Inglewood Unified, Jimmy Iovine and Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young To Open New High School The high school will offer a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary curriculum for training the next generation of young leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. (IUSD Photo)
INGLEWOOD (August 12, 2024) – Inglewood Unified School District County Administrator, Dr. James Morris, music producer and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine,and artist, producer, and entrepreneur Andre “Dr. Dre” Young today announced a joint effort to launch a new high school, the Iovine and Young Center (IYC), in the Inglewood Unified School District that will open in August 2025. The center is designed to reshape the high school experience through an innovative education model that combines a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum with real-world, team-based learning opportunities.
This IYC initiative is set to amplify Inglewood Unified School District’s focus on creating innovative and exciting pathways for high school students. The new school will be open to 9th grade students next fall and each subsequent year a new class will be added at the Iovine and Young Center. The program will be fully implemented in all grade levels 9th -12th grade by the 2028-2029 school year.
“The Iovine and Young Center will be a game-changer for our students,” said Dr. Saba Araya, Principal. “It will provide them with unique opportunities to engage in innovative education and develop critical skills for future success. I am excited to lead this transformative initiative and watch our students thrive in this dynamic learning environment.”
Students enrolled in the center will explore diverse disciplines, businesses, and industries to bring solutions to the problems surrounding these areas. At the end of the course, students will be able to collaborate and create pitches for their innovations that challenge real-world problems. Upon graduation, students will be highly skilled in innovation, making them competitive amongst top universities and better prepared for a global career.
The Iovine and Young Education Group (IYEG) learning framework principles are interdisciplinary courses (state standards aligned), explicit 21st century skill development (collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking), thematic knowledge (design, business, entrepreneurship, technology, art), and challenge based learning.
“The Iovine and Young Center embodies our unwavering commitment to revolutionize education in Inglewood,” stated Dr. James Morris, County Administrator of Inglewood Unified School District. “By integrating cutting-edge interdisciplinary learning with real-world applications, we are not just preparing our students for the future; we are empowering them to shape it. This partnership is a testament to the commitment of community partners to support and uplift the students of Inglewood.
The Iovine and Young Center is in alignment with the district’s continued pursuit to ensure innovation is at the forefront in classrooms, giving students an opportunity to unlock their academic and creative potential and drive meaningful change.
“This partnership represents a groundbreaking step for Inglewood Unified,” stated Dr. Carliss McGhee, Board President of Inglewood Unified School District. “By bringing the visionary educational approach of Iovine and Young to our schools, we are empowering our students with skills and knowledge to lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving world. This initiative not only elevates our educational standards but also ensures our students are prepared to excel in diverse fields, driving forward the future of our community and beyond.”
The partnership between IUSD and IYEG stems from Iovine and Young’s pursuit of fostering interdisciplinary skills such as technology, business and design in future generations. As the visionaries developed BEATs Electronics, both Iovine and Young noticed that each professional sector demonstrated expertise in their unique area but none possessed a combined knowledge. In 2013, Iovine and Young partnered with the University of Southern California to create the Iovine and Young Academy (IYA), a school offering USC college students an opportunity to develop interdisciplinary skills.
After many successful years, the pioneers noticed a lack of ethnic diversity in their IYA graduating classes and thus began the pursuit of expanding their innovative learning framework to high school students, targeting often underserved and underrepresented students in public education. IYC- Inglewood will work closely with the existing IYC sites in Atlanta and Los Angeles..
“We look forward to embarking on our partnership with the Inglewood Unified School District cultivating the innate superpowers of these students. Working together we will develop the next generation of multi-talented global professionals who will innovate in ways we have never seen before” says Jimmy Iovine, Co-Founder of the Iovine and Young Center.
