A different kind of high school experience
NWC+ is a new high school program that is part in-person classes held once a week and part independent study where students can work from home, our Student Lounge, or anywhere a student has an internet connection. By offering a flexible schedule, NWC+ students have more time to follow their passions, take college courses, or work.
Who Are We?
NWC+ is not your traditional high school. We believe high school students can learn as much outside of the classroom and inside. To support that idea, we created one of LA's first hybrid learning high school programs that incorporates the power and flexibility of online learning with the proven results of engaging in-person classes taught once-a-week by experienced and credentialed teachers. By freeing a student from a traditional 7-8 hour a day high school schedule, we give our students more to pursue their passions, interests, and career aspirations. Our team of Mentor Teachers is free to create an engaging, but challenging, educational experience for their students. Our 90-minute seminars act as a way for our teachers to check student understanding and to deepen their understanding of what they have learned on their own. Seminars could be science labs or demonstrations, debates or mock trials, presentations or performances, Socratic Seminars, historical simulations, problem-based activities, and more. In yearly surveys, NWC+ students have said they enjoy coming to seminars every week and learn something from them.
As a school, we believe in the importance and power of workplace experience and realize there are many paths a student can take to find their own success. As such, NWC+ students can join NWCorps. our own Work Experience Education program were we help to find students jobs and internships with our network of business partners. We even set up our students with classes at Santa Monica College’s Career and Technical Program giving them access to classes and training in over 30 different career fields. At the end of four years, students could conceivably enter a prestigious four-year university or graduate from high school with two years of skilled training and a job. We’re trying something new & exciting and we’re looking for the right type of students that want to join. After all, our program is not for every student.
What Is Hybrid Learning?
Hybrid learning simply blends a student’s independent study with on-campus seminar classes. Our hybrid learning model has students completing 70% of their work independently and 30% at our school site in seminars, tutoring sessions, or meeting one-on-one with their teachers or tutors. Students are free to come and work on campus at The Lounge, a comfortable and productive space students can call there own. Every day at The Lounge, students can get help from subject-specific experts who are on hand each day.
Hybrid learning has been shown to improve student performance and is typically how most colleges or universities operate nowadays. Learning on your own can be difficult at first. It does require a lot from the student and the family in helping to support a more independent student. Students should have or be willing to learn greater time management, responsibility, scheduling, and other valuable life skills that will help them succeed here and in life. An NWC+ family should be willing to devote extra time monitoring and engaging with their students about their weekly progress, social and emotional health, understanding or difficulties, interests, high school plan, and graduation requirements.
