Zoey Freedman: New LAUSD superintendent should simplify college application process
John Deasy, former Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent, resigned this month after serving for almost four years in the position. His tenure was marked by both successes, such as an increase in graduation rates, and mistakes, including a failed iPad program.
(Courtesy of Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
By Zoey Freedman
Oct. 30, 2014 12:00 a.m.
Los Angeles’s public school system may finally be getting the attention it needs – even if it is stemming from negative events.
Los Angeles Unified School District’s Superintendent John Deasy resigned on Oct. 16 after almost four years in the position. Although Deasy made great strides in increasing attendance and graduation rates by reducing the punishments for tardiness and offering breakfast in the classrooms as an incentive for students to attend class, his mistakes at the end of his tenure overshadow these triumphs.
Deasy’s agreement to resign came after a failed attempt to implement the expensive and impractical plan to provide every student and teacher with an iPad. Another factor contributing to his decision to step down was the huge flaw in My Integrated Student Information System – also known as MISIS. The system, built to simplify the process of navigating college applications for high school students in LAUSD, did just the opposite. MISIS created errors in transcripts, preventing students from being able to submit their transcripts along with their college applications, creating setbacks for many LAUSD seniors.
Once the next superintendent is instated, his or her first priority needs to be improving resources to help students with the college application process and ease their transition to college. Shifting the focus to higher education will make finishing high school and attending college a tangible goal for many LAUSD students.
The superintendent should begin simplifying the college preparatory process by first fixing the transcript inaccuracies within MISIS, and then redirecting resources to hiring more quality teachers and college counselors. Doing so will ensure that students have the opportunity to be considered as competitive applicants to colleges, including the University of California.
MISIS, despite its flaws, is worth rectifying. It has the potential to streamline educational tools and simplify the college application process – a multi-step ordeal that can easily confuse students. Through MISIS, students will be able to easily enroll in classes necessary for graduation, as well as access their transcripts and send them to colleges by the appropriate deadlines. The ability to submit applications on time with all necessary components is an important first step to making higher education attainable.
Ramon Cortines, a previous superintendent who retired in 2011, has been selected as the interim superintendent while the LAUSD board searches for an official replacement. Although Cortines’ main goal is to fix MISIS, the new superintendent should continue efforts to fix major flaws and make MISIS accessible to all students and their families for it to be most effective.
Another large issue that ultimately affects students’ success in proceeding to the university level is the sparse number of faculty members – particularly college counselors. Currently, in most LAUSD schools, there is one college counselor for every 700 students.
“The issue facing these kids is that there are not enough people employed to help them,” said Clare Regan, president of Bruin Initiative, a student group on campus that works to prepare high school students for college.
With more faculty available, students will have greater accessibility to the resources necessary to be considered candidates for higher education.
Although Cortines has brought in an additional 25 to 50 college counselors to the district, they only serve as temporary resources until the issues with MISIS are resolved. The new superintendent needs to permanently hire new counselors to ensure every student will have a realistic opportunity to speak with a college counselor.
Students need a solid foundation of secondary schooling in order to make it to college. Simplifying the college preparation process and strengthening students’ support systems will make higher education less daunting and more desirable.
After cleaning up the mess Deasy left behind, the new superintendent has the opportunity to take a huge step in the right direction – a step toward paving a smoother pathway to higher education.
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