"We have to set high expectations for these students," Huizar said. "It's a psychological and cultural change."
The Education-Trust West, an Oakland-based advocacy group for disadvantaged students, released a report recently examining L.A. Unified's potential to implement a college prep track in all high schools. To fully staff the new courses, the district would need to hire about 104 additional teachers in its high schools, including 71 foreign language instructors, according to the report.
School district officials say they do not yet have a cost estimate for the additional classes.
But at schools such as Hollywood High, teachers and counselors say the district's focus needs to be shifted more toward middle schools, where even failing students are promoted to the next grade level.
"A lot of students just never receive these basic skills in middle school," said Hollywood High counselor Elizabeth Payne. "Kids come to me and say 'I don't understand anything he's telling me to do.' This is understanding simple things like percentages and ratios."
During one Hollywood High math class on a recent afternoon, Buck went over a lesson on parallel slopes and positive integers. He was vying for the attention of two girls whispering about Spanish soap operas in the back of the room.
"Guys, I've lost you completely," said Buck, who was teaching a basic class required for high school graduation. "I've lost you."
Another student flipped through a magazine with pictures of Jennifer Lopez. A 20-year-old sophomore gazed through a window, twirling a ruler around his pencil.
Buck tried again: "This is not hard."
Most had already failed algebra once. Buck worries what would happen to students like them if the district approved the college track plan.
Patty Iniguez, 18, a senior at Hollywood, doesn't have much faith in her classmates. "They're going to fail," she said.
But student Luis Vides, 17, said a college track plan would help students who are not motivated.
"If students had decided not to go to college but they took [college prep classes] it might change their minds," he said. "If they want to get a better job, it's better to have all the classes for college even though not everybody has to go to college."
This semester, counselor Cynthia Ross worked with an 11th grade student who had never passed a high school math class. Ross found out the girl had failed math throughout middle school too, but the system kept passing her along to the next grade.
