Paul Cummins & Coalition for Engaged Education formerly New Visions Foundation
In 1971 Paul Cummins co-created Crossroads School in Santa Monica with the idea that students would receive a holistic education that would engage them as conscious, critical thinking global citizens. While at Crossroads School he became concerned for youth whose public schools offered scant arts education and founded P.S. Arts so public school students would have access to quality arts education. In 1995, Dr. Cummins founded New Visions Foundation with the mission of bringing quality education to more diverse students. New Visions birthed New Roads School to offer Engaged Education in a private-school setting to a socio-economically diverse student body. He then started three charter schools in low-income communities, as well as programs for foster youth and incarcerated youth. These programs continue to demonstrate unprecedented and lasting success, in large part due to the programs’ commitment to long-term follow-through with students and alumni. Our program with incarcerated youth has formally been acknowledged by a Rand study as having the lowest recidivism rate of any program in Los Angeles County. Our foster care program boasts of having 91% of our students graduating from college. Most recently Cummins has been focusing on enriching the community of Lennox, CA, where we have began a trauma center and a Pilot Program that has transformed the lives of 100% of our students. New Visions Foundation is Coalition for Engaged Education
Always innovating and seeking transformational possibilities, New Visions has expanded our mission and vision; hence our new name Coalition for Engaged Education. C/ pioneers Engaged Education development and implementation that points to our larger vision: to serve as a hub for thought leaders in education to share ideas and innovations that will continue to transform the educational landscape, locally, nationally, and internationally, until all students receive the quality education that is their birthright as members of the human race. Coalition for Engaged Education’s current programs include:
C/ Lennox: Starting as the New Visions Summer Pilot Program aimed to curb the high drop out rate between 8th and 9th grade for 20 students identified as highly likely to drop out and who had not registered for high school, C/ Lennox has developed into a year-round program that supports the educational, emotional, and physical needs of these students so that they can build gain greater wellbeing and build a path towards a brighter future. Lennox is a deeply impoverished area of Los Angeles that suffers from one of the ten highest rates of domestic violence in the country. English is a second language in nearly 100% of homes, and 70% of elementary and middle school students are classified as English Language Learners. C/ Forward: The only program of its kind dedicated to ensuring foster youth receive the best education possible by finding placements in Los Angeles County’s finest college preparatory independent, charter and magnet schools and providing year-round services to ensure their success. CEO provides what too many foster youth sorely lack: a genuinely caring, sustained, and very personalized relationship throughout their years of middle school, high school, college, and even graduate school years. Since the program’s founding in 2001, 100% of its high school seniors have graduated from high school, and almost all immediately enrolled in college. The program has continuously operated at maximum capacity, serving 140 students. C/ Hope: Provides enhanced educational and transitional support services for incarcerated youth in probation camp and youth transitioning into the community. The central goal of the program is to maximize the chance of success, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism. NRNV achieves this through skills-based vocational and education classes, case management, and mentoring both in camp and the community. Community programming mirrors services provided at camp, with classes offered at the Students First Drop-in Center (SFDC) in South LA and case management services in the community occur throughout Los Angeles County. Through this program, recidivism has been reduced to 21%, compared to the typical rate of 70%. Herb Alpert Educational Village (HAEV): A dynamic learning community in Santa Monica that brings together and encourages interaction between practice and research. Construction was recently completed on a beautiful new 30,000 square-foot modern building complete with a 350-seat theater, a leadership/conference center, classrooms, and offices for New Visions and 12 other nonprofit organizations.
