[Editor’s Note: Mr. McKenna, serving the final months of an abbreviated term, is running for election to a full four-year term on the LAUSD School Board. He will win. He is unopposed.]
[img]2335|right|Dr. George McKenna||no_popup[/img]On Nov. 18, I was delighted to join with LAUSD Board members Bennett Kayser and Steven Zimmer in co-sponsoring a historic resolution that will improve the educational experience and outcomes of our children.
By passing the “Supporting Ethnic Studies in the Los Angeles Unified School District” resolution, the School Board added ethnic studies to the curriculum, and established it as a graduation requirement for the class of 2019.
The value of ethnic studies is well documented. According to the National Education Assn., ethnic studies have benefited students of color in observable ways: They became more academically engaged, increased educational outcomes on academic tests, improved graduation rates, and developed a sense of self-efficacy and personal empowerment (NEA’s 2010 “The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies”).
This endeavor is critical to closing the achievement gap and increasing graduation rates.
Interim Supt. Ramon Cortines has been directed to produce a plan and budget for integrating ethnic studies into the District’s curriculum. A committee of stakeholders is being formed to advise him and the Board.
Praise goes to Ethnic Studies Now, the teacher-student-parent-community coalition that came together to push the resolution.
Mr. McKenna may be contacted at 323.241.6382.
