Hey, The Mayor Gets an Apple

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may not get a lot of praise these days from people who say he's checked out mentally from Los Angeles, but an editorial by Jim Newton in today's Los Angeles Times gives a lot of credit to Villaraigosa for his attempts to turn around 21 schools that were formerly run by LAUSD control. "Progress has been slower than some would like, but there has been growth: API scores, a standard measure of achievement, have increased an average of 21 points at partnership schools, more than that of L.A. Unified generally; new programs and testing hatched at partnership schools are beginning to enrich other parts of the district." Newton's description of his tours of two different schools tells quite a bit. [LAT]