Some Shining Exceptions Light a Path for Schools

Students at two elementary schools listed among the Los Angeles Unified School District’s lowest-performing 100 scored above the national median on recently administered standardized tests, and well above the district’s appallingly low average. Principals at the 112th Street Elementary School in Watts and Westminster Elementary School in Venice credit strong teachers for the surprising showing in student achievement.

Los Angeles public school students continue to rank far below the national average in reading, spelling, language and math, according to the test results released Friday. Magnet schools scored higher, as expected. So did the majority of campuses located in affluent areas on the Westside and the west San Fernando Valley.

But the important lessons here are those of the exceptions, of relatively high-performing schools in poorer areas of the district. Take the 112th St. Elementary School, which draws students from the tough Nickerson Gardens public housing project. The enrollment is 51% African American and 49% Latino, two groups that have difficulty in many inner-city classrooms.

Yet, third-graders tested last spring scored 61, well above the national median, 50, and double the district average. Their principal, Alphonse Edwards, knows the answers, too. He praises teachers who are strongly committed to their students. Because 112th Street is part of the district’s Ten Schools program, which provides extra support to poorly performing schools, some of its teachers were designated to work with small groups of just five or six students. Others tutor children after school. All teachers benefit from extra training to develop strategies that work best in the classroom.

Attendance is up at 112th Street. So is performance for the current fourth-graders. It’s not hard to figure why.

The Westminster Elementary School draws students from the Oakwood section of Venice. The enrollment is more than 60% Latino, about 30% black, 2% white and 5% Asian. The majority are poor. Westminster’s second-graders, tested last year, outscored the district across the board. Their principal, Betty Coleman, credits experienced teachers who work well together. The small enrollment also allows greater teacher-student interaction and fewer distractions from learning.

The lessons here can, with the right effort, be duplicated. Dedicated and experienced teachers backed by strong principals have put up some remarkable test numbers.

The officials down at LAUSD headquarters need to develop more great teachers and principals who can boost test scores against long odds.