Citizens of the World Charter School

This review is for CWC Hollywood Charter. We could not be happier. We have found the perfect balance of progressive, constructivist education, with a healthy dose of academic and traditional methods. I love the parents and am in love with most of the teachers and staff. I think the fact that my son is so incredibly PROUD he attends CWC is reason enough for me to give this school 5 stars. We couldn't recommend CWC more.
—Submitted by a parent

This is an excellent public school with fantastic teachers & principals who are energetic, engaged & totally committed. The curriculum is innovative and imo compares to the best local private schools (even if the school is lacking in fancy facilities; no science lab, gym, etc). It is a young school - 3 years - so it has some growing pains, but the upstart spirit and involvement is amazing. Its API score (928 in 2012), puts it in the top 4% of all L.A. schools! Cons: the school uses an old LAUSD school building which is in need of serious improvements. Parents are trying, slowly, but it is a struggle. Overall, fantastic and innovative school which should only get better as it matures.
—Submitted by a parent

CWC Hollywood has been great for us. My daughter has been there for three years now, since its inception. The teachers and staff are great, enthusiastic, smart, caring, and really filled with purpose. The afterschool programs are wonderful. My daughter takes lots of the enrichment classes and loves them. She's really enjoying the wholistic learning approach, and loves the in-depth study she gets to do on particular topics. There isn't money for certain things, but that is often the tradeoff with charter schools. It's well worth it to have the parental input and ability to shape the school that we have at CWC. I love the other parents there. I also adore our principal, who is so smart and funny, and has a great vision for the school. I love the emphasis on "peacemaking". We raised a record amount at the last fundraiser, and just got great score in the last LAUSD audit. The classrooms are very nice. There is a huge football/soccer field. We have access to a lovely large auditorium. What is missing is a smaller playground for the kids. The new facility, the old Assistance League site, is gorgeous and has a pool!
—Submitted by a parent

My family loves CWC-Hollywood. The teachers are energetic, earnest and dedicated, as are the principal and staff. The school s constructivist, hands-on learning model keeps my kids engaged and eager to learn. They are happy at CWC-Hollywood, and we are happy with their academic and social development. Do we wish there was more state funding so parents wouldn t have to do so much? Sure. But public funding just isn t enough to support class sizes of 21 students; a teaching assistant in every classroom; art, music and phys ed programs; and a full-time cleaning crew. So, at CWC-Hollywood, parents fill the gap by raising funds to pay for the teachers and programs, and organizing volunteer cleaning crews to help maintain the campus. We d make those tradeoffs any day for the great education and community we have at CWC-Hollywood.
—Submitted by a parent

The previous poster's opinion does not entirely reflect my experience as a parent. ASP is very well run. The instructors are well-respected and trained. The kids are not violent in the least. Sure, there's always more boisterous types but it's a school. Conflict is inevitable yet these kids are closely monitored. Incidents are spotted and dealt with rapidly. I do agree with some of the complaints relating to discipline and organization and the lack of tracking. Teaching to the middle is a citywide charter dilemma. If they don't do it, they are immediately accused of being elitist by the LAUSD. It is a miracle what these schools can accomplish given the restrictions and hoops they are forced to endure. At CWC teachers have taken to giving 'booster packs' and specialized attention to more advanced students. It's a start.
—Submitted by a parent

I had high expectations for this school and was very excited to have my child attend. While I do like that he gets personal attention, there are many other problems with this school that makes it below average. Being a charter school, they are concerned with getting about getting a certain amount of monetary financial participation per child in donations to the school. They charge for after school care and morning care, however they lost a cashier's check I made to the school for the after school program AND they haven't billed me for morning care since the beginning of the school year. I constantly have to follow up with the office and principal, which is frustrating for someone who works full time. I believe CWC has a great teaching staff, but it has a long way to go before the school can be seen as running smoothly.
—Submitted by a parent

CWC spends a lot of time repeatedly assessing students to see where they are in terms of the state tests. Most parents would probably like this -- happens I don't. For me, state tests are not the be-all, end-all of education. And the campus is VERY small and utterly concrete; there's not enough room for the high-energy kids. As far as the social-emotional development of children that CWC wants to control, you're talking about teachers who mean well but don't really understand the social-emotional development of children. Yes, the school should have the right to maintain decorum. But I don't like the government wanting to control and mold the social-emotional development of children. That just plain is not their job, and it SO was not that way when I was growing up. We were supposed to behave well, but beyond that your social-emotional development was not the teachers' business. The principal seems accessible, earnest, and nice. The afterschool program offers some good classes (you pay extra for them), but otherwise it's a wasteland. The lunches are great -- healthy! The teachers seem energetic and well-meaning. Compared to other schools, overall CWC is probably average.
—Submitted by a parent

I ADORE this school. We got called off the waiting list and left Westwood Charter which is highly rated. We are SO glad we did. It's not that Westwood Charter is bad. There are many caring people there who strive for excellence. The big difference at Citizens of the World-Hollywood is that my daughter is excited about learning! She loves going to school AND she's learning so much. I am also very happy that it has such a diverse student body. The parents and staff have been so friendly and welcoming and we are very excited about the plans for the CWC Middle School. Yea!
—Submitted by a parent

Great methodology in theory but some major things are being missed in application. Kids with serious behavior and other issues mainstreamed under the concept of "diversity." But not every child gets the attention they need as a result. The school is dirty and the CWC admin pays far too little attention to the basics like bathroom maintenance, behavioral issues, and basic safety. The staff is spread thin, and focused on growth and not taking care of what the still young school. Work in progress, will the work continue?
—Submitted by a parent

It is a great school!! Kids get great education, a lot of interesting and eduational projects. My son is in K class, where he learns more about himself, about his family and community on top of all the requirement knowledge.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is starting his third year at CWC Hollywood, and it is an amazing school, with a great principal and skilled, dedicated and caring teachers. Like any school, there are things that they can work on. Specifically, after three years in existence, certain things (like fundraising and communication to parents) should be working more smoothly. I appreciate the principal doing weekly e-mails, but it sometimes feels like issues are discussed as they come up, rather than being more proactive. That said, the school is incredibly open to parent input and volunteering, and there are many dedicated parents who spend many hours helping in the classroom, at lunch, at pick up/drop off, etc. If you are a parent who cares about keeping public education available to all, and you care about what kind of school your kid goes to, I would definitely encourage you to apply (admission is by lottery) and talk to as many parents as you can. I'm sure you will decide that this is a good place for your child, whatever his or her strengths and/or weaknesses.
—Submitted by a parent

We feel like we won the lottery getting into CWC. The school is a gem. I've never seen my children do better on a wholistic level - they are being instructed in art, science, music, physical education, academics, social justice and character. We forfeited our spots at a private school and even our tuition when we learned we were in at this school and we do not regret it for a minute. The teachers are so excited about teaching and the parent involvement is great. Of course - the other reviewer mentioned that they need money.... It's a public school with high goals! Charter schools by nature need lots of fundraising and elbow grease. The classes are always at a maximum of 21-22 kids with 2 teachers. The homework is manageable and really fun and thought provoking for the kids. There are lots of field trips and I love the way recess is an organized play time (way less chance for bullying) Wish there was a playground, but we just head to the park after school and meet up with friends there
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at this school for the past two years, and she couldn't be happier. I will say that the school needs to do a bit more to work toward it's stated objective of teaching to each child's level and learning style. Currently, it feels as if it's falling into the trap of all other LAUSD schools and spending all 1on1 time with the children that are either behind or behaviorally challenged, leaving students with more advanced needs to fall down to the lowest common denominator. This school is fantastic as it is, but will only get better as they continue to get more comfortable. I also agree with other reviewers that the principal needs some serious admin assistance. Marissa does it all as well as makes herself fully available to parents and students. One reviewer noted that the school is always wanting money. The school asks for money as do all other LAUSD public schools. If you're in a private school, triple the amount that is being asked. With all of the budget cuts that cause massive shortfalls, it is only the donations that are keeping the class sizes small, and keeping two teachers in a classroom. If you can't donate, nobody looks down on you.
—Submitted by a parent

this school is always looking for parents to give money. the school is really small and dirty .
—Submitted by a parent

CWC is the best school I could have chosen for my son. My son gets better every day. Usually, my son is very shy, but has gained confidence in himself. I could compare the knowledge that my son gained with another child in a private school. The only difference between private school and CWC is the money must be paid for being there.
—Submitted by a parent

CWC is a good school in its second year of operation. It seems to still be trying to find its identity both in terms of its curriculum and in terms of how to relate to the students. The principal strikes me as overwhelmed and maybe lacking in the personal skill set a principal would need for this school to fulfill its vision. The staff is very enthusiastic at the school, but somehow that enthusiasm hasn't morphed into a working knowledge of how to run the school. It's like if you had a really enthusiastic basketball coach, but he didn't know how to run plays or didn't know the nuts and bolts of how to run a team. That's not to say I don't love the enthusiasm, because I do. And I do believe that CWC has a lot of potential to be a great school someday.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent, enthusiastic teachers and teaching assistants. My children love CWC, the staff ,and the friends they have made. Very good school, working toward greatness. The principal is fantastic and very accessible, however she is over-worked and under-staffed on the admin end. The after school program has fun, spunky teachers and great class offerings where the kids can learn piano, spanish, karate, cooking, etc., but the supervision is a little lax. The student body is a true rainbow of diversity, which is fabulous. The parent community still has some work to do. There's the dedicated handful of parents who volunteer regularly, while the rest slack off. The classroom instruction is excellent, as there are two teachers in every class, all day long! You can't beat that. However, it seems more special attention is given to those falling behind, than those who need accelerated instruction. That said, the "average" student at CWC is performing above grade level, so the standard is high to start with. Overall, we feel lucky to be at CWC. I would give it 5 stars (because the teachers deserve it) but they need to get more admin help for this school to really be great.
—Submitted by a parent

I feel extremely lucky to be part of this community. My daughter is very happy to be here and she is learning more than just academics, she is learning to share, to care for others, to be a peacemaker, to be a team player, she is learning other cultures, other traditions, etc. I could not be more grateful, for the diversity, the principal, the teachers and staff and all the people that is helping me shape my daughter into a citizen of the world!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at Citizens of the World for nearly two years and she loves it! This school has a fantastic ethos, great teachers and a Principal with boundless energy and a passion for education in every sense of the word.
—Submitted by a parent

My boy has been going to the school for two years. I was picked for the lottery almost two years ago and had a choose between 3rd Street Elementary and CWC. I choose CWC and am couldn't be happier. My child and I know all of the staff. They are all extremely knowledgable, kind, and "hands on". My child started the school being way behind at his preschool (the worse reader and writer). He also had some behavior issues as well. He now scores above his current grade and behaves perfect on most days. I love this school and would recommend it to anyone who wants their child to be in a class with two teachers and no more than 22 students. Your child will not get lost in this small school. The school is art based in my opinion. The school also has a great after school care program with many elective (for a fee) classes.
—Submitted by a parent