JABALI ACADEMY
Building a community of lifelong learners!
In the educational landscape, children whose heritage is connected to African communities face an uphill battle when it comes to learning about the influence and importance of those ancient civilizations on the development of the modern world. The ethnic identities of students are not affirmed in many school contexts, therefore forcing students to feel as if they have to sacrifice or deny integral parts of their being in order to pursue and achieve academic excellence. In addition, with the way that school funding has been tied to local taxes, many families are forced to look outside of their neighborhoods in order to find the types of comprehensive educational experiences they desire for their children. These factors create the need for educational institutions that prepare students to be global citizens while affirming who they are.
Jabali Academy (JA) is an independent Preschool - 8th grade school complemented by extended childcare and enrichment offerings that will provide a curriculum centered in African communities throughout the world. This approach will be coordinated with traditional explorations of English, Math, Social Studies, and the arts and will simultaneously broaden the world view of the student body and equip them with practical skills that will be useful in securing gainful employment. To achieve this mission, we envision a campus equipped with spacious classrooms, science labs, a multipurpose recreation/assembly space, and a field for outdoor activity. The school will be centered in an area of southern Los Angeles currently offering few independent school options.
Our primary tenet is Community-based transformative education, signaling the importance of partnership with and uplift of the surrounding community. We will supplement the school with goods and services (ex: library/bookstore) that will help draw business and spending in the local area, resulting in a transformative effect via the creation of jobs and a healthy micro economy.
There is research that supports the idea that early reading programs, teachers of color, and dedicated mentoring have a positive impact on the educational trajectory of Black and Brown students. These are all methods that will be employed by JA so that students will have the choice upon completion of 8th grade to either continue in independent education or enter their local public high school in the college preparatory tracks that have competitive universities as an inevitable next step.
Students will leave JA not only with a skill set for success but also a strong sense of identity and world view that will lead them to be change agents for justice and equity in the world.
