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# John Adams article was ‘hatchet’ job
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/john-adams-article-was-hatchet-job-editor/
- Published: 2007-02-13T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:02:58.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Dr. Wendy Kugelman Santa Monica*

The Feb. 2 article “Change for the better” (page 1) is an appalling hatchet job, on the one hand, and hagiographic puff piece, on the other, in its treatment of the recent principals at John Adams Middle School.

By way of introduction, I am a parent of an eighth-grader at John Adams. I have a doctorate in social welfare and I taught at the graduate level for many years. I think I have never seen as biased and revisionist treatment of school administration or policy as your recent article.

The situation at John Adams prior to the arrival of (Principal Martha) Shaw is as follows: Principal (Irene) Ramos was a visionary at John Adams. She made difficult decisions and implemented significant policy changes, informed by theories of education and social justice. These theories were working, but at times, ruffled feathers. She believed that addressing students’ needs and issues, even those who were on the verge of becoming marginalized, was preferable to separating and isolating the more difficult fraction of the student body.

The new administration seems to bend to the noisiest elements of the school community. Staff who prefer not to be involved in solving the problems caused by difficult students, and parents who prefer that their children not rub shoulders with more difficult students, seem to dominate the discourse. So, Ms. Shaw’s policies are making it easier on those few, but are making life no better for the average student. And worst of all, the bottom students face a policy of being actively marginalized.

Of course, any education system will inevitably select not in the favor of the most difficult and bottom-level students. Some of them, in any case, will become marginalized.

My problem with your article is that it holds up an increase in this marginalization as a step forward for all. The loss of a visionary educational administrator should be noted with other than triumphant “Lord of the Flies” nonsense.

At a textual level, your article suffers greatly from biased and incorrect sources. Much of the article consists of complaints about Ms. Ramos, disguised as praise of the new administration, from a single disgruntled parent, known for his dislike of the previous administration. And, the main example given of “bold new policy” — split-lunch for the different grades — is, in fact, a policy put in place by Ms. Ramos, last year, already scheduled to begin this year, before Ms. Shaw was even selected.

Finally, the overall claim that there has been some kind of improved level of gentility or civility at John Adams is pure wish fulfillment. This is a public middle school in a mixed socio-economic area. My son and his friends report to me, this year just as last, a steady rumble of pushing, bullying, friend-making and joking. In an ideal world, reporter (Melody Hanatani) could have interviewed any student at John Adams and asked what they have been seeing, hearing and experiencing in the classrooms and schoolyard at John Adams, and would have heard the same.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 13, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)