Academy for Global Citizenship

Demographics

Percentage of students*

Why Academy for Global Citizenship was nominated

Environmental sustainability roots AGC’s education in the natural world. We believe that learning in harmony with nature provides opportunities to understand the relevance of our education. Learning from natural processes is a powerful vehicle for teaching our students about the connection between their everyday choices and the health of the community, the environment, and themselves., The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) in Chicago stands out for its holistic, innovative approach to education, emphasizing sustainability, health, and global citizenship. Its dual-language immersion, International Baccalaureate curriculum, and focus on cultivating the whole child provide a rich, student-centered learning environment. AGC advances equity by offering inclusive, tuition-free education and integrating restorative justice practices to support diverse learners. The school's commitment to equity is also evident in its nutrition programs, urban agriculture initiatives, and efforts to empower students as changemakers in their communities and beyond.

Student experience design

At AGC, students learn in villages. A village is a way to group students, as well as define the space that is allocated to that age group in our campus. Each group has its own village, and also uses shared indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the campus. In K-1 and 2-3 students are grouped in multi age groups, and are anchored by the teacher. While there are opportunities for collaboration across groups students mostly stay with a teacher that teaches all subjects. Each group has between 20 and 24 students. To learn more about the why and the how of this model, click on AGC’s Multi Age Village Model. In 4-5, while grouping is not multi aged, students are grouped in a way that there are opportunities for multi age collaboration. Each group has between 25 and 27 students. In MYP (grades 6-8), students shift to departmentalized subject courses as they are anchored by the subject. As an IB school, AGC’s MYP curriculum framework is comprised of eight subject groups, providing a broad and balanced education for early adolescents: Mathematics, Language & Literature, Science, Individuals & Societies, Language Acquisition (Spanish), Physical and Health Education, Design (Technology and Sustainability) and Art (Visual and Performing). As students enter their middle school years, the adolescent brain is a new window of opportunity. This is a time for rapid learning and brain development. Students are able to move more frequently during the day, which helps increase attention. It also provides students with an opportunity to be challenged academically by different teachers in different classroom environments and prepares students for the transition to high school. AGC’s MYP Program is also characterized by the following: Cooperative Teaching Approach Educators work together to collaborate and coordinate content. Shared Responsibilities Educators take equal ownership of the students. The motto is “everybody’s kids are everybody’s kids” Educators have the opportunity to bond with more students, beyond a fixed set of students. The team provides mutual support for one another and share responsibilities. Purposeful curriculum The team shares their work with one another through cross-disciplinary conversations so that each knows how students are doing across the curriculum. Educators align units of inquiry to coordinate multi-age opportunities through flex-time.

Core Practices

Core Practices	Length of Use
Anti-racist Practices	5+ years
Culturally Responsive Practices	5+ years
Dual Language Programming	5+ years
Multi-age Classrooms	1-2 years
Project-based Learning	5+ years

All Practices

Student Advisories

Bilingual Assessments

Blended Learning

Co-leadership

Family And Community Support Services

Competency Framework

Extended Learning Opportunities

Extended Learning Time

Hiring For Equity And Inclusion Values

Interdisciplinary

Individual Learner Profiles

Mental Health Services

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

Multiple Opportunities To Demonstrate Mastery

Peer To Peer Support

Place-based Learning

High Quality Instructional Materials

Restorative Practices

Social Justice Focus

Student-led Conferences

Student-led Goal Setting

Trauma-informed Practices

key reasons for innovating