TCLA: An Educational Bill of Rights: Vol.2, No.7

Archived Front Page of TCLA - Vol.2, No.7 - Acting On Our Rights (10/21/02)

Acting On Our Rights

Click on image above for photo essay about
UCLA/IDEA's summer seminar.

Read other issues of TCLA:

< School Report Card - 2002-2003 >

< The Digital Divide - Spring 2001 >

< Democracy 2000 - Fall 2000 >

Stand Up for Your Rights

Forty-eight years ago, the United States Supreme Court declared in Brown that education is a "right which must be made available to all on equal terms." Today, many students in California do not have access to even the basic tools of learning. Brown’s promise of equal educational opportunity can only be realized when students, parents, and teachers press for quality schooling for all. Such pressure requires that members of the public become informed about their rights and the educational conditions of their schools. It demands new civic structures that enable students, parents, and teachers to access, analyze, and share information about their schools. And it calls for a system of educational governance that takes account of public concerns and is accountable for safeguarding students’ rights.

Click here to continue.

Students' Bill of Rights

Declaración de los derechos de los estudiantes

I. Clear Standards
II. Appropriate Materials
III. Adequate Facilities
IV. Quality Teachers
V. College Prep
VI. Safe Schools
VII. Fair Tests
VIII. Home Language
IX. Rights Information
X. Public Forums

I. Expectativas claras
II. Materiales apropiados
III. Edificios adecuados
IV. Maestros de calidad
V. Preparación para la universidad
VI. Escuelas seguras
VII. Exámenes justos
VIII. Lenguaje materno
IX. Información sobre sus derechos
X. Foros públicos

The Latest

Week of Monday, October 21, 2002
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Tropical America
An online educational video game takes players through 13 historical episodes of Latin America. Developed in collaboration with Los Angeles artists, teachers, writers and high school students, the game features a bilingual, thematic gameplay.

Education News Links as of 10/21!
TCLA's weekly compilation of links to web articles related to issues in education.

Diploma as a Political Passport
Regular NPR commentator, Connie Rice discusses why a high school diploma is a political passport that shouldn't be denied merely on the basis of test results.

Decent Schools for California
This site, sponsored by the team of civil rights organizations, public interest law groups and private law firms that filed the Williams v. California law suit, provides information about the Williams suit and the state of education in California.

Features in this Issue

Interview with the Superintendent of Schools for the State of California, Delaine Eastin
"California is below the national average in per pupil spending but we are the most expensive state in the union to live."
Interviewed by Lizbeth Antonio, Aminah Hasan, Moises Castillo, and Ernest Morrell.

Interview with Assemblymember Jerome Horton (D-51)
Interviewed by Moises Castillo of Santa Monica High.

Interview with Professor Bill Koski
Interviewed by Aminah Hasan of Westmark High.

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Parent U-Turn Takes Action

Go to Parent U-Turn's page.

Parents Take Action: A Video Documentary
During the last week of July, parents from Lynwood’s Parent U-Turn surveyed parents entering and exiting a central Los Angeles supermarket.

Parent Survey Questions & Responses
Do you think your student is receiving an education based on state standards? This is one of the many questions that Parent U-Turn asked in their survey of LA area parents.

Parent Essays
"My mother only went to the third grade in school. She was my first teacher. She would have all of her children sit down on the floor, and she began to teach us about life.
from "My World" by Emma Street

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Talk Back

Letters to TCLA
"On one hand, I am so very proud to be a school board member in a district that can produce students who can articulate and are willing to openly discuss the important issues of social justice... On the other hand,..."
Click here to continue reading SMMUSD's Board Member Pam Brady's response and more.

Send Us Your Ideas!
Write a paragraph about what you think every student deserves and send it to tcla@gseis.ucla.edu. If we publish your work, we will send you a free Teaching to Change LA t-shirt!

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Visit the Features for other contributions to the Educational Bill of Rights volume of TCLA!

L.A. Students Take Action
Go to the student research page.
Just the Way It Is: A Student Video Documentary The Right to Safe Schools and Adequate Learning Facilities Produced by IDEA Summer Seminar researchers Diana Flores, Roger Lara, and Matthew Nzegwu. This video of two Los Angeles area schools reflects the conditions faced by many public school students, particularly those in poor and working class areas. "What Educational Resources are Necessary to Achieve the State’s Learning Standards?" "As a society we often measure success or intelligence by high-stake exams, and yet we do not equip students with the resources to successfully learn the material that they will be tested on. We then punish them for not scoring well on these standardize exams by denying them financial incentives that higher performing schools receive. " Student Surveys How would you answer this question on a scale of 1 to 5? "The bathrooms in my school are in good shape and I am able to use them." 39% of students surveyed in Los Angeles gave their schools a 1! Click on graph to take a look at more surveys. It’s All About the Eyewear by Matthew Nzegwu "In a sense this seminar is one gradual epiphany—a sort of manifestation of what I had already known, triggering me to juxtapose my past views with what I was newly obtaining. If I had to put this seminar and what I've gained into applicable terms based on my evolved awareness, I would have to say it’s like a new set of lenses from which I am to look through." Educate Don’t Incarcerate! by Cynthia Santiago "My brother was never afforded the "luxury" of an adequate defense, retrial or appeals. As a low-income youth of color, I have seen this injustice have disastrous effects on several families in my community." Photo Essay Photographer Marty Lipton captures the faces and events of the students, teachers, parents and researchers involved in the 2002 summer seminar. Text by Jeff Duncan-Andrade. ----------
Special Feature: Theater of the Oppressed
Go to Theater Feature Interview with Theater of the Oppressed Expert, Ariane Della Déa Ariane Della Déa is an expert in Theater of the Oppressed, an art form developed by Brazilian theorist, activist, and educator Augusto Boal. Interviewed by Solange Castro Belcher and Claude Potts. *Acting on Our Rights as Spect-Actors: Theater of the Oppressed as an Educational Tool* Claude Henry Potts discusses how students in the 2002 summer seminar included Theater of the Oppressed techniques in their research presentations. Video Documentary: Student Theater These video clips document the theater sketches performed by students on August 2, 2002 at the UCLA faculty center. ----------
Click here for a list of contributors in this issue.

Next Issue: Accountability from the Bottom-Up
Throughout the 2002-2003 school year, Teaching to Change LA will invite students, parents, and teachers to report on one aspect of their school’s program, such as, the quality of instructional materials or the school’s efforts to promote student safety. We will share the problems highlighted in these monthly reports with local and state officials and ask them to identify who should be responsible for addressing the problems and insuring quality education for all. Click here for information about contributing.

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Copyright © 2001-2002 Teaching to Change LA/IDEA, GSE&IS, UCLA. All Rights Reserved.
Questions regarding this journal should be addressed to tcla@gseis.ucla.edu.