Accelerated School

Aurora Ponce is senior class president, boasts a near-perfect A average and is UC-bound with plans to study engineering. But according to the 18-year-old and her supporters, officials at the Accelerated School, a collection of South Los Angeles charter schools, have barred Ponce from making her valedictory speech at Saturday's graduation as punishment for participating in a student sit-in to protest increased class sizes and the elimination of college prep classes.

Aurora Ponce is senior class president, boasts a near-perfect A average and is UC-bound with plans to study engineering. But according to the 18-year-old and her supporters, officials at the Accelerated School, a collection of South Los Angeles charter schools, have barred Ponce from making her valedictory speech at Saturday's graduation as punishment for participating in a student sit-in to protest increased class sizes and the elimination of college prep classes.

Teachers at the Accelerated School do not shuffle low-achieving students into classes for slow learners. The guiding ethic is that all children, even those who stumble on academics, can perform like gifted students if nurtured to do so. "At most schools, expectations of kids are not high," said Johnathan Williams, co-director of the school. "Here, kids understand that their parents and teachers expect them to perform. They want to be like other kids, so they try and keep up."

A teacher-driven effort to unionize a celebrated Los Angeles charter school has, for the first time, extended the reach of the powerful local teachers union into schools that have largely -- and purposely -- operated without representation. Nearly 80% of teachers and other qualified staff members at The Accelerated School south of downtown have turned in pro-union signature cards, organizers said last week.

A teacher-driven effort to unionize a celebrated Los Angeles charter school has, for the first time, extended the reach of the powerful local teachers union into schools that have largely -- and purposely -- operated without representation. Nearly 80% of teachers and other qualified staff members at The Accelerated School south of downtown have turned in pro-union signature cards, organizers said last week.

Thanks to $237,000 in corporate grants, local educators are within sight of their goal to open a radically new elementary school this fall that will receive public funds but be financially and academically independent from the Los Angeles Unified School District. The Accelerated School, as it will be called, will be one of the first storefront public schools in California, offering regular classes at a leased site in South-Central Los Angeles or in Watts.

After Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa thrust it into the spotlight this week, things quickly returned to normal at the Accelerated School -- one of the city's publicly funded but independently run charter campuses. Catherine Castillo Cota ate a pastrami sandwich before teaching the lunchtime honors class she recently added to her loaded schedule. A floor below, Jorge Lee corrected assignments from the 7 a.m. Spanish class he teaches before the regular school day begins.

Seven years ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District joined with a charter school to build a sparkling new campus in South Los Angeles. The deal, using public funds and private donations, was hailed as an ideal partnership. But that transaction is coming under scrutiny. Several individuals from the Accelerated School and the school district were named in a lawsuit this week alleging improper use of state school construction funds.

Ayden Kadaster, a senior at Irvine's University High School who is heading to Duke University in the fall, has been frantically cramming for his six advanced-placement tests, which will be over by the end of this week. One of the most important to him is the calculus exam, since it is relevant to his intended engineering major. He had better get a top score: Since two years ago, Duke no longer accepts a mere passing grade. "We've been working hard all year," Kadaster said.

Los Angeles charter schools have performed almost flawlessly in a series of audits on attendance reporting prompted by abuses in an Apple Valley charter school operation. In audits of seven schools chartered under the Los Angeles Unified School District, the state controller's office found problems at only one. That school, Montague Charter Academy in Pacoima, must reimburse the state $14,155 for over-reported attendance, an auditor concluded.

A serial whistle-blower who accused L.A. Unified of using deceptive means to squeeze more money from the state to help build a charter campus has dropped the case against the school system and current and former employees. A recent state Supreme Court decision immunizes government agencies from the False Claims Act, both sides said.

After Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa thrust it into the spotlight this week, things quickly returned to normal at the Accelerated School -- one of the city's publicly funded but independently run charter campuses. Catherine Castillo Cota ate a pastrami sandwich before teaching the lunchtime honors class she recently added to her loaded schedule. A floor below, Jorge Lee corrected assignments from the 7 a.m. Spanish class he teaches before the regular school day begins.

Ayden Kadaster, a senior at Irvine's University High School who is heading to Duke University in the fall, has been frantically cramming for his six advanced-placement tests, which will be over by the end of this week. One of the most important to him is the calculus exam, since it is relevant to his intended engineering major. He had better get a top score: Since two years ago, Duke no longer accepts a mere passing grade. "We've been working hard all year," Kadaster said.

Teachers at the Accelerated School do not shuffle low-achieving students into classes for slow learners. The guiding ethic is that all children, even those who stumble on academics, can perform like gifted students if nurtured to do so. "At most schools, expectations of kids are not high," said Johnathan Williams, co-director of the school. "Here, kids understand that their parents and teachers expect them to perform. They want to be like other kids, so they try and keep up."

Thanks to $237,000 in corporate grants, local educators are within sight of their goal to open a radically new elementary school this fall that will receive public funds but be financially and academically independent from the Los Angeles Unified School District. The Accelerated School, as it will be called, will be one of the first storefront public schools in California, offering regular classes at a leased site in South-Central Los Angeles or in Watts.

A charter school opened Monday on a new campus in South-Central Los Angeles thanks largely to Carol Little Fashion Industries, which donated the property valued at $6.8 million. "It's so exciting we are almost overwhelmed," said Johnathan Williams, director of the Accelerated School, which for three years operated out of a nearby church. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of school districts.