As state lawmakers consider a statewide moratorium on new charter schools, one local mother wants to change education with her new school in South Los Angeles.

There are no grades or even grade levels at Learning By Design. Instead, the students are grouped together based on their abilities as they learn to work independently and together.

“This was a passion project for me and no matter how difficult it was, I knew this was what I wanted and today we are really seeing the fruits of our labor,” said founder Charla Austin-Harris.

There are a lot progressive schools in Los Angeles, but not on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Austin-Harris describes the area of town as an “education desert.”

Many of her students have significant struggles at home, including parents struggling with addiction, serving time in jail and grappling with poverty.

Some of the elementary-age kids have behavior problems that got them kicked out of traditional schools. At Learning By Design, they are getting a second chance.

“We love, embrace and encourage the whole child,” Austin-Harris said.