In the heart of Palm Beach County, Florida, lies an institution that’s redefining what education can look like for disadvantaged children.
The Foundations School, spearheaded by the Center for Creative Education (CCE), is an arts-integrated, research-focused demonstration school that’s transforming teaching and learning through the arts and creativity. The ultimate goal of the school is to help impoverished students reach grade-level in reading, social studies, science and math.
The seeds of The Foundations School were laid in 2011, when Bob Hamon, who today serves as chief executive officer for CCE, first joined the organization. After settling into a new building, the CCE team began to reassess their education programs.
“We asked ourselves how we could we be sure our efforts were effective and truly moving the needle,” Hamon recalls.
That introspection led to the realization that while their programs were meaningful, they weren’t solving the core issue of why so many third-grade students were academically underperforming.
In Florida, only about 50% of third-grade students read at grade level. CCE sought to understand the underlying barriers, recognizing that the traditional education model hadn’t evolved much in 250 years despite significant changes in children’s lives and family dynamics. They aimed to reconstruct the classroom experience to meet the needs of today’s students, acknowledging that many children face challenges like poverty, violence and trauma.
A large part of what has made The Foundations School possible is Florida’s friendly policy environment for school choice. The Sunshine State boasts three primary school-choice programs—the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities—that help families send their children to participating private schools. These programs prioritize support for low- and middle-income students, plus those with special needs or kids who have been bullied.
But Hamon says The Foundations School isn’t only an example for other private schools—it’s a model for public schools as well to reach as many students as possible and improve their outcomes.
“We view The Foundations School as a living laboratory to test different approaches that could be implemented in public schools, especially schools in low-income communities,” he says.
From arts for literacy to The Foundations School
Before founding The Foundations School, CCE ran an arts for literacy program in partnership with Palm Beach County Schools. This five-year longitudinal study involved three underperforming schools, integrating arts into every kindergarten through third-grade classroom. The program showed promising results, with substantial improvements in reading skills, but was cut short by the closing of school during the COVID pandemic in early 2020.
However, the program was limited by the school’s schedule to only one hour per week, which prompted CCE to consider a fully arts-integrated school model. Strategic planning in 2019 led to the decision to open a school, initially envisioned as a charter school but ultimately launched as an independent private school on January 4, 2021.
The Foundations School employs a unique model by hiring teachers for 12 months who earn about $20,000 more per year than their public school counterparts. This approach allows for a collaborative curriculum development process covering 205 academic days, not including summer camps and spring break.
Focusing on barrier identification, the school has adopted the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching kindergarten through third grade, particularly beneficial for dyslexic students. Class size maximum is 15 students. Each class has a certified teacher and an assistant teacher, supported by an English Studies Center coordinator, two behavioral technicians and a clinical social worker.
Donors have taken notice.
“When I visited this school, there was something so charming, energetic, alive and exciting about it,” shares philanthropist Laura Rehnert, who now serves as a board member for the school. “I immediately wanted to be involved. Most everyone who visits has the same feelings. One of my philanthropic priorities is supporting organizations where my gifts can have an immediate impact. Foundations School is one of those.”
Unique elements
Two elements make The Foundations School unique: The challenging population it serves and its integration of arts into the curriculum.
Admissions criteria include living in poverty, academic lag or zoning to attend poorly performing schools. Most students meet all these criteria. Recognizing the importance of parental involvement, the school plans to launch a parent academy to foster a sense of community and support.
The school also addresses basic needs, providing two meals and a snack per day and offering extended hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate parents’ schedules. This holistic approach ensures students can focus on learning without worrying about food or clothing.
The second element, an arts integrated model, also plays a central role at The Foundations School. Teachers are given autonomy over their classrooms, with support from teaching artists who help infuse creativity into the curriculum. Dr. Susan Gay Wemette, the director of arts integration and creativity, has introduced programs that incorporate global collaboration, such as partnering with schools in other countries to study folk tales and integrate subjects like math and emotional intelligence.
“When you walk into the school, you see the children’s artwork everywhere,” says Rehnert. “The school coordinates the artwork with the lesson plans, and you can walk through each classroom and see the wonderful work they are doing. It’s something that’s quite extraordinary.”
“While we don’t teach kids to create art for art’s sake or how to paint like a fine artist, we use various art forms to engage them in the learning process so that the students are now more engaged with the learning,” added Jonathon Ortiz-Smykla, chief advancement officer for CCE.
Impressive outcomes
The Foundations School’s innovative approach has yielded remarkable results. For instance, third graders who started the year with only 20% reading at or above grade level finished the year at 80%. Similarly, the kindergarten class improved from 27% to 91% on grade level. One hundred percent of the students who have been with the school since it opened are at or above grade level. They believe the key is to intervene early and consistently, using frequent assessments to provide each student with differentiated support.
Looking toward the future, The Foundations School is currently conducting a $20 million capital campaign to build an art and science center, aiming to enhance students’ experiences in math and science. The school also has scholarship, operational and capital needs, with plans to acquire a school bus to ease transportation challenges for families.
While CCE isn’t focused on creating more schools, they are open to collaborating with other districts and sharing their model.
“We are willing to share everything that we have and everything that we’ve learned with any organization interested in creating a better future for students who are struggling in today’s public school model,” Hamon says.
