OUR APPROACH
The methods for our children’s education programs were developed by distinguished educator Mary Smithson Craighead during over 50 years of working with at-risk children. Our focus is on basic skills, which we define as behavior, reading/language, math, science, and computer. Our goal is for at-risk students to succeed in school and carry with them the academic foundation and character to succeed in life.
The three school rules are:
- Self control
- We obey our teachers
- We work before we play
PROGRAMS
PREP Pre-school Program for children getting ready for kindergarten.
Smithson Craighead Academy (SCA) charter school for children in kindergarten through grade four was initiated in fall 2003. No child has ever been expelled, and standardized test scores higher than public schools to which the students were zoned for spring 2005 and 2006. When our children graduate fourth grade, we encourage them to enter KIPP Academy Nashville, a charter middle school.
PREP After-School Program for children in pre-school through grade four offers our charter school students an extended academic day with time for enrichment activities, too. Thirty minutes of the program is funded by private donations. During that time, we are able to provide non-denominational religious education so that the children will know that there is a God who loves them, who will support them throughout their lives, and who asks that they offer Christian love and respect to others.
PREP Summer School for children in kindergarten through grade four offers an extended school year for at-risk students. This time is valuable for reinforcing skills and ensuring that children do not lose academic skills over the summer months.
Young Emerging Scholars (YES) is a program for low-income, academically talented teens to prepare for college on scholarship at local private schools.
Young Emerging Scholars (YES) is a program for low-income, academically talented teens to prepare for college on scholarship at local private high schools. Of our three graduates from the program, one is now on the faculty of Morehouse College, one a Rhodes Scholar pursuing his Ph.D. in psychology, one a junior at Christian Brothers University. Two teens are in the program now. These are children from a culture of poverty transforming to a culture of learning. |
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