and to have a large view of what is going on and how to change this into a good system. It is all about organization and dealing with the facts not ideology. Ellen and I met through this blog. In less than a week we are at this point. We welcome all who share our values and search for the truth and documents to prove such. We have a lot of brain power and you never have enough.
Contact Ellen for the date and place. we welcome you.
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Off topic and apologies:
But thought many would enjoy this from Salon, posted today:
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/03/instead_of_a_war_on_teachers_how_about_one_on_poverty/
a bit of good news, yes?!
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Ang…thanks…great column by David Sirota.
Diane…it would be wonderful if Los Angeles World Affairs Council would invite you to speak to counter Michelle Rhee whom they recently had speak with her usual bombast, and with her glowing intro by Eli Broad. Various LAWAC members are suggesting this invitation…so please consider a trip to LA. We could use your persona here for few days of meetings and speaking engagements.
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Ellen, I will be in LA in early October. Scheduled to speak on October 2 at CSUN Northridge. If World Affairs Council invites me, I will speak there.
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Thanks for this info. I will get right on it.
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FYI Diane…
I already have contacted various professional groups about your LA/CSUN event in Oct., and the possibility of more talks to other groups such as the Luskin Scholars Program at UCLA, and my UCLA program as well, also Public Policy and Education Chairs at UCLA. I am certain that there are many organizations which want to have you speak, but these are the ones to which I have personal access. Shall get back to you with info soon. Please feel free to use my personal email address.
UCLApolicywonk@aol.com
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Diane…I just got a reply from the head of LAWAC who said he was delighted and suggested that you contact him directly. I will be happy to give you all the info but need some confidentiality to explain more.
Please reach me at UCLApolicywonk@aol.com
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Like most educators, I really appreciate baby steps, so I am very glad to see these signs of progress!
Our society has a very long way to go though, to catch up with the Finns and, sadly, most people in our government aren’t even trying to do anything like what they have been doing.
Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415
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http://rdsathene.blogspot.com/2013/06/benefits-of-class-size-reduction-for.html
Class Size Matters sent the above amicus research brief in support of the Creating Equitable and Enriching Learning Environments for All Los Angeles Unified School District Students resolution. While I don’t like that Board Members Dr. Vladovic et al included mention of Corporate Core (CCSS) and A-G in their resolution, our students will continue to suffer if class sizes aren’t reduced. Superintendent Deasy would much rather use Prop 30 funds to hand over to his buddy Rupert Murdoch at Amplify, Inc. for things like DIBELS®, than do anything that helps our students.
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