School Site Visits

Sign up to tour one of several successful schools in the greater Los Angeles area on Thursday, March 12, 2020, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Registration for these Pre-Conference Institutes is just $125.00 per person and includes transportation and a box lunch.

About School Site Visits

School visits provide Empower20 participants with a pre-conference experience to visit exemplary schools across the greater Los Angeles region. Participants can choose from four school locations. Each visit provides a personalized tour and a unique look into the innovative programs and dynamic facilities of each site.

Participants will

• Participate in a site visit to a successful school;
• Learn innovative practices from school administration and staff; and
• Network and reflect with conference participants about school practices.

Locations

• Twentieth Street Elementary School—SOLD OUT
• Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools—SOLD OUT
• Alliance Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science High School (Stern MASS)—LIMITED AVAILABILITY
• Ramón C. Cortines High School of Visual and Performing Arts (Grand Arts)—LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Agenda*

Time	Activity
8:30–9:00 a.m.	Travel to school (bus transportation provided)
9:00–9:30 a.m.	School Leader Overview
9:30–11:45 a.m.	Classroom Visits
12:00–12:30 p.m.	Lunch (boxed lunch provided)
12:30–1:00 p.m.	Teacher Student Panel
1:00–1:30 p.m.	Parent and Community Panel
1:30–2:00 p.m.	Debrief and Reflection
2:00–2:30 p.m.	Travel back

*The agenda is subject to change.

Registration

Each tour price of $125.00 includes transportation and a box lunch and is separate from Empower20 registration and pricing. Due to the special price of these tours, they are not eligible for member, discounted, or combination pricing with Empower20.

Click the register button under each school description to register for that site visit. See the registration information page for pricing and to register for both the conference and a school site visit.

Locations

Twentieth Street Elementary School—SOLD OUT

Twentieth Street Elementary School is on the east side of South Los Angeles. The school is amid a low social-economic neighborhood that has a population that is 95% Hispanic, 4% African American, and 1% other. The median household income from the California Census was $30,000. Residents living below the poverty level as of 2016 was at 60%. Our Title I ranking is 54.

We are very proud to report that in May 2019, our accomplishments were recognized by Innovative Public Schools in partnership with USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and USC Rossier School of Education. Innovative Schools Network reported that of the 2,068 public schools in Los Angeles County, Twentieth Street Elementary was one of 257 schools that made the list of Top Public Schools that are closing the achievement gap for low-income African American and Latino students in Los Angeles County. Our SBAC growth since 2015 (baseline): ELA +25 and Math +22. Although we are pleased to know that we are closing the achievement gap, we still have a long way to go to achieve true and equitable excellence for our students who have historically been left behind.

In 2018, our school established a Spanish dual-language program in order to foster bilingualism, biliteracy, enhanced awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity, and high levels of academic achievement through instruction in two languages. Our goal is to give underserved students the opportunity to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages, which will give them the tools to become highly sought-after bilingual professionals in today's more globalized world.

Our philosophy is very simple: Family, school, and community partnerships collaborate in activities that place students at the center. We strive for effective partnerships based on mutual trust and respect and shared responsibility for the education of the students at 20th Street Elementary.

Visit the school's website.  |  Follow them on Twitter @20StDolphins.

School Address:
1353 East 20th Street
Los Angeles, California 90011

Registration Code: PD20PC035

This school site visit is sold out.

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Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools—SOLD OUT

Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Community Schools comprise six autonomous pilot schools: the Ambassador School of Global Education, the Ambassador School of Global Leadership, NOW Academy, UCLA-Community School, School for the Visual Arts and Humanities, and Los Angeles High School of the Arts.

Located at the former site of the Ambassador Hotel, the school was built to relieve underperforming and overcrowded schools located in the historically underserved neighborhoods of Pico-Union and Koreatown. Students are offered a rigorous and personalized instructional program that embodies the social justice legacy of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968.

The RFK Community Schools campus is set on 24 acres and serves approximately 4,000 K–12 students. Some of the unique features of the campus include the world-famous Cocoanut Grove Theater, the Paul Schrade Library, a state-of-the-art gymnasium, and several public art installations.

Visit the school's website.  |  Follow them on Facebook.

School Address:
701 South Catalina Street
Los Angeles, California 90005

Registration Code: PD20PC036

This school site visit is sold out.

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Alliance Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science High School (Stern MASS)—LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Alliance Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School (Stern MASS) is an open-enrollment charter school serving the East Los Angeles community since 2006. We educate 600 students in grades 9–12. All Stern MASS scholars take the required A-G course requirements needed to successfully apply to any University of California or California State University. All scholars also participate in a STEM Exhibition Night, a yearlong culminating project in math and science that answers a large and driving philosophical dilemma and encourages students to see the relationships between concepts and ideas. These projects adhere to Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards and integrate mastery learning, standards-based grading, academic content, collaboration, inquiry learning, and technology.

For the past five years, our professional development focus has been on schoolwide practices of writing using a Claim-Evidence-Link paragraph structure and formative questioning practices. Through a train-the-trainer model, a professional development team consisting of content-area teachers and administrators train teachers on strategies focused on questioning and exemplars to increase look-fors when monitoring students and providing immediate feedback. Supporting administrators and instructional coaches support the learning through observation and coaching sessions. This has led to increased student achievement on of 13 percent on SBAC ELA and 22 percent on SBAC Math.

Visit the school's website.  |  Follow them on Facebook.

School Address:
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, California 90032

Registration Code: PD20PC037

ASCD Empower20 and the Pre-Conference Institutes have been canceled.

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Ramón C. Cortines High School of Visual and Performing Arts (Grand Arts)—LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Ramón C. Cortines High School of Visual and Performing Arts, located in downtown Los Angeles, is an open-enrollment Belmont Zone of Choice High School. Open permits are extended to students outside of the Belmont Zone Area. The school currently serves 1,172 students in grades 9–12 and offers a dual mission college preparatory curriculum in both academics and the arts. Our four arts academies consist of dance, music (both choir and instrumental), theatre, and visual. We are an award-winning arts school in each of the four arts academies with our students entering various competitions throughout the year as well as several performances in and out of school. Our academic classes provide arts-integrated instruction to connect the various art forms to academics. We are on an eight-period schedule with all eight classes on Monday and four classes each Tuesday through Friday. In addition, we have four different CTE pathways in visual and theatre arts. Also, we have nine Advanced Placement classes and honors classes offered in each academic area. Last year in 2019, we had a 99 percent graduation rate!

Cortines is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary as the premier arts school within LAUSD, which serves students within LAUSD and outside of LAUSD. To celebrate, we are hosting the global TEDxGrandPark talks in December 2019 , which will feature TEDx presenters from across the globe and our students showcasing their dance, music, theatre, and visual arts talents on the TEDx stage. We are proud of our graduates who have gone on to work in the industry, as well as attending some of the top universities in the country: Harvard, Yale, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Fordham, Georgetown, Spelman, Tufts, Stanford, USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and various state universities, to name a few.

Visit the school's website.  |  Follow them on Facebook.

School Address:
450 North Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90012

Registration Code: PD20PC038

ASCD Empower20 and the Pre-Conference Institutes have been canceled.

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