One of the most important aspects of our success with students is in helping them build so-called “soft skills”; that is, the social and interpersonal behaviors that are key indicators of employability, workplace readiness, and long-term personal and professional achievement. Because we’re always on the lookout for great ideas, inspirational stories, and especially cutting-edge scientific data, we were pleased to find a video that summarizes the important work on this topic done by Dr. Christy Lleras of the University of Illinois.

We agree with Dr. Lleras that, as important as it is to help vulnerable students raise their test scores and other measures of academic improvement, helping them strengthen motivation, cooperation, and strong work habits can be just as vital in helping them find long-term success in their careers and lives.

The Star Academy program fosters a unique environment where cooperative, hands-on learning is an everyday experience, helping students learn precisely the soft skills that they may not have developed previously, due to personal, economic, or other challenges in their lives.

To learn more about Dr. Lleras’ work, we encourage you to review her paper on this topic. To learn more about how Star Academy is helping students achieve lasting success, please visit our website, or contact us.

We look forward to sharing new insights in our next issue.

A Peek into Our Classrooms

The Star Academy program is designed to be a comprehensive school-within-a-school. Five classrooms are used for Math, Science, ELA and Social Studies.

Transformed Learning Environment

Star Academy transforms existing classrooms into new learning environments. The academy includes computers for every student, all project equipment, and custom furniture workstations that provide appropriate workspace for all of the program’s curriculum activities.

Design

With great attention to detail, Nola Education has partnered with experts in architectural design to create an innovative, functional learning environment for every academy classroom.