East Los Angeles Performing Arts Magnet
School Description
"The mission of the East Los Angeles Performing Arts Academy is to develop creative, contributing members of society through a standards-based curriculum featuring rigorous interdisciplinary instruction that is rich in the performing arts."
Contact Information
Website: elapam-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com
Principal: Carolyn McKnight- carolyn.mcknight@lausd.net
Four-Year Plan Goals
Goal One: To develop both the instrumental and choral music programs so that students reach college-ready levels of musicianship by providing support for students as they improve their musicianship and skills through sectional coaching with professional musicians or through other direct supports within their music classes.
Goal Two: To support high-quality productions for dance, music and theatre programs by developing our students’ skills and knowledge in technical theatre.
Goal Three: To develop teachers’ capacity to integrate the arts across all content areas in order to improve students’ achievement in the arts and academic content areas.
Approach
Goal One: Over the past three years, both the music instructor and the choir teacher have worked with professional artists in the classroom as sectional coaches to improve the musicianship and skills of students enrolled in these classes. Additionally, they have increased their performances to include more performances for their peers and in the community. ETA will have made a significant investment in the music program through its purchases of music instruments.
Goal Two: Large equipment items have been purchased to increase the production value of in school and out of school performances.
Goal Three: The plan includes involving other arts teachers in school wide arts education professional development in areas other than music and choir covered by the Four-Year Plan.
ARTS PARTNERSHIPS
Goal One: Harmony Project
Sustainability Plan
The East LA Performing Arts Academy leadership team and performing arts faculty has remained stable through the first three years of the school’s existence. With the upcoming transition to a full-school magnet in 2014, they can reasonably expect continued stability, and will gain some additional funding through the LAUSD Magnet Program, including a half-time magnet coordinator position and two additional teaching positions. The leadership team and Governing School Council place a high priority on funding the school’s arts programs, including purchasing instructional materials for arts classes, funding transportation and substitute time for field trips and actively seeking grants and donations. In addition, the school has had substantial success in building on-going partnerships with non-profit arts organizations that bring teaching artists into our classrooms and give our students opportunities to see plays, hear concerts and benefit from workshops. For these reasons, the goals selected for focus through the Four-Year Plan are in areas that build on initiatives that were already underway – developing the orchestra, improving productions, and supporting arts integration. The leadership team and Governing School Council will be able to continue to place a high priority on supporting and developing the school’s arts programs for the foreseeable future, and will be able to defend this priority in the face of district-level budget mandates based on the school’s designation as the only performing arts magnet high school for the East area of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Four-Year Plan will be completed in Spring of 2017.