Frequently Asked Questions

What is Redtail Academy's Stance on Technology? 

• In the Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt talks about the pitfalls of screens in all forms for our students. 

• We support the Wait until 8th pledge, which states that we encourage families to wait until the end of 8th grade to get their child a portable smart device. 

• When the school opens, we will have space for students to store their smart watches and phones during the school day. 

• We will use technology for academic purposes as needed, but will rely on paper-pencil methods as much as we can, in order to increase engagement.

•  Internet and screen usage will be limited. 

Curricula, Teaching, and Learning-

• At Redtail Academy, all learning content is aligned to the Illinois Common Core State Standards in order to ensure that rigorous learning is accomplished.

•  Additionally, all science learning is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, which are the K–12 science content standards that aim to improve science education through a three-dimensional approach: disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. These NGSS standards emphasize hands-on, student-centered learning to explain real-world phenomena rather than rote memorization.

What Resources Do You Suggest? 

We have been using the following resources to inform the creation of 

our school:

• Falling Behind: The Miseducation of America's Boys (podcast)

• 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager

• Association of Middle Level Education

• Pew Research Study about teens' experiences in school

• Schools that Think 

• The Mandala School in Bowie, MD

• King Middle School in Portland, ME