The goals of the Octopus Project are to increase science content knowledge and enthusiasm, enhance pedagogical skills, and provide a common focus for K-12 curricular planning. The Octopus Project is a collaboration between the Los Angeles Systemic Initiative (LA-SI), the University of Southern California Center For Craniofacial Molecular Biology, the Jordan/Locke Cluster of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the USC California Science Project Leadership Cohort. The purpose of the collaboration is to develop a cluster-wide K-12 articulation of science learning using Marine Science as a thematic thread.

    The Jordan/Locke Cluster serves 16, 118 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade in the community of Watts and slightly beyond. The cluster has two high school complexes - Jordan and Locke; and three Continuation/Opportunity high schools, Rodia, Truth and Riley. There are two middle schools, Markham and Gompers; seventeen elementary schools and five schools of choice. School calendars are diverse throughout the Cluster, thirteen of the schools are on the LEARN calendar, three on Concept 6, two on 90/30, and five on the Ten Schools calendar. The community is predominately African American and Latino, approximately 40% and 60% respectively, with increasing Latino migration. There are four public housing projects serving more that 10,000 adults and children. All of the Jordan/Locke Cluster schools have 90% to 100% of their students qualify for free or reduced lunch because of low income. The crime rate is high in both adult and juvenile categories. United Way statistics indicated that three of the five zip codes in this area have the highest number of homicides in the county. Gang activity has increased 70% over five years with 1,259 gang-related crimes as of November, 1997. The number of children coming in contact with Children's Services is three to four times the rate of Los Angeles County.

Note:  Configuration Map link shows traffic patterns of students.  Green lines are from schools sending students to more than one middle or high school, some out of the Cluster.
 

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