Louis J. Agassiz Elementary School

Louis J. Agassiz Elementary School is located in Lakeview, a lakefront community on the north side of Chicago. Our student body reflects the rich cultural heritage of the great city of Chicago, with 73% black or hispanic, 6 % Asian, 20% white and 1% Native American. Approximately three-quarters of our nearly 600 students come from low-income homes.

Agassiz is unique in its approach to serving its significant special education population. All students, including those with autism and serious communication disorders, spend at least part of their day with their non-disabled peers. At least 40% are included in classrooms using a team-teaching approach that has been a model for both city and suburban schools. Students with mild to moderate disabilities are served primarily in regular classrooms, rather than in "pull-out" programs.

For the past 9 years, Agassiz has been an "options" school for technology and science. We now have two computers available for most classrooms and are looking toward gaining access to the internet and a centralized place for students, staff, and parents to gain experience using computers as tools to enhance the curriculum. With the leadership of our principal, we have envisioned a lab that helps all learners to connect to the world, organize the vast quantity of information that is available, to deepen their knowledge through reflection, and to extend their learning through self-directed projects. This CORE model of learning is one which all teachers in Agassiz use to support their instruction.

Agassiz teachers have been transforming their classrooms into multi-disciplinary centers of academic inquiry. Both administrators and teachers are eager to find ways to expand their use of "best practices" in the classroom, and to enhance and extend their curriculum through both technology and the arts. The Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education supports us, not only as we strive to make arts education an integral part of our students' learning experience, but also in our overall efforts at school improvement.