As our country continues to search for ways to improve our educational system to make it so that all learners have the opportunity to earn a high-quality education, LMU, through its School of Education and the Family of Schools, is showing that a university-community partnership approach is working well for the students and families in the Westchester/Playa area. I firmly believe it’s through dialogue, collaboration and shared responsibility for our schools that we can better work together to continue to transform our community into a place where equitable and inclusive learning environments are accessible to all children. The diversity of our shared community is essential to our success. It takes a diverse group of leaders from different perspectives to come together to solve issues that too often divide communities and slow down progress toward a better future for our children. Our diversity also underscores the need for differentiation in solving the problems that we face. There is no onesize-fits-all solution; rather, in working together we address the unique needs and context of each situation for the benefit of all students. Yet our differentiated approaches are all grounded in the university’s Jesuit and Marymount traditions that value the education of the whole person and a belief that all students deserve a quality education. In a companion article in this issue, Family of Schools’ Director Darin Earley writes about the value of working together and offers concrete examples of how LMU is
PHOTOS BY EVELYN G. ALEMAN.
Shane Martin, Ph.D.
leading and contributing to these efforts in our local schools. I want to underscore how the university acts as a hub, as a connector and convener, within our community, and how we have the opportunity to share our approach for the benefit of the greater educational landscape. Sitting at the heart of this community, LMU engages and collaborates with the schools, families and partners in Westchester/Playa on their schools grounds. We know the context and understand what’s needed– recognizing that it is constantly shifting and evolving– and pivot with the tools and the theories to make a difference. Through continued partnership we can make sure that all the children in our community have the opportunity to succeed. By sharing our successes with the wider Los Angeles community and those facing these issues across the country, we can serve as a model universitycommunity partnership with approaches that can truly change our nation’s education system for the better. Shane Martin is the Dean of Education for LMU.
Top photo: Students pose in front of part of Wright STEAM Magnet’s first entry in the community’s Fourth of July Parade. Bottom photos: Students put their STEAM learning to use with a variety of activities that encourage them to be hands-on and creative.
Wright STEAM Magnet starts year with education focused on sciences On the first day of school, Wright Middle School STEAM Magnet opened its doors to nearly 700 students and their families looking to get a quality education focused on the sciences. Last year, Wright launched a full Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) magnet offering students an interdisciplinary project-based curriculum where teachers work together to bring science to life for students through hands-on projects. The transition from community school to a full magnet came as a result of a three-year grant awarded at the beginning of 2013 by the Department of Education’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program to develop a STEAMthemed curriculum. Since then, the school has partnered with various community organizations and local businesses to create new and innovate theme-based instructional opportunities for students. For example, in June, the school held its second “Young Engineer’s Day” with several partners including Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and RocketDyne. The school also offered a summer bridge
Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista HomeTown News
“engineer academy,” which drew in students from neighboring communities interested in learning about rocket projection and engineering. “The transition for Wright from a community school to a full magnet school created a paradigm shift for our learning community,” said Christina Wantz, principal. “It meant going from an adult-focused campus to a student-centered campus, where students are involved in shaping the projects that they work on in their classrooms. For example, because we have ten-year-olds coming into sixth grade in our program, who are saying, ‘I want to be an engineer, and that’s why I’m coming to this school,’ we create environments where students who show similar interests can talk about these ideas and get excited about them.” But Wright isn’t all STEAM; the arts are a part of science, math, history and English. According to Principal Wantz, through the school’s music program students are often able to make a connection to academics. “Sometimes, we have students who show little academic interest, but when they participate in our music program and have a
Back to School
teacher who encourages them, they feel more confident,” said Wantz. “This builds self-esteem that carries over to the rest of the classes.” Today, Wright offers its 700 students in grades 6-8 a small school setting on a beautiful campus that boasts a 900-seat auditorium, dance studio, indoor sports gymnasium, two volleyball courts, eight full court basketball stations, fully equipped fitness gym, a multi-room library, two MAC computer labs and two Engineering PC labs with stateof-the-art Engineering stations, a community garden and much more. “Prior to becoming full magnet, Wright was very academicdriven, whereas now we are a more whole-child driven school focusing on making sure that our students are college and career ready academically, emotionally and mentally,” said Wantz. “It is a shift that we felt needed to happen to help students see the world, explore it, research it and connect to it.” For more information about Wright Middle School STEAM Magnet, visit the school’s website at wrightms.org.
September 2014 • Page 13