The Anew School

About

The Anew School is a seamless middle-to-high school composed of two grade-based experiences: 1) the Global Citizens’ Institute (7th-8th grades) and 2) the Leadership Academy (9th-12th grades). We take African-American 7th and 8th grade boys to Ghana, West Africa for a two-year immersive experience, where we provide them a clean academic slate, free from stigmatizing labels such as “at-risk,” “free and reduced lunch,” etc. Our students experience an intensive boarding school atmosphere with individualized academic training that goes beyond the classroom, extends into after school hours, and throughout the weekend. Our socio-emotional program includes leadership and identity development, accountability training, and group therapy to develop global citizenship, self-confidence, and self-worth among all our students. At the end of their 8th grade years, our students return to the U.S. transformed into experienced global citizens, and accustomed to our rigorous independent learning structure. Students complete their 9th through 12th grade years in our US-based boarding facility, where they have the opportunity to execute service projects in their home communities and visit colleges.
Students will start their Anew journey at our 2-year boarding school in Ghana, West Africa
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Why Ghana?

Our school is in Ghana because we’ve seen that when children are completely removed from the stresses of school and home, given an opportunity to connect to an ancestral homeland, and given individualized training, they can begin anew.
2014 Black Male Achievement Fellow
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Anew was recognized for its work to improve the life outcomes of black men and boys in the US, and has been named a 2014 Black Achievement Fellow by the Open Society Black Male Achievement (BMA) Fellowship, powered by Echoing Green. With this fellowship, Anew will receive a stipend of $70,000, leadership development, access to a community of like-minded social entrepreneurs and more. Read more.
Our Mission

We improve graduation rates

Our program turns our students from poor or failing performers into classroom and community leaders. We will improve the graduation rates of our students by offering intensive academic intervention that includes increased school time and individualized tutoring. Our goal is for 100% of our students to graduate high school and college. We don’t just want to catch up our students to their counterparts in America, instead we want them excel beyond their classmates. Our academic program includes a top-quality director, experienced teachers, 50% more learning time, a rigorous curriculum, and regular assessments.

We strengthen confidence

We strengthen each student’s confidence and sense of identity through immersion into the local Ghanaian community. Our socio-emotional programing includes leadership and identify development, accountability training, and group therapy to develop global citizenship, self-confidence, and self-worth among all of our students. We will supplement this immersion program with a support system in America that will provide social services and assistance to our students’ families, and guidance to our students after they graduate from Anew, throughout high school and college.

Help us break ground

We are getting close to breaking ground and starting construction of our boarding school. We've been gifted the land for the school and have completed our programming document outlining the architectural blueprint of the facilities and surrounding grounds, including a garden that will be cultivated by our students for consumption within the school and its extended community. The Anew School is scheduled to open in August 2016.

Days to Opening

Support our mission and help us transform mis-labeled youth into tomorrow's leaders.

Support Anew

Mission

The Anew School provides unprecedented academic, emotional/mental health, and social training to African-American boys who fall in the bottom 5% of schools. We will transform our students into the top 25% of achievers in five years, improving academic performance while teaching students to destroy restraining labels.

Did You Know

1 in 3 black men

without a high school diploma is in jail

The numbers are clear, there is a direct correlation between education and prison. We want to prevent as many black males from entering the prison system as possible, and redirect them towards college graduation and community leadership. It starts with education. It starts with Anew.

Did You Know

1 in 3 black boys

is at risk of incarceration

We want to change the future of those at risk through immersive education and social support. Our goal is for 100% of our students to graduate high school and college. With the Anew model, we know we can make this happen and create the next generation of great leaders.

FAQs

  • What is Anew?

    Anew is a boarding school for boys who have been tracked for failure; we will turn them into tomorrow’s leaders.

  • Where is Anew?

    Anew will take African-American students and bring them to Ghana for phase 1 of schooling, and return them to the United States for phase 2 of schooling.

  • Why is it important?

    Caucasian Americans remember the unit in elementary or middle school when they discussed their lineage with fondness. Students proudly proclaim, “I’m 80% German, 10% Irish, and 10% Scottish,” for example. It deepens their learning of History and Social Studies, and bolsters their feelings of identity and self esteem. Most African-American, however, don’t have that opportunity, because they can’t trace their lineage further than their ancestors’ entry point in the United States. Furthermore, most American schools teach African-American students that their lineage began in slave chains. This is not only wrong, but incredibly detrimental!

  • Why should I care?

    When African-American youth are passed through the education system or drop out their futures are uncertain. If a fraction of the funds that the US spends each year to house black male inmates in state and federal prisons were redirected toward radical change in education, it would ignite the next generation of community leaders, illuminating paths that were previously darkened. And, that benefits us all.