The Los Angeles Parents Union believes that all schools and school districts should follow the “Parents Union Principles for Education Reform.”  The Parents Union Principles are:

1. Parents to be made partners in education: Parents shall be respected and made partners in their children’s education. Parents should be involved in decisions in a meaningful way; this may include the choice of school improvement programs, input in the hiring of staff and the evaluation of school progress.  Mechanisms must be created in order to ensure and support sustained parent involvement at every school site.  Parents should not be treated as outsiders or nuisances but as essential to the success of their child’s education.

2. Accountability systems to ensure our children’s success:  Strong accountability systems with mandatory benchmarks for improvement and transparent reporting processes on outcomes must be implemented to ensure high performance and to close the achievement gap for our children.  There must be swift and mandatory consequences for persistently low performing schools. Equally important, high performing schools must be rewarded and replicated.

3. Matching our resources and talents with our children’s needs: High performing teachers and administrators must be matched with the students most in need of their support.  A process must be established where effective teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals are recruited and retained at under-performing schools.  This includes LAUSD Leadership having the flexibility to provide incentives and/or assign teachers and administrators, as well as shifting more resources to classroom instruction and school site services.

4. Ensuring the most effective partners in our children’s education:  Principals and teachers shall be encouraged to act as partners in decisions regarding curriculum delivery and teaching methods so that everyone is treated like a professional.  Principals and teachers need to be leaders of innovation as well as delivering on state standards. All school districts will ensure world class professional development opportunities for all employees consistent with the mission of providing a great education for our children.

5. Preparing our children for college, leadership and life:  In today’s world, a college degree is a bare minimum for success, and LAPU holds an unwavering belief in the unlimited potential of all students. The basic curriculum at all high schools, for all students, will be a college-prep curriculum that meets University of California / California State University admissions requirements. More AP, GATE and CAHSEE preparation courses must be provided to all students within the district.  More life development courses and life-relevant electives must also be provided in order to produce well-rounded students.   

6. The best learning environment for our children: Small schools ensure greater teacher-student contact, and encourage better principal-teacher management. New school construction programs should reflect this principle and be directed to build more small school environments. Schools must be kept clean and safety plans must be created and implemented so that no more students fall through the cracks of an overcrowded school. 

7. Our children’s performance is everyone’s responsibility: Expectations must be clearly set for the district, administrators, teachers and paraprofessionals.  There should be clear performance guidelines for every employee involved in the success of children and clear consequences, up to termination, enacted if and when these guidelines are not enforced and/or attained.  Conversely, parents pledge to stay engaged in their children’s education and participate as actively as possible in school administration and operations.  Students pledge to strive for their maximum potential in achieving educational outcomes.

8. Ensuring equity in our children’s education: Resources should be distributed based on student need.  Resource allocation policies and school budgets should be used to improve student achievement and ensure all students are college and work ready.  As a result some students will get more dollars, supports, interventions, facilities enhancements, time for instruction and high quality personnel.   

9. Make Schools Community Hubs for our children: Schools should be made to be community institutions where community services, social program providers and after school programs can be made readily available. Schools should stay open longer so that students can have a safe space during hours that parents are at work or unavailable.