Aceves Visits Sonora To Talk Education

My Mother Lode
By B.J. Hansen

Sonora, CA -- California Superintendent of Schools candidate Larry Aceves made a stop in Sonora Wednesday to meet with numerous Tuolumne County school officials.

"I've been a California educator for 32 years, and I believe it is time for someone in education to head the State Department of Education," says Aceves. "We're in a critical time for education right now, and when we start putting things back together, we have to have someone that understands the importance of leaving some things out and bringing some things back."

Aceves has worked in school districts in San Jose, San Diego and the Central Coast, and has served as a teacher, principal and superintendent.

"Our scores continue to rise for most kids, but for the kids that are falling behind, we are cutting money for the intervention programs," adds Aceves. "The idea that we can continue to be as good of an educational system as we have been, without the necessary resources, has to come to an end."

The next State School Superintendent election is in 2010. Current Superintendent Jack O'Connell has indicated that he will not seek re-election.

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Candidate Larry Aceves makes visit

Chico Enterprise Record
By Larry Mitchell

OROVILLE — Larry Aceves, a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, met with area schools superintendents here on Tuesday. The meeting was arranged by Don McNellis, Butte County's superintendent of schools.

Aceves said the local superintendents told him of their frustration with trying to make do, year after year, with inadequate funding. One way or another, the state has to make a commitment to put enough money into education, Aceves said. Funding is just one of the problems that has California's education system in trouble, he added.

The state needs a fair and reasonable way of measuring students' progress and the effectiveness of teachers, he said. Also, the burden of bureaucratic paperwork that hinders teachers as they try to do their jobs needs to be addressed. While there are many great schools, the state's public education system as a whole is struggling, he said. It's vital that California decide on a core curriculum and make sure it is properly taught to all students, he said.

He believes the preponderance of "drill and practice" must be replaced with a rich curriculum that teaches students to "think critically," he said. Youngsters should know how to find information and evaluate its veracity, he said. They should be able to explain the meanings of words like "liberty" and "terrorist." While students' options should be kept open, he said, he believes vocational instruction should be provided to a greater degree than it is now.

In the race for the non-partisan office, Aceves, of Fremont, said he believes he has an advantage over his chief rivals, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, because he spent most of his working life in the public schools. He said Torlakson had only a few years of teaching experience while Romero's classroom experience has been in higher education.

Born in Calexico, Aceves said his first language was Spanish. After military service, he worked for Safeway for 15 years, then went to a community college and to San Diego State University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees.

He taught kindergarten and fourth grade for a few years, then became a principal and later an assistant superintendent. He spent the last 15 years of his career as a schools superintendent in San Jose.

He has served as president of the Association of California School Administrators and of the California Latino Superintendents Association.
 

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State superintendent candidate tours Victorville schools

Victorville Daily Press
By Natasha Lindstrom

VICTORVILLE - As he stood in front of 30 sixth-graders at Sixth Street Prep School on Tuesday, state superintendent of public instruction candidate Larry Aceves had one message: You can do anything.

“I have to tell you I’m very, very impressed by the level of work you’re doing and how all of you are engaged, how all of you are involved in what you’re doing,” Aceves told a classroom of attentive pre-teens. “It’s my belief, my passion, that all of you will be able to do anything that you want.”

Aceves, one of three candidates in the race for state superintendent, spent the morning touring local classrooms, where he said he saw practices that should be replicated across the state.

Aceves said he was impressed with the enthusiasm and engagement he saw during visits to Sixth Street Prep, a low-income Victorville school that’s earned high honors for student achievement, and Liberty Elementary School, which is getting strategic coaching this year from Sixth Street Prep.

Linda Mikels, principal of Sixth Street Prep, explained how the school invests most of its resources in coaching and assisting teachers. She said about two-thirds of her teachers have less than five years experience, which “flies in the face of the idea you’ve got to have veteran teachers” to be successful.

Aceves, whose mom had only a sixth grade education, cited several problems with California’s public education system, including:

• test scores that look “abysmal” compared to other developed nations;
• low college attendance and high dropout rates;
• unnecessary or duplicate reporting requirements;
• inconsistent standards and inequality among districts;
• a “broken” accountability system.

If elected state superintendent of public instruction, Aceves said, he would work on altering curriculum to make standards more clear and focused, trimming unnecessary reporting mandates and enhancing schools to produce students ready to compete internationally in the 21st century economy.

Aceves will compete against Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Martinez, in the June 2010 non-partisan primary.

Natasha Lindstrom may be reached at 951-6232 or at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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