Wednesday, October 15, 2014

UCLA, Lab School

About Us

Welcome to UCLA Lab School

Part of the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, we are an innovative school for children ages 4-12.
We encourage children's natural love of learning while also helping them develop a disciplined approach to their work. At the same time, our classrooms and meeting spaces serve as a laboratory for exploring innovative ideas about teaching, learning, and child development. We share the results of our studies 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 across the globe.

 

UCLA Lab School is the laboratory school of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSE&IS). It has been on the UCLA campus since 1947 and currently serves 450 students ranging in ages 4–12 and their families.[1][2] Originally known as University Elementary School, and from 1982 as Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School,[3] the name was changed in 2009 to better convey the school's purpose as a laboratory for research and innovation in education.[4] CONNECT, an onsite research center, helps link educators and researchers to explore ideas about teaching, learning, and child development.[5]


History

UCLA Lab School was founded in 1882, as the demonstration school of the California State Normal School at Los Angeles. Located on the site of today’s Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, the normal school prepared teachers for educating the growing city.

By 1914, enrollment at the normal school had far exceeded capacity, and the institution, along with the children's school, moved to a Hollywood ranch off a dirt road that later became Vermont Avenue. In 1919, the regents approved the establishment of the “Southern Branch of the University of California,” a two-year college located at the normal school. The two-year college expanded and officially became UCLA in 1927. Two years later UCLA moved to Westwood[6] and the children's school began leasing property owned by Los Angeles City Schools, on Warner Avenue.
In 1929, the children’s school was called University Elementary School (UES) and the principal was Corinne A. Seeds. A visionary educator who was influenced by the teachings of John Dewey, Seeds became a key figure in developing and promoting progressive education during the 1930s, '40s and '50s. She believed that "to keep education dynamic, children must have experiences that they care about."

In 1945, the university lost its lease on the Warner Avenue location and was told to vacate the site by the following year. From September 1946 to June 1947, UES was without a schoolhouse, but some classes continued in private homes.

Supporters of Seeds and progressive education successfully lobbied the state legislature to provide funds to relocate the school to the UCLA campus. Wartime restrictions prevented new building, but supporters found unused army barracks and transferred them to the Westwood campus to be used as a temporary school facility.

The first permanent school buildings for the elementary school were completed in 1950. They were designed by architects Robert Alexander and Richard Neutra, who became prominent in the mid-century modern design movement.] The architects worked closely with Seeds and other members of the school community to create a campus that takes advantage of the natural landscape and promotes children’s movement and exploration through the integration of indoor and outdoor space and flexible configurations of the learning environment.

 

Administration and Staff

All phone numbers are in area code 310. For general information, call 825-1801.
Principal's Office
Norma Silva Principal 825-1557 nsilva@labschool.ucla.edu
Renata
Gusmão-García Williams		 Assistant Principal 206-0594 rwilliams@labschool.ucla.edu
Sylvia Vallejo Assistant to the Principal 825-1557 svallejo@labschool.ucla.edu
Admissions
Nancy Chakravarty Director 206-2138 nchakravarty@labschool.ucla.edu
Business
Kam-Nui (Kitty) Law Finance/Business Manager 206-1134 klaw@labschool.ucla.edu
Naty Elli-Drennon Administrative Assistant 794-5001 ndrennon@labschool.ucla.edu
Communications
Laura Weishaupt Director 825-1649 lweishaupt@labschool.ucla.edu
Development
TBA Director 825-1996  
Nick Belli Coordinator 825-1996 nbelli@support.ucla.edu
Enrichment Program
TBA Coordinator 267-4586  
Extended Day Program
Marie Parks Director 206-5194 mparks@labschool.ucla.edu
Financial Services
Sara Hernandez Administrative Assistant 206-1135 shernandez@labschool.ucla.edu
Ileana Barberena Billing Assistant 825-1801 ibarberena@labschool.ucla.edu
Health Services
Muriel Ifekwunigwe Health Specialist 825-1801 mifekwunigwe@labschool.ucla.edu
Tricia Konves Nurse 825-1801 tkonves@labschool.ucla.edu
Library
Judith Kantor Librarian 825-4928 jkantor@labschool.ucla.edu
Jean Miyamoto Library Assistant 825-4928 jmiyamoto@labschool.ucla.edu
Middle School Coordinator
Kevin North Coordinator
knorth@labschool.ucla.edu
Outreach
Shernice Lazare Coordinator 825-1325 slazare@labschool.ucla.edu
Psychological Services
Jeffrey Jacobs Director 825-1801 jjacobs@labschool.ucla.edu
Research/Connect
Noel Enyedy Director 825-2622 enyedy@gseis.ucla.edu
Safe School
Laurie Ramirez Specialist 825-7599 lramirez@labschool.ucla.edu
School Operations
Ron Ando Coordinator 206-8484 rando@labschool.ucla.edu
Daniel Castro Assistant 825-1802 dcastro@labschool.ucla.edu
Ezequiel Ramirez Assistant 825-1802 eramirez@labschool.ucla.edu
Student Services
Susana Luis Administrative Assistant 825-1801 sluis@labschool.ucla.edu
Summer School
Laurie Ramirez Director 825-1801 lramirez@labschool.ucla.edu
Technology
Michael Getz Directory Services 825-2623 mgetz@labschool.ucla.edu
Dan Warren Tech Support 825-2623 dwarren@labschool.ucla.edu