2013 Pathways to the Prize - School Winners | Page 20
Pathways to the Prize
Lessons from the 2011 SCORE Prize School Winners
Pathways to the Prize
Lessons from the 2011 SCORE Prize School Winners
A focus on finance. Financial literacy is a core component of PCA’s business curriculum. Every student enrolls in a
financial literacy class. Through a partnership with SunTrust Bank, students operate a Youth Bank—the first in Memphis—with each scholar holding a bank account and receiving a biweekly paycheck. Students use their earnings to pay a
share of monthly expenses such as locker and desk rental and for stock market investments and savings.
Over time, the school has expanded the financial literacy program: sixth grade students now enroll in financial literacy classes, seventh grade students learn marketing strategies, and eighth graders formulate a business plan to stimulate their sense of entrepreneurship. The eighth grade students present these capstone projects at an annual Business
Expo at PCA. Business leaders and small business owners from the Memphis metropolitan area evaluate the plans,
and students who “place” in the competition win savings bonds. Some scholars also receive start-up funding to
open their own businesses. The top five winners receive recognition on the PCA website each June.
Leadership at all levels. Ms. Lewis worked equally hard to empower teachers and students with leadership skills
and responsibilities. She hired coaches to help teachers become more effective, and several teachers took the lead to
build expertise in their own departments. Teacher leaders, both coaches and peers, assist others on many topics, among
them classroom management, organizing centers, and developing lessons for problem-based learning. Student leaders
serve as information conduits, bringing feedback about what students need, including their funding preferences in
sports and enrichment classes. At PCA, everyone has the right and opportunity to voice a concern, a suggestion, or a
new idea. Educators and students alike know that they can rely on each other for decisions and help.
Power Center’s School Board actively participates at both the philosophical and programmatic levels, expressing
their belief in the PCA Pillars that define the school’s philosophy, pilot testing new programs before adoption, and
using data to align their decisions with the principles of the charter