CWC-Annual-Report-2023

ISSUE | 2022-23 Inside this report: The Year in Review Meet our Board of Directors 10+ Year Anniversary Academic Highlights and more...

Meet our New

CWC LA Named

Executive Director

Gap Buster Organization

New CWC LA Middle School Campus

Coming in 2024

| TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT’S INSIDE 05 03 Our Board

The Year in Review

07 Meet Melissa

11 13 09 Academic Highlights

1

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Regional Growth

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

EXCELLENCE DIVERSITY AUTHENTICITY COMMUNITY CHANGE

15 Facilities Updates

17 Impact Report

19 Regional Gala

21 Alumni Engagement

25 23

Special Tribute

Core Value Awards

2

| OUR BOARD

MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS A message from our CWC LA Board Chair Happy New Year! I am so honored to be writing this letter to share with you CWC LA’s first ever annual report outlining a small portion of the tremendous work that has been done this past year to help the students of CWC LA blossom, learn, and thrive as we continue to grow as a region.

There is no doubt that this past year was a turning point and milestone for the CWC community. From hiring a new Executive Director to hosting a 10th Anniversary Gala, our region is expanding its reach as we soar to new heights.

And for each and every one of our school sites, our students are being supported in both their academic and socialemotional growth, continuing to outperform students in the state and district as they become the changemakers that will soon be poised to solve the world’s most pressing challenges - which seem to grow more and more complex each day.

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible school site staff, teachers, principals, and regional staff that lead and inspire the students and families of CWC year after year. It is your commitment to our mission and core values that make this diverse-by-design community think, question, create, and grow. We are forever grateful for your passion and talents.

And to our CWC families, alumni, and supporters, thank you for your engagement, your voluntarism, financial support, and partnership in creating the type of educational environment every student deserves. I hope you see yourselves reflected in these pages, as we feel your presence in all that we do.

With hope and best wishes for all that the new year will bring.

Mikelle Willis, CWC LA Board Chair Chief People Officer, Leading Educators

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CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

“OUR REGION IS EXPANDING ITS REACH AS WE SOAR TO NEW HEIGHTS”

Meet our Board of Directors Mikelle Willis, CWC LA Board Chair Chief People Officer, Leading Educators

Ann Le Vice President Finance and Operations, Brighthive

Dana Gomez-Gayne, Secretary Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Cityview

Mariana Marrone Senior Director, Strategy & Research at GoGuardian

Sarah Angel Senior Vice President, Bryson Gillete

Archana Patel Vice President of Parent Programming, Jeremiah Program

Nicole Boone Vice President of Capital Markets, Community Lending

Hayley Roberts Director of Teaching and Learning, The John Thomas Dye School Jessica Smith Vice President, Employee Relations & Engagement, Alliance-College Ready Public Schools Phuong Vuong Talent Manager, Boston Consulting Group

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| THE YEAR IN REVIEW

LOOKING BACK AT OUR YEAR A few of our favorite Community Events of 2022-23 Nuestras Raices CWC LA schools are built on the belief that the diversity of our communities and of the world at large is a great strength.

Black Excellence Month Celebrations Fall Festival

Thanks to our diverse-by-design model, all our schools’ demographics

World Fair

mirror their surrounding communities and the larger society in terms of

FestivALL - Pride Event

race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and all other forms of diversity, both seen and unseen.

AAPI Night Market Starnival

This diversity is reflected and celebrated during our community engagement events!

5

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

OUR COMMUNITY IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO!

6

| MEET MELISSA

WELCOME OUR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A letter from Melissa Kaplan Dear CWC LA families and partners, I am honored to serve as the Executive Director of Citizens of the World Los Angeles. I have spent the past several months meeting with school and regional leaders and learning what makes our community special. I am inspired that our staff and I are aligned with the CWC LA mission and values, and we share a deep passion for building learning environments that empower the next generation of changemakers. From the moment I walked through the doors of CWC LA I felt an immediate connection to this community.

I have dedicated my personal and professional talents to making a positive change in the lives of students. It’s a journey I began over two decades ago when I moved to L.A. to teach at ICEF Public Schools, a charter school network, where I became a Principal, Director of Curriculum & Instruction and eventually the Chief Academic Officer. In 2012, I moved to Bright Star Public Schools, another charter school network. As Bright Star’s Deputy Superintendent of Education, I helped manage the network’s growth, led all school-facing work, helped lead major fundraising initiatives, and a multi-year initiative around diversity, equity and inclusion.

My own educational experiences have been influential in guiding me to CWC LA. Growing up in a rural community in Pennsylvania, navigating a school system that did not know how to support an atypical learner like myself, I had to blaze my own path to become the first person in my family to finish college. This experience was foundational to how I view education. I was immediately attracted to CWC LA’s commitment in supporting all types of learners and providing differentiated instruction that meets the needs of every student. I am driven by the momentum CWC LA has created to intentionally close educational opportunity gaps. I strive to create an asset-based approach to leading and empowering teams to continue this work.

As the new Executive Director, I look forward to working with you and keeping you informed of our progress and growth as I work with our school communities toward achieving our strategic priorities for 2024 — continuing to narrow the learning gaps for our LatinX, Black and bilingual students, hiring and sustaining BIPOC teachers and staff, and ensuring our schools are financially sustainable as we continue to expand to serve more students.

Thank you for welcoming me into the CWC LA family.

With gratitude, Melissa Kaplan

A proud parent of Elementary and Middle public school children.

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20+ 3,600

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CHARTER NETWORKS IN LOS ANGELES

graduation-cap graduation-cap graduation-cap graduation-cap

user user user user user user user user STUDENTS served as Deputy user user user user Superintendent of Bright Star user user user user Schools--a K-12 L.A. Charter user user user user Management Organization

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

Melissa Kaplan Executive Director

“I AM COMMITTED TO DESIGNING SYSTEMS THAT ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT CLOSING THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GAP.” 8

| ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

REGIONAL ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS CWC LA was named a Gap Buster Organization in The National Charter School Study III 2023

by CREDO This third national study evaluates the

Gap Buster schools are succeeding in

are changing the trajectory of learning

academic progress of students enrolled

achieving educational equity for their

for students at scale. Black and Hispanic

in charter schools in the United States.

students. Maintaining yearly growth

students at charters had some of the

The current report identified Citizens of

across student groups and

ensuring

largest academic gains, demonstrating

the World as a “Gap Buster” organization.

that students who have been historically

what we have always known: learning

“This study proves the transformative

marginalized learn on par with or better

gaps between student groups are not

potential of charter schools and how

than their White peers.

inevitable.

we are changing the trajectory of

This study proves the transformative

learning for students at scale.”

potential of charter schools and how we

“This study proves the transformative potential of charter schools” Read the report View the Credo NCSS3 Report here.

9

file

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

English Language: Average percentange of students at grade level by subgroup

Our Achievement Maintaining our academic achievement growth and focusing on further closing learning gaps is part of our regional goals for the upcoming school year. We

Math: Average percentange of students at grade level by subgroup

are working closely with instructional teams across the region to ensure our students continue to outperform other schools on state assessments across LAUSD and California.

CWC LA heart ‘s Math Do the math!

Teacher Professional Development & Coaching + Targeted Tutoring = Academic Growth

plus Designed ➗ Engaged in implementation observations with all school leaders.

professional development (PD) that deepened teachers’ understanding of Illustrative Mathematics through collaborative planning, learning walks and peer observations.

x Provided coaching that supports a problem- based approach to math and empowers teachers to center students as experts in the math classroom to improve their agency, identity, and sense

ruler Partnered with our after-school program instructors to provide students with targeted and aligned math tutoring classes.

of authority as mathematicians.

Results Last year we made progress in expanding access to tutoring. # of students who received targeted tutoring.

2023 CWC LA Regional Goal



Improve implementation of the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum with a focus on equitable access and meaningful learning.

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| DEIB

Spotlight

DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION & BELONGING 2024 DEIB GOALS 1

Strengthening a multiyear DEIB strategic plan

2

Providing learning and leadership opportunities for more diverse perspectives in school decisionmaking for students, staff and families

3

Narrowing academic gaps that exist along lines of race, class, language and ability

4

Increasing a sense of belonging for our most vulnerable community members

5

Ensuring our practices, policies and procedures are free of bias and prejudice.

EQUITABLE DECISION-MAKING AT CWC LA CWC LA was a proud recipient of a grant to support equitable decision-making for teacher morale and retention from the NoVo Foundation in early 2023. With these funds, teachers and staff are being provided stipends for their time, energy, and participation in activities intended to center our most important work on their voices and needs.

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CWC LA AWARDED $1M ANTI-BIAS GRANT We were grateful to receive a $1 million, multi-year grant from the California Department of Education supporting all of our schools in the Winter of 2023. These funds will be integral to piloting our antibias, anti-racist Pollyanna curriculum, supporting professional development efforts to build the skill, will, and capacity of our staff to work alongside the DEIB team in reaching our goals.

NEW, INNOVATIVE COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY IN DEVELOPMENT CWC LA is committed to attracting, recruiting and sustaining high-quality, diverse, passionate, and missionaligned employees. We seek to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging by ensuring that our compensation practices are fair, transparent, and free from bias, providing equal opportunities for advancement and recognition for individuals from all backgrounds. One of the major initiatives that began in the Spring of 2023 is the development of a fair and equitable compensation philosophy for the organization.

DEIB LEADERS COUNCIL CONTINUES TO GROW We’ve strengthened our DEIB Leaders Council - a group of 40 caregivers and staff representing all schools that meets monthly to learn, and share best practices based on our current DEIB goals and act as equity ambassadors at their school sites.

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

DEIB PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS • DEIB Workshops for Staff and School Leaders • Pollyanna: Racial Literacy Curriculum for TK-8th • Kindred Communities • Circle Ways: Building community through shared experiences and restorative practices & Affinity Groups

Dear CWC LA Community, Since its inception, CWC LA has always had a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

This became particularly challenging, and as important as ever, over the course of the pandemic and today stands out as one of our biggest institutional priorities as we work to heal from the many losses of that time period.

As we have witnessed CWC LA’s historically marginalized groups of students seeing slower and lower academic growth than their peers, we find our path forward by staying grounded in our CWC Learning Model. We believe that students’ social emotional wellbeing and feelings of belonging directly impact the academic outcomes they achieve. By respecting and bridging our differences in ways that help us heal from harm while also building upon the strength of our differences, we can ensure that every child sees themselves reflected in the culture, climate and curriculum. In turn, they are more engaged, able to learn and feel a sense of belonging, which is why we added the “B” to “DEIB.” Societal injustices combined with our own growth as an organization, requires that we build a school culture where all students, staff and families feel they belong. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we focus on equity. When we do, we expand our community’s notions of who belongs and begin to create schools where everyone can thrive.

This past year has been filled with accomplishments that propel us towards our visions of being a truly equitable organization. We are happy to share some of these here to demonstrate our commitment to moving our region forward and celebrate our successes.

In community,

DEIB Team

Shernice Lazare Head of DEIB

Rickie Carbajal SR Manager of DEIB

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| REGIONAL GROWTH

WE ARE GROWING! This year, we have made progress on our ambitious growth plan to approximately double the number of students we serve. CWC LA is one of the only charter school organizations that is growing in Los Angeles, which has more charter schools than any other city in the country.

2010

CWC Hollywood Elementary School Our first school, CWC

2012

CWC Silver Lake Elementary School

2013

CWC Mar Vista Elementary School CWC Mar Vista, our third school, welcomes its

CWC opens its second

founding students and

school, CWC Silver Lake

families.

Students CWC Silver Lake: 243

Students CWC Mar Vista: 113

2015

CWC Silver Lake Middle School Our first middle school opens at CWC Silver Lake.

Students CWC Silver Lake: 63

Hollywood, opened its doors.

Students CWC Hollywood: 96

CWC Region CWC Region CWC Region CWC Region

USER 96

Students 13

USER 499 Students

USER 737 Students

USER 1298 Students

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023



CWC LA’s Future 2028 Projections

2017

6 School Sites

2020

4,000+ students

2023

2021 CWC Los Angeles CWC LA students have happily returned to their

CWC East Valley Elementary School

respective campuses post-

CWC West Valley Elementary School

CWC LA welcomes CWC East

We continue to expand to

CWC Mar Vista Middle School

Valley to the region in Valley

serve more students across

CWC LA continues to grow,

Village.

the region.

Our second middle school

Reseda in the first year of the

opens its doors in Mar Vista.

pandemic.

Students CWC Mar Vista: 44

Students CWC West Valley: 135

pandemic.

opening CWC West Valley in Students CWC East Valley: 155

CWC Hollywood - 476 CWC Mar Vista - 504 CWC Silver Lake - 733 CWC West Valley - 360 CWC East Valley - 474

CWC Region CWC Region CWC Region

USER 1848

USER 2074 Students

USER 2547 CWC Region

Students

USER 2045 Students

Students

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| FACILITIES UPDATES

OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT! We are not only adding new facilities to serve our growing communities, but we are also continuing to build and improve our current facilities to provide safe, innovative, and inspiring spaces that encourage academic growth and collaboration.

A New CWC Silver Lake Middle School Campus coming in 2024!

A permanent home for our middle school program!

We have broken ground and begun the construction of a new facility in the heart of Filipinotown, located only a few blocks away from our CWC Silver Lake Elementary School and only a 15 minute drive from our CWC Hollywood Elementary school campus. This exciting facilities project will provide these two communities with a continued TK – 8th grade education experience.

CWC Silver Lake Elementary School Playground Renovation This year, we transformed the blacktop at CWC Silver Lake

outdoor learning and play space develop a sense of self,

Elementary School into an oasis of outdoor recreation with a

independence, confidence, creativity, decision-making and

brand new play structure!

problem-solving skills.

At CWC we believe that children greatly benefit

Our new outdoor play space has greatly supported these skills

developmentally from being able to learn and play outdoors.

in our CWC students.

Studies have shown that students who have access to an 15

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

Expanding our CWC Mar Vista Campus A permanent home for our CWC Mar Vista students!

Our CWC Mar Vista expansion will be completed during the 23-24 school year. This new 3-story structure is located on the corner of Gateway Blvd and Pico Blvd. This playful and innovative facility will be an extension of our existing 2-story classroom building and will allow us to create a continuous TK-8 learning experience on one block and site.

Updating our CWC West Valley Campus A permanent home for our school with room to grow!

It was an exciting year for our CWC West Valley community as they moved into their permanent home in Winnetka. The new campus features spacious classrooms, a large outdoor play space, two playground areas, complete with play structures, a basketball court, a baseball field, and an indoor gymnasium!

As the CWC West Valley community is eager to grow, we will embark on a multi-year renovation and building project that will include the renovation of existing buildings and the addition of a new building to allow us to expand to become a robust TK - 5th-grade program. We are excited to offer this incredibly exciting opportunity for our current and future CWC West Valley families.

Watch us grow!



Visit our website to find out more about our upcoming facility projects.

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| IMPACT REPORT

CWC LA IN ACTION As you have seen, there is a lot of important work happening across our region, and yet there are a few more things that happened this past year that we would be remiss not to celebrate.

New Teacher Residency Program Launches CWC LA was honored to receive three separate grants this past year from the California Commission of Teacher Credentialing to launch a brand new teacher residency program for CWC LA faculty and staff. This program will offer tuition reimbursement, stipends for mentor teachers, and create new pathways for career advancement for teachers wishing to grow within our organization. We are proud to be partnering with Cal State and Marshall Teacher Residency program to offer our already talented and dedicated staff members with an emphasis on our BIPOC staff, additional education and training that will support all of our students for years to come.

Jaron Williams Honored by LA84 with Champions Educate Here Grant In January of 2023, Director of Student Programs, Jaron Williams, was honored by the LA84 Foundation with a Champions Educate Here grant recognizing his commitment to CWC LA, 7+ years of service to our organization, and commitment to our students’ growth outside of the classroom. With this honor and these funds, we were able to expand our Camp Citizens offerings and support the growth of our After School Programming region-wide.

The CWC Model Matters: What it means to be diverse-by-design The CWC Model explicitly teaches students the skills to be positive role models, changemakers and community leaders for our country and world. The explicit skills that students are taught from a very young age, combined with their deep fluency in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging helps our students understand new and different perspectives, allowing them to navigate and lead through challenges to more productive and positive solutions. As a diverse-by-design model, all of our students grow in these domains, regardless of their background, enabling them as adults to have a broader lens on issues and a deeper understanding of how to work across lines of difference.

Take a look at this video explaining the research behind CWC students as changemakers.

Visit our website to learn more about our unique Roots and SEL curriculum.

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CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

CWC LA Families Show Support for their Schools We are grateful for the support and engagement of our CWC LA families this year. Through efforts at each school site, families engaged in our three major campaigns to collectively raise over $1.5 million, helping to close the gap between what our unique model costs and what we receive from state and federal funding. Families contributed to the Annual Family Give, Move, Play, and Walk-A-Thons, and came together to enjoy our Spring Auctions and Celebrations. These important funds go directly back into each school’s operating budgets to pay for crucial parts of the CWC experience from Teaching Associates to Enrichment opportunities. A huge thank you to our parent and caregiver volunteers, campus leaders, and everyone who supported these efforts to bring the CWC experience to life for our students.

Our 2023 Annual Survey Results As a way to measure family, staff, and student involvement and satisfaction, CWC LA conducts annual surveys. These surveys serve as critical indicators of how well the school is serving the needs of all families. Our response rates have grown to over 98%, we are grateful for the community feedback!

98% 87% Families believe their school strongly values the diversity & background of all children & families.

RESPONSE RATE ON OUR 2023 ANNUAL SURVEY Staff report that their work is quite meaningful or extremely meaningful to them.

94%

91% Students (6-8th) feel they have learned a new skill or strategy to respond to a difficult time or a big emotion.

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| REGIONAL GALA

CELEBRATING OVER 10+ YEARS OF LEARNING! On May 4th, 2023 we held our 10-year Anniversary Gala at the historic Paramount Studios, hosted by CWC parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.

It was an incredible evening of reflection on our growth as an organization, expanding from one school in Hollywood with only 93 students to 7 locations serving over 3,000 students across Los Angeles.

It was a special opportunity to celebrate our founders, Mark Gordon and Kriste Dragon, for their vision and continued stewardship over the past 10+ years.

Our Gala Sponsors

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Mark Gordon Pictures

Rick Kurtzman

Red Hook Capital Partners

The Meledandri Family

Paramount Pictures

Sander Architects

Stifel

Walton Family Foundation

Bryson Gillette

Katie McGrath & JJ Abrams Family

3 Arts Entertainment

KeltnerCo

Foundation

eOne

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Blackwell Development Inc.

Gallagher

Musick, Peeler & Garrett, LLP

Creative Artists Agency

GPSN

UBS

Deltechis

Chelsea Handler

Young, Minney & Corr, LLP

Innovative Health Diagnostics

Pacific Charter School Development

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

“CWC recognizes that a win for me is a win for the community.”

-Danella Brown, CWC LA Teacher Thank you to our sponsors and host committee This event was an occasion to express our sincerest appreciation to our supporters whose generous investment of time, energy, and resources have made a tremendous impact and will enable us to continue to provide communities across Los Angeles with a high-achieving, diverse-by-design public school option.

Our Host Committee Malin Akerman

Adele Lim*

Chris Silbermann

Kristen Bell**

Christopher Meledandri

Craig Tessler

Marlene Canter*

Blake Mycoskie

Cam Starrett

Carl Christopher*

Rishi Narang*

Rebecca Verdolino*

Bibby Dunn

David & Andrea Nevins

*Advisory Board Members

Dr. Eric Esrailian

Cora Olson & Jen Dubin

** Advisory Board Co-Chairs

Christopher Forman

Billy Ray

Dana Gomez-Gayne

Jamie Rosenblatt**

James Healy*

Tom Rothman & Jessica Harper



Tribute Book Check out our Gala 2023 Tribute Book

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| ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

CWC LA WELCOMES BACK ALUMNI This year we were excited to welcome back our CWC LA Alumni, many of whom are heading to College this year! It was a beautiful reunion of staff, students, and caregivers who gathered to celebrate the growth and achievements of our founding students. CWC LA is honored to have played a role in the lives of these outstanding people.

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CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

Matriculation The list of high schools that our graduating 8th graders are accepted into continues to grow. We are proud of our rigorous middle school program that prepares our students for their choice of high school.

Academic Performance Excellence Academy (APEX)

Edward R. Roybal Learning Center Los Angeles (ESLA)

Bernstein High School

Fairfax High School

Alexander Hamilton High School

Geffen Academy

Academy of Music & Performing Arts (AMPA)

iCAMP Magnet

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools – Ted K. Tajima High School

Episcopal School of Los Angeles

El Camino Real Charter High School

The Archer School for Girls

Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA)

Aveson Global Leadership Academy (AGLA)

Granada Hills Charter School

Beverly Hills High School Boyle Heights STEM Magnet

Helen Bernstein High School Harvard-Westlake School

Bright Star Schools – Rise Kohyang

High Tech Los Angeles Charter High School

Buckley School

Hollywood High School

Camino Nuevo Charter Academy

Immaculate Heart High School

Dalzelle Lance Campus

John Marshall High School

Campbell Hall School

Larchmont Charter School

Downtown Magnets High School

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA)

Eagle Rock High School

Loyola High School

STEM Academy

Mayfield Senior School

The Episocopal School of Los Angeles (ESLA)

Milken Community Schools New Roads School New Village Girls Academy New West Charter School Oakwood School Palisades Charter High School Polytechnic School Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts Renaissance Arts Academy Reseda Charter High School RFK – School for the Visual Arts and Humanities

The Thacher School The Waverly School TREE Academy University High School USC Brio College Prep USC Hybrid High School Value Charter School Venice High School (School for Advanced Studies) Vistamar School Wilson Performing Arts Center

Santa Monica High School Sequoyah School Shalhevet High School South LA College Prep St. Francis High School

With many of our graduates heading to college, this list of top higher education institutions across the country continues to grow.

Cal Poly SLO

Middlebury College

Seattle Pacific University

University of San Francisco

California State University - Northridge

Mount Saint Mary University

Skidmore College

WCTC Waukesha

College of the Canyon

New School of New York

The Art Institute of Chicago

Yale University

Columbia University

New York University

The New School- Jazz program

California State University - Los Angeles

Northwestern University

Tufts University

Dartmouth

NYU Tisch School of the Arts

UC Berkeley

East LA College

Ohio Wesleyan

UC Los Angeles

Emerson College

Pasadena City College

UC Santa Barbara

Georgia Tech

Pima Community Collage

UC Santa Cruz

Glendale Community

San Diego State University

University of Chicago

Hoftra University

San Francisco State University

University of Colorado Boulder

Indiana University

Santa Barbara City College

University of Michigan

Indiana Wesleyan University

Santa Monica College

University of Oregon

IU Bloomington

Santa Monica Community College

University of Redlands



Stay Connected!

Join our Mailing List

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| CORE VALUE AWARDS

2023 CORE VALUE AWARDS CWC LA’s Core Values Our core values and operating norms are part of who we are collectively.

They inform our decisions, influence

Diversity

Excellence

our interactions with one another and

We are better and stronger

We demand lasting quality.

represent a shared set of ideas that we

because of our differences.

aspire to each and every day.

Authenticity

Community

Change

We care deeply about people. We

We welcome the unknown,

We are our true selves in this

share & build partnerships. We

embracing the unexpected and

work, and we are candid.

celebrate, laugh, and seek joy,

new. We adapt to meet the ever-

even in the tough times.

changing times. We find new ways.

List of all nominees Excellence

Diversity

Authenticity

Community

Change

KATHERINE STANFILL

AUDREY MONINGKA

KATHERINE STANFILL

CHANTAL DIAZ

JESSICA MORENO

CWC Mar Vista 6-8

CWC Silver Lake TK-5

CWC Mar Vista 6-8

CWC Mar Vista TK-5

CWC Mar Vista TK-5

MARIA RODRIGUEZ

NICOLE HILL

NATHALY CANAS

HADAS PETERS

STONEY SAVAGE

CWC Hollywood

CWC Los Angeles

CWC Silver Lake TK-5

CWC West Valley

CWC Mar Vista TK-5

ROXANA REYES

Regional Support Office

NAOMI RASMUSSEN

NAYELI HORST

KERRY ROSENBLATT

CWC East Valley

BRITTANY JEFFERSON

CWC Hollywood

CWC West Valley

CWC Silver Lake 6-8

LINDA GALLARDO

CWC Silver Lake TK-5

LESLIE GASTELUM

CATHY FLYNN

DANIEL ROBLES

CWC Silver Lake TK-5

JAKE TAMTE

CWC Silver Lake TK-5

CWC East Valley

CWC Mar Vista TK-5

RASHEED ANTHONY

EMERY MCCABE

CWC Mar Vista 6-8

CWC West Valley

CWC Mar Vista 6-8 CHRIS CARPINA CWC West Valley

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CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

2023 Core Value Award Winners Our annual Core Values Awards are an opportunity to highlight tangible examples of how members of our community put these values to work in our schools.

Excellence Award Quynh Tran CWC West Valley Quynh Tran is an exceptional individual

We know that these individuals featured each year are just a small sample of those who embody a broad range of daily expressions of Authenticity, Change, Community, Diversity, and Excellence.

who has been teaching for over

Congratulations to this year’s winners who are showcased below alongside their nomination letters.

She easily exemplifies all our CWC Core Values, but above all

18 years from middle schools to elementary schools and we are so lucky to have her here at CWC West Valley. she demonstrates excellence in everything she engages in.

Not only has she been an honest, attentive, and supportive co-teacher, she shows the team everyday how experienced

Diversity Award Rickie Carbajal CWC LA Regional Support Office Rickie is a strong DEIB practitioner.

He is an active member of our DEIB Leaders Council and member of the Disruptions of Dialogue community

and adaptable she is as she steps into other roles at CWC West Valley. As an administrative support member, she continuously creates and implements ways to improve student operations and educational experiences whether it is recess and lunch protocols, social-emotional behavioral support, or efficient testing schedules. She seamlessly makes the school a better place everyday and therefore I nominate Quynh Tran for the Excellence Core Value Award! Thank you!

practice member. Prior to this year, Rickie was a vital community member in setting up affinity spaces at the Silver Lake campus. He exemplifies all aspects of diversity and for this reason he has my highest nomination.

Authenticity Award Barret Warden CWC Mar Vista 6-8

Community Award

Barrett Warden could teach a master course on relationship building. His

Ashley Narcisse

students, colleagues, and families truly

CWC Mar Vista TK-5

thrive by his influence and guidance.

Ashley is a daily dose of joy by the front

He spends so much time giving to our

door each day. If you know her, you’ve shared a laugh with her. She knows every kid and every caregiver by name, but she also knows the crossing guards and the UPS person, and she makes every single person feel welcome and wanted on the campus. Ashley goes above

school community and always goes above and beyond to challenge our students to grow by meeting them where they are.

Change Award

and beyond her job duties. She plays a vital support role with

Mandy Smith

students who have challenging behaviors and provides social

CWC Mar Vista 6-8

emotional support in her interactions with these students. She

This year has been hectic. We had

is also one of the best non-medically trained medical support

class closures and then staff changes.

people I’ve ever seen. When she puts on her doctor face to

Through this, teachers and staff were

listen to a long tale about how a kid’s toe feels weird, it is a

asked to step up and lead the way.

beautiful thing and the child feels heard and medically treated

No one did this with more grace than

in a way that makes them ready to return to class. Thank you,

Mrs. Smith. Not only did she add a subject into her schedule,

Ashley, for all you bring to our school.

but she also stepped into the lead 6th grade teacher role.

Saying she had no reservations would be a lie, of course there were reservations. However, those were never seen on the outside and she stepped up to support the students because that’s all that matters. She also decided to jump in and do an After School Intervention block. Not just teach it, but gather the students, test the students, and handle all caregiver communication. Hats off.

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| SPECIAL TRIBUTE

FAREWELL TO OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear CWC Los Angeles Community, While it is bittersweet to be saying farewell, it is a privilege to be doing so in this annual report celebrating another year of incredible success for our community. It is also an honor to remain part of the CWC LA community as a parent and consultant, helping with the smooth transition to my amazing successor, Melissa Kaplan.

It’s hard to express in words how meaningful it has been to have led CWC for the last 8+ years and to help steer the CWC ship to this moment. CWC has been our family’s community, our home away from home, and the place where my three kids have learned, grown and flourished. Running a network of charter schools is really a family affair, and I owe a huge thank you to my kids, my wife Dorsey, my late parents, my sisters and my in-laws for all of their support along the way.

What a journey it has been. From just a few rooms and 96 students at CWC Hollywood to a bustling network of 7 schools with nearly 2,500 students in Hollywood, Silver Lake, Mar Vista, Winnetka and Valley Village. From a few talented leaders to a group of more than 400 incredible educators. From no classrooms to house our students to construction of multiple beautiful facilities that we can call home. From a concept about what makes an excellent education to a proof point that can be replicated in any diverse community in America.

As I reflect on the work that you - our families, staff, alumni, and supporters - do for our students, I invite you to imagine the impact that CWC LA will have.

Imagine a country where every child, starting at age 4, builds skills in cultural competency, empathy, collaboration, critical thinking and adaptability. Imagine a California where leaders analyze and solve complex challenges in new ways across lines of difference. Imagine a Los Angeles where every person feels valued and loved, and has a sense of belonging.

And imagine a diverse workplace where every employee resolves conflict constructively and feels like they contribute innovative ideas. I don’t know about you, but when I look at our world, it feels like we need these outcomes more than ever before.

If there are two takeaways from my time at CWC, the first is that our communities need CWC graduates - the future changemakers - who will help our world be a better place for all. My second takeaway is that the future is bright for CWC. We have an incredible new Executive Director, Melissa Kaplan. We have a strong foundation and legacy from our founders and staff. We have a model that works and will only get better over time - eventually permanently closing achievement gaps. We’re building facilities to make our schools sustainable. We’re growing to show what’s possible at scale, eventually serving more than 4,000 students.

And we have tremendous supporters like you who believe in CWC and our future. To do this work requires resources and investment from our communities, from all of us. Thank you so much for all of your support. You too are a part of CWC’s very, very bright future!

Mark

Thank you Mark, for building a strong foundation that will help us grow your legacy.

-Your CWC Family 25

CWC ANNUAL REPORT | 2023

20+ 8+

YEARS SERVING EDUCATION & NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

A proud parent of 2 current CWC Middle School students & a CWC Alum.

YEARS of service to CWC LA

Oversaw the opening of 3 new CWC school locations

school school 26

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