New Los Angeles Charter Elementary School (“New LA Elementary”) develops a diverse community of students who are passionate about learning, engaged in their community, and have respect for themselves and others.
New LA Elementary cultivates future civic leaders through rigorous project-based learning and hands-on commitment to social justice, teaching students skills that will enable them to thrive and ensure advanced academic success. The school nurtures and trains students who understand how to work together to solve problems, changing their own lives as they change the community around them.
New LA Elementary will serve 500 students in grades K-5. With small classes (25 to 1), a diverse student body, and attentive teachers, New LA Elementary is a nurturing standards-based school. New LA Elementary has a rigorous curriculum, fosters respect for human life, and provides relevant life experiences. The culture of the school creates a shared sense of mission, one that reinforces in our students a love of learning, a commitment to social action, and a deep respect for others.
Passion for Learning
New LA keyword: Rigor. We believe that college prep starts in Kindergarten and the future academic success of students hinges on a strong foundation at the elementary level. At New LA Elementary, every student will receive the academic foundation to be prepared for a college preparatory middle and high school with the goal of being college and career ready. Rigorous intellectual development comes from a focus on habits of mind and not merely information retention. Students will demonstrate mastery of concepts and skills by working together on real-life projects rather than test-taking alone. For example, students will learn math skills by creating and running a student store in which they must track their personal budget and carefully inventory the store goods. New LA Elementary will implement an effective model of rigorous standards-based instruction, through which all students will achieve mastery of the Common Core standards by the end of each grade.
Engagement in the Community
New LA keyword: Relevance. At New LA Elementary, we believe, as John Dewey did, that “education is the fundamental method of social progress.” New LA Elementary students will be challenged to pursue the goals of equality and justice, and work to promote progress in their local and global communities. They will be taught to use their knowledge and skills to work for a just, equitable, compassionate world. Learning is connected to real life experiences. Students will be volunteers both in and out of the school community, gaining valuable experience in social action. For example, students in primary grades may do a walking field trip in the neighborhood to pick up litter which would be facilitated by their teacher. Older students would work with younger students in the school as mentors and tutors as well as engage with the community outside the school under the guidance of their teachers and parents. This could take the form of creating an earthquake preparedness pamphlet in school to then distribute to neighbors where they live or organizing a food drive at the school then using the goods to make “goodie bags” for the homeless that parents can distribute from the car at intersections. Experiences like this will lead to a deeply embedded feeling in every student that young people have the power to change the world.
Respect for Self and OthersNew LA keywords: Respect and Relationships. In order for students to grow academically, creatively, and morally, they need a safe space to take risks. New LA Elementary will encourage vigorous debate and expression of individual voice, but through the use of active listening and conflict resolution techniques. The school uses project-based learning and thematic integration at strategic points in the curriculum to develop youth who have the skills, knowledge, and resources to work with diverse groups of people in order to lead their communities towards social justice.