The actor and other stars will start a school to train teenagers for jobs in Hollywood, the latest in a series of entertainment industry donations to city schools.

By Jill Cowan and Shawn Hubler for the New York Times, June 21, 2021

LOS ANGELES — For the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, the phrase “giving back to the schools” has often meant a cameo appearance on career day or, perhaps more typically, a fat check made out to your own child’s elite private academy.

But on Monday, the nation’s second-largest district unveiled the latest in a string of star-studded collaborations: a new high school underwritten by, among others, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Eva Longoria and principals at Creative Artists Agency.

The magnet school is intended to diversify the pipeline of cinematographers, engineers, visual effects artists and other technical workers in the city’s signature job sector, and is one of at least three joint initiatives started in the past two months between the Los Angeles schools and entertainment industry benefactors.

Last week, the music producers Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine announced they were starting their own specialized high school in South Los Angeles. In May, a few hundred middle schoolers performed on free guitars with the pop artist H.E.R., signaling the expansion of a yearlong partnership with the Fender Play Foundation. And more high-profile initiatives involving robotics and music are in the works with major entertainment figures, district officials said.

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TRiGroup’s Advice:

Like it or not, people want options and the push for education reform is strong. Some promote new programs in education as the way to change society. So, we advise some careful reflection. Here are a few essential questions to consider:

• “How do our high schools provide options while ensuring that opportunities are available to everyone?”
• “What special programs exist that make our community proud?”
• “What other options exist outside of my district that create competition and attract students away from us?”