• March 26
• March 19
• March 12
• March 5

• April 30
• April 23
• April 16
• April 9
• April 2

• Past Issues Index
• Subject Index

GETTING A HANDS-ON LESSON in the realities of public education in Los Angeles more than 200 entertainment, business and community leaders fanned out to schools across the Los Angeles Unified School District to serve as "Principal for a Day."

Taking attendance, meeting with students, teachers and parents, supervising recess and lunch, and partaking in other daily school activities, participants got a view of a public school through the eyes of a school principal. Project sponsors believe the process will provide a valuable learning experience and promote ongoing and substantive involvement in and support for public schools in Los Angeles. [MORE]

More than 200 members of the entertainment industry as well as business and community leaders from Los Angeles accepted the challenge to serve as a Principal for a Day.

Call to Action

Get involved in the effort to support and improve public schools in Los Angeles.

EIF Support

For more than 50 years, The Entertainment Industry Foundation has been the heart and soul of entertainment's philanthropic endeavors.

RECENT EVENTS IN LITTLETON, COLORADO have re-focused the nation’s attention on violence in U.S. public schools.

Despite long-standing attention to the problem, there is a growing perception that not all public schools are safe places of learning. In response to growing problems, Congress passed the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994, which provides for support of drug and violence prevention programs.

As part of this legislation, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) commissioned a survey, the “Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, 1996-97,” the results of which are detailed in this report.

Check out these Web sites which are dedicated to understanding and combating school violence.

Keep Schools Safe

Join national and local organizations in stoping the toll of violence in American schools.

Violence Survey

LAUSD students were surveyed on their experiences with violence and weapons and their suggestions for ways to lessen racial tension and conflict. Read the report from the SoCal ACLU: "From Words to Weapons."

ON APRIL 13, VOTERS in the City of Los Angeles cast their ballots for candidates hoping to represent them on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education -- and the results are in.

In District 1, incumbent Barbara Boudreaux and education activist Genethia Hayes are headed for a run-off election in June. In District 3, businesswoman Caprice Young defeated incumbent Jeff Horton while in District 5, incumbent David Tokofsky narowly defeated county education boardmember Yolie Flores Aguilar. In District 7, child development professional Mike Lansing prevailed over incumbent George Kiriyama.

For complete election results, visit the Los Angeles City Election home page. For election analysis, read the this LA Times editorial.

Watch this Web site in the near future for a redesigned Learning Exchange.

Principal for a Day

Check out our who's who of participating "principals" for this special event.

Improving Student Achievement

One of the most effective ways to guarantee high student achievement is by placing an excellent teacher in the classroom. (Part 2)

THECENTURY.COM IS PART of an ABCNEWS effort to paint a portrait of the 20th Century. Two television documentary series, a companion book, an audio book collection and an extensive educational outreach initiative combine with TheCentury.com to produce the definitive look at how far we've come these last 100 years.

ABCNEWS and Lifetime Learning Systems have created a Teacher's Viewing Guide, which offers detailed classroom activities, including a synopsis and lesson plan for each show of "The Century" documentary series.

Explore the history and people of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, California, USA through the eyes of its high school students.

Link Up to History

Check out these links to learn more about world and U.S. history.

Today in History

Subscribers to this free mailing list receive a daily dose of historical fact.

ON APRIL 13, VOTERS in the City of Los Angeles will cast their ballots for candidates hoping to represent them on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. Four of the seven members of the Board of Education are up for reelection.

In District 1, candidates are Austin Dragon, employment recruiter; Genethia Hayes, education activist; Barbara Boudreaux, member of the Board of Education; and Moses Calhoun, teacher, mediator, author. District 3 candidates are Jeff Horton, teacher/school board member and Caprice Y. Young, mother, businesswoman. District 5 candidates are Yolie Flores Aguilar, county education boardmember and David Tokofsky, teacher/school board member. District 7 candidates are George Kiriyama, educator, school board member and Mike Lansing, child development professional.

Four community forums will take place next week to explore needed reforms in the LAUSD.

One of the most effective ways to guarantee high student achievement is by placing an excellent teacher in the classroom.

Awards Deadline Extended

The application deadline for the LA Educational Partnership Excellence in Education Awards has been extended until April 9, 1999.

Host a Principal for a Day

LAUSD Schools can build new partnerships in the entertainment industry and with LA businesses and community organizations.

AWARDS RECOGNIZE TEACHERS, SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

The application deadline for the LA Educational Partnership Excellence in Education Awards has been extended until April 9, 1999.

The awards have the dual purpose of recognizing outstanding educators and highlighting for the general public the practices that contribute to student learning. The awards will go to educators who demonstrate exemplary practices that have had a measurable impact on student learning.

For more information, please click here.

The Strategic Literacy Initiative, a project of WestEd, focuses on teaching and learning “Academic Literacy” in urban high schools.

Governor’s Ed Reforms Proceed

California Governor Gray Davis’ package of education reform bills sailed through a special session of the legislature this week.

Schools: Sign Up Now to Host a Principal for a Day

LAUSD Schools can build new partnerships in the entertainment industry and with other LA business and community organizations. Info Here!.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC FACTS about each California school district? The profile of your local school? How California schools compare with others in the nation in enrollment growth, pupils enrolled per teacher, and expenditures per pupil?

Ed Data offers easy access to answers to these frequently asked questions. It also provides a snapshot of education in California and the nation as well as explanations about California school issues and policies.

This site is unique in its combination of the latest financial, demographic, and (eventually) school and student performance data, plus clear and impartial analyses and discussions of current issues.

Bring your class to the California Science Center and experience science in a whole new way.

EdSource Conference

This year's EdSource conference will examine some of the powerful influences that shape teenagers' motivation to achieve.

Excellence in Education

The L.A. Educational partnership will recognize exemplary educators, schools, and learning communities that demonstrate a measurable impact on student achievement.

MEMBERS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY and business and community leaders will get a hands-on lesson in public education this spring as participants in Principal for a Day, a special event designed to promote civic involvement in and support for public schools.

Set for April 30th 1999, Principal for a Day is a project of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and the Los Angeles Educational Partnership (LAEP) in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Entertainment executives, entertainers, business leaders, heads of foundations, owners of small business and others will fan out to schools across the Los Angeles Unified School District to spend the day (or a least a good part of it) in the shoes of a school principal. [CLICK HERE FOR MORE]

So far, more than 100 members of the entertainment industry as well as business and community leaders from Los Angeles have accepted the challenge to serve as a Principal for a Day.

EIF Support

For more than 50 years, The Entertainment Industry Foundation has been the heart and soul of entertainment's philanthropic endeavors.

PFD in New York

Take a look at the success PENCIL has had with the Principal for a Day program in New York.

CALIFORNIA RANKED SECOND TO LAST among 39 states in a new federal assessment of fourth-grade reading skills, which revealed Thursday that only 20% of the students are considered proficient readers.
     Only Hawaii had a lower average score than California on the National Assessment of Educational Progress last year.
     California tied with Louisiana for last in reading in 1994, the last time the test was given--an embarrassing performance that set off billions of dollars in education reforms.
     State officials, disappointed by the latest results, said the fourth-graders who took the test last year did not benefit from reforms that have only recently begun to take hold in classrooms.[CLICK HERE FOR MORE]

Take a look at the full results of the 1998 NAEP reading assessment for the nation and for participating states or jurisdictions.

Roots and Wings

Check out this schoolwide program to ensure every student will have strong reading skills by the third grade.

America Reads

The READY*SET*READ Activity Guides provide Families and Caregivers ideas and age-appropriate activities they can use to help young children learn about language.