300 Community Members Serve as Principal for a Day in Los Angeles Schools

Five-year-old Quinton places a dollop of white glue on a piece of blue construction paper and carefully places a cotton ball on top.

"I'm making a cumulous cloud," the energetic kindergartener tells a very special visitor to his classroom who, in turn, enthusiastically praises the young boy's efforts. The special visitor is Douglas Brengel, managing director of Solomon Smith Barney, one of Los Angeles' largest investment firms. Brengel, along with nearly 300 leaders in the business and entertainment community chose to move from the board room to the classroom last Thursday to become a Principal for a Day.

"These students are incredibly engaged," Brengel said, while helping a group of second graders figure out the profit margin on fictitious school supplies as part of their math assignment. "This is my second year as a principal for a day and I am really enjoying it."

Working with real principals in Los Angeles public schools, participants got the chance to try out some of the daily tasks of running a school such as taking attendance, teaching a class, supervising lunch or taking part in faculty or budget meetings. Many met with teachers, administrators, students and parents to talk with them about their school. The idea is to give the visiting "principals" a "hands-on" lesson in what is really happening in public schools in Los Angeles and the opportunity to learn what they can do to help.

"Neither of my parents finished elementary school," said entertainment attorney Virgil Roberts, whose law firm Bobbit and Roberts works to improve education on many fronts. "But because they instilled in me the importance of a good education I was able to go to college and eventually law school," Roberts told a senior advanced placement English class at Jordan High School in Los Angeles. "That's the message I want to give these kids - especially the minority kids. In the 21st century those who have an education will be the winners and everyone else will be the losers."

Principal for a Day 2000 is a project of the Entertainment Industry Foundation in collaboration with the Los Angeles Educational Partnership and the Los Angeles Unified School District, with the support of many education and community organizations. Project organizers hope that Principal for a Day will help members of the entertainment industry and other Los Angeles business and community leaders to provide schools with access to new ideas, technical assistance, expertise and other resources in support of efforts to improve student learning.

Other Principal for a Day participants included film producers like Andy Licht and Gary Goldstein, presidents of major movie studios, such as Universal Studios head Ron Meyer and Todd Garner, president of Walt Disney Studios. From the corporate world participants included David De Pinto, president and CEO of the public relations firm Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger and Howard Banchik, president of the Westwood Financial Corporation.

Participants in Principal for a Day are encouraged to form new partnerships with schools through the LAUSD Partnerships and Adopt-A-School Office's program and to get involved in efforts to improve the quality of public education through the Los Angeles Educational Partnership and other education and community organizations.

"This is a great chance for people in the entertainment and business communities to get involved in improving education in Los Angeles," said Mayor Richard Riordan at the early morning press conference kicking off the event also attended by LAUSD Board Member Caprice Young; LAEP President Susan Way-Smith; Lisa Paulsen, president of the Entertainment Industry Foundation; Howard Miller, LAUSD chief operating officer; and Eiko Moriyama, LAUSD Partnerships and Adopt-a-School Office.

Principal for a Day was originally developed by the Los Angeles Educational Partnership as a model for engaging the public in support of public education. A listing of the education and community organizations supporting Principal for a Day include Associated Administrators of Los Angeles; Community Partners; Constitutional Rights Foundation; Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley; Fulfillment Fund; LAAMP/LEARN Regional School Reform Alliance; LAUSD Partnerships and Adopt-A-School Office; Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; New Schools, Better Neighborhoods; Community Coalition; and Unite LA.

	Related Links PFD participants report good experiences while visiting schools Visit the Entertainment Industry Foundation Web site Photo Gallery

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