1. …an investment in community

2. About
West 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.

3. 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.

4. About West Adams
ENROLLME API ENROLLME API
NAME GRADES NAME GRADES
NT RANK NT RANK
Arlington Heights K-5 651 3/10 Los Angeles Center for 6-12 1591 10/10
Elementary Enriched Studies
Baldwin Hills Elementary K-5 476 6/10 Adult- – –
Los Angeles Technology
Center Adult
Cienega Elementary K-5 703 4/10
Marvin Elementary K-5 832 5/10
Coliseum Street K-5 282 1/10
Elementary
Saturn Street Elementary K-5 510 4/10
Frederick Douglass 9-12 419 4/10
Sixth Avenue Elementary K-5 806 1/10
Academy High
Futuro College K-5 95 – Susan Miller Dorsey 9-12 1569 3/10
Preparatory Elementary Senior High
Hillcrest Drive K-5 756 1/10 View Park Continuation 9-12 63 1/10
Elementary
Virginia Road Elementary K-5 454 2/10

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. The Solution:
The City School West Adams
Our Culture
Our 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, cityand 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.

15. The Solution:
The City School West Adams
Our Approach
Teaching Style
Constructivism
• 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.
Curriculum
Dual 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.

16. The Solution:
The City School West Adams
Curriculum
Dual 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.

17. 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/

18. Get Involved…
• Donate
• Volunteer
• Advocate

19. Thank you!