UCLA Lab School: A History of Progressive Education and Innovation
The UCLA Lab School, a laboratory elementary school situated on the campus of one of the world's leading research universities, has a rich and storied history deeply intertwined with the evolution of education itself. Serving approximately 450 students aged 4 to 12 (PreK-6) within a diverse community, the school is more than just a place of learning; it's a dynamic hub for research, teacher training, and the development of innovative pedagogical practices.
From Normal School to Lab School: A Historical Overview
The roots of the UCLA Lab School stretch back to 1882, when it was established as the demonstration school for the Los Angeles branch of the California State Normal School. This Normal School, the usual term for an institution devoted to teacher education, opened its doors for instruction in 1882. Housed initially in downtown Los Angeles on the site of today's Central Library, the Normal School played a vital role in preparing teachers for the city's burgeoning population. Over 200 citizens contributed between $2 and $500 and purchased a site less than a mile from the city’s main business section. The school and its children’s school rose from an orange grove.
By 1914, Los Angeles had grown to a city of 350,000 and the Normal School, whose enrollment far exceeded its capacity, moved to a Hollywood ranch off a dirt road that later became Vermont Avenue. In 1917, Ernest C. Moore, the Harvard transplant and new Normal School Director, proposed that it become the first branch of the Berkeley-based University of California. On May 23, 1919, the Governor signed the necessary legislation. That year the “Southern Branch” offered a two-year program in undergraduate instruction to 1,125 future teachers. In 1922, a four-year Bachelor of Education degree program was added. In 1927, the Southern Branch earned its new name: University of California, Los Angeles, soon to be known as UCLA.
In 1919, the institution transitioned into the "Southern Branch of the University of California," eventually becoming UCLA in 1927. The children's school, then known as University Elementary School (UES), found itself under the leadership of Principal Corinne A. Seeds. In 1945, the university lost its lease on the Warner Avenue location and left the site the following year. From September 1946 to June 1947, UES was without a schoolhouse, but some classes continued in private homes. Supporters of Seeds and progressive education successfully lobbied the state legislature to fund a relocation onto the UCLA campus. The first permanent UES buildings opened in 1950.
The Influence of Corinne A. Seeds
The 1930s and 1940s marked a pivotal period for the school. Under the guidance of Principal Corinne A. Seeds, a student of John Dewey, UES blossomed into a prominent exemplar of progressive education. Stressing the word “service” in the School’s name. In 1982, the school was renamed the Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School in her honor. Childhood Expressions, by Corinne A. Childhood Expressions by Corinne A. The Legacy of Corinne A Seeds from Kent on Vimeo.
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Evolution and Innovation: Goodlad, Hunter, and Beyond
Over the decades, UES has been led by directors and principals that include John Goodlad, Madeline Hunter and Deborah Stipek. In 1960, John I. Goodlad was appointed the director of UES and soon after also became dean of the Graduate School of Education. A leader in the non-graded school movement, Goodlad encouraged the implementation of team teaching and multi-age grouping. His writings and the work being done at the school stimulated these practices throughout the United States. Madeline Hunter, principal from 1962 to 1982, developed the Instructional Theory into Practice teaching model, a direct instruction program that identified seven components for teaching. The model was implemented in thousands of schools throughout the United States; in some years as many as 15,000 educators visited UES to observe the theory in practice. In the 1980s, Director Richard C. Williams and Principal Hal Hyman (1985-1994) worked with the faculty to explore aspects of the school reform movement. They experimented with restructuring the school’s organization to strengthen the professional role of teachers and to encourage participatory decision making. They formed teacher work groups to coordinate curriculum development in language arts, visual arts, science, and mathematics across age levels. And they created the Extended Day Program to provide after-school care integrated with the school’s philosophy of progressive teaching and learning.
In the 1990s, the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies established a research center within the elementary school. The center, now known as CONNECT, facilitates collaboration among teachers and UCLA faculty and graduate students to explore issues related to improving education for diverse student populations.
Renaming and Renewed Focus
In 2009, the school was renamed UCLA Lab School to highlight the school’s mission as a laboratory for research and public engagement. Under the leadership of Principal Norma Silva (2010-2018) and in partnership with UCLA Professors Alison Bailey and Rashmita Mistry, the program evolved to become the Dual Language Program. Since 2013, the Dual Language Program has followed the 90/10 language immersion model of instruction, which research shows to be the most successful in fostering bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism. Throughout the years, UCLA Lab School teachers and researchers have done important work in the areas of character education, technology integration, inquiry-based learning, and educating students for the 21st century. Jim Kennedy, a Los Angeles Unified School District educator with a record of innovative work in urban schools, has been appointed principal of Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School (UES), the laboratory school for the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA. He will hold the Carol L. Collins UES Director's Chair. Name changed to UCLA Lab School, Corinne A.
The UCLA Lab School Experience: Curriculum, Community, and Campus
UCLA Lab School strives to be a caring community of learners dedicated to educating the whole child. We value learning that is collaborative, experiential, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based. We delight in children’s natural joy of discovery. As a partner of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, our school community benefits from working with experts who are at the forefront of their fields. Close collaboration between researchers and teachers provides our students with a high-quality program that integrates the neuroscience of learning and connects theory and practice. Much of the research at our school is on education and child development. Founded in 1882 as a teacher training school, we are proud to offer programs that provide professional learning opportunities for teachers addressing the needs of today’s students. We partner with public schools to refine and expand thinking and practices about the pedagogy of inquiry.
A basic tenet of a UCLA Lab School education is the recognition that learners benefit from an environment where all participants feel a sense of belonging. Students of all abilities and learning differences work together in our classroom communities.
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Inquiry-Based Curriculum
UCLA Lab School offers an inclusive, inquiry-based curriculum that prepares children with the knowledge and skills they need to take an informed and responsible role in the world. Art, literacy, mathematics, music, science, social studies and life skills are taught through an inquiry-based approach. We use national standards to create learning goals in each core subject area.
The visual and performing arts (VAPA) are integrated into every area of the UCLA Lab School curriculum. The arts help children observe our world in new ways. They serve as a dynamic lens that can widen and deepen learning in other subject areas.
iSTEAM Lab
UCLA Lab School’s iSTEAM Lab is a dedicated maker space where students engage in hands-on learning to develop their ability to think, investigate, and communicate like scientists and engineers. Work done in the iSTEAM Lab is integrated with the core concepts of the curriculum. Cross-pollination of activities encourages creativity and invention.
Literacy
We give students many opportunities to develop their literacy skills by speaking, listening, reading and writing. Young children use their oral language skills to learn to read. Older children read to learn. We encourage all children to develop their passion and identity as readers and writers.
Mathematics
We believe all children are mathematicians and have an innate sense of mathematics concepts. Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), a highly effective research-based program, is central to our teaching of math.
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Music
Our students are taught to look at their world through a musical lens and explore the connections between music and the other areas of learning, such as math, science, social studies and literacy.
Safe School System
UCLA Lab School faculty and researchers have developed a school-wide system for maintaining a safe and nurturing environment that promotes learning. Our Safe School system and curriculum, designed to build character and manage conflict among students, was developed beginning in the 1990s. It was a collaboration by a team of teachers led by Demonstration Teacher Ava de la Sota and Psychology Professor Jana Juvonen. Safe School articulates and reinforces our values as a community. Community values, outlined in Safe School Guidelines, are interwoven into the curriculum and the life of the school.
Science and Social Studies
We teach science and social studies together to help children learn about themselves and about the world. We use a systematic process of inquiry.
Dual Language Program
Spanish was chosen because of its integral role in the culture, community, and history of Los Angeles. Since 2013, the Dual Language Program has followed the 90/10 language immersion model of instruction, which research shows to be the most successful in fostering bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism.
A Unique Campus Environment
UCLA Lab School is located on six wooded acres at the edge of the UCLA campus. The multi-building complex is designed to engage students in learning, inspire their creativity and connect them to the natural world. Classrooms are set up with flexible seating to promote movement, exploration and collaboration. Ready access to materials supports self-directed learning. The campus design is the legacy of mid 20th century architectural pioneers Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander. Neutra and Alexander worked with progressive educator Corinne A. Seeds to realize her dream of building a school that inspires children’s curiosity and active learning. architecture,” says Marmol. connecting the inside classroom space with the outdoor spaces. the campus. mathematical, or cultural perspective.
The Creek
The creek that runs through the UCLA Lab School campus is part of Stone Canyon Creek. It originates in the hills of Bel Air. From our campus it flows through a storm drainpipe and connects to the Westwood flood channel and Ballona Creek near Marina del Rey. Until about 2010, our school community called the creek by its nickname of "the Gully." We started to refer to it as the creek after we learned more about the local watershed through our inquiry project work with the Santa Monica Bay Foundation. With sketchbooks in hand, we clambered down the creek’s banks for a closer look at the plants, water, bugs, rocks and whatever else we might find. Students found dragonflies hovering, a little water flowing and some evidence of humans, too. From our sketches we talked about how a poet might look at the creek as opposed to a scientist. We brainstormed some of the delicious language that poets use as well as how poets use rhythm through line breaks and punctuation. We read our poems out loud to each other for feedback and suggestions. Then we revised and edited our work with care and focus. When we were ready to illustrate our poems, we returned to the creek for some bits of nature that could be added to enhance our illustrations. Finally, we celebrated our work with each other. We listened attentively as our partner read aloud his/her creation and then we offered feedback about both what moved us in the poem and the highlights of the poet’s craft. The bank that separates Seeds UES from the UCLA campus was cut by a prehistoric river. The creek that follows its course flows year-round making for an unusual riparian landscape moment in an otherwise semi-arid ecosystem. Bridged over and bounded by playgrounds, the creek marks the central axis of daily life at the school. It also holds lessons in history, natural science, topography, and land use and its potential for encouraging curiosity about the landscape is huge.
The Bridge
The bridge was built in 1997 to unite the classrooms on the North Yard with those across the creek. Over the years, it has become a symbol of children's progression from the Early Childhood classrooms and yard to the “big kid” classrooms and yards of Primary and beyond.
The Adobe House
The adobe house was built in 1955 as part of a study of the California Rancho period. Children, teachers and parents constructed the house together. Children also dyed clothes, grew crops and made pots, all in the style of the Rancho period. The adobe house stands as an artifact of the hands-on Social Studies curriculum that Principal Corinne A.
Singing Stone and Pipe Dendrophones
The singing stone and pipe dendrophones were added to the Redwood Forest as symbols of the many voices in our community. They were given to our school in 2002 in honor of Susan Gonda and Honey Shapiro, grandmothers of alumni Jonathan Gonda ('99) and Michael Gonda ('99). The pipe dendrophones are made of wood. Each cylinder is a different length and thickness. When you strike the cylinders, each one produces a unique sound. The singing stone is made of polished granite. "We are all connected."
Woven Web Mural
The Woven Web mural explores the individual histories and identities of 44 UCLA Lab School students ages 5 to 7. The children and their teachers worked with UCLA Professor Judith Baca and her students from UCLA's World Arts & Culture and Chicano/a Studies programs to create the mural. Children and adults shared their individual stories and created artwork celebrating the similarities and differences that bind us together as human beings.
One World Sculpture
One World, by artist Tony Rosenthal, depicts a group of three disparate members of the animal kingdom looking outward to the far reaches of the world. Principal Corinne A.
The Dinosaur
For generations of students, a big yellow play structure shaped like a dinosaur provided a structure for climbing and a perch for looking out over the playground known as the "Dino Yard." Then an inspection of our school's playgrounds in the 1990s determined that some of the play structures were no longer up to code. The children didn’t want to see their beloved dinosaur structure removed, so they formed a committee to recommend an alternative use for it. The student committee came up with the idea of using it as a frame for plants to grow on. You may wondered why there is a sculptured stump in the Dino Yard.
Apu's Garden
Apu’s garden was designed as a children’s community garden. It was a gift to our school in celebration of the 80th birthday of Leslie Gonda in 2000. Leslie Gonda was the grandfather of alumni Jonathan Gonda and Michael Gonda, twin brothers from the class of 1999.
UCLA Lab School Today: Research, Public Engagement, and the Future of Education
As GSE&IS’s laboratory school, Seeds UES is a source of research and professional education and serves as a model and a resource for public schools. take place at UCLA Lab School,” he says.
A Hub for Research and Innovation
As a partner of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, our school community benefits from working with experts who are at the forefront of their fields. Close collaboration between researchers and teachers provides our students with a high-quality program that integrates the neuroscience of learning and connects theory and practice. Much of the research at our school is on education and child development. Throughout the years, UCLA Lab School teachers and researchers have done important work in the areas of character education, technology integration, inquiry-based learning, and educating students for the 21st century. What is the role of mindfulness in learning? Can virtual reality help students understand science? How do we promote empathy among preschoolers? At UCLA Lab School we study questions like these every day. Close collaboration between researchers and teachers connects theory and practice to benefit students.
Shaping the Next Generation of Educators
Founded in 1882 as a teacher training school, we are proud to offer programs that provide professional learning opportunities for teachers addressing the needs of today’s students. We partner with public schools to refine and expand thinking and practices about the pedagogy of inquiry. After an intensive institute at UCLA Lab School, teachers from our partner schools work with Lab School teachers both at our school and at their own sites. Through our public engagement program we partner with educators in the community. Our programs are designed by teachers for teachers to shape education for the next generation. practice teaching and learning for all.
Looking Ahead
Imagine a school that infuses love of learning, that takes the time to listen to children’s ideas, that unleashes their full potential. Innovative teaching practices taught by a premier faculty. That’s a UCLA Lab School education. UCLA Lab School Location330 Charles E.
Admissions
The application for admission for the 2026-27 school year is now available. View Lab School's Admissions Hub for more information about applying to Lab School for 2026-27. Admissions Policy of U.C.L.A. A 4-year-old girl from an affluent family has become the unlikely centerpiece of a legal battle over admissions to a popular public elementary school run by the University of California at Los Angeles and attended by Hollywood children. The girl, Keeley Tatsuyo Hunter, was denied admission to the Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School, where she had applied as a mixed-race student. The school, used as a laboratory by U.C.L.A.'s Graduate School of Education, selects about 50 students a year on the basis of race and income to match California's public school population. But some of those students are admitted under special slots -- 6 this year; in previous years up to 20 -- for the children of the rich and famous.
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