Last week, “California Connected” introduced you to Mount Vernon Middle School—one of ten Los Angeles schools being monitored by California’s Department of Education. The school’s 2,200 students have failed to reach state-mandated goals on standardized tests for the past four years.
State auditors presented a list of findings to the Los Angeles Unified School District earlier this year and formed a joint agreement requiring drastic changes at the school by next July or the district will face sanctions.
Among the findings: the school does not accommodate the number of students, teachers fail to use effective instructional techniques and do not follow statewide curriculum and the staff has low expectations of student achievement and behavior.
“California Connected” takes a look at the students and their effect on the school. The student population consists of children from foster homes, group homes, shelters and some with no homes whatsoever. Nearly 75% of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches, and only two-thirds of the students remain at the middle school all three years.
“There’s just a sense of anger and hopelessness among some students,” says a sixth grade teacher describing the vandalism around campus. “And they’re acting that out on what’s around them, and it’s the school.”
“A lot of kids, they come here and they try to do something bad,” says one sixth grader, “so they get kicked out and sent to another school that’s better than here.”
In this installment of “Our School,” we see photographs taken by some students and hear their impressions of the school. We also talk to parents, teachers and the assistant principal in charge of student services to find out the challenges of obtaining and providing a quality education in an inner-city school.
How can you become involved in helping the school in your neighborhood?
Consider volunteering to tutor or read to students; donating books or supplies; sponsoring academic or extra-curricular programs; mentoring or offering career advice.