Our Educational Approach

Our 4 Tenets of Teaching and Learning

Our Educational Approach

Our Educational Approach

MACS is focused on student growth and academic achievement through a whole child approach to education. Our mission is to provide all students with the social and academic successes necessary to help them realize their potential for local impact and global change. To achieve this, we implement four central tenets of teaching and learning – Whole Child Approach, Student Growth & Academic Achievement, 21st Century Learning Environment, and Community. 

 

Whole Child Approach – MACS believes our first job is to make sure students are healthy, happy, and whole every day. This means we equip students to know how to care for themselves, others, set goals, learn skills for collaboration, discussion, and so much more. Our schedule protects at least one hour a day to ensure our students are growing into well adjusted adolescents during morning and afternoon Crew, and our teachers provide them the guidance to navigate real world settings, emotions, and triumphs as they mature. 

 

Student Growth & Achievement – At MACS, we quantify mastery as both standards-based proficiency (GSEs) and individual growth across disciplines over time. No two students start the school year in the same place, thus MACS prioritizes the need to ensure students are receiving academic content that is equitable for their individual pathway and prepares them for success at each level of their education. Using adaptive diagnostics three times per year, our academic focus includes teaching both grade level standards, and individualized instruction through Power Hour. Supporting the balance of individual growth and academic achievement across disciplines are unique student-engaged assessment practices which position students to be leaders of their own learning at MACS. 

 

21st Century Learning Environment – STEM, Coding as a Second Language, Digital Literacy, Virtual Responsibility, our goal is to prepare students for the 21st Century through innovative courses, studies, and exposure to various professions.  Our curriculum must prepare students for the technologically advanced world they will encounter as they matriculate, and equip them with the skills, mindsets, and ethics to navigate that world responsibly. 

 

Community – Families and community members are students first educators and are our partners in their education. At MACS, families are members of the Crew as we value their contributions, traditions, and backgrounds, and engage them actively in the life of the school during whole community crew on Fridays, volunteer opportunities, and family celebrations. We leverage our community as collaborative partners in the design of MACS, and students’ academic and personal growth. 

 

With these four tenets, we make sure we are focused on the key aspects of making the learning experience a positive one for all students.




With these 4 tenets, we make sure that we are focused on the key aspects of making the learning experience a positive one for all of our students.

To learn more about these tenets and more (Click Here)

Miles Ahead Charter School Atlanta K-4 Curriculum

A Day as a MACS Student

Miles Ahead Charter School is dedicated to meeting the needs of our digital natives. This means rethinking the current practices in education and offering a curriculum that speaks to the world our students were born into. This includes offering coding as a language, social emotional, wellness and character education, real-world expeditions of learning, and other opportunities to synthesize and apply their learning in the service of their local and global communities.

Our days for our students are filled with engagement and learning appropriate for each age group. With their academic curriculum, students will also be engaged in innovative instruction throughout their day to reinforce the application of their learning to real world situations, as well as to continuing to develop their character as social-emotional global citizens.

Components on our innovative instruction includes:

Miles Ahead Charter School Works on the Whole Child Approach

EL EDUCATION

Formerly known as Expeditionary Learning, Miles Ahead Charter School will use EL Education to create an environment where our students and teachers are high-achievers in the classroom, and also students learn to become global contributors in our world.

When students have completed their academic career and entered adult life, they’ll be judged not by performance on basic skills tests – but rather, by the quality of their work and quality of their character. This premise serves as the foundation for Miles Ahead’s overarching vision of increasing student engagement and elevating student achievement. To realize this vision, we focus on student excellence in these 3 core areas:

  1. Character & Culture
  2. Mastery of Knowledge & Skills
  3. High Quality of Work. 

The EL Education approach is known for building great schools in diverse communities, which is exactly what we are striving to achieve with Miles Ahead. To learn more about this model, visit eleducation.org.



 

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