In one of the most notoriously underserved cities in the country, an innovative charter elementary school works toward a reimagined future through a community-based approach to education.
Weaving together the personal narratives of educators, students, and families involved with the Watts Learning Center, A School Grows in Watts explores the vibrant yet misunderstood community of Watts, highlighting its complex history and prevailing systemic obstacles through the ongoing work of a mighty school with humble beginnings.
Gene and Sandra Fisher founded Watts Learning Center over 20 years ago with the goal to address the lack of quality education opportunities for youth in South Central. Embracing an innovative community-based approach, the elementary school works to combat barriers to success for its youth including the school-to-prison pipeline, single parent households, lack of resources, and youth violence. Approaches include cultural proficiency through collaborating with community educators and former students who can best relate to current students' experiences. The documentary also addresses the nuances of the charter school landscape and highlights how independent, community schools have been adversely lumped in with corporate, for-profit charters.
A School Grows in Watts paints a lyrical portrait of a school and a community working in unison toward a reimagined future that celebrates the rich legacy of Watts and uplifts its most vulnerable children. With an empathetic approach and strong observational lens, the film weaves an ensemble of complex characters — including students, teachers, parents, policymakers, community members, and others — as they interact with both the school and community over the course of a single school year.
FILMMAKERS' STATEMENT: "I really hope that many of the misconceptions associated with Watts will be dispelled. We are a diverse community that loves each other. Community, by definition, is those of like minds, we are of like minds. One of my teachers, the legendary Watts Prophet Father Amde, once said, 'There is nothing more beautiful than a functioning ebony community,' and that's exactly what Watts is.
My hopes for the young people in the documentary [is that they] will go on and do great things and then we will continue to have more stories and morph these narratives so the world can truly see what we've known all along. This documentary shows we're competing despite all odds, we're standing even with no legs, and we're going to continue to share these stories even when our voices leave us."
— Producer Oshea Luja
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