The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
POEE-ISC-02e

Bibliographic reference :
Menefee-Libey, D. (2004). Systemic Reform in a Federated System: Los Angeles at the Turn of the Millennium. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(60).

Abstract :

Systemic School Reforms
Nowadays, systemic reforms are spreading like wildfire in educational systems and are not limited to a few classrooms, but encompass a whole district or even an entire state. After reading about the success of systemic reforms in scientific literature, the author advances two hypotheses: 1) At each stage of the process, this type of reform requires the participation of distinct players who must overcome different challenges; and 2) With increasing state involvement in educational policies, all players, from the local level to the state or even federal government level, must align their efforts.

The Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP)
Implemented on the basis of a pre-existing initiative called the Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN), the LAAMP project required principals, teachers, and parents in each “family” of schools to cooperate in order to develop a coherent curriculum and ensure transitions from one teaching level to the next are as integrated as possible. A family of schools consisted of a high school and the middle and elementary schools from which that high school drew most of its students. The project advanced seven principles to which the school families could adhere or not, namely creation of a stable learning community, local control of resources and decision-making, creation of a broad curriculum, inclusion of parents and policy makers in school decisions, commitment to professional development, allocation of time for teachers to meet and talk about their work, and regular assessments of the project. Each school family was to draw up its own learning plan.

The author analyzes the LAAMP project based on the results of a study of systemic reforms conducted by a group of researchers to which he himself belonged. The LAAMP project, which was implemented between 1995 and 2001 in the area of Los Angeles, California, involved 247 schools belonging to 28 school families. It was intended to respond to three problems: the diversity of the student population, the high percentage of immigrants within the student population, and the many limited or low proficiency English-speaking students.

Even if the LAAMP project had no measurable effect on academic achievement during its implementation, the study underscores the facts that it played a role in creating a public debate on the quality of education in regional schools and made the schools aware of the importance of establishing ties between the primary and secondary levels to foster academic achievement.

Application of Research Results to the LAAMP Project
In the article, the author traces the steps that led to the creation of this policy, from agenda-setting, to policy and mandate choice, to implementation. In his opinion, the LAAMP project managed to include the programs proposed by the state government, such as testing requirements for students and schools, class size reduction, teacher training and retention programs, and literacy initiatives. The author also emphasizes the collaborative work of the players and the challenges they faced and overcame throughout the process, from the agenda-setting stage all the way through to implementation.

Links :
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/

Key Words :
Words School Improvement, Civic Coalition, Implementation, School Reform, Systemic Reform, Federated Educational System, Immigrants, Student Population, Literacy, Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP)

Monitored Countries :
United States