Donor to Los Angeles Schools Is Upbeat About $50-Million Pledge

Two years after she made a 10-year pledge to donate $5-million annually to help the lowest-performing schools in Los Angeles, the California philanthropist Melanie Lundquist tells a Los Angeles Times columnist that she remains optimistic about the investment despite recent lackluster test results that show little improvement in student achievement.

“I believe this will become a model for national reform,” Ms. Lundquist said of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which took control of 10 schools last year and is running the effort Ms. Lundquist’s money supports.

Steve Lopez, a Times columnist, writes that Ms. Lundquist, the wife of the real-estate developer Grant Lundquist, takes an active role in the partnership, attending strategy meetings, visiting schools and getting to know principals, teachers, and students.

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