Overcrowding A Problem For Some Los Angeles Schools

Summary: A long time ago, kids went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. Kids ranged in age from around 7 to 16, and were all taught by the same teacher. In the cities, schools were mostly run by religious organizations or sometimes the town's city council took over the responsibility of educating the young people. As our population has increased, the need for more teachers and more classrooms and even more school buildings has grown exponentially. Nowhere is that more evident than...

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