Carolina Community Academy takes a holistic, collaborative, strengths-based, and innovative approach to education. While curriculum centers around themes from the North Carolina Standards, students also learn essential skills like emotional regulation, anger management, friendship skills, and problem-solving. In addition to teachers, counselors and social workers support students with small group and individual support for more focused instruction and guidance.
Four pillars guide the work of the UNC School of Education and, in turn, guide the School’s approach to the Carolina Community Academy and the communities it serves:
- Educating the Whole
Learning depends on the well-being of children, their families, and their communities. Working with educators, parents, schools, communities, and other UNC-Chapel Hill units, the School empowers learners and communities to thrive. CCA students will engage in developmental play as experiences build background knowledge and vocabulary through integrated units of student, guest speakers, and field trips. Students will also receive explicit instruction in social-emotional regulation and learn tools to persevere, collaborate, and problem solve. CCA partners with parents and the UNC-Chapel Hill community to support the practice and nurturing of all domains of development. - Empowering Leaders of Tomorrow
The School enables its educators and scholars to lead; to think creatively, act with passion, and strive for excellence and equity for all. The School’s graduates emerge as leaders in their institutions and communities, and mindfully contribute toward continually improving and transforming them. CCA students will develop leadership skills through collaborative work groups, classroom jobs, and rewards for personal and classroom responsibility. The school also nurtures leadership through programs like student government, big buddies, and university mentors. Parents are also supported in their leadership through programs like Parent Academy and School Improvement Teams. - Collaborating for the Greater Good
The School engages in productive and meaningful partnerships across disciplinary and institutional boundaries, working with stakeholders within and beyond formal institutions of education. A well-educated, diverse, and empowered public is key to addressing social inequities and injustices; promoting and supporting the health and wellbeing of all; and ensuring the competitiveness and prosperity of our state and nation. CCA students contribute to the greater good through community service projects such as school cleanups, outreach to local retirement centers and UNC hospitals, and food drives. - Advancing Knowledge, Driving Innovation
The School produces cutting-edge knowledge and pursues innovative, research-based solutions to the most pressing problems of educational theory, practice, programs, and policy in North Carolina, the nation, and beyond. It provides future and practicing educators with proven evidence-based practices to help students reach their maximum potential. The innovative curriculum at CCA supports students in grappling with everyday problems through new playground design, robotics, and celebration of diversity. Students will attend programs and activities on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus at least monthly. Students engage in a rigorous curriculum in literacy and mathematics that integrates the arts, physical education, science, and social studies. Literacy in various disciplines is an expectation. Students are well prepared for the rigors of upper elementary school.
CCA curriculum centers around themes from the North Carolina Standards and instruction in science and social studies will also build literacy and math skills. Students learn through developmental indoor and outdoor play opportunities, field trips, guest speakers, and hands-on learning. Students have real-world problems to solve and work products for each unit of study, which are highlighted for authentic audiences.
Social-emotional learning is critical to the development of children and to their well-being. Students engage in explicit instruction for skills like emotional regulation, anger management, friendship skills and problem-solving. Counselors and social workers support students with small group and individual support for more focused instruction and guidance.