Key Practice: Teaching students social-emotional skills that enable them to understand the perspectives of people from other backgrounds prepares them for college and the global workplace.

Sharp minds. Big hearts. Noble purpose. Aligned Actions. With purpose like that, it’s no wonder Valor Collegiate Academies, located in Nashville, is positively soaring in developing students who are both academically-minded and compassionate toward all people, no matter their background or race.

“If you look around the world today, I think you see there’s quite a bit of polarization and divisiveness,” said Todd Dickson, CEO. “A lot of people live in fear often, sadly, of people that look different from them.”

Valor strives to guide their students to build relationships and sincere consideration for people of all backgrounds. They do this by building social-emotional learning right into the framework of their schools.

“We integrate social-emotional skills through what we call a Compass Learning Program,” said Knick Dixon, the assistant principal of Valor Collegiate Academies. “It’s where we talk about our values and diversity.”

The Compass Learning Program was developed around the idea of helping students find their “True North.”

“It’s really a character strength model surrounding our four disciplines,” said Daren Dickson, the chief culture officer. “We want everyone to have a sharp mind, a big heart, a sense of noble purpose, and to align their actions to that noble purpose.”

The model serves to teach students about how to build a relationship and how to be curious about relationships across lines of difference. Valor’s team focuses on how to teach strategic skills about relationships to their students.

Valor was intentionally designed to serve a racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse student body. Nashville has the largest population of Kurdish people in the U.S., with large populations of Mexican, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Arab, and Bantu immigrants. Valor’s student body is 40% White, 20% Middle Eastern and North African, 17% Black, 15% Hispanic, and 8% Asian and other backgrounds. Valor schools currently have about 25 to 30% staff members of color.

“We do a lot of work on identity development, helping all of us understand our own histories and identities and stories and really feeling proud of those,” said Dickson. “We can share those and recognize that our identities are really complex.”

Those social-emotional skills are translating into exceptional academics. Ninety-five percent of Valor Flagship Academy students scored proficient on state assessments in math and 79% tested proficient in reading. The school was also the highest performing school among all 182 Metro Nashville Public Schools, including academic magnet schools.

Valor believes teaching their students to understand differences is helping their students become smarter.

“It strengthens their cognitive ability, they develop an appreciation for different backgrounds and beliefs,” said Dixon. “With that knowledge, they’re more creative problem solvers and critical thinkers.”

“Our mission at Valor is to empower our diverse community to live inspired and purposeful lives,” said Lauren Smith, the chief of staff and external affairs.

By teaching students to not only see people that are different but understand their perspective, Valor believes their students will be well-prepared for college and the workplace.

“The world is always changing,” said Mariah Green, lead teacher of 5^th and 6^th grade writing. “If we can allow for kids to engage with people across lines of difference, eventually, we can make the world a better a place.”