Who we are
Larchmont
Charter School is one of the most diverse, high performing elementary schools in Los Angeles. We are a parent-initiated neighborhood school that is creative,
diverse, academically challenging and emotionally nurturing. Ours is a
school that embraces and celebrates the diversity of languages and
cultures in our urban environment while retaining the close-knit feel
of a neighborhood school. We hope to relieve overcrowding and offer
families an alternative choice within LAUSD.
A
core part of our mission is to create a diverse school. We serve
children from all walks of life and are one of the most diverse, mixed
socioeconomic ("mixed SES") schools in Los Angeles, as studies show that all students
benefit from economic diversity. Almost 40 percent of our student body
is non-white and children at Larchmont Charter speak more than 12
languages at home. Our goal is that at least 40-50 percent of enrolling
students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch.
Educational Philosophy
Larchmont
Charter strives to have the essential combination of a research-based,
innovative curriculum, parent involvement in school governance and
excellent test scores. It emphasizes constructivism in student
learning. This form of pedagogy has been supported by research for more
than 60 years and has been used in successful schools across the
country.
Larchmont
Charter's educational philosophy is progressive, hands-on and
experience-based. Children, particularly in the lower grades, use
concrete manipulatives and experiential learning. Our philosophy draws
on the work of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, and Lev
Vygotsky. Students receive differentiated instruction in response to
their different interests and strengths. Our vision involves a process
navigated by aligning students' curiosities and questions with academic
standards while children learn through the medium of their own
experiences.
Larchmont Charter's educational program is being designed to:
* serve the whole child and foster a lifelong commitment to
intellectual exploration, individual growth, and social responsibility;
* embrace, celebrate and benefit from the diversity of our community
and promote family, school, and community partnerships;
* respect, support and empower teachers by providing time for
reflection, collaboration and action research focused on student
learning.
How We Got Here
Larchmont
Charter grew out of the dream of a handful of parents to create an
alternative neighborhood school within LAUSD. Initially, the project
seemed too daunting. This all changed when one of our
Founding Parents spoke to her longtime friend, teacher and educator
Dvora Inwood, who was finishing her graduate education studies at
Stanford. Dvora's goal was to move back to Los Angeles and start a
charter school.
In
an effort to test the waters, we sent an email to the Larchmont Village
neighborhood roster. The response was incredible, and through word of
mouth and outreach, we built a diverse and dynamic group of Founding
Parents committed to working 10-30 hours a week to build the school. In
all, hundreds of families have donated over 30,000 volunteer hours and
raised over $1,000,000.
Thank you founding parents!
Mission Statement
The mission of Larchmont Charter School is to provide a socio-economically, culturally and racially diverse community of students with an exceptional public education. We foster creativity and academic excellence; our students learn with and from each other in an experience-centered, inquiry-based learning environment. With participation from our entire community, we strive to instill in each student a dedication to improving the world we inhabit.
We fulfill our mission by:
- Providing a challenging, constructivist learning environment, with the arts, sciences and physical education integrated into the standards-based curriculum, that inspires independent thinking, imagination and a passion for learning.
- Maintaining our diverse student body.
- Teaching our children that they are citizens of the world; creating policies that embrace equal opportunity and the dignity of others; and encouraging the members of our entire school community to be engaged and active in society.
- Nurturing a unique community that includes families, teachers, staff and other community members who are active participants in the education and social and emotional development of our children.
- Giving teachers time, resources, support, and autonomy to: a) continually develop their pedagogical skills in a collaborative, professional learning community; b) create, evaluate and refine curricula; and c) ensure that all students have every opportunity to achieve.
- Using opportunities in and out of the classroom for peer mentoring, multi-age instruction and socialization.
- Instilling a community-wide dedication to volunteerism and family participation so we have adequate support, resources and funds to offer a rich and varied educational program.
- Promoting active communication between the school and the students’ homes, and providing meaningful family education programs.
- Creating partnerships within the community, the charter school movement, the school district, and with other educational institutions, including helping other charter schools as they develop.
- Creating a sustainable organization that functions at a consistently high level and attracts highly qualified professionals to ensure the long-term viability of the school.
- Ensuring that our students learn to communicate effectively, seek to understand, share and care, take responsibility and persevere.
Community & Family Participation
The participation of families and the surrounding community is critical in meeting the needs of the whole child. Parents run over 30 committees and are asked to give 50 hours a year to the school.
What is a Charter School?
Charter
schools are public schools created by parents, educators and
communities to provide innovation in the classroom and an alternative
to traditional public schools. A "charter" is essentially a contract:
charter schools operate free from bureaucratic red tape and regulation,
and in return they are held to higher standards for student
achievement. Unlike a traditional public school, if a charter school
does not meet these high standards, they are shut down.
Charter schools represent one of the fast-growing movements in education.
The original California charter law proposes to:
*Increase
learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on
expanded learning opportunities for pupils who are identified as
academically low achieving."
* Encourage the use of innovative teaching methods that address the needs of all learners.
* Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the
opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school
site.
* Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of
educational opportunities that are available within the public school
system.
* Hold the schools accountable for meeting measurable pupil outcomes,
and provide those schools with a method to change from rule-based to
performance-based accountability systems.
* Provide vigorous competition within the traditional public school
system to stimulate continual improvements in all public schools.
Charter
schools are public, tuition-free, and non-religious. Admission is
determined by lottery. Because no one can be forced to go to a charter
school, charter schools must meet and exceed parent expectations in
order to keep their students.
Many of the best schools in Los Angeles are Charter Schools, including our model school, Open Magnet Charter School.
For more information on what a charter school is, please visit the California Charter School Association (CCSA).
