The Academy's Environment and Behavioral Impact

Key Insight

The Academy subjected students to an intense schedule, with school running from 8 AM to 5 PM daily, including Saturdays and several summer weeks. Students performing below grade level spent twice as much time in school as other American students, while those at grade level still spent 50 percent more time. Beyond core academics, which included two English classes daily, the school offered comprehensive support services such as a health clinic, psychological counseling, full meal services, and evening activities, creating an all-encompassing environment.

A significant aspect of the Academy was its rigorous emphasis on behavior, teaching fundamental etiquette from the ground up. Students learned how to maintain eye contact, sit properly in class, nod for agreement, shake hands, and greet people. Initial class sessions and weeks were dedicated to mastering seemingly simple actions like filing into a room, taking seats, walking down halls, carrying books, and using 'Excuse me.' Teachers reinforced that excelling in these 'small stuff' behaviors would simplify mastering more complex challenges later on, especially for students who hadn't automatically acquired these skills like their middle-class peers.

Daily school life began with 'school-wide circle time,' where all students participated in chants and raps, including a 'Respect Chant,' a 'Knowledge-Is-Power' call-and-response, and a 'College Chant' where they shouted university names. This ritual reinforced key values through a series of questions and answers emphasizing education, hard work, self-discipline, and college as a path to mastering one's destiny. The Academy fostered a pervasive college-bound culture by naming classrooms after colleges attended by teachers and setting class 'graduation dates' to correspond with future college graduation years.