Grounded in the values of determination, flexibility, respect, and joy, The Learning Center provides individualized learning support for the PreK4-8th grade students who are enrolled in KIPP DC schools, and who benefit from specialized educational supports. Students are engaged in a small, safe, and supportive learning environment that can nimbly respond to their needs and accelerate their learning. With a 3:1 student to classroom staff ratio, students learn through a research-based curriculum with targeted interventions and wrap-around supports.
"We are committed to the potential of our students and know that with the right support and resources, all students can succeed. We foster a love of learning by engaging students in small, safe, and supportive learning environments that promote their social, emotional and academic well-being."
Michael Cordell, Principal, The Learning Center
Approach to Education
The Learning Center supports students in grades PreK4 through 8 who are currently enrolled in KIPP DC schools, and whose Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) indicate that they require specialized instruction and related services in a full-time setting outside of general education. Alongside general KIPP DC curriculum, The Learning Center uses interventions such as Wilson, Touch Math, Spire, Read 180 and Math 180. The Learning Center employs a 3:1 student to adult ratio to seamlessly and effectively support every student.
System of Supports
At The Learning Center, mental health practitioners, behavioral analysts, mental health practitioners, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and our clinical psychologists are present every day, working side-by-side with our teachers to promote students’ social, emotional, and academic well-being. The Learning Center also employs wraparound services for students and families to improve student learning and build healthier communities by addressing the environmental, health, and economic challenges that can hinder a student’s academic or social growth.
Curiosity
The curiosity program is a community-based instructional model for select 2nd to 8th grade students at The Learning Center. In this program, students learn life skills such as budgeting, understanding how to utilize transportation, and cooking and caring for themself safely. Students in this program have intensive academic support from a highly qualified teacher and assistant teacher and receive 40 minutes of social-emotional learning each school day.
Tenacity
The tenacity program is The Learning Center’s early childhood program for PreK4 – 1st grade students. Students in this program participate in play-based academics and learn in small groups. Throughout their day, students in this program rotate through centers, including technology, teacher-led instruction, and kinesthetic movement-based activities.
Legacy
The Learning Center’s legacy program supports Kindergarten to 8th grade students with profound emotional and behavioral disabilities. It strives to create a calm and tranquil environment for students requiring targeted emotional and behavioral support while progressing academically.
