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Elijah Hardaman: ‘I Wouldn’t Be Where I Am Without Them’
Like so many of the young learners who turn to Acceleration Academies, Elijah Hardaman found himself derailed by personal troubles. He had to live in foster care for a time and, during his junior year...
Acceleration Academies Educators: ‘It All Starts Here’
The educators who work with young learners at Acceleration Academies across the nation come from a rainbow of backgrounds, life experiences and work histories. But they find themselves united by a sin...
Maura Paredes: Finding Her Way Out of a ‘Black Hole’
For Maura Paredes, traditional high school was never the right fit. Navigating the crowded corridors, she felt her anxiety soar. When she would fall behind in class, she hesitated to raise her hand an...
SAA’s Franki Mobley-Tarpley: ‘They Actually Care about You Graduating’
When Franki Mobley-Tarpley arrived at Sarasota Acceleration Academies, she found a quiet and spacious learning area where she could settle into a comfy chair, do her work at her own pace and get perso...
Josiah Gadia Celebrated as ECAA’s First Graduate
Josiah Gadia was in his final semester of high school when the pressures of an unstable home life, the need to hold down a job, and the challenges of schoolwork became too much to bear. “I was really ...
Wichita Academy Leader: ‘This is What Education Can Look Like’
“I’m really excited to get something off the ground, a new site, a new community,” says Chris Turner, Director of the recently opened Wichita Acceleration Academies. “Because of the agility that we ha...
Acceleration Academies Wins Re-Accreditation — and a Stellar Rating
When a team of educational experts recently reviewed the work Acceleration Academies does to provide young learners with a flexible, personalized path to their high school diplomas, they didn’t just g...
Academies in Action: Highlights from the First Quarter
Each month, we take a moment to learn from the educational leaders who bring the Acceleration Academies mission to life, day in and day out. This month, we asked our academy leaders to respond to this...
BAA Grad Rachel Tudela: ‘It’s Never Too Late’
Rachel Tudela had her first child in January. She loves being a mom and looks forward to sharing her love of sports with her daughter, to helping her grow into her best possible self. She’ll be able t...
Antony Perez: ‘He’s a Breath of Fresh Air’
For Antony Perez, a traditional school day was a non-starter. Throughout high school, he was working as a mechanic in his father’s car repair shop, beginning in the morning and laboring until supperti...
Wichita’s Lamaria King: ‘One of the Most Determined People I’ve Ever Seen’
As one of the first graduation candidates to enroll in the newly opened Wichita Acceleration Academies, Lamaria King is already setting a high standard. Her notebook brims with coursework notes and or...
SLAA Grad Antony Spence Reclaims Hope, Plans for College
For Antony Spence, the Covid pandemic couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was already losing ground in high school, falling behind in his studies and feeling socially ill at ease. When schools clos...
