| A long time ago, kids went to school in a one-room | | | | from their teachers. Needing to spend a lot more time |
| schoolhouse. Kids ranged in age from around 7 to 16, | | | | on discipline, teachers can't always get to each and |
| and were all taught by the same teacher. In the cities, | | | | everyone of their students each and every day. Los |
| schools were mostly run by religious organizations or | | | | Angeles Schools teachers also have more papers to |
| sometimes the town's city council took over the | | | | grade and more parents to conference with. |
| responsibility of educating the young people. As our | | | | According to recent studies, being in an overcrowded |
| population has increased, the need for more teachers | | | | class means that kids are performing at a lower |
| and more classrooms and even more school buildings | | | | achievement rate than they would in a normal-sized or |
| has grown exponentially. Nowhere is that more evident | | | | even small-sized classroom. Kids that need help from |
| than in Los Angeles Schools. Los Angeles Schools | | | | their teacher may need to wait a long time before the |
| have seen a population explosion over the past few | | | | teacher can get to them, since he or she is most likely |
| years. Higher birthrates as well as new residents | | | | working with another student at the time. This empty |
| moving to the city have led to Los Angeles Schools | | | | time can lead to bullying, disruptive behavior, or other |
| that are operating way over capacity. The overflow | | | | nonproductive activities. Some Los Angeles Schools |
| of students is spilling into portable classrooms, and at | | | | teachers are reacting to the problems of |
| many Los Angeles Schools children share deteriorating | | | | overcrowding with morning demonstrations against the |
| bathrooms, a single eating area and an overcrowded | | | | rising class sizes. They have been outside their school |
| playground. Faced with the increasing challenge of | | | | picketing for a few minutes each morning before class |
| getting Los Angeles Public Schools kids to lunch | | | | begins. They want to open the public's eyes to the |
| around lunchtime and making sure they are getting | | | | fact that having too many kids in one class makes it |
| enough physical exercise throughout out the school | | | | nearly impossible to give each student the attention |
| day, Los Angeles Schools principals find themselves | | | | they deserve. The teachers say that having too many |
| forced to cut special programs. Another problem Los | | | | students in one class makes it harder for them to |
| Angeles Schools are facing due to overcrowding is | | | | spend enough time with each. They have been holding |
| that schools don't have to capacity to house all those | | | | picket signs outside of the school this week for a few |
| extra kids. Some Los Angeles Schools have a student | | | | minutes before classes begin. Overcrowding is |
| population that is at least three times the size the | | | | definitely a big problem for Los Angeles Schools. |
| building was designed to serve. Because of these | | | | Patricia Hawke is an expert researcher and writer on |
| larger class sizes in the Los Angeles Schools, principals | | | | real estate topics such as economics, credit |
| are finding that they also lack the necessary teachers | | | | improvement tips, home selling advice and home |
| needed to accommodate them. Other problems Los | | | | buying preparations and education for relocating |
| Angeles Schools students are facing in the classroom | | | | families. For more information please visit Los Angeles |
| is that they can't get the proper attention they need | | | | Unified School District. |