Philosophy of Accelerated Schools

An Accelerated School strives to be the school we all want our children to attend. The Accelerated Schools philosophy is founded on three principles:

Unity of purpose – All members of the school community work together toward a common set of goals that will best benefit all students.

Empowerment with responsibility - Every member of the school community takes part in a shared decision making process, taking responsibility for his or her actions.

Building on Strengths – Students, teachers, staff and parents bring their own talents to the school community. These talents and strengths are invaluable to the Accelerated Schools Process.

Accelerated Schools share a set of nine values which guide the actions and practices of the school community members. These values are:

Equity -Accelerated Schools provide access for all students to have high quality education.

Participation - Everyone - students, parents, the school staff, and community members participate in the process.

Communication and Collaboration - The entire school community is unified in its purpose and works together and share ideas to reach its vision.

Community Spirit - The school staff, parents, students, district employees and local community build strong connections and identities.

Reflection - In transforming the school, the school community takes time to reflect, to do research, to work together and to share ideas.

Experimentation - The school community explores, designs, tests and implements programs as a result of communicating about and reflecting upon the school's challenges.

Trust - Teachers, parents, support staff, administrators, district office, community members, and students come to believe in each other, support one another and focus on each other's strengths.

Risk-taking - The school community promotes a safe environment for informed risk- taking.

School as the center of expertise - The members of the school community recognize that they possess the vision and the talent they need to make their dreams a reality.

Respect - Each member of the school community shows regard for the work of other by being open to diverse ideas and points of view.

(Source: The Accelerated Schools Resource Guide)

The University of Texas at Austin - Southwest Center for Accelerated Schools ELITE
Bonnie Hamill, Director

4030 W. Braker Lane Bldg. 2, Room 243 Austin, TX 78759 Ph: 512.232.0700
Email Us:
acceleratedschools@austin.utexas.edu