Franc Owens has a lot of ground to make up. At 16, he committed a robbery and spent 20 months in a juvenile center. He emerged determined to turn his life around — and is doing that at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies.

Before she got pregnant at age 15, Queen Bell says she was satisfied to coast along in school. “As long as I was getting a C, I really didn’t care.”

Each month, we take a moment to learn from the educational leaders who bring the Acceleration Academies mission to life, day in and day out. This month, we asked our academy leaders to respond to this prompt: How do your graduation candidates demonstrate resilience on a daily basis? Here is what...

The first wave of 2022 graduates from Bethel Acceleration Academies recently celebrated the successful completion of what, for many of them, had been a long journey to graduation. As they handed the grads their diplomas, Academy Director Alison Hansen and Assistant Director Kevin Torres...

Lowcountry Acceleration Academy celebrated its first graduates in a joyful, tearful and at times boisterous celebration Thursday. Family, friends and educators crowded the brightly painted Academy to honor the grads who pushed through adversity to claim their brighter futures.

Latrell Gardner knows he must travel a long road to earn his high school diploma. But after the road he’s been on, he sees nothing but promise ahead.

Adore Carter finds her inspiration within. She loves to paint portraits, and to express emotions with writing. “Words are like paintbrushes.”

A year ago, Gabriel Saravia Santos despaired that he might never earn his high school diploma. But for his determination and the help of Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies, he might not have.

Students arrive at Escambia County Acceleration Academies with challenges ranging from social anxiety to single parenthood, poverty to trouble with the law — and, often, a hunger for adult role models.