Social Justice Curriculum Mission

Village Leadership Academy will teach a critical perspective of world history, elicit global awareness and responsibility, and develop critical thinking skills within our students by using an innovative and interactive multidisciplinary curriculum that centers around them (as learners and explorers of history and the world).  This curriculum is carefully designed, monitored, and evaluated with the philosophy that all students can successfully learn and develop their skills, and that there are no predetermined limits to their curiosity and full potentials. Through this innovative, interactive social justice curriculum beginning at early childhood, Village Leadership Academy will lead students to acquire a wide range of necessary knowledge and skills needed to uncover the world’s multidimensional and dynamic history and prepare them for future leadership roles in a rising global economy.

The spiraling curriculum begins at Kindergarten and incrementally ascends into a higher level of understanding in later grades. Our goal is that students will begin to develop a value system that respects global peers and cultures different from their own, while preserving their own cultural heritage. To do so, they will 1) learn a general world history; 2) examine various perspectives of real world questions and global patterns, and engage in multicultural texts; 3) apply skills from all subjects to better understand persisting patterns and areas for change that confront our world; and 4) have opportunities to design and lead various service projects that advocate for change. Village Leadership Academy firmly believes that a social justice innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum (beginning with early childhood) will academically and characteristically prepare them to be global leaders of tomorrow.

World History

At Village Leadership Academy, world history is taught in chronological order, from the first civilizations through present day. Students spend six to eight week studying each continent to gain an in-depth understanding of the cultures, customs and traditions of a particular part of the world.

  • All About Me
  • Africa
  • Asia and the Middle East
  • Europe
  • North America: The United States (and Chicag0)
  • The Americas: Central and South America
  • Australia and Oceana
  • Social Issues and Social Change through Service and Leadership

World Geography

In addition to learning about the different continents in the world in regards to culture, traditions, language and people, students at VLA also learn world geography.  At the end of each unit, students are familiar with the location of 90% of the countries (or states) on a given continent (country). For example, on a recent test, 85% of kindergarten students were able to fill in a blank map of Africa with 90% accuracy.

Civic Engagement

At Village Leadership Academy, students are not only learning about the social change made by others around the world, they are a part of the change themselves.  Each class participates in a service learning project that the students decide upon as a collective.  Some of this year’s projects are:

  • Kindergarten One: Cleaning up our community
  • Kindergarten Two: Scholarships for students who cannot afford tuition
  • Kindergarten Three: Anti-violence and peaceful conflict resolution movements in the community
  • First/Second Grade: Anti-tobacco prevention teach-ins

Last year, our first grade students completed Project Darfur, a comprehensive educational awareness-raising campaign/fundraiser for the people of Darfur.  Students went to area high schools to teach other students about the genocide in Darfur. They also raised money to help individuals living in refugee camps.

To learn more about Project Darfur please click this link: