Latest news with #Learn4Life
Business Wire
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Wire
When Politics Get in the Way of the Students: Charter Educators Challenge Sacramento Priorities
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California lawmakers say they want what's best for students, but the recent passage of AB 84 in the state assembly suggests otherwise, say educators at Learn4Life High Schools, a network of 80+ public schools that serve students who have struggled in a traditional setting. Through its personalized learning model with a flexible schedule, Learn4Life students reengage in their education and graduate high school. 'California youth deserve an education system that prioritizes flexibility and innovation, not excessive policies that limit opportunity.' Share Learn4Life Superintendent Shellie Hanes points out that Learn4Life assesses each student's learning style, strengths and weaknesses, and develops a personalized learning plan. Free tutoring, life skills and job training help prepare them for adulthood. This model works well with teens who need extra attention, and is successful with students who were lost in traditional high schools, including: Students with disabilities who require special education (SPED) Those with mental health needs Students in foster care Teens who have already dropped out Pregnant and parenting teens Students experiencing homelessness 18- to 20-year-olds who have aged out of traditional school The model isn't just innovative; it's effective. A 2023 report by the California Department of Education found that students in personalized learning charter schools had graduation rates up to 15% higher than their peers in traditional schools, particularly among historically underserved groups. Yet California legislators would have the public believe that charter schools are taking money away from district schools and stealing all the good kids. That's untrue. And once again, they're proposing a new law that claims to add more oversight to charter schools but instead will divert student funding to government bureaucracy. Now in the State Senate, the bill is based on the erroneous belief that learning can only happen when a student sits in a classroom all day. California families disagree. Almost three-quarters support a flexible education model and 89 percent say it is important to structure school to serve individual students, rather than forcing a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. 1 'There is a double standard that exists for charter schools and ignores equal accountability for traditional school districts,' said Hanes. 'Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools must prove their very existence every five years to continue operating.' There have been numerous instances of fraud, misuse of funds and conflicts of interest by California school districts – yet those never prompted legislators to respond with bills that cut funding and increase oversight. Hanes questions if California charter schools need to divert more funds from serving student outcomes to bureaucracy when sufficient oversight already exists. 'California youth deserve an education system that prioritizes flexibility and innovation, not excessive policies that limit opportunity,' said Hanes. 'We call on our elected leaders to join in our dedication to provide all students options and flexibility to succeed.' For more information, visit About Learn4Life Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit ______________________ 1 From Friday, March 19 through Wednesday, March 31, 2021, J. Wallin Opinion Research conducted a telephone survey of voters who are parents of one or more high-school-aged youths throughout the state of California. Eight hundred interviews were completed (plus an oversample of 71 additional African American respondents to equal 100 total of that demographic). A survey of this size yields a margin of error of +/-3.7 percent (95 percent confidence interval). Expand
Business Wire
28-05-2025
- General
- Business Wire
64 Percent More Foster Students Graduate from Learn4Life High Schools
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Only half of youth in foster care in the U.S. will graduate high school – and within the first year, 20 percent will be homeless and 25 percent will be incarcerated. A startling 71 percent of girls will be pregnant by age 21. 1 Learn4Life, a network of 80+ public high schools, has a far different story to tell. Their graduation rate for foster youth is 82 percent – and even during the pandemic was at 80 percent – yet traditional high schools hover at 50 percent. The answers – personalized learning, flexibility and consistent support from the school counseling and student services staff – according to Jaspreet Kaur, school counseling coordinator at Learn4Life. 'Many foster students have experienced frequent school changes and are significantly behind in credits. That's why we begin by evaluating their strengths and learning styles to develop a personalized education plan,' she explained. 'Flexibility is key, as these students often face unstable living situations and other challenges. We allow them to schedule their coursework and teacher meetings in a way that fits their unique circumstances.' Learn4Life has a lower student-to-school counselor ratio that most schools, allowing them to spend more time with each student and provide the help they need – academically, emotionally and in planning their future. 'Foster students often fall through the cracks in traditional high schools, which typically lack the capacity to offer personalized support,' she said. 'In fact, foster youth are suspended or expelled at three times the rate of their peers. Our model is different; we have a very low suspension rate. Since our approach resembles a college setting with a focus on independent study, students aren't pressured to keep pace with others, which reduces frustration. As a result, we rarely see the behavioral issues that are common in more traditional high school environments.' May is Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to focus on foster families and the challenges the youth face. Kaur points out that most of their lives they have dealt with uncertainty, found themselves in horrible situations through no fault of their own. Plus, since they move around frequently, they're often the new kid in school which leads to bullying. 'We understand that it's going to be hard for any student to focus on school when they're home life is lacking stability,' she said. 'Our schools often become a second home to all our students.' Kaur says that Learn4Life keeps in touch with all its students for two or more years after they graduate, to help them find community resources, apply for financial aid or scholarships, enroll in college or trade school and anything they can to help them make the transition into adulthood. 'Career technical education (CTE) in high school is especially important for foster youths, since at the age of 18 or 21 in some states, they likely will be on their own financially,' she added. Current statistics show 50 percent of foster youths as unemployed by age 24. 1 'We want to help them find a career path long before that,' she said. 'Learn4Life schools offer CTE pathways in an array of careers, such as nursing and dental assistants, culinary, construction, IT, media arts and even robotics.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
64 Percent More Foster Students Graduate from Learn4Life High Schools
Personalized learning, flexibility and extra counseling among the reasons LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Only half of youth in foster care in the U.S. will graduate high school – and within the first year, 20 percent will be homeless and 25 percent will be incarcerated. A startling 71 percent of girls will be pregnant by age 21.1 Learn4Life, a network of 80+ public high schools, has a far different story to tell. Their graduation rate for foster youth is 82 percent – and even during the pandemic was at 80 percent – yet traditional high schools hover at 50 percent. The answers – personalized learning, flexibility and consistent support from the school counseling and student services staff – according to Jaspreet Kaur, school counseling coordinator at Learn4Life. "Many foster students have experienced frequent school changes and are significantly behind in credits. That's why we begin by evaluating their strengths and learning styles to develop a personalized education plan," she explained. "Flexibility is key, as these students often face unstable living situations and other challenges. We allow them to schedule their coursework and teacher meetings in a way that fits their unique circumstances." Learn4Life has a lower student-to-school counselor ratio that most schools, allowing them to spend more time with each student and provide the help they need – academically, emotionally and in planning their future. "Foster students often fall through the cracks in traditional high schools, which typically lack the capacity to offer personalized support," she said. "In fact, foster youth are suspended or expelled at three times the rate of their peers. Our model is different; we have a very low suspension rate. Since our approach resembles a college setting with a focus on independent study, students aren't pressured to keep pace with others, which reduces frustration. As a result, we rarely see the behavioral issues that are common in more traditional high school environments." May is Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to focus on foster families and the challenges the youth face. Kaur points out that most of their lives they have dealt with uncertainty, found themselves in horrible situations through no fault of their own. Plus, since they move around frequently, they're often the new kid in school which leads to bullying. "We understand that it's going to be hard for any student to focus on school when they're home life is lacking stability," she said. "Our schools often become a second home to all our students." Kaur says that Learn4Life keeps in touch with all its students for two or more years after they graduate, to help them find community resources, apply for financial aid or scholarships, enroll in college or trade school and anything they can to help them make the transition into adulthood. "Career technical education (CTE) in high school is especially important for foster youths, since at the age of 18 or 21 in some states, they likely will be on their own financially," she added. Current statistics show 50 percent of foster youths as unemployed by age 24.1 "We want to help them find a career path long before that," she said. "Learn4Life schools offer CTE pathways in an array of careers, such as nursing and dental assistants, culinary, construction, IT, media arts and even robotics." For more information about Learn4Life and its personalized learning model, visit 1 View source version on Contacts Ann Abajianpr@ 559-903-7893 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Revving Up Car Culture Keeps Teens Engaged in High School
Can something as simple as building car models help keep high schoolers engaged and successful in school? At three Learn4Life schools in northern Los Angeles, it seems to be working. They have a robust car model program that is popular with students and hailed by teachers as a good way to keep kids engaged. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Students at Learn4life participating in the car model program. (Photo: Business Wire) 'It's a fun elective and it has been great for mentorship and helping keep kids away from gangs,' said Anthony Castaneda, who teaches the class. 'We've seen students who were shy and withdrawn come alive in this program, discovering new talents and boosting their self-confidence.' Castaneda is a student retention specialist whose job at Learn4Life is to work with students to make sure they are coming to school, turning in their homework and completing tests. One of his colleagues gave him the idea – to tie into the huge car culture in L.A. and let teens learn about cars while designing their dream auto. 'It's sort of like the MTV show Pimp My Ride, just on a smaller scale,' he said. 'They must earn a specific number of credits to participate, so those kids in the program are focused on schoolwork and even look forward to coming to school.' Creating car models isn't just a guy thing – almost half the students in the program are girls. 'The girls tend to be more detail-oriented and are really good with finish work like airbrushing,' said Castaneda. 'All the students are developing life skills like patience, attention to detail and following instructions. But what I especially like to see is how they are developing friendships with others in the class.' The 10-week course meets twice a week for 60-90 minutes, plus they take field trips to automotive museums and body shops. A highlight this year was a visit to West Coast Customs, the premiere automotive custom shop known for creating one-of-a-kind cars for celebrities, sports stars and even royalty. 'Their huge facility is filled with amazing automobiles,' he said. 'Some of the students didn't want to leave. It has sparked an interest in pursuing a career in the automotive industry for several students.' At each of Learn4Life's 85 public schools, there is at least one student retention specialist like Castaneda. 'We know that teens learn best by doing and collaborating, so fun classes where they can explore their creativity help make that happen,' he said. For more information about Learn4Life and its personalized learning model, visit About Learn4Life Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit Ann Abajian, Learn4Life SOURCE: Learn4Life Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/19/2025 10:19 AM/DISC: 03/19/2025 10:18 AM
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cool School Cool Principal: Dr. Tamela Brown
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A Lowcountry High School principal is changing lives giving students a different approach to education and a viable path to graduating. News 2 presents Learn4Life Charleston leader Dr. Tamela Brown with our Cool School Principal Award. For the last three years, Dr. Tamela Brown has served as principal at Learn4Life High School in North Charleston. Learn4Life is a charter high school for students who need a different option than the traditional public school setting. The school provides personalized learning, career training, and life her time at Learn4 Life, 52 students have graduated. Learn4Life staff and students say under Dr. Brown's leadership and guidance, the school has developed a nurturing environment that supports academic success as well as personal growth. Congratulations Dr. Tamela Brown! If you would like to nominate a Cool School, teacher, or principal, send an email to Octavia Mitchell at omitchell@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
