Brief History
Colegio Decroly Americano (CDA) was established in 1993 as a private, bilingual (Spanish-English), co-educational, non-sectarian school, and is run by a Board of Directors. The school is authorized by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education and offers a U.S.-Guatemala program.
In its first year CDA provided schooling for approximately 225 students in grades 1-4. The school now instructs students from Infants to 12th Grade and has kept a steady enrollment above 950 students. The grades are divided into four divisions: Early Learning Center (Infants-Kindergarten), Elementary (Grades 1-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12).
The school has grown immensely since its first years. During the last three years the school has added new classrooms, laboratories, a synthetic soccer field, a weight room, bathrooms, and a state-of-the-art multi-purpose gymnasium.
Since 2008 CDA is internationally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and it is an active member of a number of school associations including the Association of American Schools of Central America (AASCA), the Association of American Schools of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (Tri-Association), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) and the Association of American International Schools in the Americas (AMISA).
Learning, like any art, is a transformative and guided process that engages educators and students as they continuously explore and design creative ways to form new ideas and overcome challenges.
Learning at CDA
Mission
Work together in an inclusive environment through a dynamic and student-centered curriculum which inspires students to collaborate with one another and challenges them to use critical and creative thinking skills to solve real-world problems.
Vision
To prepare ethically conscious citizens committed to the positive development and well-being of a community that encourages every member to achieve their true potential.
Guiding Statements
1
Instill and preserve a pleasant, inclusive environment through open communication inside and outside the classroom.
2
Create safe, accessible spaces and innovative programs that develop healthy physical, social, and emotional well-being; upholding the infrastructure to high safety and environmental standards.
3
Lead by example, take into account all voices, provide transparency, and guide the community through mutual respect and a larger vision of the institution.
4
Promote opportunities to gain a sense of identity and belonging within the community, share cultural values, and bond significantly with others.
5
Improve the education process through constant reflection and transformation supported by the latest research available.
6
Motivate students to ask questions, discover new possibilities, and share knowledge with the support of teachers as coaches and the appropriate use of available resources.
7
Use purposeful assessment practices and policies that allow students to demonstrate their skills, reflect on newly acquired knowledge, and apply these in future learning situations.
8
Provide a student-centered curriculum that addresses students’ unique needs and cultivates a growth mind-set in order to help students understand their own learning development and challenge them to construct meaningful knowledge.
9
Foster 21st-century skills through a variety of learning opportunities by applying hands-on solutions to real-world problems and encouraging collaborative learning structures that will ignite a learner’s natural desire to explore and discover the world around them.