New Roads Lower School
In an authentically diverse community reflective of Los Angeles, New Roads prepares young people for life by developing in them a personal dedication to learning, a respect for independent thinking, an expanding curiosity about the world and its people, and a commitment to the common good.
Get to Know this Liberatory School
New Roads reflects the spirit of the Los Angeles community by reflecting its 'authentic diversity.' New Roads aims to liberate young people by pursuing social justice, equity, and opportunity.
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Size: 500-999
Demographics:
55% White
14% Black
14% Latinx
9% Two or More Races
8% Asian or Pacific Islander
1% American Indian
Grade Band: K-12
Governance Structure: Private School
Website: https://www.newroads.org/
Graduate Aims
To read well and write clearly
To express oneself effectively
To build a foundation for wellbeing
To reason and to question thoughtfully, soundly, critically, and ethically
To approach and solve problems creatively as an individual and as a member of a team
To evaluate and synthesize information in order to advance understanding and innovate responsibly
To study with purpose and perseverance
To demonstrate the flexibility and nimbleness of mind to respond to the demands of a rapidly evolving world
To develop a portable set of skills that can be translated and applied across a variety of contexts
To develop respect for the humanity and ecology of the earth and the sensitivity to appreciate life’s deep joys and mysteries
To invite and seek to understand contradictory and complementary perspectives
To listen and understand empathically
Design Principles
Intellectual Rigor
Intellectual rigor in the context of New Roads is exemplified through three key patterns of learning that each student hones: habits of mind, habits of character, and tools for effective participation. We believe that cultivating an intellectual habitat that balances structure and freedom helps young people develop these positive habits. Optimal intellectual growth and development occurs in the interchanging sweet spot between direct instruction and discovery learning. Each human being comes endowed with a wealth of curiosity and intrinsic motivation that emerges with encouragement and the right supportive environment for it to flourish.
Habits of Mind
New Roads encourages students to:
Use innate curiosity, creativity and imagination to pursue an inquiry and organize and synthesize appropriately complex understandings
Be willing to take creative, intellectual, and aesthetic risks with both familiar and new information in all areas of study
Evaluate evidence for its relevance to an inquiry and formulate justifiable solutions
Appropriately question the authority of history as well as use it to understand the present
Master facts/skills/competencies so they can apply them to problem solving in a variety of learning contexts
Habits of Character
New Roads prepares students to:
Become conscientious decision-makers who consider the well-being of the community with respect to equity, social justice and ecological balance
Listen deeply, respond with compassion and attempt to resolve conflict through discourse and cooperation
Understand and overcome personal biases and prejudices with respect to race, ethnicity, gender and other human differences, and demonstrate open-minded appreciation for other cultures and perspectives
Act with courage and respect in the face of conflict and injustice
Tools for Effective Participation
New Roads provides students with the tools to:
Read, write, speak and communicate effectively
Demonstrate scientific and mathematical literacy
Understand and express social, political, economic, moral and ecological awareness
Understand how the arts affect social and cultural environments
Participate and cooperate in athletics and the arts
Solve problems non-violently
Respect the ideas and learning styles of others
Featured Student Experiences
Connections Class
Though social-emotional learning permeates all experiences, Connections is an important piece of what New Roads call its council. Connection consists of: Speak from the heart; Listen from the heart; Be spontaneous; Be lean. Connections class is an opportunity for students to draw through lines to more fully understand and appreciate the "diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions of others, to connect meaningfully with their classmates, and to appreciate a full spectrum of humanity."
Friday Elective Hour
Each week on Fridays in the Lower School K-4, students choose their own electives. These elective classes last for six to seven weeks, allowing five elective choices throughout the school year. Choices may include Digital Music, Gardening, Yoga, Spanish and Art, Tinkering, Woodshop, Butterfield Book Club, Dance, and Chess. This is an opportunity for students to be creative, innovate, and become more agentic through exercising student choice.
Social Justice
Each homeroom teacher has the autonomy to integrate social justice in ways that resonate best with the class. Community partnerships, research, collaboration, and initiatives for change are encouraged. Classes and individuals are encouraged to speak at our All School Meetings and Town Halls to provide updates and activate the community.
Grade 5 Bridge Year
Students in Grade 5 participate in a Bridge Year, which provides coaching and support for children who will transition into the Middle School the following year. Knowing that transition years are difficult for students, City Garden uses Grade 5 as an opportunity for students to enjoy the developmentally appropriate teaching and environment of an elementary experience, while having time and support in practicing the habits that will make them more well prepared middle schoolers. The Grade 5 Bridge Program is explicitly used in Homeroom, Electives (a sampling of the Voice & Choice electives from older grades), Math and the Buddy Program (an opportunity to serve as role models).
Key School-Wide Practices
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
New Roads Lower School (NRLS) is built on the "pedagogical science and art of progressive education. It is designed to liberate wonder, creativity, and diverse talents. Math, Reading, Writing, and Social Studies are the pillars to our foundation, while coding, engineering, and design thinking further prepare our students to be tomorrow’s leaders who will invent the future. Learning isn’t linear, but web-based, allowing connections across disciplines, time, and space. Creating thinkers with growth mindsets, encouraging risk-taking, redesigning and reflection, nurturing innovation, and developing grit empower our students for the future. Our curriculum is integrated and pays close attention to embedded skills – skills which enable children to learn how to become students, to learn how to learn, and to apply what they have learned to real-world problems." NRLS does not use a standard grading system at the Elementary Level. Instead, students receive “exceeds grade level,” “meets grade level,” “approaches grade level,” “significantly below grade level,” or “requires one on-one support” to assess grade-‐level expectations in all subjects.
Community & Culture
New Roads is built on authentic diversity. The diversity of the school reflects that of the LA area and beyond (students come from 85 different zip codes!) and 40% of New Roads students are people of color. In the Lower School, classes use a Responsive Classroom approach to leverage the opportunity for students to practice behavioral, social, and emotional skills. This authentically diverse community is essential for young people (and adults) to develop an awareness of themselves and others. They learn to appreciate, embrace, and leverage the unique attributes, experiences, and backgrounds of each person in our community, and they feel seen, heard, and valued. New Roads ensures this is done well through their collaboration with Dr. Dan Siegel. Together, they've "clarified the research foundation, grounded in interpersonal neuroscience and neurobiology, of the “magic” of New Roads School. These concepts undergird our Integrative Educational Model: relationships anchored in Secure Attachment; personalized education fueled by authentic diversity and technology; and climate and culture - the soil for Generative Social Fields."
Adult Roles & Learning
New Roads believes that authentic diversity must start at the top. They believe that to be a place that represents the voices and experiences of everyone in the community, it must lead by ensuring a diversity not only of students, but of leadership, administration, and faculty. 40% of teachers and 42% of admin at New Roads are people of color. As for adult roles, New Roads invests in "talented faculty who are both sages on the stage and guides on the side."
Space &
Facilities
New Roads is located within The Herb Alpert Educational Village, which means students get to learn in a broader physical community with organizations dedicated to education, social justice, the arts, and environmental sustainability.
Budget & Operations
We the people of New Roads democratize opportunity — opportunity that’s limitless. We do that by raising funds that expand possibilities for everyone: training for faculty, rejuvenation of facilities, and of course financial aid (of which 40% of students avail). In seeking these resources, we do so not just for the sake of acquiring more or better or newer, but in order to better fulfill our educational promise to every student in our care.