Message #11361 in Discussion #11359: A system within a system: How has the pedagogical stance of your LSC been influenced by your state/local context?

Greetings from Fresno, California; gateway to Yosemite and the Sierra
Nevada and one of the fastest growing cities in California. We are a very
diverse urban district with 80,000 students. Major challenges include high
poverty, limited resources, old facilities, and the California
accountability system. California s accountability system is designed
around the performance of schools on the SAT-9, and assesses student
performance on language arts and mathematics compared to a nationally normed
sample. The nationally normed sample is very different from our student
population, and included 2% English Learners in that population. Fresno has
an English Learner population of 32%. This is a critical point of reference
considering that schools in California are now ranked from highest to lowest
based on an /index that is derived from the SAT-9 score. In addition, the
focus on language arts and mathematics has caused a marginalization of
science teaching in the elementary grades, especially in schools with high
English Learner populations. In some schools principals have told teachers
that they are to teach only language arts and mathematics. Science is not
to be taught. The result will be an entire generation of students that will
not have had the opportunity to learn about science in the context of world
in which they live. Many have identified the importance of inquiry-based
science programs in supporting the development of literacy, especially with
language minority students. Is this a problem in other districts? If so,
how are other districts addressing this issue?

Discussion: A system within a system: How has the pedagogical stance of your LSC been influenced by your state/local context?