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The
students of Grandfather Academy
experience improved learning opportunities due to the fact that individual
classes are structured in such a way as to maintain peer groups intact
so they will continue to function as therapeutic peer groups throughout
the school day. Children will receive individualized education designed
to maximize academic strengths and allow a safe opportunity to gain proficiency
in areas of underachievement. The program will provide an emotionally-
supportive environment which allows children to experience academic success,
often for the first time in their life, empowering them to achieve their
potential. The scholastic progress of each child at Grandfather Academy
will have a goal of, at least, one year of advancement. Successful blending
of treatment and education allows children who have been written off as
mildly mentally handicapped, incorrigible, undisciplined, and untrainable
to learn to think, to believe, and to succeed in academics and every area
of their lives. The Individual Education Plan (IEP) for Special Education
students and the Individualized Education Goals (IEG) for all other children
are designed to reflect the innate and open-ended abilities of the individual
child. The overall philosophy for each child's academic goals will reflect
the principle of Grandfather Academy of "demanding greatness vs. demanding
obedience."
Grandfather
Academy has been established to meet the educational needs primarily of
two groups of children: those children who have been placed in Grandfather
Home for Children and children from the local area who need this specialized
education. The children at Grandfather Home have become estranged from
their families by emotional, sexual or physical abuse. One result of the
abuse is that they are not able to function appropriately in a typical
public school. Each child will have an Individual Education Plan (IEPs
for Special Education students and IEGs for all other students). These
will take into account the child's strengths and weaknesses with the educational
program focusing on improving skills. Grandfather Home students will be
grouped with the same peers in their treatment group; others will be placed
in the group appropriate for his/her needs. The academy will focus not
only on helping students make satisfactory educational progress but will
also help them become prepared to function in a public school. The children
at Grandfather Home need to have the best possible educational experiences
to help them overcome past traumas and be successful in their lives. A
charter school designed to meet the needs of these children and others
with similar adjustment problems offers the best hope for their future.
The
school calendar of Grandfather Academy will include 210 instructional
days each academic year. The instructional program is totally designed
to facilitate learning for each individual student to their maximum abilities.
All instructors use various curriculum design and methods to best accomplish
the learning needs of the individuals. All classrooms are self-contained.
The students will attend classes as a positive peer culture group. Ages
and levels of academic achievement will vary in each classroom. Each child's
IEP (Special Education) or IEG will define his/her academic needs. From
this plan the teacher in concert with therapeutic staff will work to nurture
and stimulate the child's interest in learning. Scheduling of outside
presenters to come into the classroom and field trips will extend and
enhance the classroom learning experience. The use of current educational
materials, computer learning and enhancement experiences are part of the
model of learning at Grandfather Academy. The basic learning model at
Grandfather Academy is to meet the educational needs of every child in
attendance, as well as to integrate a therapeutic treatment program so
that the child may develop their full potential both in an academic and
therapeutic sense. The curriculum and instructional program will meet
and/or exceed the student performance standards adopted by the State Board
of Education. Grandfather Academy will basically serve children with special
needs. Policies adopted by the State Board of Education for Charter Schools
will be followed. The school continues to seek all proper licenses and
certificates. |
