Good Schools For All By Voice Of San Diego

Parents who want to choose the best schools for their kids often get overwhelmed wading through test scores and other metrics. That struggle becomes especially real when San Diego Unified’s school choice window opens every year. From Oct. 3 through Nov. 13,  families can choose to send their kids to a school outside their neighborhood. To ease the process, Voice of San Diego, along with the San Diego Workforce Partnership and UC San Diego Extension Center, put together an interactive map that helps parents compare and research local schools. It includes crucial data on each school's performance, and filters through the ones that offer special programs like dual-language immersion. On the podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn go through the ins and outs of our schools map and explain the school choice process. “We’ve put together a lot of different data sets that are out there available to parents and the general public, but don’t show up in the same place,” Khon said. “It should be a great tool for pa

“The culture of the district was basically based on retaliation, intimidation. Those are the two words that I can think of,” said former Sweetwater school board member Bertha Lopez. Exactly six years have passed since Sweetwater schools superintendent Jesus Gandara was terminated at 2 a.m. on June 21, 2011 following seven hours of closed door meetings. A raucous crowd of 500 people gathered in a high school gymnasium the evening before to attend the Sweetwater Union High School District board meeting, many to demand better from their school district leaders. Some hoped Gandara’s departure would close a dark chapter in the district’s history dominated by stories of malfeasance. But what was supposed to be the end was only the beginning of the end for leaders of California’s largest secondary public school district, which spans from the city of San Diego to the U.S.-Mexico border. An investigation of Gandara’s activities, as well as the Sweetwater school board and contractors by the San Diego County Distric

Entering the real world is difficult for many young adults, but for some that transition often leaves them stuck in limbo. The term "opportunity youth" is now being used to describe the growing number of 16- to 24-year-olds who don't attend school or have a job. A few institutions in the region have started noticing the problem of disconnected youth and new programs serving the population are in the works. San Diego Continuing Education, a school that provides adults with different job and education alternatives, is one of the organizations testing out a few different solutions. On this week’s podcast, cohosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn sit down with Carlos Cortez, president of San Diego Continuing Education, to talk about how the school is helping guide students who struggle with the transition into the so-called real world. "Many [students] have so many gaps in their educational development that it really requires simultaneously providing foundational skills and support, while also providing them with t

There's no one comprehensive strategy behind educating English-learners in California. Instead, it's a mishmash of programs, many of which leave students struggling to learn English for years. This week, cohosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn discuss what research is showing to be the best ways to educate English-learners. Author and education expert Ruby Takanishi joins the show to talk about a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that examined the most effective ways to educate English-learners. Takanishi said that even though more and more educators and researchers are promoting multilingualism at schools, school districts in several states are still lagging in providing adequate resources for students who don't speak English. "It is very clear that (English-language learners) in all states throughout the country are really at the bottom of the charts," she said. "They have widest achievement disparities among different groups, including racial ethnic groups and eco

The Cajon Valley Union School District has nailed personalized learning. The approach gives more control to students and lets them build on their own strengths with the help of technology tools and a flexible curriculum. This week, hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn talked to David Miyashiro, superintendent of Cajon Valley, about how the district is working to meet individual students' needs. Miyashiro also discussed his district's refugee demographic. He said roughly 900 refugee children entered the Cajon Valley District last year. "The newcomers to our district and the diversity of our community really add to the experience of every student and every person in our city," he said. "I think the strength in diversity has made us stronger, has allowed us to open our eyes to bigger things that just standardized test scores and I think we're better because of it." Lewis and Kohn also dug in to the layoffs happening at the San Diego Unified School District. About 1,500 district employees will be cut, but not m

The controversies surrounding Betsy DeVos' strong support for school choice hit home just as she took office as secretary of education. When Diane Ravitch, an education researcher, suggested that DeVos visit successful school districts like San Diego Unified, local teachers unions were furious to find out that the invitation was actually extended on behalf of the district's board of trustees. Outcry from local teachers eventually caused that invitation to be rescinded. In this week's podcast, co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn talk more about DeVos and concerns about funneling education funds from traditional public schools into private schools and charter schools. Voice of San Diego's education reporter Mario Koran also joins the podcast to explain how San Diego Unified's impressive 92 percent student graduation rate brings up concerns about the district's connections to credit-recovery charter schools. "If a kid is coming up to graduation time and they're not on track to graduate, we see a number of t

Hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn discuss Betsy DeVos and what her nomination as Secretary of Education could mean for in California. In the second half, Lewis and Kohn speak with Miles Durfee, Managing Regional Director of the California Charter Schools Association. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn speak with Dr. Sandy Husk, CEO of the college preparatory program AVID, Jill Anderson, Principal of O'Farrell Charter's Middle School Academy and Chuy Gomez, an AVID student at O'Farrell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special episode of Good Schools For All. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Effective learning strategies can vary from child to child — but youth brain studies reveal new clues that can help educators improve students' academic achievement. On this week’s podcast, Timothy Brown, assistant professor of neurosciences at UCSD's School of Medicine, joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about youth brain development, the impact of childhood trauma and technology's role in brain studies. Brown said increased collaboration between neuroscientists and educators can lead to information breakthroughs. "If you can capture some of these problems early, you might be able to develop programs that help kids," Brown said. "With certain targeted training programs that just focus on these lower-level sound discrimination tests, it has been shown some kids get better. They become better readers, they become better speakers." Lewis and Kohn also play a speech by Patricia Kuhl, professor and co-director at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, in whic

It's almost Election Day, and thousands of students are counting on voters to make good decisions. On this week’s podcast, co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn discuss state and local ballot measures connected to education. Locally, Measure I, for instance, allows voters to help choose the fate of San Diego High School, which is located on dedicated parkland. "If you don't care that San Diego High School is there, and you don't care about this broader principal about whether we should be able to change the charter to hand over parkland, then just vote for it," Lewis said. If Measure I is voted down, however, the school will have to move by 2024 and the land where the school sits now will return to Balboa Park. Meanwhile, Proposition 58, a statewide measure, focuses on bilingual education. If it passes, it'll restore flexibility to school districts so they can choose the most effective approach to teaching English-learners. Lewis and Kohn also discuss San Diego Unified trustee candidates for District E, L

When it comes to giving students with disabilities the best education possible, early intervention and early detection are crucial – but not all families are equipped to access the resources they need. On this week’s podcast, Shana Cohen, assistant professor of education studies at UC San Diego, joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about how children from different cultures sometimes receive varied levels of services for developmental disabilities. "A lot of times, it's an issue of advocacy," Cohen said. "So a lot of white middle-class families, they know where to go to get the services that their child needs. A lot of Latino families or African-Americans families might not know where to go." There's also an information gap when it comes to looking out for symptoms of developmental disability, Cohen said. Seth Schwartz, an attorney who works with families of children with disabilities, also joined the podcast, and Lewis and Kohn discuss a study by the National Center on Education Outcomes th

A couple years ago, the state got rid of the California Standards Tests and opted for a new way to check in on student progress. On this week’s podcast, Steve Green, senior director for assessment, accountability and evaluation at the San Diego County Office of Education, joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about the Smarter Balanced Assessment System, the state's new standardized testing system. The test aligns with Common Core Standards and is more rigorous than the older California Standards Tests, Green said. "The standards we had before and the way we were assessing was through multiple choice," he said. "The new assessment really does get at critical thinking and application. There are open-ended items where students have to write a response in. There's the performance task, which is very sophisticated. That's where students are truly demonstrating what they know and are able to do." Since implementing the new assessment standards, San Diego County increased student performance in math

High school graduation rates are up – but students' access to quality courses still varies from school to school. Last school year, the San Diego Unified School District touted a 92 percent high school graduation rate – an increase despite the district's new, tougher graduation requirements. The new standards mean students must successfully complete the same high school courses required for admission into California State University and University of California schools. But it seems not all students in the district receive equal support to succeed within and beyond the new standards. On this week’s podcast, Andrea Guerrero, executive director at Alliance San Diego, a social justice organization, joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about education inequity across San Diego Unified and how her organization pushes the district to raise expectations for more students. "Your ZIP code is not your destiny and we needed the school district to understand that," she said. "There's still a disparity i

We need a lot more teachers. Fewer folks want to be teachers, even as the demand increases. In San Diego County, about 32 percent of teachers are 50 years old or older. As more teachers retire, we have to replace them. On this week’s podcast, Heather Lattimer, associate professor at the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences, joined host Laura Kohn to talk about ways to recruit students into the teaching profession. Lattimer said the education field is in a battle to attract students – despite financial concerns and stigma surrounding the career choice. "The larger issue that I hear over and over is, 'Why do you want to become a teacher?' I hear that from students," she said. "I also hear it from students' parents. Often the students that we encounter who are interested in teacher education and becoming teachers have to combat their parents who are concerned that, 'Hey, this isn't going to be something where you'll be able to A, earn the money, but B, have the respect that w

Superintendents don't stick around for long. A 2014 analysis by EdSource, a nonprofit advocating for public school improvement, found that two-thirds of superintendents at California's largest public school districts served three years or less. Increasingly, though, it's up to these newbie superintendents to persuade more students and their families to stick around at traditional schools, and resist the urge to transfer to one of the growing number of charter schools in the state. On this week’s podcast, Luis Ibarra, superintendent of Escondido Union School District, joined host Scott Lewis to talk about competition between traditional and charter schools. The Escondido Union School District serves about 17,000 students, down from previous years. Ibarra is in his second year as superintendent. "We're starting to look at, 'What are we doing systemically throughout our district to make [traditional schools] more appealing, reach our students more and make education innovative and creative for our students?'

Thanks to a funding surge, more California schools are launching career academies, or programs that combine academic and technical skills. On this week’s podcast, Rob Atterby of ConnectEd joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about “linked learning,” a strategy to prepare students for both college and career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a link between school discipline policies and students who enter the justice system. Folks call it the school-to-prison pipeline. Mid-City Community Advocacy Network, or Mid-City CAN, is a City Heights-based organization that advocates for restorative justice, a new approach to school discipline that hopes to disrupt that flow. On this week’s podcast, Diana Ross, executive director of Mid-City CAN, joined co-hosts Laura Kohn and Mario Koran, who sat in for Scott Lewis, to talk about the organization's efforts to keep more students in school. "The kids who continue to get expelled and suspended are still majority kids of color. ... There's a huge disparity," Ross said. She said San Diego Unified School District recently announced its plan for a districtwide rollout of a restorative justice program. Kohn and Koran also discuss a speech about school discipline that Nancy Hanks, chief of elementary schools in Madison, Wis., gave to Teach for America alumni. Got thoughts, opinions or experiences with

Fewer young Americans are working summer jobs than in decades past, and fewer of those jobs are going to the teens who need them most. San Diego Workforce Partnership is a nonprofit organization that funds and operates youth employment programs. On this week’s podcast, Andy Hall, vice president and chief program officer at San Diego Workforce Partnership, joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to talk about the nonprofit's approach to assisting youth seeking employment skills and experience. Hall said San Diego has "53,000 16- to 24-year-olds who are not connected to either education or employment." Lewis and Kohn also talk about schools' role to prepare youth for careers. Got thoughts, opinions or experiences with this? Call 619-354-1085 and leave your name, neighborhood and story so we can play the voicemail on future episodes. Number of the Week 21.6 percent: That was San Diego’s youth employment rate in 2014. What’s Working McKinley Elementary School is a model for parent-led fundraising eff

Teacher evaluations are crucial, but also controversial. The Poway Unified School District, though, has a new approach to its teacher evaluations. On this week's podcast, Candy Smiley, president of Poway Federation of Teachers, and Michele Manos, a teacher and leader of the district's teacher evaluation system, joined co-hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn to explain Poway's evaluation programs. One part of the program, for example, pairs teachers with their peers. "We wanted our focus on professional learning for teachers. How do we make teachers get the best opportunities for their students by improving their practice? That's really what our whole program is based on. It's a growth model, it's a strength-based approach, taking a look at multiple measures," Manos said. Lewis and Kohn talked about the latest in teacher evaluations and what could change on the state level as well. Got thoughts, opinions or experiences with this? Call 619-354-1085 and leave your name, neighborhood and story so we can play th