Executive Summary
Donelson Christian Academy
Mr. Keith Singer, Headmaster
300 Danyacrest Drive
Nashville
,
TN 37214
Introduction
1
Description of the School
2
School's Purpose
4
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
6
Introduction
Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder
engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis.
Executive Summary
Donelson Christian Academy
Page 1
Description of the School
Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves?
Donelson Christian Academy is a rigorous, college-preparatory nondenominational Christian school that has served the Nashville, Tennessee, community for over forty years. The school educates 791 students from two-year-old preschool to grade twelve. Donelson Christian Academy draws the majority of its students from Metropolitan Nashville and Wilson County.
Within a five mile radius of the school in 2010, there was a population of 104,217. The median household income was $60,507 for 43,726 households. By 2015, the number of households is expected to grow to 46,624, and the median income is also expected to grow to $68,148. In 2010, 18.2% of the households within a five mile radius of the school exceeded $100,000 in annual income. That number is also expected to grow to 24.4% by 2015.
There has also been significant population growth in Wilson County. A number of new schools have been built in both Davidson and Wilson County within a twenty mile radius of the Academy. Those schools provide competition in various areas for DCA, but the growth in
population has also benefitted DCA. There is no striking growth in the student body from any particular zip code and many of the percentages of families from various zip codes have remained fairly consistent.
Student racial diversity has increased since the previous accreditation process. In addition, the introduction of international students into the community has also added to the racial and cultural diversity of the student body.
The faculty and student body are reflective of a nondenominational school. A variety of churches and denominations are represented amongst both the students and faculty.
The faculty is professionally licensed in their subject areas and over 50% hold an advanced degree in their field. In addition, over 60% of the high school faculty has an advanced degree, including 4 Ph.D.'s and 1 Ed.D.
The school has successfully transitioned into a new series of administrative leaders after the retirement of long-tenured administrators in the positions of Headmaster, Director of Finance, and High School Principal.
DCA is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools, and the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). The preschool is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Education.
In the most recent three years, the first floor of the entire campus was fully renovated following the Great Nashville Flood of May 2010. The $2.7 million dollar project was completed in August, 2010.
The curriculum at Donelson Christian Academy is ideally suited to challenge individual students in every area of their educational experience. Ability levels are addressed both within the classroom and by grade level beginning in the lower elementary grades. Accelerated programs are available beginning in Kindergarten. The Academy offers college preparatory classes in every subject area. Honors courses are offered
Page 2
in a variety of disciplines beginning in the middle school. At the high school level, students are offered the opportunity to receive college credit by taking up to 38 credit hours in dual-enrollment courses. In addition, nine AP courses are taught enabling further study in college-level courses. Students demonstrate significantly higher test scores at every college-level than national and state norms.
The Academy has developed a strong reputation in both athletics and fine arts. Twenty-four sports are offered on the varsity level. Sixty middle and high school athletic teams and an elementary intramural program offer students a variety of participation options. The Fine Arts Department offers a wide range of classroom and performance opportunities for students.
Technology is integrated into everyday activities both inside and outside the classroom. Promethean interactive white boards are used in every classroom from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. All students in grades six through twelve are equipped with their own Dell tablet computer to be used at school and at home for all subject areas.
Students are well-positioned for the college admissions process. The school employs a full-time college counselor who works with families throughout the college admissions process. DCA students earned nearly 700 college credit hours on campus last year through dual enrollment and AP courses. Over 70% of the junior class and 65% of the senior class are currently enrolled in an AP or Dual Enrollment course during the 2013-2014 academic year. Many students start their university experience with a number of credit hours already completed.
DCA is also highly engaged with the local community. Students are encouraged, and in some cases required, to participate in community service events. DCA seniors alone will invest over 2,400 hours in community service this year. Individual, club, grade level, and community wide fundraisers, service opportunities, and food drives all contribute significantly to the Donelson-Hermitage and broader Nashville areas.
The location of the Academy in a residential neighborhood is a great strength that also presents some challenges. Further challenges also exist in a changing marketplace in the areas of admissions and advancement.
Overall, the history and mission of the Academy remain as relevant today as in 1971. The school has successfully navigated a number of recent challenges and transitions and is well-positioned to move forward into the next stage of its history.
Executive Summary
Donelson Christian Academy
Page 3
School's Purpose
Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students.
Donelson Christian Academy's Mission:
Donelson Christian Academy serves Christ by assisting parents in providing students with a challenging, college-preparatory education taught from a nondenominational biblical worldview that develops the whole person into a Christ-like leader in the home, church, and community.
The mission statement forms the basis for the program at the Academy. Each decision and strategic priority is based on the mission statement and is reflective of the purpose described. The mission statement is representative of the historic and present school community.
DCA reaffirmed its current mission statement through a task force appointed by the Board of Trustees following the "Vision 2020" summit in 2011. This group had representatives and received verbal and written feedback from a variety of constituencies on campus. The statement was drafted from a former mission statement, voted on by the Board of Trustees, and presented at the annual meeting.
It has been used exclusively since the spring of 2012, in lieu of the statement used previously starting in 2009. In addition, the administrative staff developed and introduced three statements that are descriptive of the mission statement in the fall of 2012. The statements "Teach in Truth", "Challenge in Community", and "Lead for the Kingdom" encompass the major components of the mission statement and the purposes defined.
The school does provide a challenging, college-preparatory experience that is taught from a nondenominational biblical worldview. The faculty desires to "Teach in Truth" and attempts to integrate faith into learning in every aspect of the school experience for students. The perspective that "All Truth is God's Truth" is prevalent in every aspect of a DCA education. Furthermore, testing indicates that DCA students excel on all standardized testing when compared to state or national norms. Recent three-year results are the highest on record in many areas and indicate that DCA students are prepared well for the university setting. Recent additions to the entire program indicate the seriousness DCA places on providing the best possible college preparatory experience for students. DCA's breadth of honors, dual enrollment, and AP offerings is exceptional for the size of the student body. Accelerated offerings in the elementary program also help fully prepare students for the rigors of the academic experience provided in middle and high school. The faculty, staff, student body, and parent body are reflective of a nondenominational setting. The chapel and Bible courses are extremely intentional at every level of equipping students in Biblical knowledge, but are not predominantly taught from a particular denominational perspective.
Challenging students in the midst of a faith-based community helps develop students prepared to "Lead for the Kingdom". The mission statement articulates developing the whole person into a Christ-like leader in the home, church, and community as a major goal of the DCA program. The community service program, including the full semester service program in the senior Bible course, is designed with the mission statement in mind. Grade level and entire community service projects, fundraising, and food drives are indicative that DCA believes that active engagement is an important part of students developing into Christ-like leaders. The whole person is developed through a variety of spiritual, academic, athletic, club, fine art, and off campus activities. In addition, faculty mentoring and relationships help develop an environment ideally suited to challenge students in their spiritual formation, academic development, and growth as Christ-like leaders.
Page 4
The strength of the community has long been a DCA hallmark. Students, parents, alumni, faculty, and staff all indicate the importance and reality of a different degree of relationship within the DCA experience. Surveys and other feedback consistently indicate that one of the greatest strengths of DCA is the strong sense of community.
Board, faculty, and staff orientation programs all include a thorough education on the mission statement and how it is represented in the program. In addition, faculty and staff professional development experiences including reading and discussing mission specific books also help community members best understand how to implement the mission most effectively.
An alumni survey is also underway in order to determine the extent that alumni are living out the desired outcomes of the mission statement.
The mission statement and the three descriptive phrases are indicative of the DCA experience. In addition, they form the basis for the next set of strategic initiatives at the Academy.
Executive Summary
Donelson Christian Academy
Page 5
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years.
The most recent three-year period in the life of the Academy has included several watershed moments as the school desires to build on the past and prepare to move into the future. The May 2010 "Flood of Blessings" reoriented various strategic priorities of the school and required an immediate implementation of others.
Perhaps most notably, the school completed a $2.2 million capital campaign to reconstruct the first floor of the main building. The renovated facility included new infrastructure, furniture, gymnasium floors, upgraded locker rooms, new weight room equipment, cafeteria tables, and a host of technology upgrades and improvements. The school opened on time in August 2010 in a truly miraculous recovery due to the generosity of so many within the school and broader community.
In January of 2011, a vision summit titled "Vision 2020" was held that included various stakeholders throughout the DCA community. A wide-ranging discussion was facilitated that including various strategic priorities for the institution moving forward. A mission statement evaluation and review task force was appointed and the current version of the mission statement was re-introduced to the entire DCA community in May 2011.
The vision summit emphasized the need for branding and further communication. A series of initiatives were launched to better
communicate with a variety of stakeholders. Each week a newsletter titled the Crossway is published to better inform the entire community of all areas of Academy life. In addition to other modes of communication already in place, a series of grade-level coffees each January with parents are an effort to communicate grade level pertinent information and gain feedback. Curriculum preview nights for parents in both fifth and eighth grade enable them to hear from department chairs about the middle and high school curriculums, respectively. In addition, a new curriculum guide has been developed and published each year for the previous two years. The high school teacher curriculum night has also been added each fall for parents to hear about the curriculum from each teacher. Upgraded communication also included a new website launched prior to the flood.
In the area of technology, the 1-to-1 program is now firmly established in middle/high school. In addition, the elementary program uses iPad centers and rapid response devices to supplement instruction already advanced in the use of the technology provided by Promethean boards in every classroom. New Accelerated Math software is also now in use in elementary, as well as various curricular enhancements provided by a new mathematics curriculum. An entire wireless infrastructure upgrade including new wireless access points, new servers, and new software throughout campus was completed in 2012-2013
The academic program and curriculum has also changed to best reflect the school's college preparatory mission. The science department has added AP Environmental Science, AP Physics, and an individual Chemistry research course. The foreign language department has added Chinese as a fourth language option. Additionally, the entire Middle and High School Bible curriculum was redesigned and implemented in the fall of 2011
In Fine Arts, participation and offerings have also increased. A gift of a 3D printer led to the creation of a 3D Studio Design course. AP Art has also been added. Student work is now displayed in the two new art galleries provided by Annual Fund donations and a foundation grant. A new choir room, the growth of Legacy (DCA show choir), and a near doubling in size by the band in the previous three years indicate significant growth in the performing arts.
Page 6
Various security upgrades have also been recently completed including a new lobby entrance doorway, new door locks in all second floor classrooms, a fence in the rear of the building to secure the courtyard area, and two-way communication devices in the preschool area.
New property has also been acquired during the previous three years that has led to the creation of a new practice field adjacent to the existing baseball field. This property linked several previously owned properties to the main DCA campus.
"Vision 2020" also indicated the importance of further funding for the mission. The Academy has shifted from an event based fundraising model to an investment based model. In addition, fundraising for a variety of other enhancements on campus from the Annual Fund, PTO, booster clubs or designated gifts have helped improve the current facility.
The preschool area of the school has moved from the former portable buildings in the rear of the building to the new modular buildings as well as the elementary hallway. The Pre-K and four year old preschool program have been merged to form one program titled Pre-K.
An international program that includes thirteen current students has also been started. An ESL program that best serves the instructional needs of the students has also been implemented. In addition, school families provide living accommodations for the students through the new Host Family Program.
An annual spiritual life retreat has been added in the middle school at the beginning of each year. Theme verses and banners throughout the school have been created to reinforce the spiritual theme for each year.
In athletics, a co-op program with USN allows DCA students the opportunity to compete in lacrosse and swimming.
Further challenges exist in establishing a firm financial foundation for the school. Greater alumni connection, communication, and support along with continued advances in communication also present a challenge. Facilities enhancement and the creation of new facilities will be necessary to remain in the best possible position to accomplish the mission. Finally, supporting the faculty and staff in every area with more resources is important in order to retain and recruit the most committed group of teachers to mentor the students.
Executive Summary
Donelson Christian Academy
Page 7
Additional Information
Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections.
The Executive Summary is considered to be a complete description of our school at this point in time.
Page 8
