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MAKING A DIFFERENCE:
Nina Kaufman, President and founder of Academy High School,
proudly stands will some of her middle school students.
There is no homework , no dress code, no stress, and snack
are allowed in class. |
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Nina Kaufman, president of Academy High School, started the school in Davie in 1976 because she wanted to make a difference. She opened a north campus 11 year ago at 648 Riverside Dive, Coral Springs for 6 through 12, where she continues to make a difference."Broward County has one of the highest dropout rates in the country.", she said. "One reason is because educators are supposed to teach, but instead they judge. We shouldn´t judge kids." "There are three reasons why 90 percent of Academy High School´s students go on to college. One, teachers are hand-picked and they like teen-agers. That´s the first priority.", she said. "Two, our teachers are idealistic, they want to teach, and three, teachers have the highest regard for students."
Kaufman doesn´t have the discipline problems public schools have because, "Even hoodlums will let down their guard if you treat them with respect. Teachers in public schools continue to blame parents for many of their problems, but it´s our responsibility to reach these kids.", she said. Academy High School is not your typical school.A brochure reads, "The Academy´s policy states that student should be productive during school hours, in the presence of their instructors. Therefore, daily homework assignment are eliminated." There is nodress code. "Casual dress is acceptable (we´re in Florida).
We are very proud of Academy students and their choice of dress. Snacks and cold drinks are allowed in classrooms.", Kaufman stated. And how about this one "teachers are evaluated twice a year by the students." An enrollment policy requires prospective students to preview the school, not the other way around. "This is a killer school," Kaufman said. So what are these children learning? Kaufman explains that in addition to the standard curriculum, every quarter they teach subjects such as stock market and real estate math for real-world applications. "Every student´s curriculum is individually determined by their own situation.", Kaufman said. "Grades at Academy High are not nearly as important as they are in other schools, public or private. If you make grades the big picture, you´ll wind up getting rid of the kids who don´t get all A´s.That´s what other private schools do. They dumpThe kids who don´t get A´s because they don´t want them to ruin their reputation." Kaufman said. "We don´t have competition here.
Everyone is an individual. Students develop at different rates. Some of them bud and some of them flower. How dare we tell high school students who´s a D student and who is an A student. How dare we tell them who goes to collegeand who doesn´t!", exclaimed Kaufman. "College is for everyone. When we teach F and D students, we realize they are not F and D people," she explained, "We treat them like human beings." Kaufman is proud of her students, all of them. "No one slips through the cracks," she said.
Forum Staff April 27, 1995 Business Forum |
