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Westland School Collection
SC.WSC
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Westland School Collection
Creator:
Westland School
Identifier/Call Number: SC.WSC
Physical Description:
11.73 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1949-2014
Abstract: The Westland School is a private
elementary school founded in 1949 by Lory Titelman, and Marie H. Briehl. The guiding
philosophy of the School is based on the concepts of John Dewey and Progressive education, a
pedagogical movement that began in the late nineteenth century. The
Westland School Collection broadly documents a re-emergence of the progressive
education movement, focusing on its development between 1949 and 2014 in Los Angeles,
California. The collection consists of documents, photographs, publications, scrapbooks, and
video recordings that focus on the history and daily life of administrators, staff, and
students.
Language of Material: English
This collection is open for research use unless otherwise noted.
Series I: Administrative Files and Publications, 1949-2014
Series II: Student and Staff Life, 1949-2010
Series III: Official Portraits, 1990-2007
The Westland School is a private elementary school founded in 1949 by progressive education
advocate, Lory Titelman, and Marie H. Briehl, pioneering specialist in the psychological
development of the child. The Westland School opened in October, 1949, in a B'nai B'rith
building on the corner of La Cienega and Olympic Boulevards in Los Angeles. Over the next
sixteen years the school moved several times, finally settling on its current and permanent
location in Bel-Air in 1965. Since its inception, the School has been owned by a non-profit
corporation whose voting members are administrators, parents, and teachers.
The guiding philosophy of the School is based on the concepts of John Dewey and
Progressive education, a pedagogical movement that began in the late nineteenth century.
Curriculum is focused on programs that emphasize experiential learning, problem solving and
critical thinking, collaboration and development of social skills, and social
responsibility. The School currently has about 130 students that are distributed into groups
rather than grades, which may comprise of students of varying ages. The Westland School is
accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials guide.
Masud Helmandi, 2018
The
Westland School Collection broadly documents a
re-emergence of the progressive education movement mid-century, focusing on its development
over a seventy year period in Los Angeles California. The collection includes founding
documents and internal records, as well as material which focuses on the daily activities of
students and staff. The collection has been divided into three series, Administrative Files
and Publications (1949-2014), Student and Staff Life (1949-2010), and Official Portraits
(1990-2007).
Series I, Administrative Files and Publications, documents the organization's founding and
daily activities through bylaws, meeting minutes, procedural documents, forms, and
correspondence. Also included are documents and photographic materials which detail school
history, curriculum and program planning, marketing and public outreach, facilities
development, construction, and renovation. The series is arranged alphabetically by
topic.
Series II, Student and Staff Life, documents important events such as anniversaries,
reunions, graduations, fairs, student work, creative play and performances, music, science
and math activities, field trips, parent participation and special visitors. The series
includes both records and photographic materials, and is arranged alphabetically by
topic.
Series III, Official Portraits, consists of professional photographs, slides, and
negatives of students and staff. The series is arranged by name and date where possible.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright
status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the
written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiovisual materials
Documents
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Video recordings