Los Angeles School Sees Jump In Test Scores After Creating Garden

The Los Angeles Times (4/16, Sahagun) reports Leo Politi Elementary School in Los Angeles replaced "5,000 square feet of concrete and Bermuda grass three years ago" with native flora. Insects and birds came, and "students...fascinated by the nature unfolding before them, learned so much that their test scores in science rose sixfold." The garden was created with $18,000 from a "schoolyard habitat" and partner's grants from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Lourdes Ortiz, a director of instruction for the Los Angeles Unified School District, cited Leo Politi's experience as a "reason administrators are encouraging schools across the district to develop projects unique to their needs."