State Goals for Education

* While I applaud and admire the intentions of Assembly members Dede Alpert (D-San Diego), John Burton (D-San Francisco) and Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) in their “ABC” bill (July 5), I find great fault in their tactics. Instead of focusing on methods that are neither useful nor productive, let’s rewrite the bill so that it does not reflect the last names of our Assembly members, but rather the key to success among children: Access to Books Constantly!

It is by no coincidence or fluke that as school test scores plummet so does funding for school and public libraries. There is unquestionable evidence that schools and communities in which children have great access to books and time to read have improved test scores and higher achieving students.

I respect the goals of our Assembly representatives. However, the real issue does not lead us back to a trail of phonics instruction and spelling tests. It leads us to the trail of kids who 1) have something to read, 2) get opportunities to read and 3) like to read.

The state of availability to books in our district is not only embarrassing, it is disastrous.

REBECCA CONSTANTINO

Los Angeles

* By the time LAUSD elementary students have lurched through six years of elementary instruction (which has not emphasized spelling), and two years of middle school neglect, they come to high school with a bag of scrambled alphabet letters unconnected to patterned structures of correctly spelled words. They come into my high school classes with the expectation that I am supposed to collaborate in the farce of communication identified by the Los Angeles Unified School District elementary administrator as “developmental or invented spelling.”

And invented spelling is just what I get a lot of in written work. But the elementary administrator says, not to worry and that “sometimes (teachers) don’t recognize the words readily . . . but if the children can read them back to you, then they have the concept.” Well, whoopee! When 160 of my students write essays, and their words are not recognizable, all I have to do is spend hours of unavailable time letting them read their words to me. I’m sure the business world can’t wait to hire these potential high school grads, one of which told me that his career goals were to be a “dock tear or a low year.” That’s doctor or lawyer, in case you aren’t into invented spelling!

ULA PENDLETON

Los Angeles