Vision
Statement: Continental Academy recognizes the
need among a broad spectrum of secondary education
students in the United States and those with
access to the institution residing abroad for
an alterative approach to high school education.
This alternative approach includes novel instructional
strategies and varying, distance-based delivery
models. Through these indices, Continental
Academy provides alternative students with
the curricula, tools and support to achieve
academic success in their own "classroom
of one." The institution possesses a wealth
of experience in meeting the needs of many
alternative students. It is our belief that
this experience and the expertise gleaned over
more than a dozen years in operation can be
leveraged to make Continental Academy a significant
leader in alternative education, an arena poised
to continue exponential growth over the next
decade.
Continental Academy was established in response
to the belief that the traditional classroom-based
model for secondary education is unsuitable
for a significant, alienated and disenfranchised
portion of the population—the alternative
learners. This community of learners is best
served by educational philosophies other than
those of the conventional mainstream. We recognize
that students maintain various learning styles,
and that the alternative learner may have obstacles
which interfere with their learning and therefore,
require flexibility in their academic program
as well as a means of support. We believe in
utilizing alternative instructional strategies
as well as fashioning our program in a way
that caters to our students’ needs. Therefore,
students who may have traditionally struggled
in the conventional classroom will find a greater
degree of success at Continental Academy.
In order for alternative learners to experience
a sense of academic accomplishment, they must
learn in an environment that sufficiently supports
their intellectual growth. Our pedagogy, which
is based on the learning philosophies of Constructivism,
Cognitivism and the Sudbury Model, reflects
the belief that the learner finds his/her own
meaning through practice, and prior knowledge.
Ideally, learning is a process you do, not
a process that is done to you. Our program
recognizes, validates and successfully reconciles
what struggling students already know: there
are many ways to learn without the intervention
of a teacher. The institution’s aim is
to put a practical, academically-rewarding,
and affordable, high school education within
reach for students ill-served by more traditional
instructional methods, taking into account
their hardships, diverse learning styles and
various rates of progress.
Our distance based model is part of an emerging
trend that is becoming widely popular around
the globe. This style of learning and instruction
is recognized as an effective means of delivering
quality instruction that allows alternative
students to personalize their education so
they may navigate through the coursework at
their own pace. All the while, our alternative
students have access to ongoing academic support
that will guide them through the process. Additionally,
we maintain curricula premised on academic
rigor ensuring that students will be prepared
for their future endeavors.
The structure of Continental Academy’s
program allows alternative students the flexibility
to pursue their academic goals regardless of
their outside responsibilities, time commitments,
or location, thus making Continental Academy
a practical option for students of all ages
to pursue their educational goals. Our program
offers a more fulfilling and personalized experience
that guarantees success, which will furnish
alternative students with a wide array of opportunities
in employment and higher education. The foundation
of Continental Academy’s educational
philosophy is our conviction that all alternative
students can become successful learners and
that there are no preordained limits to what
alternative students can accomplish at any
age. |
