School News & Information

Educational Program at Frazier Preparatory Academy

The Academy plans an innovative curriculum designed to help students achieve their academic goals while in school, and their life goals after graduation. In the morning, Academy students will pursue rigorous core courses designed to prepare them for college. In the afternoon, Academy students will participate in the Paragon curriculum, which has been successful in over 50 programs across the country. The Paragon curriculum uses innovative teaching methods to guide children through a series of eras and cultures, increasing their understanding and bringing them to a deeper understanding of their own world through a combination of music, lecture, performance, activity, and multimedia.  Paragon introduces children to great thinkers and great ideas from the beginning of time, and teaches students to ask important questions, solve problems, and to apply their understanding of history to solve real-world practical problems.

         In order to increase the relevance of the Paragon program to North Lawndale students, the Academy will employ an artist-in-residence. The artist in residence will be an individual from the neighborhood, and will work within the Paragon program to show students how art can be used as a form of personal expression, and how art can reflect local culture and teach others about our own experiences through painting, sculpture, dance, theater, film, and music.

         The Academy will also partner with other local businesses and community organizations to provide innovative programs during and after school. Programs in business, science, entrepreneurship, and management skills are just some of the programs we plan to offer through partnerships with the community.

         The Academy will use technology throughout all grades as a part of both the morning and afternoon programs. ILS software will be used for assessment and instructional purposes and students will have many opportunities to pursue research through computers and to express themselves via computers, film, video, and multimedia. In the higher grades, classes will make increasingly greater use of technology, and students will receive meaningful training in how to use technology in their current and future academic pursuits. Increased focus on technology will not only help students achieve academically, but it will also give them the tools they will need to succeed after graduation as they move on to college and out into the work force.

         Paragon’s Design team is in the process of charting the curriculum alignment to Illinois Learning Standards. The ILS system used (A+) and the Language Arts curriculum (Open Court reading) are fully aligned to Illinois standards. We will follow the recommendation of the CMSI for math and science curricula, to ensure that state standards are met and exceeded at the Academy