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Academics

Academics at Lusher

The centerpiece of the Lusher experience is a rigorous college-preparatory academic curriculum. The pursuit of academic excellence is combined with Lusher’s renowned student-centered approach in which students are supported and encouraged to meet high expectations. Teachers tailor assessments and instruction to meet the academic needs of individual students, differentiating the curriculum to insure that all students are challenged and engaged. The Lusher faculty takes pride in knowing their students—their interests and abilities, their struggles, their learning profiles and personal histories. Students are further engaged in learning because of the connections they feel to their teachers, from kindergarten to high school.

Throughout the K-12 curriculum, teachers are constantly improving their craft through school-wide and individual professional development in the best research-based strategies for elevating student performance. Teachers integrate this knowledge of brain science, child and adolescent development, positive discipline strategies, and curricular expertise into weekly and annual lesson plans closely monitored by the administration to create a cutting-edge 13-year educational program for a diverse student body. In the past few years, professional development has focused on reading intervention strategies, arts integration, curriculum design, learner profiles, and collaborative leadership. Lusher Charter School closely monitors and charts student growth through comprehensive data, observing trends that inform instructional practices and further professional development and responding to individual student needs.

Curriculum Overview

The 6th-12th Grade Curriculum

As students enter adolescence, it becomes increasingly important for them to feel connected to their school experience. The middle and high school programs at Lusher are designed to allow students increased freedom and control, while emphasizing personal responsibility and accountability. Students begin to advocate for themselves, think critically, produce more sophisticated scholarship, and pursue academic interests. A combination of exploratory (middle school) and elective (high school) classes allow for student exposure to and engagement with specialized programs in a variety of academic and arts disciplines, while a core curriculum promotes critical thinking, textual analysis, creative problem-solving and academic excellence.

High School Scope and Sequence

Lusher Charter School Course Descriptions 2009-10
(Middle School & High School)

Advocates for Arts-Based Education Corporation
Lusher Charter School
Celebrating Cultural Diversity Through High Academics and the Arts

7315 Willow Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, Telephone (504) 862-5110, Fax (504) 309-4171
5624 Freret Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115, Telephone (504)304-3960, Fax (504) 861-1839