Educators 4 Excellence-Los Angeles teachers release plan to make the Common Core more accessible to all students

New, Teacher-Authored Report Outlines Plan to Ensure Access and Equity for Our Most

May 26, 2016 (Los Angeles) – Today, Educators 4 Excellence-Los Angeles, a teacher-led organization that seeks to elevate the voices of teachers in policy discussions, released its One School For All report to provide recommendations on ways to improve Common Core implementation to better meet the diverse learning needs of English Learners and students with disabilities.

“Teachers in LAUSD have uncovered the unanswered question about Common Core implementation—how do we raise the academic standards for all students when our most vulnerable children, those in special education and our English Learners, have historically struggled to meet the lower bar set by previous standards,” said Ama Nyamekye, executive director of Educators 4 Excellence-Los Angeles. “The teachers who authored One School For All lay out a policy vision and priorities for how to simultaneously raise the bar and level the playing field for students.”

The teacher-authored report was developed by an E4E-Los Angeles’s Teacher Policy Team, comprised of teachers from across the city, after conducting extensive academic research, identifying best practices and speaking with fellow teachers and students to determine how to make the Common Core more accessible for English Learners and students with disabilities.

It includes recommendations to better leverage time, teachers, resources and partnerships at the district, union and state level. Specifically, the report recommendations call for:

• Improved preparation and support for teachers working with unique student populations and more opportunities for collaboration among teachers of general education, special education and English Learners
• More equitable distribution of resources to ensure that the students who need the most support receive it
• Better guidance for teachers on technology integration and creative ways to implement for unique student populations
• Increased partnerships between the state, district, teacher’s union, teachers and parents to better support diverse students

“As a teacher, I truly believe that every student can be successful despite the barriers they face. Gaps in education continue to exist, most severely among English Learners and students with disabilities. In order to address our students’ needs, solution-oriented conversations and actions must be carried out immediately. Together, we will advocate for our district and state leaders to adopt these best practices that ultimately serve all students’ needs,” said Bianca Centeno, Inclusion Specialist at Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy and 2016 Educators 4 Excellence-Los Angeles Teacher Policy Team member.

“In order to transform our education system, we need support not only from teachers and school leaders but also parents, communities and policymakers at every level. We hope this report will help catalyze an important conversation around the needs and abilities of unique student populations,” added Nyamekye.

###