LEARN Collection, CSLA-14, History

THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION

LEARN COLLECTION (CSLA-14):
History of LEARN

The Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN) stands as one of the nation's most significant school reform movements, and was launched in 1990 by business leaders such as Robert Wycoff (President and CEO, ARCO), Richard Riordan (lawyer, businessman, and soon to be elected as mayor of Los Angeles), and Roy Anderson (Chairman Emeritus, Lockheed Corp.). A response to demands for changes in the severely criticized Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), this private, non-profit educational reform organization has sought to improve the quality of education within the LAUSD by directly affecting how the nation's second largest school system is governed and operated.

In its goal of producing better educational results for the students of the Los Angeles Unified School District, LEARN has been guided by certain principles, which Dr. William Ouchi, Chairman of LEARN, outlined in 1999:

(1.) Decentralization with Accountability. This increases local school decision-making and budgeting authority, while establishing measurements to hold principals accountable for specific gains in student achievement;
(2.) Collaboration. Here, all stakeholders--administrators, faculty, staff, parents and students--are brought together into the reform process with the agreement that everyone accept responsibility for helping the school achieve its goals;
(3.) School Site Action Plan. This involves all stakeholders in a school in developing a school-wide action plan;
(4.) Professional Development. This provides the training and support school staff need to implement reforms at each school site successfully.

In 1991, the organizational and administrative structure of LEARN was formed: Mike Roos (the former California Assemblyman) became president and the Working Group (the board of directors) was established. LEARN also was a community movement as more than 600 community organizations representing diverse constituencies provided input into the work of LEARN.

In 1992, Task Forces were convened to focus on seven specific parts of LEARN's agenda for reform: Accountability and Assessment, Facilities, Parental Involvement, Professional Development, School Governance, School to Work Transition, and Social Service. The results of the Task Forces were shaped by the Integrative Committee into a cohesive plan for the reform of the LAUSD entitled, For All Our Children. The introduction of the plan to the public was successful: many civic and community groups endorsed it, as well as more than 90,000 citizens, in a petition. The final group to endorse the plan was the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education, which unanimously adopted the plan on March 15, 1993.

As a nonprofit organization, LEARN received funding from private sources, and LEARN was also able to move forward because of its success in obtaining funding from these sources. In 1993, the Weingart Foundation, Ahmanson Foundation, Stuart Foundation, and U.S. Department of Education awarded grants to LEARN totaling $1.37 million, toward the implementation of the LEARN plan and training expenses.

In 1996, The Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP) awarded $1.1 million to LAUSD school families implementing LEARN reform, and the Weingart Foundation awarded LAAMP and LEARN $8.2 million to improve teacher preparation, training and professional development.

In 1997, LEARN was asked to coordinate the Anne and Kirk Douglas Playground Grant Awards exclusively for LEARN schools. LEARN had previously administered the awarding of 71 school grants of up to $25,000.

The first school year of implementation (called Phase I), 1994-1995, thirty-nine schools participated. Phase II, involved 67 more schools; Phase III, 117 schools; Phase IV, 121 schools; Phase V, 29 schools; and Phase VI, 48 schools. By 1998-1999, forty-three percent of the Los Angeles Unified School District's schools had joined LEARN. To develop and implement a School Site Action Plan, each school's principal and lead teacher received training through UCLA's Advanced Management Program. In addition, the Learning Community Program trained the other critical participants in schools: parents, teachers, principal and staff.

In 1998, Superintendent Zacarias mandated that all schools choose to implement a reform plan, marking the District's first full commitment to districtwide reform.

In 1999, with the Committee on Effective School Governance (CESG), LEARN sponsored an effort to educate voters on the Spring School Board elections.

On February 7, 2000, LAAMP and LEARN merged to form the LAAMP/LEARN Regional School Reform Alliance or "L2". The goal of the merger was to bring together resources and funding to accomplish the goal of improving public schools throughout the Los Angeles region. One of the first tasks planned was to help the district reform fiscal and budget systems. In October 2000, Ms. Sonia C. Henderson became president of the newly-created organization.