Empowering Learners: A Comprehensive Look at Academies for Positive Learning Programs

For students to learn, they must feel safe, engaged, connected, and supported in their classrooms and schools. These “conditions for learning” are the elements of a school’s climate that students experience personally. With this context in mind, it is critical to explore what educators, parents, and communities can do to support students, especially students of color and students from low-income families who traditionally are underserved, to help them achieve academic and personal success. Academies for positive learning programs are designed to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where students with diverse learning needs can thrive. These institutions go beyond traditional academics, focusing on the holistic development of each student, ensuring they gain self-assurance and independence both in and out of the classroom.

Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment

Ensuring Physical and Mental Safety

Before students can succeed academically, they must feel safe, both physically and mentally. Although schools use a variety of measures to ensure students’ physical safety, certain efforts sometimes have negative effects on students, particularly those who are traditionally underserved. Safety extends beyond the physical well-being of students. To have a safe learning environment, students must feel welcomed, supported, and respected. However, school discipline policies and codes of conduct do not always support a positive school climate. For example, exclusionary discipline practices, like removing students from the classroom, suspensions, and expulsions, negatively impact students’ academic performance and their likelihood of graduating from high school. Even more concerning, data shows that schools discipline traditionally underserved students at much higher rates than their peers even though research does not show that these students misbehave more frequently.

The Pinnacle Academy Philosophy

The Pinnacle Academy was started in 2001 with a clear vision of a private school that could offer an outstanding, special education in a structured, yet nurturing atmosphere. Years later, the school offers a private education to over 100 students and continues to grow and change with each passing year. Today, Pinnacle Academy provides its students with the instruction, inspiration and opportunity to learn and achieve at their highest potential. The school is unique among programs of exceptional education in that it offers a blended approach to teaching and thus, is able to adapt to the unique needs of its diverse learners. We are committed to teaching and treating exceptionalities through research-based, best-practice methods. We continually assess our program and make enhancements to reach our student’s goals and to ensure that our program offers an eclectic approach to learning. We are blessed with teachers who go above and beyond by giving a great deal of personal attention to every one of their students. We are proud of our students and celebrate their individual strengths, talents, and interests which will guide them to succeed at a higher level of academic and personal accomplishment. We believe that a student should look forward to coming to school every day. We also believe that parents should feel a sense of “family” throughout our school’s campus. Above all, we believe we’ve created an educational institution where students feel confident and motivated to learn, where they are understood and empowered, and where parents are taught to turn obstacles into opportunities.

Personalized Learning Approaches

Tailoring Education to Individual Needs

Recent Gallup data shows a troubling trend-as students move through the K-12 education system, they become increasingly less engaged. By the time students reach eleventh and twelfth grades, only one-third of students report feeling engaged. Personalized learning is one instructional approach that could reverse these trends. This student-centered approach to learning tailors instruction to students’ unique strengths and needs and engages them in challenging, standards-based academic content. Personalizing learning helps students develop skills including thinking critically, using knowledge and information to solve complex problems, working collaboratively, communicating effectively, learning how to learn, and developing academic mindsets. Personalized learning is greatly increasing student engagement in one school district in North Carolina.

Dallas Academy's Approach to Neurodiversity

At Dallas Academy, they embrace neurodiversity. Their students are all unique, with their own pace of learning, strengths, challenges, and complex profiles. They meet them where they are and help them become who they are meant to be. This transformative learning involves providing individualized, multi-sensory, structured, evidence-based education that empowers students with learning differences to achieve their fullest potential. Their specialized academic programs are designed to meet the diverse needs of learners with diagnosed learning differences, supported by exceptional educators trained to provide personalized, compassionate instruction that helps students reach their full potential. Dallas Academy is a place where students with learning differences don’t just fit in-they stand out. It is a school where every child is supported, celebrated, and inspired to thrive.

The Pinnacle Academy's Mission

The Pinnacle Academy is dedicated to understanding and educating students who have learning differences. In our small classes, their learning differences are accepted and individually supported. However, it is their strengths, interests, and talents that are at the forefront of a Pinnacle education. They are opportunity-makers.

Their mission includes:

To empower students with language and learning differences to become independent and successful learners
To provide a unique and incomparable education that delivers a blended model of multi-sensory, brain-based, and project-based learning approaches that supports the theory of multiple intelligences in learning
To provide a model program of excellence in the field of alternative, exceptional education and best-practice methods in teaching

Fostering Connections and Social-Emotional Growth

The Importance of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Students must feel connected to teachers, staff, and other students. Schools can nurture these connections by focusing on students’ social and emotional learning (SEL). SEL helps students understand and manage their emotions and interactions with others and build the skills necessary to communicate and resolve conflicts. Teachers are an essential part of fostering the type of learning environment in the classroom that supports student success. And yet many students, particularly students of color and students from low-income families, do not have access to prepared and effective teachers.

Support Services at Dallas Academy

Dallas Academy goes beyond traditional academics to address the full needs of its students. Every layer of support is designed to help students gain self-assurance and independence-both in the classroom and beyond. Their support services include:

Social & Emotional Learning Program: A school-wide initiative that fosters self-awareness, resilience, and interpersonal skills.
Executive Functioning Support: Helping students build skills in organization, time management, and self-advocacy.
On-Site Licensed Counselor: A full-time counselor supports students in developing confidence and emotional well-being.
Individual & Group Social Skills Instruction: Helping students develop positive peer relationships and communication skills.
Specialized Therapists: Including a Speech and Language Therapist and a Board-Certified Music Therapist who support communication and emotional expression through tailored sessions.

A Caring Community

Dallas Academy is more than a school-it's a supportive, tight-knit community. Here, relationships matter. Their community is the heartbeat of Dallas Academy. Teachers and staff collaborate daily, working together to find creative solutions and ensure no student is left behind. Strong parent involvement through the Dallas Academy Parent Club helps continue favorite traditions while introducing new, engaging ways to connect families. Lasting connections are fostered, as they believe that meaningful relationships between students, teachers, and families are key to student success.

Read also: Explore Haas Hall Academy

Comprehensive Support Systems

A Network of Support

Students must feel supported by all those connected to their learning experience. This includes teachers, classmates, administrators, family, and community members. These parties should share an understanding of what positive school climate at the school and classroom looks like so they can work together toward this common goal. School leaders can engage community members, teachers, students, and parents in school climate improvement work through conversations, meetings, surveys, and creating school-community partnerships. School leaders should gather and incorporate the feedback of all of these groups in any school climate improvement work.

Additional Support Services

Positive learning program academies ensure comprehensive support through various services:

College & Career Advising: Personalized guidance that prepares students for life beyond high school.
Full-Time Registered Nurse: Ensuring students’ health and safety every day.

Staff and Faculty Commitment

Dedicated Professionals

The success of any academy for positive learning programs hinges on the dedication and expertise of its staff. These professionals are committed to creating a nurturing and effective learning environment.

Tampa Pinnacle Academy Staff

Marissa Guagliardo Sander, Director: Marissa is the Director and Owner of Tampa Pinnacle Academy and has over fifteen years of experience in the field of Child Development. Marissa studied Communication Sciences and Disorders in her undergraduate program. She is a licensed Speech Language Pathology Assistant. Marissa attained her Master’s degree in Counseling with a concentration in Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis and is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Education. Marissa is a certified instructor in Orton Gillingham through the Institute of Multi-Sensory Education. Marissa combines her background in speech and language with behavior management techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in her students and clients. After more than five years studying under Dr. Ordetx as the Program Director for the Pinnacle Academy’s South Tampa pilot program, Marissa established Tampa Pinnacle Academy in 2018.
Dave DeVore, Middle School Mathematics Teacher: Dave DeVore is excited to be starting his third year at Tampa Pinnacle Academy. Dave is a graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in mathematics with a computer science concentration. He is also one class away from completing his Masters degree and is also trained in Orton Gillingham. Before teaching, Mr. DeVore worked in software design where he started his own software design company for the telecommunication industry. Dave has five years of teaching experience, three in Special Education, where he taught all subjects. He also tutored students in math and science. Dave promotes growth mindset encouraging students to succeed beyond their expectation by believing in them and helping them realize their potential through dedication and hard work
Cortni Baker, Elementary Teacher: Ms. Cortni is an experienced educator with a Master of Arts in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland University. As a certified instructor in Orton Gillingham, Cortni specializes in structured literacy instruction, supporting students with diverse learning needs. She believes that every child is capable of learning when equipped with the right tools and resources. Cortni is passionate about making education fun, engaging, and exciting, inspiring her students to reach their full potential. Her approach emphasizes a positive and supportive learning environment, where challenges are met with creativity and enthusiasm.
Jaki Scomillio, Elementary Teacher: Ms. Jaki holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The State University of New York at New Paltz. She began her career in the mental health field in 2016. Jaki was born and raised in New York and relocated to Florida in 2021 to pursue my passion for teaching. She is now in my fourth year of teaching and remains inspired by her mother, who devoted 25 years to elementary education. She remains committed to fostering the growth and development of her students and is so excited to be teaching at TPA.
Rachel Silvestri, Middle School History and Science Teacher: Ms. Rachel Silvestri began her professional journey in New York City, where she earned degrees in Merchandising and in Film. In early 2021, she discovered her passion for working with children while serving in daycare and after-school programs, which led her to transition into teaching. For the past three years, she has dedicated herself to guiding and inspiring middle school students, helping them grow both academically and personally. In the summer of 2025, Ms. Rachel relocated to Tampa, Florida, where she is excited to continue empowering young learners at Tampa Pinnacle Academy. She is committed to fostering a supportive and engaging classroom environment where every student can thrive and discover their unique potential.
Emma Henderson, Elementary Teacher: Mrs. Emma Henderson has dedicated her career to supporting students both in and out of the classroom, drawing on her diverse experience in competitive swim coaching and education. She began her coaching journey in 2015 and earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Environmental Studies in 2017. After stepping into the classroom as a middle school teacher in 2020, Mrs. Emma Henderson expanded her impact by working with students in athletic environments before returning to education at Tampa Pinnacle Academy in 2024.
Kris Giesen-Tyler, Elementary Teacher: Kris G-Tyler has over 20 years of educational experience. Kris holds a BA in Literature and Creative Writing, a 5-12 license from Bethel University, an MA in Curriculum Instruction, and Design from Walden, and several graduate credits in further educational instruction from MSUM. Kris is a certified instructor in Orton Gillingham though the Institute of Multi-Sensory Education. Kris has taught in pull-out elementary programs, on a Native American Reservation, and in traditional schools. Kris embraces the attitude that learning should be both fun and accessible for everyone. She is excited to help students accomplish their goals and for them to be proud of their successes.
Jessica Deutsch, Assistant Director and Support Services Coordinator: Ms. Jessica is beginning her first year as an elementary teacher at Tampa Pinnacle Academy. She has over 8 years experience in the field of Special Education. Ms. Jessica recently relocated from Long Island, New York. She graduated with her bachelors from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut where she was also a DII women's lacrosse player. Ms. Jesica went on to receive her Masters in Special Education from St. Joseph's College on Long Island. She is also professionally trained in the Orton Gillingham curriculum. Ms. Jessica believes strongly in applying research-based principles to identify the unique needs of students. She believes that everyone has the ability to learn with the proper tools. This school year your child will learn the tools they need to be a successful student. Ms. Jessica is passionate about creating a safe and welcoming learning environment that fosters a positive learning experience.
Julie Conton, Curriculum Specialist: Julie Conton is the Curriculum Specialist at Tampa Pinnacle Academy with 15 years of experience in education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology and a Master’s degree in Special Education. Julie began her career in New Orleans, where she served as a special education teacher before advancing into instructional coaching and the supervision of special education programs.
Peach Johnson, Elementary Teacher: Ms. Peach Johnson has been dedicated to nurturing young minds since earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Miami University in 2016. She began her career in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where she inspired and guided third graders for six rewarding years. In 2020, she expanded her expertise by obtaining a Master’s in Education and a degree in Exceptional Student Education. Relocating to the Tampa area in 2022, Ms. Peach served as an academic and behavioral interventionist for two years before joining the esteemed team at Tampa Pinnacle Academy. Her passion lies in empowering students to reach their full potential while highlighting their unique strengths and abilities. She thrives on witnessing students flourish when provided with the right tools for success.
Mia Calderone, Elementary Teacher: Ms. Mia is in her second year of teaching and is proud to be a part of the Tampa Pinnacle Academy family. She graduated from Florida State University in May of 2023 with a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with a focus in Special Education. Ms. Mia also has experience working in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), where she provided behavior interventions to support students’ social and emotional growth. She is inspired every day by her students and strives to create an engaging, compassionate, and nurturing learning environment where all students feel comfortable, confident, and empowered to learn and succeed.
Clarissa Stokes, Middle School History, Science, Executive Functioning / Art Teacher: Ms. Clarissa is a proud Tampa native and USF graduate. She loves bringing creativity and connection to learners school-wide. Clarissa is also a lifelong, and current, musician and performing artist. She co-runs Soul Sister Presents with her sister, the organization behind TPA’s arts programming. Ms. Clarissa remains especially passionate about working with exceptional needs students. Inclusion has been at the heart of all her creative and educational projects, and she is dedicated to nurturing students’ confidence, character, and academic success.

Academic and Behavioral Support

Creating Optimized Learning Environments

Academic and Behavioral Support cultivates learning environments where instruction aligns with industry standards and district-specific curriculum requirements and ongoing support encourages prosocial behavior inside and outside the classroom. Their special education classrooms are strategically designed to allow students to focus on building critical life and communication skills, while their grade-level classrooms help alternative education students make up lost ground and prepare for a transition back to district classrooms, and ultimately graduation.

Ensuring Successful Transitions

Whether students are transitioning to a less restrictive environment, progressing toward graduation, or earning a certificate of completion, academies help ensure they receive the individualized guidance and support they need to reach their full potential.

Tailored Programs

Academies carefully assess unique student needs and then craft personalized programs that allow each student to reach their full potential-academically, socially, and emotionally.

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