The season has begun in which many seniors are receiving university acceptance letters. While some choose to choose the best option, there are those who never received the appropriate information to take the next step towards their future.
Concerned parents who have had to find their own methods to navigate the complicated education system, agree that while the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) claims to fight for the academic advancement of students, its actions say otherwise.
Such is the case of Gabriela Rangel, who has four of her children in schools in south central Los Angeles. She said that her eldest son, who is in grade 10, received adequate help to enroll in Santa Monica College for the fall of 2022, but it was not from the your school counselor but through an after school program that your other child in grade attends 04.
“I went and asked them for help because we did not understand the steps to fill out the application to enroll my eldest son”, said Rangel.
The mother of the family, who has been a volunteer at her children’s schools for the past 13 years, said that in all this time she has noticed that the interest of educators in their students only reaches the grade .
“Let’s see, why do they make the transition from Middle School to High School well? Because it is the same district, but since the school no longer counts, they are no longer interested,” Rangel asserted.
Another worried mother is Heidy Galicia, who has her eldest son in a school in the LAUSD in Huntington Park, pursuing bachelor’s degree . The student is on the autism spectrum, but is fully functional, according to Galicia.
She said that her son has worked hard since he entered high school to regular classes and has struggled to maintain a 4.0 or higher grade point average. However, her experience has not been good either. Although she has volunteered at her children’s schools for 11 years, believes that educators do not give children enough importance when it is time to get their higher education.
“We have never been called a counselor to tell us if the child needs something,” said Galicia. “I have another girl who is going to enter the and she is lost, she doesn’t know where to start ”.
Galicia said that she has gone an extra step by attending other schools and seeking the necessary advice since she feels that at her school they don’t give it to her.
She gave the Covid pandemic as an example-19 when the children had to take classes via Zoom.
“I sent emails to the teachers of my son because they were qualifying him in a certain way and they never returned my email to me,” he said. “When my son had questions about his process, I told him to send an email to his teacher and he told me no because they only sent him to look for the answer in the question and answer section of the syllabus”.
Evelyn Aleman, a parent leader, said the problem can be seen throughout the district. She explained that her daughter, who is in graduate school 04, had the opportunity to speak with her counselor for 20 minutes. At her school there is a counselor for 500 students.
Alemán added that when she found out that college applications were already open, she tried looking for information on the LAUSD website, but found nothing. He called the district to find out where to find that information and they sent it to his local district.
“They had me as a ball of ping pong and nobody gave me an answer”, said Alemán.
She explained that fortunately she has a master’s degree and decided to look for the appropriate information on her own.
“We participated in webinars, we contacted non-profit organizations, it was a delicate process. I can’t imagine what it would be like for a parent who is an immigrant and doesn’t know how to navigate the system,” said Alemán.
He added that now it is no longer enough to tell a student that if he gets good degrees is going to go to university because if he does not have the resources and appropriate guidance he will not be able to take the next step.
The Local Central District Superintendent Frances Baez said LAUSD offers many opportunities and staff at all schools to help with required information.
Ensuring all students have a graduation plan individualized in which they meet with the counselor before December to receive the appropriate information about the university they will attend the following year.
However, he explained that he did not know what the number of counselors for students.
Alternatives for the future
Báez assured that the students who are receiving acceptance letters are receiving help from their local school to make the transition to university or college.
“Students usually go to a summer bridge program at the College so that we can help them with the transition”, he indicated. “That is the cycle we go through from the application process to the acceptance commitment and then handing them over to the college or university.”
Finally, he highlighted the launch of the work experience program for students who are studying the degrees 10 Y 12, while receiving credit for their studies. This is a partnership between local central district high schools and the Division of Adult and Career Education (DACE).
At Belmont High, students can enroll in the Automotive Technician for Careers course in transportation, as a mechanic for diesel and hybrid vehicles. At the Roybal Learning Center, students will receive healthcare training for jobs such as Physician Assistants, Certified Nursing Assistants, Dental Assistants, and Pharmacy Technicians. And Eagle Rock and Jefferson high schools will offer information technology classes.
Báez stresses that this can really help students who go to college and work. With certifications like this, they can start earning $12 a time. This allows them to have a higher salary and work fewer hours while they study.
He added that the certification is also good for those students who decide to take a break from studies after graduation.
“But this is just an option. We don’t want students to stay in this technical education course, but if that’s the course students want to take, it’s open to them,” the superintendent said.
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