THE MAYA ANGELOU ACADEMY

MAA currently educates two groups of youth: Program Scholars, who will eventually transition back to school and career in the community, and Title XVI Scholars, who will eventually transition to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  

Residents at New Beginnings are referred to as scholars, setting a tone of respect and high expectations when they first enter the facility. 

Our school offers two academic programs: our high school diploma track and our GED preparation track.   Our scholars benefit from small class sizes, personalized academic intervention via online applications, and one-on-one support from our Academic Support Specialists.  We also offer several elective classes including art, music, and career and technical education courses. 

With the support of a wide circle of caring adults, our scholars develop the skills they need to make sound decisions and lead rewarding lives.  Scholars develop their social-emotional skills via R2IS2E (Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Self-Determination, Safety, and Empathy) – a structured course that we embed into our weekly school schedule.  Scholars also participate in our weekly Harambee and monthly award ceremonies, which help foster a sense of community and mutual support amongst our students and staff.    

We offer life skills and career preparation courses for all of our scholars, including multiple Mock Interview panels several times each school year.  We also host guest speakers to help expose our scholars to various career fields, as well as an annual College Fair on campus.  We also believe in helping our scholars develop their public speaking skills via our annual Debate Contest.