OUR VISION
We are changing the destiny of our community and of future generations, one child at a time.

One of the principles that guides Dr. Barnett’s thinking is expressed in the following quote stated by Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, formerly of West Africa:

" Education consists not only in the sum of what a man knows, or the skill with which he can put this to his own advantage. In my view, a man’s education must also be measured in the terms of the soundness of his judgment of people and things, and his powers to understand and appreciate the needs of his fellowmen, and to be of service to them. The educated man should be so sensitive to the conditions around him that he makes it his chief endeavor to improve those conditions for the good of all."

At Imani, we believe our students are a confirmation of the expertise, quality and worth of the adults who serve them. When our students perform poorly, we look to ourselves to make the necessary adjustments in our curriculum and instructional delivery systems to improve student success. We believe that students respond very well to a variety of well-executed instructional methods and techniques when the curriculum itself is culturally responsive to their needs. We believe it is critically important to give every student an equal opportunity to learn. Therefore, there is really no mystery regarding how to teach them.

We have developed a body of research that supports the premise that ALL children can learn and that the school controls the following key factors necessary to ensure student mastery of the core curriculum:

1. Overall school mission and vision provides clear direction for stakeholder understanding.

2. Effective instructional behaviors that are Christian-based and developed with a climate of high expectations for all students are critical parts of the strategies to reach every student. Special needs students are integrated into main stream classes with support from a specially designated teacher to monitor their progress.

3. Technological instruments (computers and computer software) are updated and highly valued. These instruments are used as tools by all students and staff to support the teaching and learning process.

4. Frequent monitoring of student progress with both teacher-developed assessments and the Stanford 10 National testing program are utilized to assist in developing the curriculum and assessing the effectiveness of student learning.

5. Parental engagement is employed to a very high degree in recognition that positive home-school relationships are critical to student success. Our teachers understand that parents are the first teachers and when parents are not engaged, the school must increase its efforts to cover those very vital areas.

6. Administrative and teacher qualities are research- based and data-driven. The focus is on ongoing administrative and teacher development, utilizing those professionals in the field to develop an authentic curriculum in the arts, sciences, mathematics, literacy and English, history, and technology. Teams of teachers engage in yearly national teacher conferences convened by relevant and competent, culturally sensitive and responsive organizations that focus on the urban child.

7. The academic curriculum aligns with the State of Pennsylvania guidelines while utilizing the block schedule and realistic instructional strategies to enhance academic learning time (ALT). Our teachers utilize a conceptual idea approach that serves to support yearly planning and critical thinking strategies rather than weekly lessons plans.

8. School safety -- Instructional leaders are trained to understand and administer discipline that corrects, as opposed to harsh punitive measures that serve to turn students away from instruction and, ultimately, relationships. Home suspensions are utilized rarely and only when the actions of a student seriously compromise the safety of the learning environment. Every teacher serves as a counselor and advocate for students in the area of school safety.

9. Co-curricular activities -- Teaching strategies used at Imani embrace an understanding that learning occurs outside the classroom and students should be involved in such experiences if they are to truly engage in authentic instruction. Athletic sports and intramural programming are essential parts of our school. Additionally, field trips are a critical part of the educational process and experiences with outside consultants and volunteers provide practical application.

10. School attendance of administrators, teachers and students is carefully monitored and understood by all as a method to support high quality teaching and learning.

11. Most aspects of the instructional delivery system and student responses are captured in a database system, allowing us to make the kind of adaptations (data-driven decisions) that ensure student success.