Los Angeles Schools — Teachers in Charge

In Los Angeles, they are reforming the school systems to better serve their students. At Woodland Hills Academy in Northern Los Angeles they are giving equal rights to teachers. All school officials have the same amount of say. Teachers and Principals and other school administrators all are equal. Teacher can change their curriculum to meet the needs of their students, they can decide how to spend school money and hire who they see fit. They do still have to meet state and federal mandates for education.

Most schools in our current system use the same curriculum and standards state wide. This seems as if it would not do any good for our teachers at all! If they are forced in teaching a certain way, they may not be able to educate the students as well then if they were given a little leeway in molding the curriculum to their style of teaching.

It would be beneficial for teachers to be able to bend the curriculum and have an equal say in school spending because it will benefit the students with the teachers being able to teach in the best way possible. By giving the teachers room to suggest new things and make decisions, they can create ways to better suit their teaching style. By giving teachers the ability to make decisions on how the school is spending their money, it will greatly improve the teachers and students relationship. By having all the right materials they need to better serve the students and by students being able to express their individual needs to the teachers, the teachers can make informed decisions in what the schools needs to make it a good environment for students.

Across the country schools are starting to partake in this new school system. There have been no statistics saying that one school system is better than the other as of yet. There is an argument that asks whether a large group of individuals can easily come to a mutual decision on something. Think about it; fifty individuals trying to decide how to spend the schools money and all having to be on the same page. This would create long drawn out decisions and slow down the schools for effectively getting things done. There are benefits to having someone as the final decision maker. By having a principle as a higher authority it creates respect in the work environment and a solid foundation for students.

Are all styles of teachings the right way? A certain curriculum may work for the teachers but is it really benefiting the students? If all teachers in a school were to have their way and be able to do as they please, the schools wouldn't be as uniform and might confuse students when advancing grades.

It's all about the students. It's important to form a school system around the needs of the children because that's the reason the school is there. Until statistics come out stating which school system is benefiting the students more and helping the students improve their grades we won't know for sure. They both have their pros and cons.