K-12 Educational Development

The Learning Lounge is making an immediate impact on students at Westwood Elementary. Based on first semester test results, 50 percent of the third and fourth grade math students improved by one to two grade levels as opposed to no grade level growth among students at a control group school. Targeted lessons developed by Learning Lounge leaders and implemented in small group instruction by GCU students, known as LEADs (Learning Advocates), are paying off.

College of Education students from Grand Canyon University are taking advantage of an innovative pre-service resident teaching program that enables them to create and implement lesson plans and work directly with students on an accelerated basis. These benefits are evident at Westwood Elementary, where GCU students are putting educational theory into practice.

GCU’s Academic Excellence Site (AES) partnership with Westwood Elementary is multi-faceted, from a pre-service resident teaching program to the Learning Lounge, Canyon Professional Development, Leadership Coaching and Parent View. Among the many positive results: Westwood students are building skills, gaining momentum and developing a vision for higher education.

Grand Canyon University has wrapped itself around Westwood Elementary, the first of three K-12 schools designated as an Academic Excellence Site. As part of GCU President Brian Mueller’s five-point plan, a team of departments, including K-12 Educational Development, the College of Education, and the Learning Lounge, collaborate to improve academic success in local schools and help young students consider college as part of their future.