Some LAUSD Magnets not so Magnetic
I thought this Los Angeles Times project was really cool. They apparently requested data from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) about their various magnet programs and made it available to the public. If you’re not familiar with the term, a magnet program is a special program where students must apply and be accepted. They usually have a special focus and are typically thought to provide a superior education than ordinary LAUSD classrooms.
It is difficult to assess the programs because most of them are not a standalone campus, but part of another school, so their students’ test results are just part of that school’s results. LAUSD however has the student records and they can determine the grade-level proficiency rates for individual magnet programs. That’s what this web site provides.
As you might expect, there is some variation from the “highly gifted” and “gifted” magnet schools coming in near 100% proficiency in both Language Arts and Math to programs like Dorsey Police Academy Magnet, where only 16.3% of students were proficient in Language Arts and 0% were proficient in Math. Crenshaw Teacher Training Magnet didn’t do much better with 28.6% of students proficient in Language Arts and 1.1% proficient in Math.
What makes this important is that parents are spending hours and hours of time to make certain their students get into a magnet program because they expect their children will receive a better education. Unfortunately, the reality is just like the rest of education. There are good and bad magnet programs, just like there are good and bad charter schools and traditional schools. It pays for parents to have the right information. Thanks to the LA Times that is now easier for LAUSD parents.
Why do we hold charter schools to a higher standard? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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