Going Beyond the Book:

Redefining “Adequate” Resources in Public Schools

C.R.E.A.M. TEAMPresented by…

Presentation OverviewResearch QuestionThesis Methods ContextWilliams v. State of CaliforniaDefinition of resources ClaimsImplicationsRecommendations

Research Question

What learning resources do all stake holders in education believe every student needs in order to receive a high quality education?

Who is entitled to these resources?

Does every student have access to these defined resources?

How are communities resisting the unequal distribution of resources?

Thesis

Since the Williams case, all schools in California have been receiving an inadequate education. Students

don’t have the learning resources in order to become internationally competitive.

We argue that students from urban schools are

being more affected by this lack of useful and effective human resources, up-to-date technology and textbooks, and service-

learning opportunities in their communities.

Methods

Quantitative Qualitative

◦ Surveys Beverly Hills High Manual Arts High Crenshaw High Los Angeles High

◦ Statistical Analysis College Opportunity Ratio Adequate Yearly Progress Academic Performance

Index

Interviews

◦ Video and audio recordings & Pictures

◦ Field notes from school visits

◦ Personal experiences

From FIRST to WORST…

Williams v. State of CA

Complaints Settlement

◦ Unsafe & Unhealthy Facility Conditions For schools to be clean and

safe

◦ Teacher Vacancies and Misassignments Assuring we have qualified

teachers

◦ Instructional Materials Textbooks Technology

AB 550◦ Sufficient textbooks or

instructional materials

◦ “each pupil, including English learners, has a textbook or instructional materials, or both, to use in class and to take home to complete required homework assignments” (AB 550, 18;ECS 60119)

Resources

MATERIAL RESOURCES

STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO

TECHNOLOGY AND TEXTBOOKS THAT ARE OUT-DATED

AND DON’T PREPARE THEM FOR

SOCIETY AND ACADEMIC

EXCELLENCE.

“The pattern of inequalities is similar across all types of communication and information technologies…problem goes…to a more fundamental social stratification problem (Norris 2001).”

My school has enough technology available to students.

41%59%

AgreeDisagree

“We have computers, [but] I can’t say they are all good computers.” -Brandi from Crenshaw Senior High

“ Our classroom computers are about 8 years old, they don’t work.” - Ben Gertner, Principal of the School of Communication, New Media, and Technology

“…We have our textbooks, but … they are

old, I don’t want to read a book from like 1991 I feel books need to be updated...”

-Rodney from Westchester High

I have a class and home set of textbooks.

AgreeDisagree47% 52%

BHHS LAHS CHS MAHS0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900817

465445

408

847

565547 536

20002009

API

(ED Data 2010)

AYP

BHHS LAHS MAHS CHS0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

1718

1076

731

392

1820

787

716

422

20042009

(ED Data 2010)

Global Competitiveness

“Progress in equalizing resources to students will require attention to inequalities at all levels

.… State funding should be allocated to students…for specific student needs, such as poverty, limited English proficiency, or

special education status ….. so that districts can afford to hire competent teachers and provide reasonable class sizes and pupil

loads (Darling-Hammond, 2007).”

HUMAN RESOURCES

THE HUMAN RESOURCES AT URBAN

SCHOOL SITES ARE NOT PROPERLY SUPPORTED TO

PROVIDE THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR

THEIR STUDENTS.

Professional Development“ You get the work and they don’t teach it to you…you just do it”

- Josh, Student

“Many of the PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS that are offered to us

are INEFFECTIVE, a waste of time…the only reason we go to these things is because we get paid to be there.”

– O’Donnel, Teacher

“GOOD professional developments to help teachers get ideas on how to make a class more engaging and what types of technology and how to use that

technology”- Caputo-Pearl, Teacher

“Our teachers haven't gotten enough training to use the technology. A lot of our teachers are still kind of afraid of computers, they don’t even know

how to use e-mail” - Gertner, Asst. Principal

Understaffed “Yeah I need more teachers, that’s it…. if I

had more help the kids are going to start to learn how to read faster, and they wont drop out, they would stay in school, that’s the problem right now”

- Barzin, Crenshaw ELL coordinator

“Well, I think it is going well, but I think they should teach us in more advanced classes”

- ELL Crenshaw student

(UCLA/IDEA 2009)

Understaffed“Because there is only one of me, I am basically

overseeing the whole school, but right now our primary focus are the 12 graders and we work our way down”

Gibson, College counselor at Manual Arts

Increase in counselor ratios to 1,000 students per counselor at the middle school level and 800 students per counselor at the high

school level (LAUSD 2010)

College Opportunity Ratio (COR)

BHHS MAHS LAHS CHS0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100100 100 100 100

94

3531

22

59

14

4

13

Starting 9th Graduating College Ready

(UCLA/IDEA 2009)

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

STUDENTS OFTEN SEEK RESOURCES

AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

OUTSIDE OF THEIR SCHOOLS.

Community Cultural Wealth Theory

“Community cultural wealth is an array of

knowledge, skills, abilities, and contacts possessed and

utilized by the communities of color to

survive and resist macro and micro-forms oppression (Yosso 2005).”

NavigationCollege counseling

Jobs placement

FamilialStrong connections with the youth

Communityidentity

ResistantDevelop leadership skills.

Community Organizing

The Value of Youth Centers

Pico Youth and Family Center◦Programs:

Academic Music Digital Film Making Job Development Case Management Counseling

“We have our own computer lab through out the center.”

-Alex, PYFC

“I think that a lot of the schools neglect the culture of the students.”

- Rueben, PYFC

Chuco’s: Youth Justice Coalition

Continuation High School

Resource Center

“On August 8th, we are going to Sacramento to protest for the rights of student that are caught up in the [prison] system.” - Semaj, YJC student

“if it wasn’t for Chuco’s, I would probably be a stay at home mom on welfare watching soap operas.” - Crystal, program coordinator.

“…It is part of the budget negotiation, because we’ve got to give every child in this state equal opportunities, equal education, equal learning materials, equal books, equal everything.”

-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2004

Why the long wait?

Where are the legislators?

Assembly Senate

Urban schools do not have the resources for students to become internationally competitive

Decreased opportunities for academic growth and civic agency

A dynamic education is a RIGHT, not a PRIVILEGE

Implications:

PROP 26

Our Recommendations:For VOTERS:

NOPROP 25YES

For LEGISLATORS & POLITICIANS:•Do your Job!!•End Recess, get to work, and get the budget passed!

Get registered @ DMV or Post-office

Our Recommendations:For LAUSD:•Go to the state superintendent, Jack O’Connell, tell him about our research, and DEMAND updated books and technology for all our schools

For Admin:• Send out multi-lingual newsletters, showing how much funding your school is getting and

where it is goingFor TEACHERS:•Develop and lead your own professional developments•Listen to your students!!

Our Recommendations:For PARENTS:•Go to your child’s parent centers @ their schools•Ask your child how their day went and what they learned in school

For YOUNG PEOPLE:• Get involved!!

• Pico Youth & Family Center: Contact Alex

picoyouth@gmail.com • Chuco’s: Youth Justice Coalition: Contact Ernie

freelanow@yahoo.com