Juvenile Court Schools

A second chance at success

LACOE's Juvenile Court Schools offer interdisciplinary instruction and individualized support for at-promise youth in residential programs, juvenile halls, and probation camps through an award-winning Road to Success Academy model.

Due to the many challenges around COVID-19, the LACOE Educational Programs Team understands that students transitioning from juvenile hall and camp school facilities back to their schools and communities may need additional supports to ensure timely enrollment. The LACOE team is here to advocate and assist all former students transitioning during this time.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Coordinator - Road to Success Academy, Constance Nwanze (562) 922-6280, nwanze_constance@lacoe.edu, or Executive Director - Educational Programs, Diana Velasquez, Ed. D. (562) 803-8312, velasquez_diana@lacoe.edu.

ROAD TO SUCCESS ACADEMY
(RTSA)

LACOE’s Road To Success Academy is an award-winning model of instruction and intervention for incarcerated youth. The approach features interdisciplinary, project-based learning focused on themes that address students’ academic and mental health needs. It incorporates activities to promote self-esteem and empower students to make positive choices and behavior change.

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Offer individualized teaching and support to young people who have been removed from their homes and schools due to delinquency or residential placements.
Provide educational services to some 1,200 students daily at 11 sites that include juvenile halls, probation camps and a residential treatment program.
Feature LACOE's award-winning Road To Success Academies model of instruction that engages youth in thematic, interdisciplinary learning.
Are fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Credits and diplomas earned in JCS are accepted at all high schools, colleges and universities.
Have the primary mission of improving the literacy skills of all students, as these skills are the gateway to learning, employment and full engagement as a citizen.
Ensure that students have full access to the state's standards-based curriculum that will lead to high school graduation. Provide the special support students need to succeed in meeting the curriculum standards.
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Most enter the system with serious gaps in their education and poor academic skills. They spend an average of three to six months in JCS.
About 40 percent enter JCS reading at or below the fourth-grade level and are functionally illiterate. Most will become independent readers before they leave JCS.
At least one-third have learning and other disabilities.
At least 30 to 40 percent are English learners.

Immediate and follow-up assessment of academic and special education needs.
Engaging students in project-based learning focused on themes that address academic and mental health needs, incorporating activities to promote self-esteem and empower youth to make positive choices and behavior change.
Designing and implementing Individualized Education Plans for students with special needs and Individual Learning Plans for regular education students.
Small classes — maximum 17-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
Intensive reading and math instruction supported by after-school tutoring.
Support from a credentialed, skilled team of teachers, instructional aides, counselors, administrators and other staff who are dedicated to serving a challenging population of students.
Transition counseling to promote a successful return to the community.
Career/vocational training, including: construction trades, culinary arts, electrical and auto repair.
Offering testing for a high school equivalency certificate to 500-700 eligible students each year. About 60 percent of these students earn the credential while in JCS.
Enrolling eligible students in college courses via distance and online learning opportunities.

LACOE has developed a rigorous, three-year process to officially certify a school site as a Road To Success Academy (RTSA).

A committee composed of LACOE staff from various divisions and departments visits each applicant school at the beginning of the planning year and quarterly during the implementation year. The committee uses an established rubric to review and provide support as sites plan and implement. At the end of the third year, the committee begins final certification review visits to determine if the school has successfully implemented each of the five RTSA elements.. The committee determines whether to recommend certification of the school as a Road To Success Academy.

A validation team, comprised of experts outside of LACOE, verifies and confirms findings. Certification is for a period of three years with a mid-point review if it is determined that the school has met the minimum standards on each of RTSA's five elements.

RTSA SCHOOLS

RTSA at Angeles Forest PAU

Guiding our students through an examination of personal discovery where they will develop a sense of empowerment to transform their lives through academic and personal enlightenment with compassion for others, resulting in inspiration for new beginnings. Click here for video

RTSA at Barry J Nidorf

Guiding our students to Discover who they are, will help them find their place in the world. This discovery will Empower them in a way that Transforms their lives leading them to personal Resilience and ultimately self-actualization.

Los Padrinos

RTSA at Dorothy Kirby Center

An affiliate of Central High School

RTSA at Campus Kilpatrick

Guiding our students to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and develop a robust academic identity that will facilitate multiple pathways to healing. From this foundation, students will develop a personal, local, and global responsibility that will empower them to respond to challenges with self-awareness, motivation, and confidence as they persevere through life's challenges. Click here for video

RTSA at Renaissance County Community Schools

All students will awaken to the possibilities and opportunities around them. They will be empowered to make positive changes, with integrity, in both themselves and the wider community. They will learn to persevere through adversity and will be dedicated to transforming both themselves and society. Click here for video