Learning at The Academy

Students at the Maya Angelou Academy vary widely — by age, grade, skill level, interests, needs, and learning styles. Our job is to make learning relevant and interesting for these young men. With our scholars input, we build an individualized learning plan that includes assessment and interest information for each student. In addition, each scholar sets academic, career, and behavioral goals with his advocate and core subject area teachers. Our goal is to engage our scholarsÂ’ creativity and their talent, to help them see their own potential and to identify skill deficits and areas in which they need improvement. We help our scholars set concrete goals, and then make progress in their behavior, their skills, and their plans for the future. Most importantly, we strive to provide caring, positive feedback and guidance.

 

Core Curricula

Scholars learn with their residential units in small classrooms of 10-15 scholars. Because about 50 percent of our students have special needs and there is a great amount of diversity in the age, skill, and ability levels of our scholars, each classroom is equipped with both a general education teacher and an assisting leadership corps member or assistant teacher. Teachers use a variety of instructional methods, combining direct instruction with project-based, cooperative learning strategies.

All students take English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. These core curriculum classes are standards-based and aligned with the standards of the District of Columbia’s Public Schools so that the work scholars do here will give them the skills and the credits they will need for whatever program they enter upon leaving the Maya Angelou Academy. We have however adapted the curriculum so that it is culturally relevant and responsive to the needs of our scholars.

The curricula and schedules for all classes and activities are organized into eight modular 4-week units which take about one month to complete. This structure enables students on different residency schedules to complete whole units of study before leaving. More importantly, the units have themes which inspire a school-wide, cross-curricular focus on some of the larger issues which drive our teaching: Relationships, Change, Choice, Power, Justice, Freedom, Dreams, Ethics, and Systems. These themes help support the core curriculum material with the principles of empowerment and social action. Additionally, we offer GED preparation classes to those students who wish to enroll and who are at least 17 and have passed the qualifying examination.

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