School turnarounds prompt community backlash - SFGate:

School turnarounds prompt community backlash

By CHRISTINA HOAG, Associated Press

Updated 1:04 pm, Sunday, February 3, 2013

In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, parents, teachers and students of Crenshaw High School protest outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters to try to stop the conversion of the school to a magnet program in Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013. A backlash against drastic school reforms is growing across the nation. Photo: Damian Dovarganes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The federal government's push for drastic reforms at chronically low achieving schools has led to takeovers by charter operators, overhauls of staff and curriculum, and even school shutdowns across the country.

It's also generated a growing backlash among the mostly low-income, minority communities where some see the reforms as not only disruptive in struggling neighborhoods, but also as civil rights violations since turnaround efforts primarily affect black and Latino students.

"Our concern is that these reforms have further destabilized our communities," said Jitu Brown, education organizer of Chicago's Kenwood-Oakwood Community Organization. "It's clear there's a different set of rules for African-American and Latino children than for their white counterparts."

The U.S. Department of Education's civil rights office has opened investigations into 33 complaints from parents and community members, representing 29 school districts ranging from big city systems such as Chicago, Detroit and Washington D.C. to smaller