Program Philosophy
We believe that all students can reach their potential, given the right supports. We believe in small classes, high expectations, meaningful relationships among students, staff, and families, individualized attention, support, and instruction, and empowerment of students as agents of change for themselves and their communities.

Program
The Oak Hill Academy Project has been planned to help each student adjust successfully to Oak Hill, identify and achieve his goals while there, and then to transition successfully back into his community with a plan for the future.

• Academic Curriculum: The Curriculum is student-centered, standards-based and performance-based.  It emphasizes differentiated instruction, individualized learning, and culturally relevant course content
• Welcome Center:  Students are oriented to the school through orientation at our Welcome Center, where students’ interests, abilities, needs, and goals are assessed.  Students are introduced to their individual digital portfolios, which will they will work on throughout their stay at Oak Hill.
• Vocational and Employment Training: Through our Career Institutes students gain industry-based skills in a number of areas, learn to save and invest, and gain exposure to a range of career options.
• Support and Development Services: We provide a range of support programs for our students.
• Extended Day Program: In the late afternoons and on Saturdays, we offer homework tutoring and study skills support, and a variety of enrichment courses, including digital music production, Life Pieces to Masterpieces, drawing, and chess.
• Summer School: Each summer we will run a 6-week, multifaceted program that includes academic skill-building and remediation, supervised recreation, artistic and other creative projects, and theme-based classes and workshops. This past summer we ran a Children's Defense Fund Freedom School at Oak Hill.
• GED Preparation Class: Students who are 17 or older who pass the eligibility test can choose to take our GED preparation class instead of the regular academic curriculum
• Transition Center: After they leave Oak Hill, students will enter a day program at our Transition Center downtown.  The Transition Center in D.C. will help prepare students to re-enter their schools and communities and work on their academic or career goals.  Students will be guided by their Youth Advocate, who will help them to sustain their academic progress, maintain relationships, explore career and employment opportunities, build a community network, engage parents and guardians, and identify a high quality placement back in the community, in school or a job training program.
• Literacy Blocks: Literacy skills are reinforced in daily Literacy Block classes.  For 55 minutes a day, students participate in "Read Alouds", the application of specific literacy strategies, Literature Circles, and vocabulary activities. 
• Other elements of the program include:
  • Advocacy and leadership training to students
  • Regular assessments and use of data to monitor progress and improve teaching
  • Advanced Placement courses for qualified students starting in 2008.
  • Preparation for the PSATs and SATs
  • Training in the use of state-of-the-art multimedia technology
  • Reading Remediation (Literacy Block, Read 180, and individual tutoring)
  • Computer-assisted assessment (SRI, NWEA)

Back to Top