Academic Support
It is the goal of the Academic Support Center (ASC) to identify the major abilities of students and to find ways for them to overcome problems in learning subjects that may not be initially fully accessible.
We do this without compromising our academic standards.
We ensure that every student at DeMatha will meet the rigorous standards expected of every enrollee at the school with the common preparatory curriculum. The ASC is happy to work with students, parents, faculty, and staff who all contribute energy to this learning process.
The ASC philosophy is informed by the findings of Carol Dweck's Mindsets and Dan Willingham's Why Don't Students Like School? Our center reflects their findings on a 'growth mindset.' Mindsets are one's beliefs about one's talent and intelligence.
We know that one's talent and intelligence are not fixed; they will be altered by dedicated practice, effort, attention, and the adoption of specific strategies. Any program that isolates a students within a therapeutic cell denies him the opportunity to stretch himself to the fullness of his capabilities and to learn to help himself.
We want to instill in students an awareness that self-discipline and perseverance are themselves techniques for learning. We teach long-proven, research based study strategies that allow students to get beyond whatever difficulty stands in the way of mobilizing their full strengths. Students understand that no one succeeds without purposeful practice and they recognize that learning is a life-skill.