Muir High is on the right track

Re “To improve, Muir High blazes a trail,” March 31

John Muir High School has struggled since the Pasadena Unified School District redrew district boundaries, concentrating the city’s poorest and most marginalized students at Muir while allowing more-affluent schools to cherry-pick some of Muir’s most ambitious students. Meanwhile, the district allowed five principals to shuffle through the school in six years. Pasadena has basically implemented a policy of separate and unequal schools, and who gets the blame -- the teachers. That doesn’t make sense.

What does make sense is Supt. Edwin Diaz’s motivation to ensure the district’s plans for Muir are not resisted by teachers. Forcing teachers to reapply for their jobs has a way of making them reluctant to question the administration.

Given the lousy track record that district leaders have with respect to Muir, one would be wise to treat any reform plan with suspicion.

Randy Childs

Los Angeles

The writer teaches at L.A.’s Roosevelt High School.

--

There’s no question that Muir High is troubled and has suffered from upheavals in staff and educational theories. However, this article might have focused on another aspect of the problem, mentioned only in passing: “at a sparsely attended community meeting.” Parents must work to promote the values of education in the real world. If children don’t see parents actively involved in schools, they’ll never appreciate them.

Pam Wright

Pasadena

--

Thank you for the excellent article about the unprecedented step Muir High School is taking in its restructuring -- requiring all the people who work there to reapply for their jobs. Teachers and counselors are understandably upset by this; after all, they have had a different student population to contend with since their district was rezoned to include lower-income neighborhoods and open enrollment allowed high achievers to transfer to different schools.

But in the end, you’ve still got to get the job done, and in this case that means teaching all kids to reach their full academic potential. Muir deserves applause for this historic step. It’s such a good idea, I think all public schools should follow Muir’s lead.

Karla Dial

Managing Editor

School Reform News

Colorado Springs, Colo.