Grading the arts in LAUSD

Diane S. Leichman Special Education Center

19034 Gault St, Reseda

Enrollment: 180

Low-income students: 44%

Race/Ethnicity: Latino: 60%, white: 20%, Asian: 6%, black: 4%, other: 10%

Rank

179 of 249

secondary schools

C

What arts classes are offered?

Theater

Visual

Dance

Music

Vocal

Film

Media

Diane S. Leichman Special Education Center scored 22 out of 80 points on a first-of-its-kind survey of arts education at L.A. Unified. The secondary school offers four of seven standard arts classes tracked by the district and does not provide extra programs, according to responses by administrators before the 2015-16 academic year. The school's survey response earned a C grade in a Times analysis of the results. Districtwide, 535 schools (70.8%) received the same grade.

How much is taught?

Administrators answered multiple-choice questions about arts instruction, training and equipment provided by the school.

Students and class availability

Instructional time per week: The estimated amount of time spent on arts education per week

Number of arts courses: The number of arts programs offered

Instructional time per week

Number of arts courses

Teachers and facilities

Arts instructors: For elementary schools, this is the number of days per week that a district-employed arts teacher provides instruction. For secondary schools, this is the number of full-time arts teachers on staff.

Training: Arts-specific training opportunites offered to teachers

Equipment and facilities: Quality of equipment and facilities available at each school to support the arts

Arts instructors

Training

Equipment and facilities

Who pays and who else teaches?

Administrators answered yes-or-no questions about sources of funding and instruction for arts education.

Funds for standard classes

Sources of funding for arts resources and supplies (e.g. paintbrushes, instruments) used for instruction during the regular school day

School budget*

No

Fundraising by school or parent groups

Yes

Grants

Yes

Donations

Yes

Funds for extra instruction

Sources of funding for arts programs that are not provided as part of the regular school day

School budget

No

Fundraising by school or parent groups

No

Grants

No

Donations

No

Teachers of extra classes

Who provides the extra arts instruction at this school

A district teacher not dedicated to teaching the arts

No

Community arts partner

No

Parent or community volunteer

No

Accomplished artist

No

How did nearby schools score?

Compare the grades earned by L.A. Unified schools in surrounding neighborhoods.

Name Type Address Grade
Shirley Avenue Elementary Elementary 19452 Hart St C
Reseda Elementary Elementary 7265 Amigo Ave C
Melvin Avenue Elementary Elementary 7700 Melvin Ave C
Vanalden Avenue Elementary Elementary 19019 Delano St C
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies Elementary 18605 Erwin St C
Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies Secondary 18605 Erwin St C
John R. Wooden High Secondary 18741 Elkwood St C
Blythe Street Elementary Elementary 18730 Blythe St N/A
Stanley Mosk Elementary Elementary 7335 N Lubao Ave A
Garden Grove Elementary Elementary 18141 Valerio St B
John A. Sutter Middle Secondary 7330 Winnetka Ave C
Zane Grey Continuation Secondary 18230 Kittridge St D
Reseda Senior High Secondary 18230 Kittridge St B
Bertrand Avenue Elementary Elementary 7021 Bertrand Ave C
Grover Cleveland Charter High Secondary 8140 Vanalden Ave C

Reader comments

Share what you know about arts education at Diane S. Leichman Special Education Center in the comments or on social media using #gradeyourschool.

Footnote: Low-income percentage tallied using the total number of students receiving free and reduced-price lunch. Some errors in survey responses exist; read more about how these data were assembled.

Sources: Los Angeles Unified School District, California Department of Education, Times analysis

Credits: Ryan Menezes, Lily Mihalik, Zahira Torres, Ben Welsh

Icons: The Noun Project, Artworkbean, Raz Cohen, Benjamin Bours, Paul Stevens, Creative Stall, BraveBros., Jakub Caja, Alexander Cherkinsky, Austin Condiff, Yu Luck