About Los Angeles Leadership Academy

Our Mission

The Los Angeles Leadership Academy prepares urban secondary students to succeed in college or on chosen career paths, to live fulfilling, self-directed lives, and to be effective in creating a just and humane world.

High-powered, project-based learning, performance-based assessment, and an integrated curriculum promote critical thinking and intellectual depth, breadth, and agility. Close relationships between students and staff and attention to students' individual needs and interests promote a community of well-rounded learners.

Students have opportunities to take action on important social issues, to work alongside community mentors, and to enhance the learning power of these experiences through reflection and skill development in the classroom.

Academy Mandala Words

School Overview

The Los Angeles Leadership Academy opened in September 2002 with 120 students in grades six and seven. Currently, in our fourth year of operation, we serve 200 students in grades 6-8 and 130 in grades 9-10. When students meet the gateway requirements at the middle school, they may transfer to the high school.We will continue to expand by adding one grade per year to eventually serve 455 students in grades 6-12. The middle school is housed in the education building of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church on Wilshire Boulevard, three blocks west of Vermont Avenue. The high school occupies rooms 236, 266 and 366 of the First Baptist Church just a few blocks east.

LA Leadership is a neighborhood school, though we do outreach to achieve ethnic diversity in the student body. 74% of our students are Latino, 15% are African American, 9% are Asian American or Pacific Islander, and 2% are White. The majority of our students speak a language other than English at home. Of those, 90% qualify for the federal Free or Reduced Meal program. On average, students enter the sixth grade an average of four years behind grade level in reading, and nearly as far behind in math.

The Los Angeles Leadership Academy aims to inspire a love of learning in the students who are often overlooked in large urban schools, and seeks to:

• Prepare students to succeed in college or on their chosen career paths;
• Promote students' healthy personal development inan environment that prioritizes strong relationships and active participation in school and community life; and
• Build a cadre of young leaders taking action to advance their visions for a just and humane world.

The academic program emphasizes critical thought, sophistication in reading and writing, application of learning in real-world contexts, reflection, and cooperative learning. Through critical inquiry and community action projects, students examine important social issues, develop a personal philosophy and vision, and act as thoughtful, effective community leaders.

In grades six through eight, reading and writing are a focus across the curriculum to ensure that all students are equipped to succeed in a demanding academic program. Students' progress is demonstrated in portfolios and exhibitions and evaluated using school-wide rubrics rather than relying on testing alone.

As students move into high school, instructional activities will fall into three broad areas: classroom instruction that focuses on content; workshops that immerse students in long-term projects; and internships and community mentor programs. Content will be integrated across disciplines and will meet state standards and University of California admission requirements. An integrated curriculum will examine social issues such as immigration, criminal justice, ethnic relations, labor issues, and the environment through the lenses of history, civics, literature, science, statistics, and demography.

Workshop centers may include print and radio journalism, video production, art as education, law and public policy, community organizing, and technology. Community members working in these fields will be a part of the school's activities on and off the school site. Students will further explore their interests in internships with adult mentors who will incorporate students into a piece of their real-world work. Teachers will be responsible for assuring the rigor of the work and for providing skill support at the school site.

Faculty and administrative staff at the school each have the role of advisor for a group of 11-12 students, following the students for two to four years. This relationship is critical to assuring that each child's needs and interests and challenge areas are known and addressed by the school. Parents, advisors and students will meet at least twice a year to discuss the students' progress and goals in a student-led conference. Like many of the nation's most innovative and successful small schools, the Los Angeles Leadership Academy will follow the organization principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools.

The school's charter petition was approved by the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education in March of 2002. Before the school opened its doors to students in September of 2002, teachers, parents, students and community partners developed a detailed school design in keeping with the school's mission and vision. The process reflected a commitment to democratic governance, and began the creation of a school culture that values the perspectives and talents of a diverse group of stakeholders.