Community Goal

We recognizes that in complex urban  environments, some students are at-risk for deficient performance in school, being distracted and misdirected by peer influences, being captured by substance abuse, or uncivil behavior in the school or community.  Therefore, it is the  intent of  CDI to develop appropriate strategies and tactics for working  with both students and parents so together we can deliver a full range of positive supports to students through educational  experience and a dedicated team so that true learning can be accomplished.

With this three-fold approach-The MECC, SEEDS, and CHES programs make the programs ideal for working  with all  student  demographics, students  will have an understanding and develop strategies to begin  and complete  life-long goals for application completion for employment, trade schools, internships, mentoring programs and/or community college and university admissions.

MECC--Motivation, Efficacy, Character and Civility:

CDI recognizes the social and emotional development of young people is equally necessary and  important as their academic development.  MECC is offered to help students perform positively and meet the  requirements to move to the next grade level with the academic skills necessary for success.  This approach is substantiated through research in critical pedagogy. The  main task of critical pedagogy is to engage individuals and awaken their understanding of the theoretical concepts of transformation to incite them into active participation through reflection, dialogue, and action to bring about a  society that rests upon the ideals of democracy and social justice.

SEEDS--Safety, Efficacy, Empowerment, Differentiation, Strategies:

Safety--Adolescence is the period in which children wrestle with fragmented egos and confusion with one’s own identity.   For   low-income, urban  youth, stressful family situations, ambiguity in caring  adult  relationships, a  growing sense of independence, and a need for  belongingness increase susceptibility to fall into inappropriate and/or gang  activity.  CDI offers a safe-haven in the community for appropriate and  positive  adolescent behavior.

Efficacy--Students  whom  teachers perceive as  intelligent, motivated, and bearing potential for  academic  success receive  positive feedback  and  rise to higher  expectations. Students  perceived as  negative and academically weak  internalize negative  feedback and  fail to  achieve.   Efficacy is the  power to produce a desired effect which for  CDI is the  belief that one can  learn the required academic and social material to be resilient and college  bound.

Empowerment--CDI helps students find strength in themselves and in each other to stand for what is  good and moral.  We encourage them to become agents of  change, and we give them  the  hope,  the skills, the knowledge, and the critical capacity necessary  to become  transformative leaders of tomorrow.

Differentiation –  CDI programs are student-centered so that the students have opportunities to  use  problem   solving, questioning, collaborative and exploration skills to  enable  them  to  make decisions in both academic and social situations. Academic standards for  student achievement are structured within a  rigorous curriculum.  Students  actively engage in reasoning about important  concepts and  inquiry-based activities that  support high-order thinking  and  reasoning  ability.

Strategies--CDI does not subscribe  to any one  pedagogical approach; instead, we take pride in having a  variety of  research-based and culturally-sensitive  strategies.   Among the strategies to prevent and intervene learning difficulties as well as to accelerate student learning, we support and include the following:  Response to  Intervention * Multiple Intelligences* Differentiated Instruction* Relevant Pedagogy* Positive Behavior Supports* Project-Based Learning* Balanced Reading & Writing Literacy* L2  Literacy & Cultural Awareness* Technology Integration.

CHES--Community Hours for Extended Service:

The community offers great opportunities with small  businesses for students to witness and  participate in real-life work and learning experiences.  Students will decide  which CHES program best matches their career goal and will complete four (4)  hours of community service per month in that area of interest.  Students must  secure one hour of community service each  week.