Atlanta Smaller Class School
Every Genius. Every Classroom. Every Day.
At Kindezi, we believe that every child is innately gifted with genius. Therefore we challenge all of our geniuses with rigorous and relevant content in smaller class schools, every day. We anchor all of our work with students in trusting and loving relationships. We are committed to delivering genius-awakening learning experiences every day, in every school, in every classroom, for every child. As an Atlanta Smaller Class School network, we create the perfect environment for learning.
What is a Genius Awakening Education?
At Kindezi, we believe Geniuses learn best when they:
Genius Awakening Learning Environments
We honor our geniuses’ identities and the gifts that they bring. We integrate restorative practices and SEL into our daily rituals and liberatory behavior management system. We actively cultivate joy and love in every single classroom.
Genius Awakening Content and Pedagogy
Geniuses’ are working on culturally relevant, engaging content aligned to the appropriate standards for their subject and grade. We ensure that our curricula includes content where geniuses see their identity and their community (mirrors) reflected.
Genius Awakening Learning Experiences
Schools leverage the real world application of the content by taking geniuses on field trips and bringing in guest speakers that are connected to the themes of the units being studied. Kindezi schools provide activity suggestions for parents to help support the learning at home that are aligned to the concepts and themes that are being learned at school (i.e. home activities, podcasts, articles, museums, games, questions to ask, etc.)
Genius Awakening Individualization
Teachers leverage small classroom sizes and pull multiple small groups based on anticipated misconceptions from data and in-the-moment checks for understanding to help push geniuses towards the rigor level of the content.
A Unique Approach
- Classes of 10 - 12 students allow for deeper connections between geniuses, staff, and families
- Our community is steeped in respect, trust, and love that creates an environment where every individual can bring their full identity to school and work.
- We have high expectations for all students, regardless of their background, need or identity
- Our teachers utilize a“Challenge and support” approach that values data-driven instruction, student voice, creativity, and innovation.
- We are committed to replacing all punitive discipline practices with practices that are restorative and support social emotional growth.
- Our Academic scores indicate that geniuses demonstrate high levels of individualized growth
- We value a holistic education that also emphasizes social-emotional learning, experiential learning, enrichment and after school activities.
Our Grounding
Principles of Instruction
Rigor:
In our Atlanta Smaller Class School network, our students engage in content aligned to the standards for their subject and grade. They work with high quality curriculum, texts, and tasks that expand their understanding and build their skills. They are responsible for doing the thinking in each lesson -- analyzing, reasoning, justifying, explaining, writing, creating. They listen to, build on, and interrogate others’ ideas. They persevere through challenges, and are not afraid of struggle.
Relationships:
Our students feel seen, heard, and valued by their teachers and peers. Our classrooms and schools are inclusive communities where diverse individuals treat each other with respect, kindness, and care. Authentic connections and trusted adults empower students to take risks, collaborate with others, own their actions, advocate for their needs, and demonstrate leadership.
Relevance:
Our students know school matters because learning is connected to real-world experiences, issues, and opportunities. What our students learn at school helps them understand the wider world, including the social, cultural, intellectual, and emotional settings that shape people's lives and actions. Students feel included and validated at school as they see themselves and their communities represented in their coursework, while also learning about people, places, and times that are less familiar. They develop a social justice orientation and the agency to make a real world difference.
Content Visions
Our content-specific vision statements paint a picture of how the Principles of Instruction translate to each class.
