kNOw Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind legislation has fundamentally changed public schooling in the United States. While the intended legislation was to improve the public educational system, the reality has often been that curriculum has been restricted and standardized, funding for electives and programs have been reduced, and teacher creativity has been stifled. In addition, the consequence of this legislation has led to students being subjected to regular high-stakes standardized testing at the cost of the learning process. As a result, more and more students are being left behind.

At Nawa Academy, we’ve taken the phrase No Child Left Behind more literally, and have developed an approach to education, which we believe fulfills the original spirit of the legislation - Every Student Is Educated. As an independent, private school, we’re able to offer an educational experience free of legislative constraints. Our curriculum is developed and presented by creative and well-supported professional educators, not by politicians. We are committed to knowing each child, and our small classes allow us to teach in the ways they learn most effectively. We are committed to identifying their talents and strengths, and we excel at engaging students who have been left behind in other academic environments.

In a standard public classroom information is presented at a quick pace, and in a single, often rigid format. Students are then assessed on their understanding of the information, a grade is assigned, and the course continues to progress through a prescribed curriculum. The result is a percentage of students are identified as having mastered versus misunderstood the information. At Nawa Academy, we believe that approach to education ensures that many students will be Continuously Left Behind, that the missing information will never be replaced, and that with every day of class a student gets further away from self-confidence, success, excitement, and true education.

At Nawa Academy, we’ve interpreted No Child Left Behind to mean that the true education occurs before and after the assessments. Assessments are designed to identify gaps in understanding, which teachers then work to fill. We believe that an "F" is a sign of a failing instructor and educational system, not the sign of a failing student, and as a result every effort is made to impact student learning to ensure that progress is made. Work is re-assigned. Papers are continuously edited. Rough drafts are common. Practice makes perfect, and since failure and mediocrity are no longer an option, our students learn. Every one of them.

Not a single student is left behind means Every Student Is Educated.

Nawa Academy maintains its full academic accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the same independent governing body which accredits all schools in California and many other areas around the world. There is no mandate for Nawa Academy to conduct educational performance testing. Additionally, we are not required to administer a high school exit examination.

The fact that we do not engage in repetitive, high-stakes testing does not mean that our students aren’t learning. It just means that we spend more time teaching, and our students spend more time proving what they’ve learned in different ways. Parents accustomed to constant state and federal testing have asked how we can be sure that students are progressing. The fact is, Nawa Academy’s college-bound students score at or above national averages on the SAT Test, a nationally recognized assessment of college readiness.

Nawa Academy uses the standard A, B, C approach to earned grades, as well as measures individual growth through course goals and objectives. In addition to academic feedback, we also chart progress in our comprehensive Quarterly Review process. For additional information regarding our curriculum, click here.

At that point I found Nawa. The Nawa staff told me they could and would help David, that he wasn't the problem (as I had been told before); the problem was with the limitations of the traditional educational system.

Three years later, David graduated from Nawa as the salutatorian. And no, it wasn't always easy for him or me, but most worthwhile ventures aren't easy. The thing is — Nawa didn't give up on him. David is now in college, earning Bs and working part-time at a career-related job he loves.

Coincidentally, I've had two Nawa graduates in one of the college classes I teach. Not only were they well prepared for college-level work, but they demonstrated a higher level of maturity than other first-year college students. I attribute that maturity to the confidence Nawa teachers and staff instill in their students." Parent of 2008 Graduate    , Beth Grobman, College Professor