"Every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds.  For one thing is sure:  If they don't make up their own minds, someone will do it for them."
Humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Our Vision

"Fostering exceptional achievements in students with learning differences, our goal is each child's success."

As North Carolina's first school dedicated solely to students with learning differences, our goal is to help students discover the strengths of their own minds and develop their own style of lifelong learning.

Mission

At TFA we believe that in order for us to stay true to our vision we need to measure our success in a meaningful way. Three measurable objectives are:

  1. Provide real and effective results for our students and their families;
  2. Provide the best teachers, curriculum, and creative programs for children with learning differences;
  3. Maintain staff excellence through quality resources and professional development.

TFA will uniquely provide a total school environment for students in meeting objectives designed around their achievement.

Cornerstones

Core principles in successfully educating students with learning differences were built into our school from the beginning, and they are continued, reinforced and refined today.

  • Small Size: From classrooms with 5:1 student to teacher ratio in core Language Arts and Math classes, to an overall student body to faculty and staff ratio of less than 4:1, students thrive in an environment facilitating individualized attention and curricula.
  • Positive Culture: Many students and families have found that traditional settings for those with learning differences focus on negative consequences rather than showing students how to utilize distinct tools to achieve their goals. By providing positive direction for each student, and reinforcing the benefits of achieving goals, students’ beliefs in themselves strengthen their entire educational process. Students follow defined rules and procedures to earn privileges, and the impact of their decision-making is clearly and quickly communicated.
  • Communication: A distinctive feature of our school and a mark of our success is our effective communications with parents and students.  On a daily basis, and in each class, goal achievement is addressed with each student in a structured and consistent manner. In addition, parents receive direct communications and the opportunity to respond to activities or issues in each class, each day. Further, because of the small size of the school, parents and students alike find times to communicate with faculty and staff who understand.
  • Family Time: TFA appreciates the impact school has on family life. Homework Hall, a key feature of daily life at TFA, is designed both for faculty to better understand students’ comprehension of subject material AND to reduce parents' involvement in the homework business.