In many ways, Io McNaughton's classroom is a lot like others in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Most students in the school — located in the center of the city, between Pico Union and Koreatown — are Latino and from low-income households; half are English-language learners. McNaughton has the same challenges as any elementary school teacher. She motions across the room to a group huddled on a plush rug, talking in their "outside voices." "Turn down the volume," she says with her hands, twisting an imaginary television dial. One girl in the middle of the room looks like she ... Read More
Define a ‘Great’ City
March 22, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
H.V. Savitch knows that "Best of" lists are always debatable. That's why he didn't make one. Instead, the distinguished research professor at the University of Louisville took a less-traveled road. He analyzed other authoritative sources to glean information on an endlessly debated topic: What's the "greatest" American city? Sure, it's a frivolous question. And it begs to be countered with a simple, "Define 'great.'" But it's also a question dear to the hearts of nearly every glossy travel magazine, cultural watch-dog and, apparently, AOL or MSNBC blogger. Iconic cities, after all, seem ... Read More
