Kelly Thomas case update. LAUSD’s Deasy sparks debate over tough graduation requirements. Community colleges may ban repeat students. Ninth circuit reverses earlier decision on VA overhaul…what happens now? Remembering Maurice Sendak. Can religious conviction and political civility coincide?
Powerful evidence echoes in court case on Kelly Thomas death
Yesterday, the courtroom trying the case of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man who was beaten by Fullerton police and later died in the hospital, was rattled by footage of the incident.
The judge had to stop the video to allow for those affected by the images to leave the room. For those who stuck around, they saw a man get relentlessly beaten with fists, batons and the butt of a stun gun. Officers Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli are charged with second-degree murder/involuntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter/excessive force, respectively.
The video showed Thomas being detained by Ramos and another officer, Joseph Wolfe. Thomas was being uncooperative, which caused Ramos to get angry. After a physical threat from Ramos, the beating began. Thomas apologized repeatedly while getting hit, and told the officers he couldn’t breathe. They told him to relax, and waited for backup, in the form of Cicinelli to arrive. Then, Cicinelli shot his taser stun gun at Thomas, who was writhing in pain. Finally, Cicinelli appears to have used the butt of this gun to hit Thomas in the forehead, leaving him lying in a pool of blood.
Thomas was taken to the hospital, where he was shown to suffer brain injuries, several broken bones in the face and elsewhere, and internal bleeding. But the cause of death was not blood loss or injury, it was “mechanical compression of the thorax.” In laymen’s terms, his windpipe was crushed and he couldn’t breathe. Attorneys for the implicated officers are attempting to show that it wasn’t the beating that led to Thomas’s death, but an improper medical response.
How much weight does that argument hold? How graphic was the video shown in court yesterday? Would there have been any way to save Thomas after what he went though? How can situations such as this be prevented in the future?
GUEST
Norberto Santana, Editor-in-Chief of the Voice of OC, a non-profit investigative news agency that covers Orange County government and politics
Ed Joyce, KPCC Reporter
LAUSD’s Deasy sparks debate over tough graduation requirements
For years, high school students in L.A.'s poor communities and kids of color often lacked access to college-prep classes.
In 2005, education advocates and community groups fought hard to change that and won a major victory. They got L.A. Unified to approve a plan to provide district-wide access to classes that would make all kids eligible for college, beginning in 2006-2007. That curriculum policy was called A-G. In 2008, 9th graders were supposed to be required to enroll in the A-G curriculum. And starting with this year’s freshman class, passing the A-G classes would become a requirement for graduation. Now, Superintendent John Deasy, a supporter of A-G, has offered a plan to implement this final part of the policy.
To make it easier for students to meet the standards, Deasy wants to reduce the overall number of credits required to graduate from 230 to 180, the minimum set by the California Department of Education. The idea is that students struggling with the core classes could take fewer electives, thereby freeing them up to get extra help with core classes or to re-take any they failed. Critics say Deasy’s lowering the academic bar. But in some ways, he’s actually raising it. The original policy included waivers for English-learners and students wanting to pursue a vocation, rather than college – something Deasy wants to get rid of. He also wants to require students to get C's instead of D's in these classes, something colleges require anyway.
That’s a harrowing prospect though, considering that only 15 percent of the kids now taking the A-G classes actually passed them with a C or better. LAUSD Board member Steve Zimmer says he supports the 2005 policy and the elimination of D's. But according to Zimmer, the strategy of reducing credits is a cop-out. LAUSD Board member Tamar Galatzan says she wants to assure every high school student has access to A-G classes, presumably because implementation has been spotty. She’s also calling for professional development for teachers and intervention for struggling students before A-G is fully rolled out. The L.A. school board is set to vote today on the new graduation requirements.
We've transcribed part of the conversation with Deasy and former LAUSD board member Yolie Flores below:
Deasy on why he proposed these two amendments:
"First of all, the issue of the default curriculum for every single student, being the A-G curriculum – I have no idea why there's a controversy. It's absolutely their civil right to have the opportunity, with nobody saying that they cannot, to graduate from LAUSD college [and] workforce ready. We believe in students, and we absolutely believe that they can do this. In many ways, this is a mandate on belief, as opposed to a curriculum issue."
"What we are going to provide students is that every single student will take the A-G curriculum, so that they can be college/workforce ready when they graduate. Not that they must go to college, but that we have provided them with the choice to go to college."
"In order to be UC eligible, their thresh hold is that you have to have those courses with a C or better."
Deasy on the credit minimum lowering:
"I don't have students coming up to me saying, 'You know, Dr. D, I actually wish you made standards less rigorous for us. Lower the thresh hold. Just the opposite ... they want to be competitive in the job market; they want to be competitive getting into college."
"If you are on track to graduate, you should be taking as many courses – and we will provide them – as possible. And we have many students who take far more than the minimum. But we're saying that for those students who are not on track, 'We want to provide you immediate support to be able to take those courses and graduate on time.'"
"That's five classes. It's a slot a year. People think it's a large number. It is five courses."
Deasy on quality of teaching:
"I do not watch students drop out because something is too hard. I watch students drop out because they're bored out of their minds, I watch students drop out because we push them out through discipline, but we do not watch students walk away because it's too difficult. We want to work on engaging course instruction."
"We have put a huge emphasis on finally putting money in backup professional development, to help teachers improve skills. This is the ability to help teachers teach the new common core curriculum and to have engaging, responsive, effective instruction. Effective teaching is, by in large, as, if not more important, than the core curriculum."
"I am confident in our students, that they will rise to the challenge. I am supremely confident in our leadership and our teachers ... that they continue to grow in the strength to be able to support students in doing this."
Deasy on implementation timeline if board delays vote:
"I hope that doesn't happen. I don't believe that we should be a system that gives some students orange juice and other kids orange drink. We want to provide a rigorous, college-ready curriculum for every single student. I intend to present with as much vigor and conviction as possible, so that the board can be united around our students."
"Today, college- and workforce-ready are the same thing. I can assure you that I certainly.... I don't know any other person who's going to be able to go to the downtown Mercedes Benz service center in L.A. and get an entry level technician's job without an A-G curriculum. Those days don't exist any longer."
"We're not competing inside L.A., we're competing with the world. This isn't being debated in North Korea or South Korea or Japan and Finland."
Deasy on successful implementation of the proposal:
"Let's take a look at the data for a second. Since 2005, more students are graduating from LAUSD, more students are graduating from LAUSD who are of color and in the circumstance of poverty with an A-G than ever before. When we ask it to be done, it can be done. What I'm trying to say now is not just some, but all. And that is going to require an absolute laser-like focus on the improvement of teaching and learning and the support to go with that."
"It is necessary. It's our obligation. It's a civil right. Second of all, it's not just about high school; the same kind of intensity of learning is taking place in middle schools and in elementary schools."
Yolie Flores critiques Deasy's plan:
"I think he's really kind of managed a poorly implemented policy before his time. It was the right policy, I think he believes in it, but systemically and structurally, there were so many missing pieces along the way that led up to where we are today in this crisis where we know that only 15 percent of students are graduating with A-G with a C or better."
"The issue is really one of instruction. That has to be bolstered at the time that kids enter kindergarten through the time that they finish high school ... And many of the students, even when they are modestly prepared, if they are not from families that have gone to college and know about these requirements and know what to take ... they fall through the cracks. Kids are going to drop out. You have to have something that energizes them."
"Reducing the credits for me is a big concern, because you're then limiting the additional courses that you can provide students that do inspire them, whether it's the arts, whether it's other vocational, whether it's music, those are the things that for some students inspire them and help them learn and sort of choose a different track in their lives, and in fact there's nothing wrong with that. We want to provide that kind of comprehensive curriculum at school for the students that may take a different track."
"Can we have great teachers for all students, and the answer is unequivocally yes we can. ... A student with a high quality teacher three years in a row will soar. Our problem, Larry, is that we don't invest in teachers early or often enough. We don't provide them with feedback, we don't provide them with helpful information so that they can grow and learn and get better at their craft, and we have very low expectations and don't hold each other accountable. I would say we should focus on nothing less than an effective, inspiring teacher for students."
WEIGH IN:
Why hasn’t A-G been implemented more effectively? Has LAUSD let students down during the last 7 years? Is the real problem what’s happening in our classrooms? If kids can barely pass Algebra I with a D, how are they going to get through Algebra II with a C? Are the teachers doing everything they should be doing? Is it even possible to answer – much less address – that question, without a meaningful teacher evaluation process?
Guests:
John Deasy, Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Yolie Flores, CEO of Communities for Teaching Excellence and former member of the board of education at the Los Angeles Unified School District
Community colleges may ban repeat students
Ah, the varied splendor of your local community college. Students can sign up for anything from Italian for beginners to vocational nursing to learning the basics of salsa dancing. And if you really like a class, you can sign up again and again, unless a new rule is passed by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
Yesterday, the board discussed whether students should be prohibited from repeating a course (unless they failed to get a satisfactory grade). It's said too many students are taking subsidized classes for what are in fact recreational pastimes that should be taken at private clubs.
"Previously the repeatability rules allowed for those types of courses to be repeated," said Barry Russell, vice chancellor, Academic Affairs Division, California Community Colleges. "In the new language, it still protects those courses required by a curriculum that leads to a degree at the UC or a CSU system, those courses like the community band or choirs fit into that category."
According to Russell, the Board overwhelmingly supports the plan and there is support from the academic senate and administrative groups. There is a 45-day period for open comment and a second reading of the rule will happen in July at the Board of Governors. As of now there have not been any strong signs of opposition.
The proposal reads: "Under the current economic and legislation climate, the community colleges have come under increasing scrutiny concerning the ability of students to repeat classes in a manner that is not productive to the ... goal of increasing overall student success and completion."
Opponents of the proposed rule are worried that low income students and seniors will be barred from taking repeat physical education or arts courses.
"A student of metal arts here at city college was just offered a merit scholarship at university because of the portfolio she was able to create by repeating classes in metal art sculpture and ceramics," said Karen Saginore, President of the Academic Senate, City College of San Francisco. "I don't think there are that many of these students, so closing the door is not actually going to make a whole lot of space in the chemistry and math classes, but it will definitely close a door for low income students in particular."
WEIGH IN
Who will get squeezed out by this new proposal? Is it really just hobbyists? What about professionals and trade workers who want to stay up-to-date on the latest computer software or best practices in their fields? Will there be exceptions to this rule? Will certain demographics be affected disproportionately?
Guests:
Barry Russell, Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs Division, California Community Colleges
Karen Saginor, President of the Academic Senate, City College of San Francisco
Ninth circuit reverses earlier decision on VA overhaul. What happens now?
An 11-member panel of the ninth circuit court of appeals decided yesterday that instead of forcing a revamp of the Department of Veterans Affairs mental health system, it’s the job of the U.S congress and the president to fix the massive problems in the VA.
The decision overruled an earlier three judge panel that had found that the VA’s “unchecked incompetence” was unconstitutional, and they must make changes to the mental healthcare system immediately. This decision comes just a couple of weeks after a VA Inspector General’s report that said the department is exaggerating how well it provides mental healthcare for its members.
The VA had claimed that 95 percent of soldiers seeking mental healthcare received it within their stated goal of 14 days, however the I.G report found that less than half actually receive care in that amount of time and most wait 50 days for a full evaluation. The report was yet another blow to an embattled system that has seen more than its share of bad press.
WEIGH IN
Now the question is ... can the administration be fixed? Now that the 9th circuit has kicked fixing the VA back to congress and the president, where do we go from here? Will congress act to secure better mental health for vets? Will the president? What ideas are out there to fix a system that most agree is broken? What does the VA need to get back on track? How can we best provide for the mental healthcare of vets when they return from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan?
GUESTS
Judith Broder, MD, founder, The Soldiers Project, group of volunteer licensed mental health professionals that provide free counseling and support to military service members.
Tom Tarantino, Deputy Policy Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
J.P Tremblay, Deputy Secretary for Legislation and Communication, California Department of Veterans affairs
The Soldier's Project Conference
Remembering Maurice Sendak
Acclaimed writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, whose children’s books include “Where the Wild Things Are,” died today in Danbury, Connecticut from complications from a recent stroke. He was 83.
Sendak was known for writing books about adventurous kids who were frightened and troubled by mysterious creatures that haunted their dreams and their waking hours as well. The children in his books misbehaved without regret. Even the grownups in Sendak’s stories were often frightened or frightening. Sendak didn't think of himself as a children's author, but as a writer who told the truth about childhood.
Friends and fans are remembering Sendak today, many calling him one of the most important writers and artists to ever work in children's literature. “Where the Wild Things Are,” was first published in 1963 and has been a standard bedtime story ever since. It tells the story of Max, who plays around his home making "mischief" in a wolf costume. Max’s words come to mind today, as we look back on how Sendak’s writing touched so many lives, “Please don't go. We'll eat you up. We love you so.”
Can religious conviction and political civility coincide?
Until recently, Doug Kmiec served as the U.S. Ambassador to Malta, a position he took after helping Barack Obama appeal to Catholic voters in key electoral battlegrounds. Charged with spearheading Obama’s interfaith initiatives abroad, Kmiec reportedly had the respect and admiration of his embassy and the Maltese people.
However, Kmiec started to hit some political turbulence when the State Department took umbrage with some of Kmiec’s writings which have been published both in Malta and the United States. This led to the State Department censoring and editing such articles to the point where Kmiec’s content had been completely misrepresented.
Instead of continuing to be silenced by his own State Department, Kmiec chose to resign from his post in Malta. He now serves nominally as Obama’s Faith-filled Ambassador, focusing on religious and moral issues abroad. Kmiec chronicled his experience in “Lift Up Your Hearts: A True Story of Loving Your Enemies, Tragically Killing Your Friends and the Life That Remains.”
How did Kmiec make a name for himself politically? What was going through his heart and mind when the State Department became an obstacle for his opinions and personality? Why didn’t Barack Obama more fully insert himself into the conflict? What’s next for Kmiec in his current role?
GUEST
Doug Kmiec, author of “Lift Up Your Hearts: A True Story of Loving Your Enemies, Tragically Killing Your Friends and the Life That Remains” (Embassy International Press) Kmiec is a former U.S. Ambassador to Malta and former legal counsel President Ronald Reagan. He is currently President Obama’s Faith-filled Ambassador.