ACS, or American Community Schools Athens, is a student-centred international school adopting the American philosophy of education, principles and values. By providing outstanding instruction and various educational experiences, ACS Athens pushes all students to reach their strengths: intellectually, cognitively, culturally and morally – to grow as responsible citizens of the world.
The school authority says that its vision is to "Empowering Individuals to become Architects of their Own Learning to Thrive as Conscious Global Citizens and Improve Life and Living on the Planet”. [Source: https://www.acs.gr/about_us_profile/]
Their beliefs state how significantly they consider the overall education of a student. They seem to concentrate on all areas which contribute to students' learning. This, in a way, justifies such grand popularity of the institution worldwide. Most international students dreaming of going to Greece prefer to choose ACS for their education.
Now let's get into the details of the minute factors that contribute to its popularity.
- An Overview –
In 1945, the American Community School of Athens was established. Students can enrol in this coeducational institution from junior kindergarten through grade 12. A trustee board of 18 members is in charge of running the institution. In addition, the institution enjoys tax exemptions from both the US Internal Tax Code and Greece.
The school has partnered with a number of notable organisations to give pupils a well-rounded learning environment. Notable collaborations include those with Hisar School in Turkey, the University of Delaware in the United States, York University in Canada, the Middle States Associations, the Association for International School Heads (AISH), and the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE).
Such global collaborations not only teach students in a diversified way but also open them up to a lot of exposure.
- The Curriculum of ACS –
Under the auspices of the school, numerous programs are provided. The curriculum includes general academic, college-preparatory US coursework. Besides the main curriculum, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program, the AP Program, and Honors courses are offered. Numerous training sessions for language learning are available to aid in easy cultural assimilation. Students can choose to learn French, Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Spanish, and German.
- Elementary Education –
Located to the west of the main campus is the elementary school. Here the students are taught all the compulsory subjects such as math, arts, science, language and social studies. And this is for all, irrespective of their grade. For specialised courses like art and music, the institutes make sure to bring in separate teachers who are experts in the respective fields. Elementary education pushes students to think critically. They keep assigning students with several assignments help, including tests, presentations and projects which the instructors are sure will contribute to students' learning.
Even so, if a kid has mild learning disparities (MLD), the school provides Optimal Learning Program, which commits to methodological approaches for instruction.
- Facilities –
Facilities and infrastructure are abundantly made available to improve the quality of learning. Students are receiving several opportunities, such as library services, art galleries, computer facilities, elementary writing rooms, table tennis, gym memberships, a pool, coffee shops, and science labs. The school earned the title of having the only primary school science lab in Europe. Frequent improvements are undertaken for quality control.
- Special Programs –
You'll be pleased to learn that the school is committed to the development of its students. To meet the numerous demands and requirements of students, it has developed a number of specialised programs in support of the same.
For instance, the Learning Enhancement Program (LEP), which enables instructors to help small groups of students with their homework, is comparable to a homework support service. Then, there is Shadow Teaching, a program that allows parents to find the right shadow teacher to tackle their children's special needs.
- Faculties –
Today's students have easy online access to a wealth of knowledge via the internet, which is affecting how teachers approach their lessons and how education is delivered in general. Teachers are no longer the primary knowledge-holders in society. Therefore, teachers must now train kids in a distinct skill set, teaching them how to filter through massive volumes of information, evaluate it, synthesise it, consider it critically, and apply it successfully. In order to keep up with the current advancements in education, instructors must continually acquire new methods of instruction. This is why at ACS Athens, the concept of "reflective practitioners"—faculty who continually research, acquire new knowledge, and enhance their skills. These procedures enable instructors to stay at the forefront of technological and educational advancements by regularly investigating best-practice teaching methods.
- Sustainable Development Goals –
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals are a tool for teaching children that their activities and ways of living in the world may either contribute to a better or worse world, or they can remain neutral and not participate. Children's activities become more purposeful rather than habit-based and hence unconsciously, as they learn to self-reflect on their behaviour and ways of functioning in their environment. In the end, useful habits are formed. At a very young age, students at ACS Athens create action plans for how they will help achieve the SDGs. Their action plans include responses to regional problems; they see these responses as pieces of a larger picture taking shape.
Now, do you understand why ACS Athens has such fame? To make it more specific for you, here I bring a glimpse of the reviews:
Wrapping it up –
ACS can be a very good choice for education. One of the main reasons is that schools interested in giving such immense efforts are seldom found. If you want to know more about the school, do visit their website or contact them at +30 210 6393200.
About the author –
Kate Johns is a full-time online social science educator and collaborates with a few renowned universities. In addition, she is associated with MyAssignmenthelp.com to help students with their assignments and essays. She believes that online education can change the bigger picture by reaching out to a more significant number of students.
