THIS FALL, MORE THAN 850,000
Latino students will go back to school in Los Angeles County. By the end of the school year, if trends hold, nearly 14,000 of them will be gone -- dropouts from the public education system.

And nationally, acccording to a recent report by the US Census Bureau, the Latino dropout rate is at its highest level this decade with more than 145,000 or 11.6% of Hispanic students quitting school early in 1995 -- a rate more than double the national average.

To learn more, explore our links to some thought-provoking websites to help you examine this national issue. Share your thoughts with us.

Visit the George Lucas Foundation's Learn & Live website and explore how schools around the country are teaming up with parents, businesses and the community.

Make an Impact:
Get Connected

Share your ideas and search a database of more than 500 classroom projects through IMPACT II / The Teacher's Network.

Employment Opportunity

Looking for a new challenge? The Los Angeles Educational Partnership is seeking an Instructional Technology Coordinator.

DURING THESE HOT SUMMER DAYS why not try surfing...the Net. If you can't get out to your favorite theme park, museum or sporting event this summer, check out our list of some hot Web sites for kids and adults that are guaranteed to keep you cool during the summer. It's the next best thing to actually being there.

Featured are Web sites that are "Fun For All," as well as links to "Museums" and sites devoted to "Sports & Recreation." We also have a list of links that are "Just For Kids".

Long Beach teens are learning to use computerized systems to assist their peers facing pregnancy, drug use and gang issues.

Online Music Ed

This interactive site, with scores of links to online K-12 resources, was created by Southern California music teacher Larry Newman.

Bridge or Toll Road?

Are computers aiding K-12 instruction, or draining limited resources from critical programs? Join the debate.

COMPUTERS IN EVERY CLASSROOM? Which is most "essential" for today's students:

Music Education
Chemistry
European History
American Lit
Practical Job Skills
Computer Literacy

"A Bridge to the Twenty-first Century?" Teachers, students, parents; tell us what you think.

Teacher Karen Hare has not only integrated the Mars Pathfinder mission into her science and math curriculum, but is also using the mission to enhance her students' excitement about learning.
Explore Mars and the Solar System

Launch your own exploration of Mars and the Solar System by visiting Challenger Center Online. If you can't take your students to Mars bring Mars to them. Check out these Mars Resources, which include several educational modules to help you supplement your own classroom curriculum. Or eat a Mars bar.

CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY on the World Wide Web by checking out the 4th of July Page and Happy Birthday America.

Read the story of America's independence, learn more about Betsy Ross, take a tour of historic Independence Hall, e-mail a holiday greeting card to a friend, or see a virtual fireworks display.

The more adventurous can spend the 4th of July on Mars by checking out some Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Pathfinder Home Page-everything you need to know about Pathfinder's July 4 landing on the Red Planet.

Information resources of the world's libraries will soon be available to teachers and students through the Internet thanks to a collaborative effort of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership and Libraries For the Future.
Tough Turnaround Lies Ahead for LAUSD

New Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ruben Zacarias has identified the 100 worst performing schools in the district and has vowed to improve them. Read which schools are targeted for improvement and why, in this L.A. Times article.

THE TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING conference, sponsored by the LA County Office of Education, reports that more students have access to technology in schools, in its "Second Annual Report Card to the Community."

Who has access and the type of computers available made for interesting discussion and debate.

Read this account of the event from the LA Times, and visit the LACOE conference site.

If you're looking for technology resources available for schools, visit the California Department of Education.

Information resources of the world's libraries will soon be available to teachers and students through the Internet thanks to a collaborative effort of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership and Libraries For the Future.
Getting Online!

How does one go about getting their district or school connected? Ben Seaberry with La Cañada Unified School Distrist shares his experience in this essay from the SMART Catalog.

ALL GRADUATING SENIORS from two Los Angeles Learning Center schools will go on to institutes of higher learning. The first graduating class from Foshay Learning Center received their diplomas on June 17 while Elizabeth's first graduating class will walk down the hallowed halls on June 26.

New high school and college graduates may want to check out these career and educational resources.

• Straight Talk About School
• UCLA Extension
• Jobnet: The College/University Job Website
• A Guide to Summer Job Hunting
• The College Grad Job Hunter

In addition to their diplomas, Academy of Finance graduates received critical math, accounting, computer science, banking and bookkeeping skills that will help them in college and in pursuing careers in finance and economics.

School to Work: Education for All Students

A report by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education argues that there should be a strong connection between the subjects being taught and the world outside the classroom for all high school students--college bound included.

LAUSD Teachers, Students Garner Mediafest Awards

The California Student Media and Multimedia Festival recently awarded and honored students and teachers throughout the state for their work in developing educational multimedia presentations.

What do you mean you didn't know there was a river in Los Angeles? Why not take the Target Science Los Angeles River Virtual Tour and see for yourself?

Teacher-Student Project Receives Multimedia Award

Elizabeth Learning Center teacher Carol Askin received an award for her classroom project at the California Student Media & Multimedia Festival.

Resources For Using Classroom Technology

Looking for ways to integrate technology into your curriculum? Check out Sunrise ... Sunset, a bilingual interactive, interdisciplinary unit; the IMPACT II teacher's network; Computer Using Educators or these other classroom-teacher resources.

IN THIS ISSUE OF THE LEARNING EXCHANGE we focus on the need for high quality teaching and provide links to websites that both examine the issues facing teachers as well as identify resources that can help teachers to deepen their level of knowledge and improve their skills.

We suggest you start by checking out "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future," a major report by the National Commission On Teaching and America's Future. Issued earlier this year, the report puts forth a blueprint for improving teaching in America and examines the barriers to that goal.

Continue your search by visiting key professional development resources and research. Our "Teachers" department features programs in LA and on the Internet.

Search LAUSD's Professional Development Collaborative database of teachers and education consultants.

Professional Development: A New Approach

Read how Sylmar High School teacher Sally Roderick developed and put into practice a successful alternative professional development model.

The Future of Teaching
and Learning

Find resources for professional growth at The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.