Panelists Say Strong Partnerships Key to Public Schools Success

In order for public education to be successful and for students to achieve at high levels, a strong partnership must be forged between schools, parents, teachers and the community. That was the consensus among community leaders participating in a panel discussion Saturday about the future of public education.

"The teacher is the number one factor, but to be a successful teacher that teacher must have support," said panelist Jane Fung, a kindergarten teacher at White House Place Elementary School in Los Angeles. "We really need to look at what is at the heart of learning. We need to focus on individual teachers, schools and the community."

Hosted by LAEP's Board of Directors, the 90-minute discussion titled "2001 - The L.A. Education Challenge: Can We Revitalize L.A.'s Commitment to High Quality Public Schools?" brought together a diverse group of leaders and decision makers to help open a dialogue about the topic. Panelists included Fung; Alan Arkatov, founder and chairman, OnlineLearning.net and chair, California Postsecondary Education Commission; Daniel A. Mazmanian, dean, USC School of Policy, Planning and Development; Mary Mendoza, principal, San Fernando Elementary School; John Puerner, publisher, president and CEO, Los Angeles Times; and Sylvia Rousseau, assistant superintendent for Secondary Education and School Services, LAUSD. Paul Vandeventer, President and CEO, Community Partners moderated the panel.

While covering various themes ranging from limited school choice, better teacher recruitment and universal preschool, panelists agreed that it will take government and individuals working together to "fix" the many complex problems facing public schools, such as equal access, low test scores and under-qualified teachers.

"We need to build better bridges between schools and universities," Rousseau said. "We need to have quality individuals in our classrooms."

With regard to California's recent attempt to initiate a school voucher program, Rousseau said the fact that such an initiative gained significant support was a result of "desperate people, in particular people of color, reaching out who were disillusioned with the public school system."

"The defeat of Prop. 38 represented a 'suspension of disbelief' about the public school system" Rousseau said. "Now we have a short window of opportunity to revitalize the commitment to public schools.

In response, Puerner said California's voucher initiative, Proposition 38, intrigued him enough to realize that choice within the public school system may be a good thing. "The L.A. Times pledges that education is its number one priority and that is and will be reflected in its coverage."

Many panelists also pledged their support for online learning saying that the use of technology to enhance classroom study will make learning easier for and more equitable for students.

"Online learning is on the rise, but access is still a problem," Arkatov said, also calling on several panelists to support his call for an "education summit" to discuss public education's problems more in depth. "Access, policy issues, taxes-these are all topics we need to discuss more in depth."

"There's really no quick fix. We really need to understand that," Mendoza said. "It's all about collaboration."

Photos by Loyana Sanchez

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