The Empowerment Academy
Baltimore City Public School System
Carolyn L. Smith, Principal
851 Braddish Ave., Baltimore, MD 21216
443-984-2381 - (Fax - 410-362-2454)
Converted to charter school status in August 2005
PreK-7th Grade, 216 students
http://empowerment.baltimorecityschools.org


About The Empowerment Academy

The Empowerment Academy converted to charter school status in 2005.

In addition to making Adequate Yearly Progress with high performance scores for each year of The Empowerment Academy’s existence, additional achievements and accomplishments include:

• A partnership with Northrup Gruman that trains fifth and sixth grade female students to become future engineers.
• BOOST Grants awarded for the past three years to support an after school program.
• An attendance rating of excellent by MSDE because of a 96 percent attendance rate.
• Awarded a five-year charter renewal from Baltimore City Public School System
• Submission of five students in grades 3 through 6 for the Academic Achievement Award Foundation for outstanding academic achievement.
• Dr. Alonso nominated one of Empowerment Academy’s teachers for the Maryland State Department Education Educator’s Talent Bank
• Dr. Ben Carson awarded a fourth grade student a Ben Carson Scholarship in 2007.
• A third grade student was the champion for the Novice Division of the Baltimore City Public School System Chess Tournament.
• One of our student’s visual artwork was displayed at the Walters Art Gallery.

Program Philosophy and Model:

• The Empowerment Academy is a school dedicated to character development while meeting the academic and cultural needs for the students of the 21st century.
• The Empowerment Academy approaches education with the belief that all children can learn and achieve.
• The Empowerment Academy uses the arts to motivate and sustain students in academic success and to develop lifelong appreciation of music, art, dance, and theatres.
• The Empowerment Academy accommodates multiple learning styles and needs through differentiated instruction that is child-centered and engaging.
• Because children attend from throughout the city, transportation is not provided.

Learning Environment:

• The vision of The Empowerment Academy is to place students, educators, and families directly in the center of learning.
• Students have access to advanced technological devices such as smart boards, a mobile computer lab, and wireless internet connection.
• The school works diligently to infuse the arts into academic programs.
• Courses in visual arts, dance, computers, theatre, computer technology, vocal and instrumental music are offered to every student.
• We have a mirrored dance room, string instruments for our orchestra, and an auditorium where our students perform theatrical and musical productions.

Student Support Services and Programs:

• The Empowerment Academy staffs a team of experts to assist students in meeting their social, emotional, and academic goals.
• A Student Support Team identifies students who may need additional help in meeting with academic and behavioral success.
• An I. E. P. Team ensures that students with special needs are rendered appropriate services as described in their I.E.P.s.
• An inclusion specialist who assists teachers in differentiating instruction in order to tap into all learning modalities so that students have opportunities to become well-rounded scholars.
• Teachers use an online data based program to pinpoint students’ academic strengths and deficiencies which helps us to individualize instruction and provide our students with a roadmap toward academic success.
• Parents/guardians also volunteer at least 50 hours of their time to the school to help support the students in their quest for academic excellence.
• An Artist in Residency Program involves a local artist working directly with students to create murals, masks, and other crafts; the resident artist collaborates with teachers to bring fictional and non-fictional text alive by making connections with literature through artistic expression.

Partnerships:
The Empowerment Academy has strong ties to the community, enjoying partnerships with the following:

• Allender Trasnportation
• Center Stage
• Enoch Pratt Library
• Family League of Baltimore
• Goucher College
• Johns Hopkins University
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
• Morgan State University
• Northrup Gruman
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
• The Baltimore Museum of Art
• The Continentals Society, Inc.
• The Empowerment Temple AME Church
• Walters Art Gallery