Genesis Innovation Academy will open two schools -- one for boys and one for girls -- because gender-specific education models are proving more fruitful, organizers say.
Gavin Samms, the schools’ founder, said each school will house approximately 250 students, allow for individualized instruction through smaller class sizes and still giving students coed interaction needed for social development, as the schools will be housed on the same campus.
“We focus so much on the test scores (that) we lose focus on the kid,” Samms said. “In the world we’re living in, we’re not rewarding test-takers. We’re rewarding the innovators.”
The academies were approved by the State Charter Schools Commission in September. Samms said the planned curriculum -- teaching core subjects through applied situations -- sets them apart.
“The idea you can create something new, something people want … and still deal with these test scores ... spurs innovation, makes kids think critically about real-world situations,” he said. “With math, you tie it to economics and finance. Reading? Ethics.
“Our kids aren’t struggling because they don’t know Shakespeare, they’re struggling because they don’t know how to establish relationships.”
Though approved for all grades, the school will open its doors in the fall for students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
The deadline for applications is Wednesday.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Genesis Innovation Academy open house
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 25
WHERE: The Guice Center, 1485 Woodland Ave. in Atlanta
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