Nov 4 2009
Interactive Learning Center to Prepare Students for Future in Green Jobs
“The Little School That Could” that pushed public school reform to its limits is at it again. Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, a public charter school within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), has selected Project FROG, the leading manufacturer of smart buildings, to provide a state-of-the-art sustainable learning center to house its new Infrastructure Career Academy. The project is set to begin immediately with construction scheduled for completion in early January, 2010.
As the nation’s first conversion charter school, Vaughn’s success at raising academic achievement and vastly improving future prospects for youth from highly disadvantaged backgrounds earned it the moniker “The Little School That Could,” and established it as a local, national and global model for educational reform. With its unique new program, the school is creating a highly interactive learning environment to prepare students for professional careers in California’s growing green economy.
The facility has been designed as a 3,000 sq. ft. teaching tool that demonstrates real-world applicability of the latest in green building innovation. Curriculum that intertwines A-G academic coursework with advanced technical training will enable graduates to pursue higher education or directly begin a green collar career. Students will learn in two FROG smart buildings sustainably constructed – in fewer than two months - of environmentally friendly materials and embedded with high-tech green systems.
“Because kids learn best by doing, we knew that our Infrastructure Academy would require highly specialized classrooms that allow students to interact directly with the technology,’ said Dr. Yvonne Chan, principal of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center and member of the California State Board of Education. “This important program will foster environmental stewardship in our students, and develop the skills and academic experiences they need in order to pursue higher education and seek a professional career in the emerging green economy.”
“Vaughn has an extraordinary track record of doing well by doing things a bit differently, and in turn establishing important new models for success in education,” said Adam Tibbs, president of Project FROG. “We’re very honored that our smart buildings will become part of the fiber of this remarkable institution.”
Source: http://www.projectfrog.com/