Our Impact
Did you know?
1 out of every 4 students in this country does not graduate from high school with their class.
20,000 students drop out of high school every year in Los Angeles County. 83% of those students are African-American or Latino and come from households living below the poverty line. As high school dropouts, these students will earn $500,000 less over a lifetime than high school graduates and are 6 times more likely to go to jail. But the negative effects of dropout extend well beyond these students and their families. Dropouts cost the state of California $1 billion in lost tax revenues and $1 billion in incarceration costs. Students cite disengagement as the leading in-school factor that causes them to drop out of high school.
artworxLA uses the arts to re-engage students and help them realize a path toward high school graduation and entry into Los Angeles County’s creative economy.
What’s Our Plan?
Meet our Strategic plan for 2019-2022.
This living document serves as a guiding light for our organization goals over the next few years. The plan is the result of a 5 month process with the consulting firm Knead Partners, our staff, board and stakeholders to collaboratively create a vision for our future!
How do we accomplish our goals?
Alternative Education
Small learning environments.
50 students or less, capped at 25 per teacher to allow for personalized attention and individualized instruction. Many students are non-traditional learners.
Credit recovery.
Students who have fallen behind (for reasons such as excessively failing classes and/or chronically low attendance) can catch up on credits. They come from high schools with high dropout and low graduation rates. Students receive an individualized courseload according to their needs, and they complete coursework on 80-day contracts.
Community-based.
Many sites are housed in storefronts throughout the city, often sharing spaces and creating partnerships with community based organizations.
Support.
Alternative education serves pregnant and parenting teams, individuals returning from juvenile detention camps and halls, probation students, student who have been expelled from district schools, teens who suffer from mental health issues or substance abuse.
“...That’s when I fell more in love with the artworxLA programs. I felt it was really preparing me for the future. Also meeting together with other students from different schools has been a rewarding experience.”