Cornerstone Academy
Oak Park, IL
Copyright © 2021 – Equity Schools, Inc
Cornerstone Academy is a very small private high school, founded in 1994. Their primary aim is working with students who began high school elsewhere, but whose needs have not been met and are looking for a fresh start (and a strong finish).
Their very small class size allows for highly personalized attention to their students, but also meant that operational costs were steep. When Cornerstone leadership wanted to expand experiential education offerings for their students, they approached Equity Schools to develop funding solutions.
Goals
Enhance the school’s educational program to include experiential education.
Challenges
The school’s very small size, lack of public funding, and desire to maintain affordable tuition for any student wishing to attend, meant any new programming would require new sources of funding.
Results
Our solution was to create a professional internship program, including a training program taught by young volunteer professionals, block scheduling, and funding from the internship business sponsors.
Today, for over 20 years and counting, Cornerstone students are expanding their horizons and building self-confidence through professional internships and real-world experience.