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The 365 students at Community Magnet School represent a broad
spectrum of the Los Angeles community with children from more than 20 different
ethnic groups, 80% of whom arrive on busses from all across Los Angeles. Despite
these obstacles, parents, teachers and administrative staff work tirelessly
to obtain the highest quality education for Community's students. Community
Magnet School emphasizes the study of the humanities and the social sciences
through a multicultural perspective.
It is no accident that Community Magnet School has achieved high test scores. Community is committed to ensuring that all children reach their full learning potential. One such innovative program, CATCH, provides one-on-one academic remedial support to those students needing a little extra help. Students, mentors, teachers and family members work together to improve student achievement and to ensure the children's success in school. Over a six-year period CATCH has grown from serving 34 students to 175 today with over 150 volunteer tutors. Approximately 75% of the volunteer mentors come from the business world and community groups. As well, Community Magnet regards parental and community influence as integral to student success and encourages parental participation at every level. Parents not only help as CATCH mentors but also volunteer in the classrooms as well as beautify the campus. A dedicated group of parents turned an off-limits swath of dirt and rubbles on the edge of campus into a "Secret Reading Garden."
Community Magnet will use the award money to fund the CATCH program. Because the program is so successful, it will be used as a model for inclusion in L.A. Literacy Corps. and at LAUSD elementary school to assist at-risk students.
Superior
Street Elementary School is a LEARN school of 510 students located in the northwest
corner of the San Fernando Valley. The school is distinguished by the enthusiastic
participation of parents and community members who logged over 32,000 volunteer
hours. Superior Avenue School has a very active and supportive Parent Center,
where parents meet to plan fundraisers, hold classes and assist with classroom
projects. The bilingual Parent Center Coordinator assists in facilitating health
and human services to the students and their families as well as continuous
Parent / Community Education and support. Parent and community members are involved
in Family Science Night and Parent Meetings and help publish a newsletter and
maintain the school's web site. Superior Avenue is well established in the Chatsworth
Community and has a mutually beneficial relationship with the 3M Corporation.
Superior Avenue will use the award money to relocate their Parent Center into
a larger room in order to provide easier access for their parents and community
members.
Griffin Avenue's
school population reflects the Lincoln Heights' neighborhood demographics: 74%
Hispanic and 26% Asian. All students are instructed in English even though three
quarters of the students have a first language of either Spanish or Cantonese
and all qualify for the free lunch program due to their low socioeconomic status.
The staff of Griffin Avenue is highly dedicated and skilled at utilizing many
different strategies to assist students with their learning. One such innovative
program at Griffin Avenue is to engage the parents as active participants in
their child's education. Although the parents of Griffin Avenue are supportive
of their children's education, many have limited skills, which results in poor
study skills at home. To help Griffin Avenue parents be better prepared, the
school has focused attention on family literacy and math and science. The school
offers a series of workshops to educate the parents on the concepts being taught
in the classrooms. Griffin Avenue has demonstrated that when parents take an
active role in their child's education, student achievement improves - Griffin
Avenue's scores rose 104 points over 2 years. Griffin Avenue will use the cash
award to fund additional teachers to provide after school and/or evening parent
workshops focused on grade level standards and how parents can help at home.
Stanford Avenue Elementary School is a large, urban school of
1550 students PreK-5 on a multi-track calendar. The student body is 99% Latino,
of which 72% are English Language Learners. Despite having a large faculty of
80 teachers on a multi-track system, the administration and staff are focused
on clear academic expectations for each grade level and on consistent classroom
application of effective learning strategies. As a result of teachers working
collaboratively in grade level groups, Stanford Avenue has achieved significant
growth in student achievement - their API scores rose over 100 points. Stanford
Avenue will use the award money to provide additional training to teachers in
instructional practices that develop reading comprehension and interpretive
understanding.
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