Anne-Marie Young Portfolio Homepage
Student Bio/Information
The first time I can remember having a heightened awareness of equity issues in the school system was when I received news that my son’s application to attend the magnet program at my school was rejected. Several other parents with children his age submitted their application and their child got in. Why was my son’s rejected? I turned to our magnet coordinator and in return she asked the question, “What race did you indicate?” I told her that I indicated Black and she said that was most likely why his application was rejected. She said that the district chooses the students who are more likely to go to college; they want to use the funds to support those children. My question was, "If we don’t give our students fair opportunities how could we expect them to get to college?" She instructed me to resubmit an application and this time mark white. I did as she said and my son was admitted as a white student.
I was able to work my way around the system because in actuality my son was also half white but the experience was an eye opener. I knew from that point on I would need to devote my attention to equity issues that affect the students of color with disabilities that I work with as well as to the policies and systems that discriminate against all marginalized students. 
In essence, I had to learn to start paying attention to the equity issues at my school that disconnect students from their right to an education as well as increase my connection to the community that I serve. In contrast to the suburban neighborhood in which I grew up, my school is a deeper representation of Los Angeles. I choose to work in that environment because the students and families of my school add texture to my life as a learner of humanity, an educator, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a school leader, and an advocate for students with disabilities. Working at my school for the past sixteen years has kept me connected to the realities that our marginalized students face.
Each morning, when I drive from my quiet residence on the outskirts of Los Angeles to Plasencia Elementary School in Echo Park, I feel as if I am going “home”. When I walk onto our campus each morning I feel connected to my deceased immigrant grandmother (we called her Baka) who at 22 fled a wore torn Europe in the middle of the night with her three children ages one, four, and eight to escape the threat of execution. As I walk onto the campus flowered by children whose eyes sparkle as they wave, “Hi Ms. Young!” I think of her struggles and her hope.
I think of her children, one who dedicated his life to the children of Los Angeles as a social worker, and the other who became a doctor.
When I look into the eyes of the students of this marginalized community I know that they are counting on us as educators and school leaders to lead them out of poverty and into a life of hope where their access to education is evident in the way they speak, smile, and interact with the world around them.
School Information
Betty Plasencia Elementary School and Plasencia Math and Science Magnet Center is a public LAUSD school with general education and special education classes ranging from Pre-K to 5th grade. Current enrollment shows approximately 800 students belonging to the home school and 150 students to the magnet program. Of the students served, 87% are Hispanic, 4.9% are African American, 2.4% are Asian, 3.0% are White, and 2.1% are Filipino. 80.1% of our students are socioeconomically disadvantaged, 42% are English Learners, and 9.1% are students with disabilities.
Many of the teachers, instructional leaders, and staff choose to send their own children and grandchildren year after year to Plasencia. It is not uncommon as a teacher to have a colleague’s son, daughter, or grandchild in your class. Although we face daily challenges in helping our most disadvantaged students to succeed, we are working on doing it together. The willingness of teachers to work together to help our students succeed is telling, in that many of us choose to send our own children here to Plasencia to benefit from our many efforts.
Furthermore, in recent years we have worked to integrate the home school and magnet program so all students can benefit from the collaborative efforts of teachers through instructional planning and collaborative project based learning. 
Our mission at Betty Plasencia Elementary School and Plasencia Math and Science Magnet Center is to empower our students to use the necessary skills to become life-long learners and productive members of society. As a school, our vision is to be a community of teachers and learners working cooperatively towards enrichment, to contribute to the global community, and to be empowered to meet the challenges of the future. 
Project Pages
Project 1: PLI Leadership Project: Shine a Light
Project 3: Liaison Between Home School and After School Program
Project 4: Treasurer for Parents of Plasencia (Math and Science Magnet Center)
Project 5: 4th Grade Project Based Learning-Health and Wellness (Project Leader)
Project 6: Special Education Administrator Designee
Contact Information
Nancy Paracini (UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies: Director, Principal Leadership Institute & PLI Field Work Supervisor)
A: Moore Hall, 405 Hilgard Ave. LA, Ca 90095-1521
P: 310.825.6212
E: nparachi@ucla.edu
Site Supervisor for PLI leadership project: Julie Gonzalez/Instructional Director/Educational Service Center-East
A: 2151 North Soto Strueet, 2nd Floor LA, Ca 90032
P: 323.224.3190
E: julie.gonzalez@lausd.net
Assistant Site Supervisor for PLI leadership project: Luis Sanchez (APEIS Plasencia ES)
A: 1321 Cortez St. LA, Ca 90026
P: 213.250.7450
E: lsanch01@lausd.net
Compliance Documents
Signed Agreement Anne Marie-Young.pdf
Student Personal Pre and Post Assessment & Field Work Plan
Standard 1 post assess. stand. 1.pdf
Standard 2 post.assess.stand.2.pdf
Standard 3 post assess. stand.3.pdf
Standard 4 post assess. stand. 4.pdf
Standard 5 post assess. stand. 5.pdf
Standard 6 post.assess.stand.6.pdf
Final Field Work Plan FieldWork Project Plan Final.docx
Leadership Project (Parts 1-4) 411LeadershipFinalProjectPart4.pdf
Reflection
The fieldwork process from beginning to end was a growing organism that stemmed from my original leadership abilities in the special education area in which I work. However, I learned through the fieldwork process that leadership does not just impact one area of a school but also multiple areas. As described in my project pages each particular project taught me new ideas about being a leader and from each separate project I was able to grow and that growth was reflected in the other projects.
What surprised me was as I began planning for next year these projects have become part of my PDSA cycles and from there I am planning new projects that are growing out of them. My leadership involvement in these projects have also reflected in the staff who are now contacting me about ideas for the up and coming school year. Many of our staff members see their leadership capabilities within themselves through observing my work this year. Recently, I had a paraprofessional come up to me to discuss how she would go about asserting what she feels are leadership skills within herself. She said that she has so much experience working with students with special needs that she feels her stories are worth telling to teach others about the importance of really making that time and space for students with special needs. She expressed that she believes that there are still doubts among teachers at the school that their hard work and efforts working with students with special needs really do make a difference to these children’s lives. We talked about documenting some counterstories so teachers could suspend their beliefs and really see that their efforts do matter. She was very excited about being involved in a project that would acknowledge her experiences in order to further help students and teachers.
The sum of all of my leadership projects has put me in a new place because in combination, all projects have made me realize that certain fundamentals are essential in leadership, all of which have been described more extensively throughout my project pages but in summary are: application of andragogy, PDSA cycles, ongoing collaboration, professional development cycles, democratic practices (making sure everyone’s voice is heard), and fostering an environment that accesses research and reflective thinking. As I move on into next year no matter the position or the school these fundamentals of leadership that I learned to be so important in my fieldwork process will enrich the soil for the work I do.
