The Looking Glass Neighborhood is an after-school program at Rosa Parks Elementary School, modeled after the 5th Dimension program developed by the Laboratory of Human Cognition at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). The program creates a "fun-based" learning environment, providing participating children with flexibly structured choices of activities (most of which are computer-based) that develop a variety of cognitive, language, knowledge-based and affective relationship skills while children play. A key component is the development of mentoring relationships with San Diego State University (SDSU) students who play alongside the school children while simultaneously fulfilling observation and/or research requirements for SDSU courses. Parents are also actively encouraged to participate in the program both as volunteer staff and as "playmates," learning together with the children.

The "curriculum" of the Looking Glass Neighborhood program at Rosa Parks is closely tied to community studies of City Heights. A maze-board overlaying an aerial photograph of the City Heights area provides the vehicle for structuring student choices of activities. Rooms on the maze correspond to significant cultural, social and civic sites in the area, with particular attention to the rich diversity represented in the community. The activities of The Looking Glass Neighborhood serve as spring-boards to the development of civic awareness, cross-cultural understanding, geographic concepts and skills, and global perspectives. The use of the community as the focal point of the after-school "curriculum" enables the natural integration of math, science, history, health and art, since all of these are naturally occurring elements of the City Heights community.

For more information on the Looking Glass Neighborhood, select one of the following or click on a link in the left menu: