Wonderland Avenue Elementary School - Los Angeles, CA

Great things happen at schools when theory and practice intersect. Our school has chosen many high impact, research-based methodologies that help us meet the needs of our students.

At Wonderland, we are improving teaching and learning through the use of a Reading and Writing Workshop. The Reading and Writing Workshop helps young people become avid and skilled readers, writers, and inquirers. We accomplish this through working shoulder-to-shoulder with students, teachers, and school leaders. The professional development with our teachers has developed state-of-the-art tools and methods for teaching reading and writing.

We've implemented a mathematics methodology that has proven to be pivotal for our teachers, our students, and our community. The most distinguished feature of Cognitively Guided Instruction is that it focuses on developing students' mathematical reasoning. In a CGI classroom teachers have to make decisions based on students' individual needs and where students are in the trajectory of mathematical thinking, strategies, and reasoning. Teachers who use CGI are not limited to specific resources. CGI places more emphasis on foundational understanding and conceptual development.

We promote academic, social, emotional, and organizational growth using the Way of Council process. Council encourages deep and honest communication among and between students and adults. We weave Council into all aspects of our curriculum and use it organizationally for making decisions. In this way, we work towards a more peaceful and empathic way of relating to others.

Wonderland is also very proud of our highly acclaimed Arts Program that includes music, art, gardening, and physical education.