Teachers

Birmingham High: An article in Monday's Section A about efforts to convert Birmingham High School to a charter school omitted the first name and description of Jorge Montijo, who is a counselor. It also said Montijo had accused Principal Marcia Coates of intimidating teachers. Montijo was not among those naming Coates; he said teachers aligned with Coates were intimidating colleagues.

Re "Short summer for some Chino students," June 16 Hmmm, I wonder why our kids are so far behind other nations and states? Could it be that the teachers/administrators can't figure out how many days the kids were in school? No wonder we are 49th in education and teachers have to have tenure to keep employed. Could it be because they can't even count? Andy Krinock South Pasadena :: So, about 20% of the total school days were minimum days? Why such a high percentage?

Teachers have accepted a new contract that includes no pay raise for last year, this year or next year, but will allow them to take formal contract grievances public. The leaders of United Teachers Los Angeles had insisted to members that they could do no better on salary issues during tough economic times, and, in the final tally, 81.4% voted yes, with about a third of the 48,000 members voting. Other touted elements of the deal include new contract language meant to enforce better safety conditions at schools, more say for teachers in teacher-training efforts and a panel to study how to make teacher salaries more competitive.

Re "Cortines lays down the law," Editorial, July 10 Congratulations for spelling out in your editorial what the LAUSD has to change. Congratulations to Supt. Ramon C. Cortines for facing up to the teachers who have refused to administer tests that measure students' progress. Now it's time for the board to lead in modifying the district's pensions, medical plans and restrictive work rules. This can only be done by changing denial into action, and doing what's best for the kids. Fred Stern Los Angeles Every day in my classroom, I assess my students in a variety of ways.

Re "Schools face new loss of funds," July 24 This is a ridiculous idea. Teachers can and should be evaluated, but not based on student test scores. If you go to the doctor and he tells you to eat certain foods, engage in some exercise and take a specific medication, and you do none of those things and subsequently don't get any healthier, does that mean he or she was not a good doctor? If I am a personal trainer and my client shows up five days a week but refuses to participate in any of the exercises I prescribe, won't act on my instructions and then doesn't lose weight or gain muscle mass -- does it mean I am a bad personal trainer?

Re "The union needs to be a leader," Column, Aug. 9 Steve Lopez offers up some suggestions for United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy. It is commendable that Lopez is concerned about Los Angeles schools, but he is operating at the first-grade level, learning to read the words. He has not yet advanced to the stage where he analyzes what the words mean. Lopez should do some research on what happens to schools when "innovations" such as paying teachers based primarily on standardized test scores and eliminating teachers' due-process rights are imposed.

Lawmakers moved Thursday to qualify California for federal education dollars by eliminating a law that prohibits the state from using student test scores to evaluate teachers. State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) amended an existing bill in the regular session to strike a clause in a 2006 law he wrote that bars state use of testing data to determine educator pay or promotion. Obama administration officials have said that states applying for $4.35 billion in education funding cannot have any "firewalls" between student achievement data and teachers.

A task force charged with recommending improvements to educators' evaluations and instruction in the Los Angeles school district met for the first time Tuesday. The school board narrowly approved the formation of the committee shortly before a Times series examining the difficulties of firing and evaluating teachers was published in May. The nearly 25-member group includes members from unions and the Los Angeles Unified School District, teachers and administrators and is chaired by state Board of Education President Ted Mitchell.

The Tustin Unified School District has appointed 21 teachers to the 1998-99 Mentor Teacher Program, which rewards exceptional teaching and provides staff development. The program also encourages teachers to work together on common instructional issues and promote student learning, school improvement and enhanced professional status. Mentors are exemplary educators who have mastered communication, teaching strategies and subject matter. They are chosen to work on special projects during the year.

Every Wednesday at the Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center in North Hollywood, Michael Guggenheim teaches a handful of students how to type their names and basic phrases in Microsoft Word and how to work with math, vocabulary and typing programs. At a recent tutoring session, Michael moved between the laptops used by shelter residents Alicia Lewis and Heaven Sanders, both 7. He coached them for 30 minutes on typing their names, then switched to a half hour of vocabulary and math games.