…an investment in community

AboutWest Adams (WA) is a culturally diverse central Los Angeles community with a rich and long history.  Between 1900 and 1920 West Adams was developed to provide elegant homes to Los Angeles’ entrepreneurial elites. Oils barons, vintners, railroad magnates, and real estate developers hired top architects of their day to create mansions in a variety of styles. Over the years, WA’s has had many “lives” but has always remained extremely diverse both socially and economically.

A group of parents, concerned with the lack of high performing school options, have come together to form a high performing Charter School to serve a student population that mirrors this diverse community.

About

The mission of City School West Adams is to provide an outstanding public elementary school education to a socio-economically, culturally and racially diverse community of students through a dual-language program. Our end goal is to create fully bilingual and bi-literate global citizens.

About West Adams NAME GRADES

ENROLLMENT

API RANK

Arlington Heights Elementary

K-5 651 3/10

Baldwin Hills Elementary

K-5 476 6/10

Cienega Elementary

K-5 703 4/10

Coliseum Street Elementary

K-5 282 1/10

Frederick Douglass Academy High

9-12 419 4/10

Futuro College Preparatory Elementary

K-5 95 –

Hillcrest Drive Elementary

K-5 756 1/10

  NAMEGRADE

SENROLLM

ENTAPI

RANK

Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies

6-12 1591 10/10

Los Angeles Technology Center

Adult-Adult

– –

Marvin Elementary K-5 832 5/10

Saturn Street Elementary

K-5 510 4/10

Sixth Avenue Elementary

K-5 806 1/10

Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High

9-12 1569 3/10

View Park Continuation

9-12 63 1/10

Virginia Road Elementary

K-5 454 2/10

About West Adams Ethnicity• The percentages of black and Latino people are

high for the county.• Moderately diverse for the city of Los

Angeles and moderately diverse for the county

About West Adams Income • $38,209 median household

income (2008 dollars), low for the city of Los Angeles and low for the county

• In Los Angeles County, East Compton, El Monte and Mid-City have the most similar household incomes.

• The percentages of households that earn $20,000 or less and $20,000 to $40,000 are high for the county

Household income in thousands of 2000 dollars

About West Adams Education• 7.8% of residents 25

and older have a four-year degree, low for the city of Los Angeles and low for the county

• The percentage of residents 25 and older with less than a high school diploma is high for the county.

About West Adams Housing• Average household size of 3.1 people, about

average for the city of Los Angeles and about average for the county

About West Adams Age• The median age

is 28, young for the city of Los Angeles and young for the county

• The percentages of residents ages 11 to 18 and 10 or younger are among the county's highest.

The Problem: The Facts about Public Education

• On the 2009 Reading NAEP, only 1 in 4 fourth-graders read at grade level. 1/3rd of fourth-graders tested lacked even the most basic literacy skills.

• Students who lack basic reading skills by fourth grade are at high risk for later school failure, behavioral problems, and dropping out of high school.

• According to the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 38% of all youth in juvenile detention read below the fourth-grade level.

• Adult illiteracy costs our nation an estimated $240 billion each year in lost industrial productivity, unrealized tax revenues, welfare, crime, poverty, and related societal ills.

• As many as 23% of the adult American population (40-44 million) is functionally illiterate (Level 1 according to the National Adult Literacy Survey), lacking basic skills beyond a fourth-grade level.

• 1 in 6 children who are not reading proficiently in 3rd grade do not graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for proficient readers.

• While 42% of white fourth-graders read on grade level, only 16% of black students do.

• Only 17% of fourth-graders who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches (an indicator of poverty) read at grade level, compared to 45% of non-low-income students.

The Problem: The Facts about Public Education

• Every year, 1 in 4 high school students’ fails to graduate on time. • Dropout rates increase to 1 in 3 among African-American and Hispanic

students. • In LA County, 71.6% of all students graduate on time, 59.8% of Latino-

American and 74.9% of African American students graduate on time• Approximately, 2,000 urban high schools (15% of all US high schools)

produce 50% of all US drop-outs. • National High School Center research shows African Americans and Latino

students repeat ninth grade two-three times more often than their white peers

• Many middle school students enter high school unprepared and end up failing and having to repeat ninth grade – leading to the “ninth grade bulge”.

• Many students who struggle to repeat ninth grade drop out before they make it to the 10th grade – leading to the “10th grade dip.”

• Of the students that repeat ninth grade (about 40%), only 10–15% go on to graduate.

• Dropouts face unemployment rates 3.5 times that of high school graduates, poverty-line wages, higher incarceration rates, greater health risks, and shorter lifespans.

The Solution:The Charter School Movement

Charter schools are public schools open to any child, free of charge.

Unlike exclusive private schools, charter public schools do not recruit and select "the best" students. Charters get results for students because they have:• More flexibility on curriculum, budget and staffing• Greater ability to make quick and effective changes to meet a student's need• High level of accountability • Engaged and empowered teachers • Parents encouraged by the school to work as a team with teachers • Racially and economically diverse communities

The Solution:This Charter School Model

We have joined forces with a team of visionary educators who have created four other high performing charter schools based on the same constructivist model of teaching focused on diversity, community and achievement.

1. In 2011, Larchmont Charter School (LCS) earned an Academic Performance Index (API)* of 931

2. In 2011, Larchmont Charter-West Hollywood School (LCS) earned an API of 942

3. In 2011, Valley Charter Elementary School earned an API of 872

4. In 2011, Valley Charter Middle School earned an API of 780

5. In 2011, Citizens of the World Charter School earned an API of 916• Citizens of the World borrowed the LCS model and worked closely with

LCS leadership to build their school culture, standards and practices

The Solution:The City School West Adams

Our CultureOur School Community• Our school will be mixed Social-Economically meaning our population will

reflect the West Adams community.• We will aim to for 50% of our families to be low income • We will rely heavily on parent volunteers throughout the year to help create

a school culture that is inclusive and representative of our community, city and the world.

Our Mission, Vision and Goals• In addition to becoming bilingual and bi-literate, our students will become

critical thinkers, problem solvers and will have a greater connection to those in their community and around the world.

• In a supportive and dynamic learning environment, our students will be given individual attention where they will learn together and from each other in an inquiry-based curriculum that fosters creativity and academic excellence.

• With the participation of our local community and Spanish-speaking countries around the world, we will strive to instill in each student a life-long passion for learning that develops their confidence, potential, and individual responsibility as global citizens.

The Solution:The City School West Adams

Our ApproachTeaching StyleConstructivism• Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs as learners

are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction rather than passively receiving information. Learners are the makers of meaning and knowledge. Constructivist teaching fosters critical thinking and creates motivated and independent learners.

CurriculumDual Language Immersion• We will offer at least one language track—Spanish. In kindergarten and first

grade 90% of the day will be in the target language (Spanish) and the remaining 10% will be taught in English.

• Additionally, we will strive to make all students global citizens by incorporating not just language, but the culture of the countries where those languages are spoken into the curriculum.

Blended Technology-Based Learning• A blended learning approach combines face-to-face classroom methods with

computer-mediated activities to form an integrated instructional approach.

The Solution:The City School West Adams

CurriculumDual Language Immersion• Studies show that an early start, two

way bilingual immersion program is the ONLY program that successfully and completely closes the academic achievement gap between ESL’s (English as a second language) and EL (English Language native speakers) Studies also show that in all subjects, INCLUDING ENGLISH, these students perform on par with or often better than native English speakers receiving English only instruction.

For more information…

About City School West Adams, visit our website at: http://cityschoolwestadams.org/

About the Larchmont Charter School Model:http://www.larchmontcharter.org/

About the Charter School Movement in California:http://www.calcharters.org/

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