Who We Are
New Designs Charter Schools serve students in the sixth through twelfth grades living in southern LA. We provide a career-based, college-preparatory program for all students, regardless of socio-economic circumstances. We accomplish this by combining college-preparatory and career-readiness curriculum. The result is a unique opportunity for our students to develop both the academic knowledge to be successful in college and the technical skills required to advance their careers and achieve their dreams.
Welcome from Our Founder
At New Designs, we believe that urban students should have access to the most rigorous curriculum possible in a caring and nurturing learning environment.
Our commitment to college preparation is evidenced by the graduation requirements, which exceed the University of California A–G requirements.The college preparatory curriculum implemented by New Designs, therefore, includes a rigorous graduation requirement that ensures 100% of our high school graduates meet or exceed UC/CSU entrance requirements. New Designs graduates can thus be found in all leading colleges and universities in the country.
In addition, our focus on career readiness has led to the development of career pathways in our schools. We require all high school students to enroll in a career pathway that provides a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare students for success in college and their future career.
As an educational organization, we are very appreciative of the support of our parents and all stakeholders. If you are a parent of a student who attends one of our schools, I strongly encourage you to get acquainted with our Parent Resources and acquaint yourself with the resources available for you and your students.
As you peruse our website, we hope you will find a great deal of helpful information about New Designs Charter Schools' programs, activities, and upcoming events.
If we can be of further assistance to you, do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Yaw O. Adutwum
Yaw O. Adutwum PhD
Founder, New Designs Educational Group
What's in a Name?
New Designs Charter Schools derives its name from New Designs for Learning, a national organization based at Oregon State University. New Designs is a novel education model integrating academic and technical education curricula developed under the direction of Dr. George Copa.
Our History
New Designs Charter Schools was founded by Dr. Yaw O. Adutwum who saw a need for college preparatory educational opportunities for students in south Los Angeles. Dr. Adutwum, formerly the lead math teacher at Manual Arts High School in LAUSD and the USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative, acted on his idea and formed New Designs Charter School.
We opened our doors on September 7, 2004, to 120 students in grades six through eight. Since then, we have grown into three campuses serving 1300 students in the sixth through twelfth grades.