Tommie F. Brown Academy - A School of Innovation is a public, magnet school located in Chattanooga, TN. It has 360 students in grades PreK - 5th. The magnet focus for Brown Academy is innovation with the mission being "Innovation for ALL!".
Our content is grounded in five design principles: Creativity, Connection, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Curiosity. The Brown Academy Design principles guide our faculty’s planning and preparation for student learning experiences. Our goal is to build their content knowledge and competency as an innovator.
Students at Brown Academy have several experiences that build their college and career awareness. We utilize a schedule of weekly learning experiences in the Innovation Center. We believe that it is important to teach 21st century skills from kindergarten through 5th grade. These transferable skills are not only employability skills but also positive habits for learners. We balance building independence and autonomy with partner and group work. It is important for students to know their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, it is important for them to know how to leverage their strengths as part of a team. We also want to students to develop strong and productive thinking skills that allow them to engage, interact, and persevere. Teachers are intentionally planning these skills in their PBL units and reinforcing with daily lessons and activities.