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Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
“On the first day of class, our new math teacher told us we can only pass with a 100% homework turn-in rate. As a student who already expects this of myself, I thought that it was unusual to be so clearly announced but was otherwise unfazed.
I understood, however, how ridiculous it seemed for fellow students, who seemed to be in complete disbelief. I remember how no one really took this rule seriously until we got our first progress report, and we all realized that we would only have a chance to pass the class if we turn in ALL of our work.
While students were coming to terms with this rule, Mr. Huynh offered tutorial sessions an hour before school opened to complete our work. Who wants to go to school voluntarily that early in the morning? To my complete surprise, these sessions were very popular and soon students were bragging about how many times in a week they could show up to these sessions. It did not feel like a boring remedial class, but rather a lighthearted environment to work on our math together, and we could also ask Mr. Huynh whenever we had any questions or confusion.
Soon, getting 100% of your work turned in became a game for most students, like maintaining a high score. Even if you have been missing a lot of assignments, because you know you have to turn in all of your work, and because there were homework sessions every morning, it became easy to just show up to a session and work on it instead of waiting until the end of the semester to catch up.
Thinking back, it is important to turn in 100% of your work because what matters is that you have tried and that you remain accountable for yourself. One of the most important things I have learned is to take responsibility for my own education and to make sure I am as involved with my education as my instructor would be.”
~Jean Olmstead (former student)
Academy of the Renaissance believes that setting high expectations is vital towards student achievement; however, it is equally important to provide the support necessary for students of all abilities to reach those expectations.
One of the biggest differences amongst students from underserved communities is their access to excellent resources, such as academic materials and tutorials. While the schools within underserved communities do their best to provide before and after school tutoring, it is usually a couple of teachers for a group of 30 students; students simply don’t get enough personalized explanations and coaching.
Families who value education and have the resources understand that developing academic skills requires more than just good teachers. That is why tens of thousands of dollars are spent each year by the family for private tutors, enrichment programs, high-stakes test prep courses, and professional academic counseling.
This is an extraordinary advantage because a good private tutor can tailor explanations exactly to how a student learns best. Three hours of one-on-one tutoring each week can make a tremendous difference in how a student learns. Students who have access to private tutors a couple nights a week show dramatic improvement in understanding difficult topics as well as performing higher on formal assessments.
Two important types of resources Academy of the Renaissance will focus on will be early interventions at all grade levels as well as providing as much one-on-one tutoring as possible. An early intervention team will help to identify students who are below grade level in reading, writing, speaking, and mathematics. Developing these skills at an early age will help to create the necessary foundation upon which higher-level thinking and coursework can be built.
Academy of the Renaissance understands that there is not a one-size-fit-all approach to education. While some students may thrive and reach those high expectations without much help, others will require differentiated teaching to match their learning style. Providing access to excellent resources will give those students a fair chance. When students understand and feel competent about what they are learning, they can then feel motivated to reach high expectations.
