The Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings, renamed from Oak Hill Academy in May 2009, is an

alternative school An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientati ...

operated by the

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

See Forever Foundation which manages Maya Angelou Schools. Named after American poet and civil rights activist

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

, the school is located east of

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...

. It is at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center, the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

's secure facility for youth who are

adjudicated Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the ...

as delinquent and committed to its

Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is the juvenile justice agency of the District of Columbia, in the United States. History Marc A Schindler was the interim Director of DYRS from January 2010 to July 2010. He succeeded Vincent ...

(DYRS). The See Forever Foundation began management of the academy in June 2007 upon winning a three-year $12 million contract. Founding principal David Domenici is the son of former New Mexico senator

Pete Domenici Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici (May 7, 1932 – September 13, 2017) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1973 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served six terms in the ...

. Domenici subsequently led the Consortium for Educational Excellence in Secure Settings.

visited the school on April 30, 2009, when it had 90 students, ranging from 14 to 19 years old. While the See Forever Foundation operates other schools under the authority of the

District of Columbia Public Charter School Board The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) is the regulatory authority and sole authorizer of all public charter schools in the District of Columbia, in the United States. It provides oversight to 69 independently-run no ...

, Maya Angelou Academy is not affiliated with the DC PCSB.

Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ...

profiled the academy in 2012 for a video segment on NBC's ''

Rock Center with Brian Williams ''Rock Center with Brian Williams'' was an American weekly television newsmagazine that was broadcast on NBC from October 31, 2011 to June 21, 2013 and hosted by former ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor Brian Williams. It aired on Mondays until January ...

''. In 2014, a report by the

Southern Education Foundation The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) is a not-for-profit foundation created in 1937 from four different funds — the Peabody Education Fund, the John F. Slater Fund, the Negro Rural School Fund, and the Virginia Randolph Fund. Their main go ...

highlighted Maya Angelou Academy as a "successful model for teaching in locked facilities"; tests taken before and after students' 9-month incarceration at the school showed an average of 1.3–1.4 years of improvement. In 2016, twice as many students who completed the program at Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings were working or attending school compared to records from 2007.

References

External links

Maya Angelou Academy website
Juvenile detention centers in the United States Schools in Anne Arundel County, Maryland Public high schools in Maryland Alternative schools in the United States Maya Angelou {{WashingtonDC-school-stub