The curriculum of The Neighborhood Academy reflects our commitment to the inherent value of the intellectual, emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual development of our students as well as the goal of higher education after graduation. Structure and sequence of courses from 8th through 12th grade are designed to develop and reinforce:

• Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking Skills
• Computation skills ranging from Algebra I through PreCalculus
• Extensive Science courses for 8th-11th graders including: Earth & Space, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. The Science curriculum culminates with a Senior Science Seminar in Environmental Science for twelfth graders.

More specifically, three aspects of the overall curriculum are unique. First, the structure of the Humanities program gives expression to the commitment of the development of reading, writing, and critical thinking. For each grade there is a targeted writing product which is a prerequisite for moving onto the next grade.

• 8th grade: 5 paragraph essay
• 9th grade: 2–4 page essay (written in English class)
• 10th grade: 5–9 page essay (written in Religion & Philosophy class)
• 11th grade: 10–12 page essay (written in History class)
• 12th grade: Senior Seminar – A year long research and writing course with a final product of a 15–20 page research paper and Power Point Presentation.

To accomplish this final project, students at The Neighborhood Academy will take 4 years of English and 3 years of a course called Reading & Writing Intensive which has, as its focus, vocabulary development, reading & research skills, and essay writing.

Second, the commitment to the development of computation skills as well as the lab sciences is another unique aspect of the curriculum. All students take math class 5 days a week in addition to Math Lab, where students work in small groups on targeted skill deficiencies 3 days a week. High school students take 4 years of science even though the state requires three. We are proud of our collaboration with the Ellis School where our students use their lab facilities in the evening. The third unique aspect of the curriculum is our commitment to the emotional, psychological and physical growth of our students. Looking at the curriculum graph below there is a period on Wednesdays called “Group," a weekly meeting of students with a member of our counseling staff. Broken down by grade and gender, Group is the place where students learn listening skills, non–violent conflict resolution skills, have discussions about dating, domestic violence, and addiction, and develop the coping skills necessary to successfully negotiate the storms of adolescence.

A graph of the Humanities, Math / Science, and Group curriculum components:

A second manifestation of our commitment to the holistic development of our students is found in our After School Program. Operating from 3:15pm – 5:15pm, the After School Program is composed of interscholastic athletics and a comprehensive arts program. Participation in the After School Program is a requirement of all students at The Neighborhood Academy.

The graph below illustrates the After School Program:
Note: The Neighborhood Academy has an athletic requirement for its students. All students must participate in one interscholastic sport per year.

The end result of our curriculum is a well rounded student who will move on to higher education after graduation. There are three significant measures of our success with students:

• Their growth as human beings
• Successful completion of the requirements for graduation
• Admission to a college or university

A sample of colleges and universities to which our students have been accepted: Edinboro University Chatham College La Roche College Oral Roberts University Clarion University Seton Hill University Carlow College Coppin State University of Akron Finally the curriculum includes a commitment of service to others. It also encompasses the values articulated by the adults in their teaching and care of students, what the community celebrates and rewards, and what is discouraged and sanctioned. Both the overt and the hidden curricula of The Neighborhood Academy foster growth in all the domains of our student’s lives.