Beyond Entertainment, New Media
Thank you very much for Sara Fisher’s article on Workforce L.A. and the New Media Academies on Jan. 25 (“New-Media Academies Aim to Train Future Workforce”). It correctly reflected both the spirit and the depth of partnership that has created this innovative program. The Los Angeles Unified School District was our first investor and partner in the academies, and many firms, such as DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Studios and Sony Pictures, also contribute substantial expertise, time and funding.
I would like to point out that the academy program prepares students for jobs beyond entertainment and new-media employment. By using media and visual communication skills to pursue and express academic subject content, students learn and grasp the relevance of math, science, history or language arts more deeply. They think through and use the discipline, rather than merely remember the inert facts associated with it.
When students learn in this way, they gain the tools for learning anything else and carry these tools for life.
Perhaps it would be helpful for you to know that the long-term mission of Workforce L.A. includes expanding beyond its current program of nine New Media Academies with 1,500 high school students and 150 teachers. The U.S. Department of Education’s Technology Innovation Challenge Grant will enable this program to grow to 2,000 students this year. By 2002, it will have served 20,000 students and used 600 teachers. We hope our approach of sustained support and motivation of teachers and students, combined with targeted involvement of local business, will serve as a model for schools and employers in other major industries in Los Angeles and nationally.
Workforce L.A.’s ongoing support for dedicated professional teachers is the source of growth, enthusiasm and expansion of the program. In collaborative ways, teachers improve their practice as educators by sharing and examining student work as evidence of their learning. They also discover ways they can teach their subjects more effectively.
PHILLIP L. WILLIAMS
Chairman
Workforce LA
