SJA Model: |
---|
Saint James Academy (SJA) is committed to providing spiritually integrated vocational and academic education anchored in the teaching of the Catholic Church. An important goal of the Academy is to ensure the formation of persons by using resources of their culture so that their vocational skills will be enhanced by moral maturity and by a commitment to serve God, their employers, their customers, their families, and their communities, and in the process to earn a reasonable income along with the esteem of those they serve. The decentralized nature of the Academy is informed by the view that even in areas of extreme poverty there are people available for training and deployment in providing instruction in a specific and relevant area of the curriculum to form and equip students. As with most learning in life this educational system relies on experiential components and learning in informal settings. The system provides for a coordinated curriculum and progress assessment for key components of the learning process. Thanks to general internet access in most areas of the world, the centralization and wide distribution of resources and administrative components are possible for the first time. Mission: The St. James Academy is committed to the mission of providing distinctive education for the care, nurturing, instruction, and formation of children and for their subsequent integration into the society of which they are a part. The Academy will work in close collaboration with The Roman Catholic Church and with other relevant Muslim and local religious institutions, and its doors will be open to children without regard to religion, creed, race, tribe, or nationality. Teacher support system: A teacher-directed approach rather than a classroom-confined system of education seems the most efficient and economical way to advance the mission of SJA as well as to be locally engaged and culturally relevant. The student-centered record system will provide the teacher with the greatest quantity and quality of information needed to meet student needs. The coordinated curriculum will allow necessary replication, selection, and modification to respond best to the needs of a local situation while making it possible to measure progress in learning. Basic academic education: The teaching of basic academic subjects designed on a highly flexible pattern would be enhancing for the teacher and also be relatively easy to grasp by potential instructors who are able to relate well to students. The home school movement in the United States, for example, has proven that those without a professional teaching diploma can still be effective teachers if they have a good curriculum and a reasonably sized class. A lead teacher would assume responsibility for the curriculum and for training other teachers in implementing it. As the curriculum is mastered and teachers gain more experience, additional subjects would be added. The number of students assigned and the number of classes in a day would be decided by the lead teacher and the local governing board depending on the capability of the teacher and the subject in question. Vocational education: Mentors with significant vocational experience in relevant subjects will offer vocational training to the students admitted for that purpose. The course will include on-the-job training which will be in cooperation with approved business organizations. Teacher Recruitment: SJA will advertise locally to recruit core teachers, and will pay something over market rates to attract a core of the most able lead teachers available. The governing board will interview and help select candidates based on their teaching competence and their commitment to promote the spiritual formation of the students in line with SJA’s mission and objectives. Teacher Development: Successful teachers will be deployed to serve in many areas but particularly in rural areas marked by extreme poverty and low literacy. The lead teacher will provide direct supervision and guidance. The lead teacher will be responsible to a local or regional governing board. Successful lead teachers may teach a subject or two to other teachers. The lead teachers will normally have a teaching assistant in training on the road to attain the level of a teacher. From the ranks of such qualified teachers lead teachers may be recruited. Teachers with a successful record in producing well trained students will be rewarded with additional responsibility in terms of mentoring other teachers. Teacher’s qualifications will be maintained on the central administrative server with records available to the teacher, lead teacher, and to the governing board. Lead Teacher Resources: The lead teacher will be eligible to receive a laptop and a printer to print lessons and to update student and teacher records. The laptop will be set up to synchronize automatically with the central administrative server anytime it connects to the web. SJA will make Internet or Web satellite reception available. Student selection: Students will be selected on the basis of criteria and priorities decided by the governing board, with preference given to children without parents and who are living in extreme poverty. Prospective students will include those who have been referred by a responsible validating party vouching that these students meet SJA requirements and have the approval and support of their legal guardians. Student certification: It will be an important objective of SJA to recognize the achievement and accomplishments of students by official certification. This will generally require registration with the relevant local education authorities. The trust developed by the SJA certification process will be important to the opportunity students have to advance in their educational ambition or careers. Some students may decide, for example, that a career in vocational training is right for them. Local Governing Board: A local SJA governing board will be established and will include volunteers from the business, church, and academic communities. The task of the board will be to recruit teachers, and provide encouragement, resources, support, as well as require accountability. Along with the teachers and validators the board will develop or approve local policies and design a culturally effective curriculum. The board will be formed in cooperation with the local Catholic Church, and the curriculum will be subject to the approval of the bishop. Additional Resources: Where necessary and feasible, additional resources such as a student dormitory, orphan housing for the young, provision of foster care, and even business investment for qualified students may be provided as a separate but related initiative. An annual retreat with lead teachers and members of the governing board will be convened for the refreshment of teachers and for reflection on the mission and values of SJA. The retreat will also be a venue for an overall evaluation of the work of SJA as well as for setting new goals and priorities.
Saint James Academy Administrative System1. Curriculum Approval:
2. Accreditation System:
4. Students:
5. Tuition and Accreditation Validation Prices:
|
Contact Us |