Arnold Schwarzenegger: Calif. parents reclaim a failing school - and make history
History is usually made by a small group of passionate people. On Dec. 7, history was made by a small group of parents in Compton, Calif.
Their children attend McKinley Elementary School - a school that has been defined as failing for the past 10 years. Using a new power known as the “parent trigger,” which I fought for and state legislators approved last year, these Compton parents banded together to demand change. The legislation allows parents of students at troubled schools to demand such significant reforms as closing a school, replacing a school’s management or most of its staff, or reorganizing a school into a charter, if 51 percent of parents sign a petition.