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Four Years Ago, Parents Wanted To Take Over This School. Now, It's Succeeding
Michael Ramirez, a first-grade teacher at 20th Street Elementary School just south of downtown L.A., teaches a lesson in his bungalow classroom on Dec. 6, 2017. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)
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Four Years Ago, Parents Wanted To Take Over This School. Now, It's Succeeding
Four years ago, dissatisfied parents at 20th Street Elementary School were so unhappy with the L.A. Unified School District's management of the school that they threatened to invoke California's "parent trigger" law.
The law allows parents at an school deemed "underperforming" to start a petition. If enough signed, the law lets parents "trigger" big changes — like closing the school down or, in 20th Street's case, converting to a charter school.
But ultimately, parents at 20th Street backed down on their "trigger" campaign. They made a deal with L.A. Unified and with a new day-to-day operator for the school, the Partnership for L.A. Schools.
Since then, the school’s test scores have vastly improved — all with essentially the same teaching staff as before, and without converting to a charter school. How did 20th Street Elementary pull this off?
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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