It’s too bad that John Mayer didn’t attend LEADS High School because through a variety of interactions he would have learned that there is indeed a real world and you don’t have to wait until after high school to experience it. Students at LEADS will gain their own understanding of the connection between education and the real world as their high school experience will have them participating in real world activities.  Our students will develop relationships that will support them personally and professionally as they head out into the real world. Some students will graduate with the skills to enter the job force right away while others will graduate and move forward to college. Which ever path a student chooses they will all graduate from LEADS High School with the knowledge necessary to go forth as problem solvers, critical thinkers, and lifelong learners. If John Mayer had graduated from LEADS High School he would not have had to run through the halls of school yelling at the top of his lungs because he would have been able to experience the real world and then been an active participant in forming his own thoughts and ideas about what the real world means to him.

            Every student will have a learning plan.   That learning plan will ask students’ to begin thinking about their career aspirations, and will help the staff at LEADS provide them with the necessary coursework to help them meet those aspirations. LEADS curriculum will provide students with the University of California “a-g” requirements, along with courses in the career strands: legal and law enforcement, public protective services, and leadership.
 
            Students will attend LEADS with various reading and numeracy levels and thus we have created a plan to accelerate those learning skills to grade level and beyond. Our schedule will be modified for students in both the 9th and 10th grade in order to improve their skills, as well as prepare them to pass the California High School Exit Exam.  Advanced Placement courses will provide a challenge for students who seek the opportunity to earn college credits. We will use San Diego City College to expose our students to the college couture as well as provide them with the opportunity to gain college credit.

            School for LEADS students will be fun as they learn in a variety of settings.  Teachers work together to create interesting, real world problems relevant to students.  Students will take part in job shadows, internships, and volunteer projects. They will learn about the needs of their community and gain the necessary leadership skills to play in integral role in making changes and improvements.

            LEADS students will graduate and leave not only with a diploma. They will take with them a sense of pride, for the work they have done both at school and in their community. They will take with them the knowledge that they have a developed network of people to rely on from their counselor and teachers, to their principal, and community members. LEADS graduates will take with them experiences they can use in college, the world of work, and in their community as problem solvers and leaders. They will take with them the skills to be leaders in their communities.