L.A. Luminaries Including LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy, Celebrities, Politicians, and Others Will Participate in a DESIGN Challenge Aimed at Solving Educational Problems

The event will bring together a community to solve education problems in an innovative way.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 15, 2012

L.A. luminaries including LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy, LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia, CalArts President Steven Lavine, celebrities, producers, business leaders, and elected officials will participate in Los Angeles Education Partnership's (LAEP) Design Challenge aimed at bringing together a community to solve complex issues that impact education.

The event is being held on Monday, June 18, from 7 :00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the REDCAT, Roy and Edna Disney/ CalArts Theater in the Disney Hall Complex (631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012).

Other confirmed guests include: Laura Harring, a former Miss USA and actress; Dave Koechner, who plays Todd Packer in NBC's The Office; Leigh Morgan Koechner, a comedian whose show Miss Junior Overland Park is aired on Oxygen's Life Out Loud series, Congressman Esteban Torres, Virginia Victorin, Vice President of Global Philanthropy for JPMorgan Chase, and many others.

During the Design Challenge, which is hosted by LAEP, a non-profit that partners with educators, parents and the community to help students in high need schools improve their academic achievement, teams of luminaries will have a limited amount of time to create a three-dimensional response to a question about education in Los Angeles. This creative approach to hands-on learning and teamwork is known as project-based learning – a strategy used by teachers in schools supported by LAEP. The competition between luminary teams will require speed, ingenuity and audience participation.

“The Design Challenge exemplifies LAEP's creative approach to analysis, hands-on learning and teamwork,” said Ellen Pais, Executive Director for LAEP. “This is the same critical thinking approach that is preparing students in our partner schools to be college and career ready. “

Each year, nearly 1,600 teachers and 80,000 children from birth through high school benefit from LAEP programs, which bring ideas, resources and expertise to teachers and students in high-need areas.

Through 27 years of experience, LAEP has developed a proven practice approach that creates collaboration between schools and their surrounding communities, which engages parents, community members and service providers as agents of change in support of schools and their transformation as centers for high academic achievement.

“It is an honor to be part of an organization that is passionate about student success and providing collaborative quality educational support based upon the unique needs of each individual school,” added Pais.

For more information about the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), or to interview an LAEP spokesperson, please contact Evelyn Aleman by calling 818.943.2481 or via e-mail at evelyn(at)mipr(dot)net. Visit LAEP on the web at http://www.laep.org for ticket sales.

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ABOUT LAEP
Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is a non-profit organization committed to the transformation of schools through a proven practice approach that respectfully questions existing practices and highlights models that work from a place of experience rather than theory. Since 1984, LAEP has served high-density low-income communities extending from the Northeast San Fernando Valley to East and South Los Angeles by combining public, non-profit, philanthropic and for-profit resources to create, manage and sustain efforts that improve urban schools.

In addition, LAEP creates collaboration between schools and their surrounding communities by engaging parents, community members and service providers in their support, and by working as a partner to bring ideas, resources and expertise to teachers and students in underserved communities. In this role, LAEP annually impacts more than 1,600 educators and 80,000 children and their families.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/6/prweb9610152.htm