Corporación Educativa American School
Encyclopedia
Corporación Educativa American School, one of the top ranking educational institutions in Colombia
, is a private, non-denominational bilingual school located in the city of Barranquilla
. The American School, as it is usually referred to by its students and the school community, is fully accredited by the Colombian Ministry of Education. The school's success is owing to its pedagogical approach, which allows the adaptation of the school programs to suit its students' individual learning needs, without disregarding the highest national and international educational benchmarks
.
Most of American School alumni have enrolled in the country's most prestigious higher learning centers, while some have gone to colleges in North America
or Europe
.
The American School offers formal education for infants through 11th grade, which is the senior grade in Colombia. Classes are taught in both English and Spanish. From preschool up to 9th grade, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Literature, and Language Arts are taught in English. That is why the American School students have fluent command of both Spanish and English. In 10th and 11th grades students work hard in their preparation for the ICFES
test, SAT
and TOEFL
.
Besides the bilingual program, the school offers its students plastic arts, dance, scenic arts, ballet, and sports courses.
American School students participate in science fairs, musical contests, artistic, and sportive events inside and outside the school.
. Mrs. Márquez also decided to establish school programs to instill self-efficacy
beliefs in her students.
and Universidad del Norte. The partnership with Universidad del Norte, one of the most prestiguous Colombian universities, allows the American School's juniors and seniors to take college courses while in high school. If they decide to further their education at Universidad del Norte after they graduate, the passing scores obtained in the in-school college courses are validated at the university. American School students also learn French through the American School's partnership with the Alliance Française.
1. Academic department: This department is directed by the school vice principal, who is the principal's assistant concerning curricular and extracurricular activities for the students. The Academic department has two sub-departments: the Spanish and the English coordinations, which guide all the curricular activities in Spanish and English respectively.
2. Administrative department: It is composed of a team of qualified administrators and an accountant.
3. Student welfare department: It helps students in issues concerning their vocational orientation, career choices, sexual education, and counseling.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, is a private, non-denominational bilingual school located in the city of Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
. The American School, as it is usually referred to by its students and the school community, is fully accredited by the Colombian Ministry of Education. The school's success is owing to its pedagogical approach, which allows the adaptation of the school programs to suit its students' individual learning needs, without disregarding the highest national and international educational benchmarks
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process of comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost...
.
Most of American School alumni have enrolled in the country's most prestigious higher learning centers, while some have gone to colleges in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
or Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The American School offers formal education for infants through 11th grade, which is the senior grade in Colombia. Classes are taught in both English and Spanish. From preschool up to 9th grade, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Literature, and Language Arts are taught in English. That is why the American School students have fluent command of both Spanish and English. In 10th and 11th grades students work hard in their preparation for the ICFES
ICFES
ICFES is an acronym for Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Superior . It is a Colombian organization that manages and evaluates the education and Institutes in Colombia...
test, SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
and TOEFL
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL , evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting....
.
Besides the bilingual program, the school offers its students plastic arts, dance, scenic arts, ballet, and sports courses.
American School students participate in science fairs, musical contests, artistic, and sportive events inside and outside the school.
History
The American School was founded by two young educators, Myrna Márquez, its current principal, and Sara Melamed in 1988. Mrs Márquez's intention was to offer an alternative to the same-for-everybody education, which ruled in South American schools. Mrs. Márquez decided that her new school's classes would be small and the school's teaching and learning processes would be mediated by constructivist pedagogical approaches, including the socratic questioningSocratic questioning
Socratic questioning is disciplined questioning that can be used to pursue thought in many directions and for many purposes, including: to explore complex ideas, to get to the truth of things, to open up issues and problems, to uncover assumptions, to analyze concepts, to distinguish what we know...
. Mrs. Márquez also decided to establish school programs to instill self-efficacy
Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is a term used in psychology, roughly corresponding to a person's belief in their own competence.It has been defined as the belief that one is capable of performing in a certain manner to attain certain set of goals. It is believed that our personalized ideas of self-efficacy affect...
beliefs in her students.
Partnerships
The American School has strong academic ties to national and international education centers, such as Alliance FrançaiseAlliance française
The Alliance française , or AF, is an international organisation that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. created in Paris on 21 July 1883, its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris -History:The Alliance was created in Paris...
and Universidad del Norte. The partnership with Universidad del Norte, one of the most prestiguous Colombian universities, allows the American School's juniors and seniors to take college courses while in high school. If they decide to further their education at Universidad del Norte after they graduate, the passing scores obtained in the in-school college courses are validated at the university. American School students also learn French through the American School's partnership with the Alliance Française.
Campus
The American School has 21 air-conditioned classrooms, a science lab, a speech lab, a library, an arts workshop, a scenic arts room, a music room, a basketball court, a learning center, a soccer field, beautiful gardens, and playgrounds.Departments
The school has the following departments:1. Academic department: This department is directed by the school vice principal, who is the principal's assistant concerning curricular and extracurricular activities for the students. The Academic department has two sub-departments: the Spanish and the English coordinations, which guide all the curricular activities in Spanish and English respectively.
2. Administrative department: It is composed of a team of qualified administrators and an accountant.
3. Student welfare department: It helps students in issues concerning their vocational orientation, career choices, sexual education, and counseling.