Why Shader Croft?
Shader Croft is not your typical summer program; it is different and kids know it immediately. Small groups and a 3 to 1 student/teacher ratio allow for personalized instruction and ensure real growth. The students lead the way and the teachers are there to guide and support them. Young adolescents thrive in such an environment.
Shader Croft’s ultimate educational goal is to close the achievement gap between students which, by middle school, can be quite substantial. Inadequate literacy skills along with delayed social and emotional development are the main contributors to the widening of that gap in the educational setting and beyond. Young adolescents are particularly vulnerable and have unique needs. Shader Croft, in recognizing those needs and the special qualities and attributes of young adolescents, has developed a program just for them.
Young adolescents are …
- dealing with a lot of changes
- discovering who they are and where they fit
- becoming more and more independent
- thinking differently
- awkward and unsure
- adventuresome
- rebellious
- emotionally fragile
- and much more. It is truly a special, unique and challenging time of life.
Consequently, young adolescents need programming that is …
- engaging, focused and relevant
- relational
- fun, experiential and adventuresome
- supportive and confidence building
- student centered and personalized
- expansive and growth enhancing
- effective
Shader Croft is effective because we provide the optimal learning environment and context that can provide a surge in cognitive growth in the areas of language, communication and social development. Dr. Kurt Fischer, Harvard Graduate School of Education professor and researcher (retired), explains that cognitive development, as modeled in Dynamic Skill Theory, happens in bursts when the conditions for growth are optimal. Shader Croft provides just such a learning environment.
Shader Croft truly understands young adolescents and their needs, challenges and potential AND that they are often the forgotten middle. We firmly believe the paths that one starts down in those early adolescent years are the paths that one will continue to follow long after. Shader Croft helps young adolescents find a good path and helps them develop the academic and personal skills to stay on that path.