“Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLS
We're a long way from knowing whether "parent trigger" can improve schools. No petition has yet been approved, and the options the law provides are not that effective.
LA TIMES EDITORIAL | HTTP://LAT.MS/HY2EH3
At Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, where the state's second "parent trigger" petition was rejected last month, parents want the ability to eliminate teachers whom they view as ineffective, pick their own principal and exert authority over their school's budget and curriculum. (Los Angeles Times / April 6, 2012)
April 8, 2012 :: More than two years after California's "parent trigger" law was enacted, things haven't worked out the way school reformers had planned or opponents had feared. In those heady days, it was expected that parents would race to sign petitions to transform their low-performing schools. More than 20 states considered passing similar measures.
The California law allows parents to compel one of four major reforms at their children's schools if half or more sign a petition.