Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership (GCEP)

The Los Angeles Urban League, along with the Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation and the University of Southern California's (USC) Rossier School of Education, have formed the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership (GCEP), an independent 501(c)3 organization that is the Network Partner for Crenshaw High School as it joins the iDesign. Founding Board members of the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership include Dean Karen Gallagher, Ph.D., of the Rossier School of Education at USC, Dr. Lewis King, Professor of Human Behavior and Psychiatry at UCLA and Resident Scholar of the Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation and Blair H. Taylor, CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League.

The mission of the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership (GCEP) is to actively generate and support unity of efforts among teachers, parents, administrators and the community in assuming responsibility for rigorous teaching, learning, and outstanding citizenship for all students in our community. The three organizations comprising GCEP bring a diverse complement of talents. Our approach brings together the expertise, knowledge, and academic excellence of an internationally recognized university, an influential civic organization with over 80 years of community leadership and a foundation that has made significant inroads with the high school over the past two years.

By combining university and social service organizations, GCEP is modeling an academically-informed, neighborhoodbased approach to improving educational outcomes. Crenshaw High School students will be connected to the Los Angeles Urban League's Neighborhoods@Work, the Bradley Foundation's leadership training programs and intentional civility training, and a range of campus-wide USC resources and programs.

GCEP Partners

The University of Southern California, ranked among the top 1 percent of all colleges and universities, brings academic assets in the fields of communication, multimedia technologies and the life sciences as well as cross-disciplinary teaching and research. It also brings a record of service to the community. The university has received national acclaim for its innovative service learning programs and community involvement. It provides service to the community in the form of health care, economic development, social welfare, scientific research, public policy and the arts. Through its Good Neighbors Campaign, the USC staff and faculty have devoted over $8 million from their own paychecks since 1994 to fund joint university-community projects to improve the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Rossier School of Education has sustained a strong reputation for training highly qualified administrators and superintendents for over three decades. Over 90 superintendents in California are USC School of education alumni. Although the Rossier School of Education is at the hub of the relationship with GCEP, the entire university considers itself a resource for the improvement of urban education, particularly in the neighborhoods in close proximity to the campus.

The University of Southern California comes to this partnership with a large body of experience and research around urban issues and education, but it also comes with a desire for deeper understandings of the root causes for the persistent failure of America's schools to provide equitable opportunities for students of color and the poor. The Rossier School of Education brings a nationally recognized education program committed to preparing teachers, teacher educators, and administrators for the urban setting. The school of education desires to bring to the partnership well prepared teachers in multiple subject areas, who are committed to urban education. It is also interested in long-term collaborative relationships with K-12 schools to build communities of practice that enable teachers and communities to build the educational experiences all student deserve. The university brings services in support of the physical, mental and emotional health of students and their families. Those efforts include counseling services to students and their families, support for college readiness, and expertise in literacy and language acquisition. The Rossier School of Education's focus on quality education for students with special needs is another major asset it brings to the partnership.

Tom & Ethel Bradley Foundation: The foundation was created to continue Mayor Tom Bradley's quest for social justice and civic harmony that characterized his more than 20-year service to Los Angeles. Dr. Lewis King, professor of Human Behavior and Psychiatry at UCLA and a resident scholar of the Bradley Foundation has maintained a two-year presence at Crenshaw High School, helping the school and community stakeholders assume responsibility for the sustained and informed efforts necessary to transform the beleaguered schools in their community. Dr. King has a long and distinguished career in bridging academia and community-based efforts to bring solutions to social and socio-economic issues. The Ethel and Tom Bradley Foundation brings to this work a combination of scholarship and a record of civic engagement. It has already established a relationship of trust within the school and community that is helping stakeholders unify around educating the community's youth. Mr. Gregory Franks, a longtime community and political activist for the bringing resources sorely lacking in communities, has joined Dr. King in this work under the banner of the Ethel and Tom Bradley Foundation.

Los Angeles Urban League: The Los Angeles Urban League, in existence since 1921 and an affiliate of the larger national civil rights organization, brings to the Crenshaw Education Partnership a rich history of advocacy, leadership and neighborhood change. The Los Angeles Urban League earned a reputation as an advocate for civil rights under the astute leadership of John Mack who headed the Los Angeles affiliate of the national organization for more than 30 years. The organization's recently launched initiative is one of advocacy, leadership and neighborhood change in a 70-block urban area that includes the community's schools. The organization has assembled an impressive team who are deeply engaged with community partners in a comprehensive endeavor focused on education, health, housing, employment and safety, recognizing the interdependence of these core contributors to the overall quality of life for all citizens of a community. The Los Angeles Urban League has a significant record in fundraising and establishing partnerships for positively impacting urban life. Partners include the United Way, the Weingart Foundation, the Ahmanson Foundation, and multiple corporate partners. Dr. Winston Doby, former vice-president of the University of California system, has joined the League to forge deeper partnerships between universities and K-12 schools. Recognizing the role of safety in the stability of a community and in restoring faith in neighborhood schools, the Los Angeles Urban League's strong working relationship with the Los Angeles Police Department has had an impact on reducing the levels of crime in the Greater Crenshaw area. Similarly, it continues to operate the Milken Foundation that prepares ex-offenders and high school drop-outs to enter the meaningful employment. The Los Angeles Urban League's (LAUL) 80+ year history of eradicating barriers to educational, economic, and social equity provides a resource for understanding and eradicating the barriers that school districts alone cannot eradicate. The Los Angeles Urban League brings to the partnership a strong organizational structure and a diverse board of directors with significant influence throughout the city and state. The underlying principle of the LAUL's work is that schools cannot be separated from the socio-economic, political, and cultural influences that surround them. As part of the Neighborhood@Work initiative, the Los Angeles Urban League will provide in-kind services to the partnership. The scope of the LAUL's Deputy Neighborhood Education Officer includes funding and support for services to ninth grade students and their families for mentoring, counseling and support to parents. The Deputy Neighborhood Officer for Safety will continue work for before- and after-school safe passage in the area immediately surrounding Crenshaw High School.

In addition to the commitment of staff time and programmatic support, as a GCEP founding member and lead partner, the Los Angeles Urban League will commit to $1 million (over a five-year period) to directly fund the infrastructure, operations and staffing of the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership Organization.  The Los Angeles Urban League will also join the University of Southern California and the Ethel and Thomas Bradley in seeking grants for enriching the learning experience for the students of Crenshaw High School and other schools in the community.