Demonstration Schools
What is today UCLA Lab School, Corinne A. Seeds Campus began in 1882 when the Normal School began. It has been part of UCLA ever since. In the 1930s and 1940s, under the leadership of Principal Corinne A. Seeds, a student of John Dewey, the school emerged as an outstanding example of progressive education. In 1947, the Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School moved to its current home on the UCLA campus. In 2009, the school was renamed UCLA Lab School, Corinne A. Seeds Campus. The UCLA Lab School is a driving force for improving public education through its educational research, demonstration classrooms, teacher education and training, outreach programs and research-based teaching practices. The school has been on the UCLA campus since 1947 and currently serves 450 students ranging in age from 4-12 and their families. Lab School classrooms serve as laboratories for exploring innovative ideas about teaching, learning, and child development. Results of the School's research is shared through collaborations with educators from other schools, through conferences, workshops and site visits, and in print publications and other media. Through this mix of strategies, UCLA Lab School teaching practices and research outcomes have been widely shared with schools around the globe.
UCLA Community School (UCLA-CS) is an innovative K-12 learning environment that prepares all students for college, work, and civic participation. The instructional program is community-based, learner-centered, and university-assisted. Building on the strengths of the local neighborhood, the school is bilingual, bi-literate, and multi-cultural. Parents and community members are integral members of the school and their funds of knowledge help shape the instructional program. UCLA-CS personalizes learning for each student to ensure and document academic, social, and emotional growth over a student’s school career. Students have Personalized Learning Plans that build on their interests and needs, supporting them as active learners in a variety of experiences including projects, rigorous coursework, council, internships, peer tutoring, seminars, experiments, and so on. As a university-assisted school, these learning experiences include opportunities to engage with UCLA faculty, staff, and students, including on-campus internships and field trips. UCLA-CS is deeply committed to furthering social justice through its rigorous and authentic instructional program, critical dialogue, and democratic school culture.