Acceleration Academies Fall 2024 Pathways Magazine

PATHWAYS
magazine
10 Year Anniversary
ACCELERATION
ACADEMIES
YEARS
2014 2024
Special Edition
Fall | 2024

22
| CALIFORNIA
» Los Angeles
• LAUSD
Locations in 7 States
Across the U.S.
| FLORIDA
» Escambia County
• Pensacola
» Lee County
• Fort Myers
» Marion County
• Ocala
» Miami-Dade County
• Homestead
• Miami
• Midtown
» St. Lucie County
• Port St. Lucie
• Fort Pierce
» Sarasota County
• North Port
• Sarasota
| GEORGIA
» Gwinnett County
• Duluth
» Cobb County
• Kennesaw
• Marietta
| NEVADA
» Clark County
• North Las Vegas
• East Las Vegas
• Southeast Las Vegas
• Hope Vegas (Northeast)
| SOUTH CAROLINA
» North Charleston Area
» Myrtle Beach Area
| TEXAS
» Ector County
• Odessa
| WASHINGTON
» Bethel School District
• Spanaway
Our students (whom we call graduation candidates)
come from all backgrounds and experiences. They
include learners who struggle in a traditional school setting,
need additional one-on-one support or work jobs that don’t
fit with a traditional school day. Some are young parents; new
Americans learning English; or students who faced bullying,
racism or social anxiety in larger schools. Some are managing
medical conditions; others want to accelerate their studies,
graduate early and move on to college, trade school, careers
or the military. #AccelerateYourSuccess
AT
22
ACADEMIES
ACROSS
THE U.S.
MORE THAN
5,500
GRADUATION
CANDIDATES
CURRENTLY
ENROLLED
CELEBRATING
4,130+
GRADUATES
SINCE 2014

Contents
4
7
10 years of reimagining the pathway
to a high school diploma
District leaders find that
Acceleration Academies can fill an
important void
16
17
EAA graduate inspires
others students in speech at
commencement ceremony
LAA students get first-hand
look at health careers
8
9
10
12
13
14
16
SLAA alumnus becomes deputy
sheriff
BAA alumna finishing bachelor’s
degree in nursing
CSAA students get hands-on look at
careers in aeronautics
LCAA student earns diploma with
support from family and staff
MCAA student earns high school
diploma while working full time job
for the city.
ECAA graduate found the inspiration
she needed to shine
GCAA student overcomes challenges
with motivation from staff
18
19
20
21
22
CCAA grad off to pursue
his dream of becoming a
paramedic
MDAA student wants to
enlist in the Air Force
SAA graduate accelerates
his future
The decade ahead:
Acceleration Academies
added in Cobb County, GA
and Los Angeles, CA
Photos through the years
PATHWAYS MAGAZINE
© September 2024
EDITOR & DESIGNER
Lisa Meckley
WRITER
Jeffrey Good
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Steve Aicinena
Charles Anderson
Abby Ballin
Sarah Campbell
Jeffrey Good
Pat Gray
Lisa Meckley
Laura Muehl
Hali Schaefer
Annie Shaw
Andrew Whitaker

ACCELERATION
ACADEMIES
YEARS
2014 2024
10 Years of Reimagining
the Pathway to a High
School Diploma
On any given day in the United States, more than 2
million young people who should be building their
futures are instead seeing limited horizons because
they dropped out of high school. In hopes of giving
these young Americans a last chance at a diploma,
Dr. Joseph Wise and a group of reform-minded
educators and investors founded Acceleration
Academies a decade ago.
The network has grown from a single academy in
Washington State to include 22 campuses operating
in Florida, Nevada, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas
and, most recently, California — boasting thousands
of graduates and currently supporting 5,500-plus
students on their educational journeys.
Those numbers will only grow, as more public school
districts invite Acceleration Academies to partner with
them in re-engaging students who have dropped out,
are at risk of dropping out, or simply need a personalized
program with a flexible schedule.
“There’s always a population of young people
where the traditional model doesn’t really work
for them,” says Kelli Campbell, an EdTech pioneer
who was named CEO of Acceleration Academies
in November 2023. “It’s challenging for the school
districts to create something that’s unique and
flexible. We can do that.”
4 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

ACCELERATION ACADEMIES | CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF SUCCESS
“Don’t call us dropouts. We were pushed out.”
The benefit of earning a high school diploma is clear:
Over the course of their lifetime, each graduate
earns at least $305,000 more than a classmate who
dropped out. Each grad also saves society $345,000
in reduced reliance on public assistance, lower health
care expenses and lower rates of incarceration. Their
futures shine brightly.
Acceleration Academies is the brainchild of
Wise and David Sundstrom, veteran educational
leaders who conducted a national research study
of 6,000 high school dropouts and saw the need
for a different way. While many assume that those
who dropped out lacked intelligence, drive or a
sense of purpose, their research proved otherwise.
“It was not because the kids were consciously
choosing to reject what was on the table for them.
It was just the opposite — they felt they had been
rejected by a system that didn’t want them,” say
Sundstrom. Wise adds, “ ‘They said, ‘Don’t call us
dropouts. We were pushed out. The system pushed
us out.’ ”
Public schools are, by necessity, designed to educate
large groups of students in largely the same way.
Students attend from morning to afternoon, juggle
multiple courses, and cluster in classrooms where
teachers are hard-pressed to provide individual
attention.
The founders of Acceleration Academies determined
that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t meet the
needs of all learners, including ones who badly want
to succeed.
Students who must work during traditional school
hours to support their families, suffer from social
anxiety, need more one-on-one support, work best
when focusing on one course at a time, or want to
accelerate their studies — all cry out for a different
approach.
“Is there a better way to do this work?’ ” says Wise.
“Unquestionably, Yes!” [continues on next page]
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 5

ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Walk into any Acceleration Academies
campus and you’ll find a space that looks
very different than a traditional school.
Instead of navigating bustling hallways and desklined
classrooms, young people settle into comfortable
chairs in a bright and cheerful cafe-style setting
to work with educators, small groups of classmates
and by themselves.
The academies are located in spots
that offer easy access to public
transportation, social services and
food. Learners are invited to take
one subject at a time, moving on
only after they’ve demonstrated
mastery. And because the coursework
takes place via an online learning
platform, students can access
their courses when they’re away
from an Acceleration Academies
site — at home or anyplace where
there’s a wifi connection.
At the same time, academy leaders
know there’s no substitute for faceto-face
tutoring and support, and
students are expected to spend
time each week on campus. To accommodate a
variety of needs and keep learning going without
interruption, the academies are open year-round,
with hours that begin in the early morning and extend
into the early evening. Educators also make
themselves available by phone or video conference
6 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024
The academy model is
no accident; instead, it
is rooted in the original
research on what leads
a traditional student to
reject education. From
lighting to seating, from
location to language,
everything about an
Acceleration Academies
campus is designed to
provide a welcoming
alternative to the schools
from which graduation
candidates came.
after-hours and on the weekends.
Acceleration Academies educators recognize
that students are hindered not only by academic
challenges, but also by personal ones.
Every new GC is asked to complete the Graduation
Persistence Index (GPI), a proprietary, research-based
tool developed by Acceleration
Academies to take stock of non-academic challenges
and make a plan for overcoming
them.
Career and life coaches (known
as guidance counselors in traditional
schools) help young
people work through social and
emotional issues; find aid for
housing, food and child care; apply
for internships and map out
plans for college, trade school,
military service and well-paying
jobs. Graduation candidate advocates
(GCAs) serve as mentors
and motivators for GCs at every
step of their journey.
As Acceleration Academies celebrates
its 10th birthday in 2024,
the organization has big plans — most notably,
impacting more graduation candidates across
the country by tripling the number of academies
nationwide to 60 over the next few years.
Central to that plan is a system pioneered by
Sharp — ”model fidelity” — that ensures each

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF SUCCESS
academy deploys the proven educational practices
that have thus far produced more than 4,000 graduates.
Every time a new academy opens, a team of veteran
educator-coaches trains the new team in the
Acceleration Academies model, and then checks in
regularly to help fine-tune.
That approach is key to the rapid growth the
network expects in the years to come. The goal:
re-imagining alternative education in a way that
uses flexible scheduling, personalized learning
and a blend of in-person and remote coursework
to provide fresh hope and opportunity to
the widest possible range of learners.
“The company has grown to a place where we
have so much confidence in what we are doing.
We know that we can make that impact,”
says CEO Kelli Campbell. “Now we’re ready
to bring that impact to more people in more
places.”
District Leaders Find That Acceleration Academies
Can Fill an Important Void
Even in districts with large and thriving alternative education
programs, district leaders find that Acceleration Academies can
fill an important void. Take, for instance, St. Lucie County Public
Schools on Florida’s Atlantic coast. A decade ago, the district
had a graduation rate of only 75 percent, putting it in the bottom
third of the state’s school districts. Today, it has become one of
only three Florida districts to graduate 90 percent or more of its
students for 7 consecutive years.
The dramatic improvement has roots in the commitment by
district leaders to identifying struggling students and giving
them the support they need to get on track for success. But
it doesn’t stop there; since 2016, the district has also relied on
Acceleration Academies to reach out to students who had
already dropped out in an effort to re-engage them in their
education.
“
“If there is no
coordinated effort to
recapture kids who
have quit, then we’re
failing them twice. With
Acceleration Academies,
we saw an opportunity
to show that all kids
matter.”
- Dr. Jon Prince,
Superintendent
St. Lucie Public Schools
“If there is no coordinated effort to recapture kids who have quit,
then we’re failing them twice,” says St. Lucie Supt. Dr. Jon Prince. “With Acceleration Academies, we
saw an opportunity to show that all kids matter.”
As of the fall of 2024, St. Lucie Acceleration Academies has celebrated the graduation of nearly 683
young people who might once have thought a diploma out of reach. A key reason why is that SLAA
educators place a premium on keeping students engaged, and in persisting even when a young
learner turns temporarily into a “ghost.”
“The population that we serve, they know how to get lost,” explains Executive Vice President and
Chief Education Officer Dr. Margie Sharp. “What we’re trying to do is take this group of kids who
have disappeared and re-engage them in a format that works for their needs.”
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 7

ST. LUCIE ACCELERATION ACADEMIES | ALUMNI SUCCESS STORY
Chad Dawson: From GC to Successful Alumnus
“I had teachers who were there for me. They weren’t just there for the paycheck.”
It wasn’t easy for Chad Dawson
to make it through high school.
Raised in an isolated evangelical
community in Alabama, he escaped
to Florida as a high school junior
only to be told he had the academic
skills of a 5th grader.
Just as Chad started to make up
lost ground at Treasure Coast High,
he fell in with a fast crowd. He
started spending more time chasing
girls and hanging out with friends
than mastering English literature.
“I made honor roll one time and I
thought, hey, I was the stuff,” Chad
says. “I lost my way.”
Somehow, he finished the
required coursework. But a hurdle
remained: the standardized English
test Florida requires to
earn a full high
school diploma. In
the testing room,
Chad’s learning
deficits came
back — and he
could not seem
to pass.
“I was scared,” Chad recalled. He
reached out to a guidance counselor
who told him about a program where
he could get one-on-one coaching,
free of charge.
When Chad walked into St. Lucie
Acceleration Academies (SLAA), he
could tell he had arrived at a different
kind of school. There were no rows
of desks and packed classrooms. No
distracting social dynamic.
There was however, a team of
educators who had his back. With
their support, Chad applied himself
to the task of carefully reading
passages and answering questions in a
thoughtful, nuanced way. One day, his
phone rang. It was one of his coaches
at SLAA.
“ ‘Chad, I’ve got news for you,’ ”
Miss Mary said. “You passed the state
reading test.’ ”
“I remember it like it was
yesterday,” Chad said. “I was at the
top of the world.”
Today, Chad is nothing but a
success story. After earning his
diploma in 2017, he enrolled
at Indian River State College
and majored in criminal
justice. Sponsored by the
Martin County Sheriff’s
Office, he attended police
academy and was sworn in as
a deputy sheriff.
His journey has not been
without its challenges. He had
to go to school part-time so he
could work to support himself
and his family, including a
baby boy, Chad Jr., who was
born in 2021. In 2023, he
earned his associate’s degree
from Indian River State.
“When I walked across the
stage and heard my family
cheer for me, when I picked
up my son,” he said. “It
was an amazing experience,
knowing where I had come
from — I was an official
college graduate!”
“
“I didn’t get a lot
of help until I got
to Acceleration
Academies.”
-Chad D., SLAA Graduate,
and current deputy sheriff
8 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

BETHEL ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
ALUMNI SUCCESS STORY
Hannah Merritt,
Finishing BSN
Degree
A Decade Later,
First Female
Graduate Says “It
Was Everything I
Could Have Asked
or Hoped For.”
In 2014, Hannah Merritt was a high school
dropout, a teen mom and a young woman
who knew she needed to get her life on track
— not only for herself but also for her children.
In 2024, she’s closing in on a bachelor’s degree
in nursing and feeling gratitude for the nontraditional
school network that is celebrating
its 10th birthday this fall.
“When I heard about Acceleration Academies, I
decided that I was going to give my education
one last shot,” says Hannah. “It was everything
I could have asked or hoped for. I am honestly
and forever grateful.”
Hannah, now 28, was the first female to
graduate from a network that has celebrated
more than 4,000 graduates and operates in 22
locations across the United States — numbers
that just keep growing.
She graduated from the first academy, opened
in 2014 in partnership with the Bethel School
District in Washington state. She drives by the
campus every day on her way to her nursing
job at a drug addiction treatment center.
“They let you know you matter,” Hannah says of
the teachers, counselors and mentors at Bethel
Acceleration Academies (BAA).
There was a time when Hannah couldn’t bring
herself to care about her education. Before she
had even finished 9th grade, she dropped out.
But after she became pregnant with her first
daughter, Kora, “I thought, ‘I’ve got to get it
together.’ ”
Hannah cycled through in-person and virtual
schools before learning about BAA. She
appreciated the flexible scheduling, which
allowed her to hold down a job and care for her
child as well as pursue her diploma. “I was young
and I had a job, so I couldn’t go sit in a classroom
8 hours a day.”
Whether working remotely or on campus,
Hannah knew BAA educators stood ready to help
— particularly Kevin Torres, one of the original
faculty members and now the academy’s director.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would have
finished,” says Hannah. “He would remind me
of my kids, of why I was there in the first place.”
Today, those kids are growing up; Kora is 12, her
sister Nova 9 and their brother Bubba is 7.
“A lot of people I grew up with didn’t graduate,”
says Hannah. “With this program, there’s no
reason for anyone ever not to graduate. If
there’s an option to make it a little easier with
Acceleration Academies, that will give them a lot
more hope.”
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 9

Carolina Shores Students
Get Hands-On Look at
Careers in Aeronautics
At Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy, the learning
opportunities extend beyond the academy — all the way into the
future college and career paths of students working hard to earn
their high school diplomas.
“I want to finish high school and make my
parents proud — and I want to have options,”
says Tawani Murray, a graduation candidate at
CSAA. Classmate Candace Hawks adds, “I want
to have an actual career rather than just a job.”
Earlier this year, Tawani, Candace and
other classmates visited the
Myrtle Beach campus of
the Pittsburgh Institute of
Aeronautics (PIA) to learn about
an exciting option — a career
maintaining airplanes and their
electronic navigation systems.
PIA was founded in 1929 and
now includes four campuses
around the country that prepare
high school graduates for highpaying
jobs in the aviation
industry.
CSAA graduation candidates
were able to learn how an airplane instrument
panel is wired, see big turbines like the ones
that propel military and passenger jets, and
explore the inside of a plane that serves as a
learning laboratory.
“
“I want to finish
high school and
make my parents
proud — and I
want to have
options.”
- Tawani M.
“Students get all these cool opportunities
to get hands-on experience working on
airplanes,” says CSAA career and life coach
Chica Threadgill, who organized the trip
after a new graduation candidate (GC) said
during orientation that he was interested in
the field. “They were impressed — it was like
‘Wow, there’s something like this
in the area.’ ”
Tawani and Candace delighted
in the trip to PIA, as did their
classmate, Jessica Brown. Jessica,
15, has always been a strong
student — she was in the elite
International Baccalaureate
program at her previous school —
and is eager to explore where her
education might lead.
“I’m someone who likes to
explore all options,” says Jessica,
who came to CSAA to use the
personalized curriculum to graduate early
and pursue a degree in forensic science.
The scientific and technical orientation
of aviation careers appeals to her. “I love
science; it’s my absolute favorite subject.”
10 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

CAROLINA SHORES ACCELERATION ACADEMY
CSAA Graduation
Candidates Tawani Murray
and Candace Hawks at PIA
Math is not Jessica’s favorite subject and she
appreciates the help CSAA math coach Amy
MacPherson provided as she made her way
through pre-calculus. At the aeronautics
school, she was pleased to see that the very
math skills she’s building are central to work
in the industry. “They had the math I thought
I’d never use right on the board!”
The aeronautics program field trip is just
one of the opportunities Threadgill and
CSAA are providing to help GCs imagine and
plan for their futures.
Other recent events included an Amazon
Virtual Career Exploration Trip, in which GCs
were able to take a virtual tour inside the
shopping and tech giant — learning about
not only career options but also gaining such
practical knowledge as how to keep data
secure.
They also got to participate in The Reality
Check Game: The More You Learn, the More
You Earn. Each GC was given a hypothetical
checking account with $3,500 in it, and
were challenged to make some hard
decisions about how to spend it over the
course of a month: Live alone or with a
roommate? Rent a fancy apartment or
a more basic one? And how about car
payments, cable and internet charges, and
other day-to-day expenses?
While $3,500 might at first seem like a
huge sum, Threadgill says, the students
learned how quickly that cash can
disappear. And along the way, they had
the chance to reflect on how a high school
diploma and trade school or college can
dramatically increase their power to earn
and afford the choices they would like to
make.
“I wanted them to have a realistic
connection between education and pay,”
she says. “It helps them decide, ‘I really
want to get this done.’ ”
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 11

LEE COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Lee County Graduate
Briseyda
Valdez-Alonzo:
‘I wasn’t just doing it
for me. I was doing it
for them’
Briseyda and Family
For Briseyda Valdez-Alonso, the last chapter of
high school was anything but carefree. One of her
cousins got in a terrible car crash and landed in a
coma. Another cousin, a baby, died. Heartbroken
at home, Briseyda felt unmotivated to show up for
classes at her former high school.
When she did, she felt alone. “Most public schools
think whatever happens at home stays at home;
‘You can’t bring that here,’ ” says Briseyda. “But it’s
not something I could take off like
a bag and leave at home.”
She considered dropping out,
but then remembered why her
parents had moved from Mexico
to Florida to raise their children:
to give them the opportunity
for a better life. Briseyda knew
her opportunity began with
education, so she decided to
give herself a second chance
at Lee County Acceleration
Academies (LCAA). “Here, you
bring something and they’ll help
you with the burden.”
Briseyda found a calm and welcoming
environment at LCAA. “Even if you finish a simple
test, they give you a high five. They give you praise,”
she says of LCAA’s team of teachers, counselors
“
“Even if you finish a
simple test, they give
you a high five. They
give you praise,” she
says of LCAA’s team of
teachers, counselors and
advocates. “It makes you
want to work harder.”
- Briseyda
Future Esthetician
and advocates. “It makes you want to work
harder.”
That support extends beyond the academic,
to helping Briseyda and her classmates build
self-confidence and overcome the obstacles
— academic and personal — standing in the
way.
The positive spirit shone through in the way
students interacted with one
another. “Everybody knows
each other. Everybody
respects each other. There’s
no drama,” she says. “Here,
you face problems head-on.”
When Briseyda recently
celebrated her graduation
and membership in the
Class of 2024, her parents
and a huge group of other
relatives came to cheer her
on.
“My parents fought to get
me here so I could walk across that stage,”
said Briseyda, adorned in flowers and smiling
broadly. “Handing my diploma to them, I
wasn’t just doing it for me. I was doing it for
them — this is what they came here for.”
12 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

MARION COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Marion County Grad Dylan Dotten
Celebrates Hard Work and Diploma
When Dylan Dotten walked across the stage at graduation
for his former high school and took the dark folder
in hand, he thought he had finished his high school education
and received his diploma. But when he looked
inside, he saw that he had only received a Certificate of
Completion, he recalls. “I almost cried.”
While Dylan had completed
the coursework required
for his diploma, he had not
passed the standardized
testing required of Florida
high school graduates.
Complicating matters, he
had a full-time job working
in the city public works
department in Ocala, Florida,
and didn’t know where he was going to find the time
and tutoring to complete his education.
Unwilling to settle for a GED or give up his goal of a
diploma, Dylan learned about Marion County Acceleration
Academies (MCAA). There, he found, he would
be able to get the coaching he needed to prepare for the
testing — and take advantage of a flexible schedule to
pursue his academic goals while still reporting to his
full-time job.
At his old school, he says, “I had some good teachers
and I had some teachers who told
me they’d be surprised if I made
it out of school.”
At MCAA, by contrast, academy
Director Dr. Keyana Lyde, graduation
candidate advocate Shanna
Jennings and other educators not
only helped him prepare for the
state testing but also offered him
encouragement at every step. “I
had a lot more people to help me study here.”
With that support and his own hard work, Dylan passed
the state testing and was chosen to give the commencement
address to his classmates. “If you have a high
school diploma, you can go just about anywhere.”
Did you know...
We call our students
“Graduation Candidates”
(GCs) to remind them
every day of the reason
they are working so hard.
Our proprietary Graduation
Persistence Index allows us to
assess non-academic factors
known to impact student
success, providing an important
guide for customizing each
student’s learning plan.
Upon entry into our
program, GCs meet with
their Career/Life Coach so
they can begin mapping
out their future career
and education plan.
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 13

ESCAMBIA COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
ECAA Graduate Aaliyah Schuyler
Found the Inspiration She Needed to Shine
As much as she wanted to succeed at her old school,
Aaliyah Schuyler struggled with the lack of personal
attention from overworked teachers and a social
dynamic rife with bullying. “It was just too much
for me.”
When the Covid pandemic temporarily halted inperson
schooling, Aaliyah tried to study remotely
but was dispirited by the lack of one-on-one
support. She dropped out — but she wasn’t ready
to give up.
When she learned about Escambia County
Acceleration Academies, she checked it out and
knew she had come home. Instead of crowded
classrooms and rows of rigid desks, she found a
cool, cafe-style atmosphere with comfortable seats
and a quiet, calm vibe.
“It was different. There were no crowded areas,”
Aaliyah says. “You don’t have to move from class
to class to class. You can pick a spot where you’re
comfortable and just stay there.”
She also found a healthy social environment and
a team of educators who stood ready to help her
whenever she needed. “They always told me, ‘We’re
not here to put you down; we’re here to help you,’ ”
says Aaliyah. “ ‘If you need us, we’re by your side.’ ”
She said career coach Yalonda Tibbs was especially
helpful, working with Aaliyah to map out a plan
that would carry her not only to graduation day but
on to enrolling at George Stone Technical College
to study cosmetology. “She did a lot of stuff I would
never have expected her to do.”
Also inspiring was academy Director Mat Taylor.
At graduation, Taylor recalled the day when he and
Aaliyah bonded over the subject of snapdragons.
Aaliyah had struggled with a question about the
flowers on a science test, and Taylor confessed to her
that he didn’t know much about them, either.
They teamed up to do some research, and learned
together about the flowers that grow slowly during
the hot months of summer but then greet fall with
a vivid burst of color. As Aaliyah prepared to receive
her diploma, Taylor gave her some snapdragon
seeds to celebrate the way she had worked to bring
her high school career into bloom.
“Aaliyah, your story is like all of ours,” Taylor said.
“While everyone had obstacles to overcome, we are
here today because you persevered and overcame
them and have earned this diploma.”
“They always told me, ‘We’re not
here to put you down; we’re here
to help you,’ ” says Aaliyah. “ ‘If you
need us, we’re by your side.’ ”
ECAA Director Mathew Taylor and Aaliyah

“
“She did a lot of
stuff I would never
have expected her
to do.” -Aaliyah
AALIYAH SCHUYLER | Future Cosmetologist
with YOLANDA TIBBS | ECAA Career Coach

ECTOR COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
EAA Graduate Nayeli Serna:
‘If it weren’t for Acceleration
Academies, I would have
dropped out.’
GWINNETT COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
GCAA: Idaly Morales
Overcomes Challenges
with Support
Idaly Morales’ parents brought her
and her brother to the U.S. in hopes of giving
them a broader range of opportunities and
education. At her former traditional school,
she says, she would raise her hand, “but the
teachers would never take the time to explain
so I could get a good understanding.”
Then Idaly’s brother, Yordin, enrolled
at Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies
(GCAA). She decided to follow his lead.
“As soon as I came here and I saw it, I liked
it,” she recalls. “It’s quiet, there’s no drama
and whenever I need help, it’s there.”
Idaly failed geometry at her former
high school. At GCAA, the math coach has
worked patiently with her to turn a corner.
And when she needs some moral support
she turns to graduation candidate advocate
Jamaal Hickman.
“When I’m having a hard time, I go
and talk to him,” she says. “He makes me
smile, helps things go better.”
Her goal is to earn her diploma this
year and move on to beauty school. She
can’t wait to don a cap and gown and look
out to see her parents beaming. “They both
motivate me to do better,” says Idaly. “They
tell me, ‘You’ve got this.’ ”
16 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024
Like so many Americans, Nayeli Serna got sick with
Covid when the pandemic hit and ended up in the
hospital. Emerging from that ordeal, Nayeli felt uncomfortable
returning to a traditional school with its
crowded and potentially unhealthy classrooms and
hallways.
At Acceleration Academies of Ector County (EAA), she
was able to take advantage of the hybrid learning
model to do some of her work at home and come to
campus for a quiet learning space and as much oneon-one
support as she needed.
“All of them would motivate me, call me,
check up on me,” says Nayeli. They told
me, “Come on, you’re almost done!”
Nayeli has a deep commitment to her family, and EAA’s
flexible scheduling allowed her to care for her grandmother
and help her family through repeated setbacks
while also making progress in her coursework.
Nayeli credited several EAA educators, including academy
Director Natosha Scott, career coach Elsa Caballero
and graduation candidate
advocate Dionna
Williams. She said math
content coach Jennifer
Rosario-Perez helped her
make a 180-degree turn
in that challenging subject.
“If it weren’t for Acceleration
Academies, I would
have dropped out. I
wouldn’t be who I am today,”
said Nayeli.

LOWCOUNTRY ACCELERATION ACADEMY
Lowcountry Students Get First-Hand Look at Health Careers
“I’ve learned a lot about the medical field and I’ve learned about myself and
what I’m passionate about, which is helping people and fixing them.” - David
Graduation candidates eager to explore jobs
in healthcare had a hands-on opportunity in recent
months, as Lowcountry Acceleration Academy (LAA)
and YWCA Greater Charleston teamed up to bring
them face-to-face with people who have built their
career paths around helping others.
SheStrong is an ongoing YWCA program for high
school students who seek to engage with their communities
and develop as leaders and changemakers.
Supported by a $25,000 grant from Trident Health
and its parent company, HCA Healthcare, the YWCA
teamed up with LAA to offer graduation candidates a
rare opportunity to explore careers in healthcare.
All the GCs emerged with a clearer sense of purpose
and plans to study a variety of healthcare disciplines
in college. “I’m definitely going to college,”
said Shay Grant, 17, who recently earned her diploma
at LAA.
“It has been our pleasure and an honor to partner
with the YWCA and Lowcountry Acceleration Academy
in the SheStrong Program and helping give young
students an opportunity to experience healthcare,” said
Rod Whiting, director of communications and community
engagement for Trident Health. “We do need
that new generation of workers in healthcare.”
The YWCA focuses its efforts on empowering
women and eradicating racism, and it made SheStrong
available for LAA students who count themselves
as allies. One of them was David Mouzone, a young
Black man who had the opportunity to job-shadow
with a Black male surgeon.
“I’ve learned a lot about the medical field and I’ve
learned about myself and what I’m passionate about,
which is helping people and fixing them,” said David.
After earning his high school diploma at LAA, he
plans to enroll at Trident Technical College to earn an
associate’s degree as a surgical technician and, later,
attend medical school.
“Thirteen years of work
ahead of me,” he said. “It’s
something I love, so I think
I’m good. Find something
you love and it will never
feel like work.”
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 17

CLARK COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
CCAA Grad Justin Watson:
“Acceleration Academies
Saved My Life.”
Before he enrolled at Clark County
Acceleration Academies, Justin Watson had
cycled in and out of several schools — and in
and out of trouble.
“It went from ditching one class to ditching
every class for an entire week,” Justin says.
“Me getting into trouble got to be a habit.
At that point, it was easier to do bad than
to do good.”
Part of the problem, he says, was running
with friends who would rather skip class
than engage in their studies. There was also
the violence that regularly erupted in an
atmosphere of racial tension, amid educators
who seemed powerless to stop it.
Even when things were relatively calm, Justin
feared speaking up in class. “I was afraid that
if I raised my hand and said ‘I don’t get it,’
everybody would laugh at me.”
CCAA educators offered a different way,
inviting Justin into a calm and studious
learning environment at the North campus.
“It felt like home,” says Justin. “Kind of
heaven-like. It was peaceful, it was quiet,
literally no fights at all. None.”
Making matters better, he found a team
of educators who stood ready to help him
overcome the academic and personal
obstacles to success.
Particularly influential was graduation
candidate advocate Katya Riley. “There were
times when I would call her and say ‘Coach
Wendy Thompson, VP & Exec. Dir. of Academic
Engagement and Progress, with Justin Watson
Riley, I can’t do this. I don’t think I can graduate,’”
Justin recalls. “She said ‘You’ve been through so
much and you’re so close to the finish line; don’t
give up. I won’t allow you to give up.’ ”
Justin’s mom says he’s had to face challenges
from the very beginning. A difficult labor led to an
emergency Cesarean section — and a distinctive
name: Justin Thyme Watson. “They pulled him out
of there just in time,” recalls his mother, Lakisha
Brown.
Twenty one years later, Justin strode across the
stage to claim his diploma just after celebrating
his 21st birthday. Now, he’s off to pursue his
dream of becoming a paramedic. “Ever since I
was younger, it’s always been my dream to save
lives.”
That dream might have been out of reach if
it weren’t for the second chance he found at
Acceleration Academies. “There’s literally no doubt
about it,” Justin says. “Acceleration Academies
saved my life.”
18 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

MIAMI-DADE ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
“
That’s
“Here at Acceleration, they say, ‘You
don’t understand something? Come
here, let’s work on it, step by step.’
what I love about it.” -- Nayka
In Miami, Nayka Jean
Chases Big Dreams
Nayka Jean has big dreams: enlisting in the Air
Force, becoming a nurse, and helping to build a
hospital in her home country of Haiti.
All those dreams require, as a foundation, a
high school diploma. But for Nayka, circumstances at
the traditional public school where she was a student
seemed to be conspiring against her.
There was violence in the hallways, a social
scene that pressured her to skip class and teachers who
didn’t have the time to give her the one-on-one help she
needed.
“I used to ask this teacher for help. He would
look at me, saying, ‘Here’s the book. The
answer’s in the book,’ ” she recalled. “That’s
the main reason I was skipping — they
wouldn’t help me.”
Nayka wanted something better for
herself, and one day she heard a classmate
talking about Miami-Dade Acceleration
Academies (MDAA), which offered a flexible,
personalized path to her diploma.
She decided to check it out. Instead of crowds
and chaos, she found a calm learning environment. The
other students — who are called “graduation candidates”
to remind them of their goals — are interested in getting
work done rather than making mischief.
...
“Getting into Acceleration Academies is better
for me, not hanging with the wrong crowd,” she says.
Best of all, a team of educators stands ready to
help her at every turn. “Here at Acceleration, they say,
‘You don’t understand something? Come here, let’s
work on it, step by step.’ That’s what I love about it.”
Math coach Erick Velis works patiently with
her to overcome hurdles in that challenging subject.
Graduation candidate advocate Bryan Villagran picks
her up when she’s feeling down. “Keep
going, keep moving forward,” they tell her.
“If you don’t move forward, you’re in this
one little box.”
With that kind of encouragement, and
her own determination, Nayka is making
steady progress toward her dream of
graduation. After earning her diploma, she wants to
enlist in the U.S. Air Force, to serve her new country
and build skills that will serve her in life.
“I feel like the Air Force will make me
stronger,” she says. “I want to feel like I’m here for a
reason. I want to make a big impact.”
Did you know... Acceleration Academies is a
tuition-free, nationally accredited program!
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 19

SARASOTA ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
SAA: Personalized
Schedule Allows Gifted
Student to Thrive
Edgar Castaneda is a gifted student
who found it frustrating to constantly
wait for others to catch up with him in
classes at his former high school.
“The big problem I had with normal school
was that I would reach the wall where I couldn’t
progress any further while I was waiting for the
other kids to catch up,” says Edgar. That lack
of progress plunged him into a depression that,
when he was a sophomore, led him to drop out.“I
just didn’t feel like leaving my bed,” he says.
But stuck is not where
he wanted to be. His parents
had immigrated from Central
America to the United States in
hopes of building a better life
for themselves and their children,
and Edgar shared their
American dream.
After a full year out of
school, Edgar discovered Sarasota
Acceleration Academies
(SAA), which works in partnership with the
public school district to provide a non-traditional
path for students like him. He walked into a
learning space that felt unlike any school he had
ever known.
Instead of crowded classrooms and hallways,
he found a calm, uncrowded atmosphere with
comfortable chairs and small tables. While teach-
“
“The big problem I had
with normal school was
that I would reach the
wall where I couldn’t
progress any further
while I was waiting for
the other kids to catch
up.” -Edgar C.
ers at his old school had to match the pace of
learning to the majority of learners, at SAA,
Edgar was able to move through his courses
as quickly as he liked.
“The space is very comforting,” he says.
“Here, you’re able to work at your own pace
and the staff is more than willing to help if
you need.”
Edgar credits SAA
Director Michelle Llinas,
math coach Khaliah Augustin
and graduation candidate
advocate Frank Cruz
with providing him academic
and moral support.
Cruz says it was a
pleasure to have Edgar on
campus, and to see him celebrate
his diploma as a member of the Class
of 2024.
“Edgar was our best student. He came in,
sat in the corner and did his work,” he says.
“He’s really an outstanding young man with
a bright future.”
Smiling at Edgar, Cruz added, “I can’t
wait to see what you’re doing next, buddy.”
20 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

COBB COUNTY & LOS ANGELES ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Cobb County Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The Decade Ahead:
The Learning Will Only Accelerate
ACCELERATION
ACADEMIES
A decade ago, Acceleration
Academies opened its first campus
in partnership with the Bethel
(WA) School District. The network
grew slowly but steadily until the
2020 Covid pandemic temporarily
shuttered schools — and changed
the face of public education.
The pandemic left many
educators struggling with how to
engage students learning remotely,
and upon their return to brick-andmortar
classrooms. By contrast,
the educators of Acceleration
Academies had spent years honing
their skills at motivating students
working both on- and off-campus.
In 2022, Education Week
highlighted the network’s success
in rekindling the enthusiasm of
disengaged learners. In 2024
and beyond, public school
district leaders find a clear
value proposition: Acceleration
Academies inspire young learners
at no additional cost to either
student or district.
Academy staff members recruit
disenchanted students back to
school; the partner school district
then shares a percentage of the
per-pupil funding it receives to
empower Acceleration Academies
to prepare them for post-secondary
success.
Nearly 5,800 students are now
charting a personalized path at 22
Acceleration Academies across the
nation. The most recent campuses to
open are in California and Georgia.
In California, Acceleration
Academies is partnering with the
Los Angeles Unified School District
to re-engage students who have
dropped out, inspire them to return
to their original schools and support
them with one-on-one academic
tutoring — and wrap-around social
and emotional assistance.
In Georgia’s Cobb County,
YEARS
2014 2024
school district officials refer
students who need a supportive
alternative educational pathway. A
team of Acceleration Academies
content coaches and mentors crafts
a personalized plan for students
who need a calm and structured
environment along with steady
academic, social and emotional
support.
In coming years, those new
academies and students will be
joined by many others. Acceleration
Academies CEO Kelli Campbell
expects the network to triple in size.
“I’m a first generation high
school grad and I was able to make
my way to being a CEO,” says
Campbell. “Any of our graduates
can do the same. We can provide
the vision and dream to do anything
they want to do.”
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 21

ACCELERATION
ACADEMIES
YEAR S
2014 2024
Thank You
to our district partners, staff, alumni,
graduate candidates, and supportive families for being
a part of this life-changing work for the past 10 years!
Times have changed. But our mission has not.
Miami-Dade Graduation - 2018
Bethel Graduation - 2022
Gwinnett County Graduation - 2024
22 Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024

Miami-Dade Staff - 2017 GCs complete CTE course - 2018
GC talks with Founder Joey Wise - 2022 Joey Wise and featured GCs speak at an education conference - 2024
Carolina Shores
Graduation - 2024
Celebrating Clark County
graduates individually during
pandemic - 2020 St. Lucie Graduation - 2022
Pathways Magazine | Fall 2024 23

910 W Van Buren, Suite 315
Chicago, IL 60607
It’s time for something good to happen. #AccelerateYourSuccess
Follow us!
www.accelerationacademies.org