The mission of UPA Palm Beach is to provide students with the Academic, Leadership and Social skills that will enable them to graduate from college.
Academic
From day one, regardless of whether the students are kindergarteners or eighth graders, our students will enter University Prep with the understanding that they are headed to college. Our academic program is designed to accelerate the learning of our students and prepare them for rigorous high school and college coursework. As you will read later in this application, our academic program will hold students accountable for academic success and structures are built in for assisting those students who may be struggling. The use of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) will not only be used as the core program focus, but looked at as a minimum set of academic expectations. We will expect our students to rise above the academic standards put in place by the CCSS/NGSSS
Leadership
The culture at University Prep will be that student achievement is everyone’s responsibility, from each of the teacher’s on staff, to the administration, to the volunteers, and to the students themselves. All of the stakeholders will be empowered to take a role within the leadership of the school, whether it is through the school’s board of directors, accountability committee, staff teams, or students helping to form academic clubs and groups that focus on student achievements. Additionally through the six-pronged approach to our instructional design, students will be taught specific leadership skills that they will need to be successful in their future lives, whether it be in leading a team or an industry.
Social Skills
The student population University Prep intends to serve are the areas identified by the state as some of the most difficult educational zones in the state of Florida. We are confident that with our college focused aim, we will help students succeed. Students in these areas may feel defeated, as they have attended schools that are “failing,” may come from families struggling to survive, and thus may not be able to dedicate the time and resources necessary to focusing on educational priorities. In addition to the academic needs of our students, these mind sets and social skills will be an important focus of University Prep.
