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Childrens Centers Enlist in LEARN Plan NEARLY A DOZEN children's centers in south Los Angeles are working together with each other and with the Los Angeles Educational Partnership's Learning Community Program (LCP) to implement school improvements as part of the LEARN plan for school reform. "They are taking important steps toward creating learning communities," said Cheryl Macon-Oliver, an LCP school change consultant working with teachers and administrators from centers in the Fremont Cluster. "They are building important partnerships with each other." Representatives from the children's centers, which prepare three- and four-year-olds for kindergarten, are working collaboratively and with LCP school change consultants to assess their center's educational program, analyze current student performance, and plan for the transformation of student achievement. They are also working to improve student assessment techniques and classroom practices in the children's centers. During a recent meeting attended by representatives from each children's center, Macon-Oliver discussed with them strategies and techniques they could use to assess student performance and skill level. The ultimate goal of such strategies is to prepare their young students for kindergarten and specifically, to make sure they possess the skills as outlined in the newly revised LAUSD kindergarten standards. “Educators are being asked more than ever ‘What are you teaching and is what you are teaching working?’ ” Macon-Oliver told the group. “When working with younger children, the challenge is to define their developmental skills without a whole lot of tools. Much of the assessment needs to be done through observation.” Alton Hayes, principal of 66th Street and Mikes children's centers said collaboration among colleagues will enable them to share ideas, teaching strategies and most importantly serve as a "sounding board." "I'm not sure if we could have done this without this support," Hayes said. In two weeks, children's center staff will join parents, community members and students who are part of each site's Instructional Transformation Team and those from other Learning Community Program/LEARN schools. They will discuss their roles in defining student learning outcomes and ways to develop a Site Action Plan that assures all students will be successful.