WHO WE ARE
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Our History
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In 1971, behavioral psychologist Dr. Laura Phillips established the Institute of Human Behavior, Research and Education which included the school, the Children's Learning Center. Dr. Phillips established the school for her clients who were not being effectively served within the public schools. The school was founded on the belief that all students can learn if they are instructed properly. We became state certified in 1981 and moved to our current location in Alameda. We have worked collaboratively with over 16 Bay Area public school districts to serve the needs of students in special education for more than 50 years.​
Our New Name
In the fall of 2012, the Children's Learning Center changed the name of the school to The Phillips Academy to honor the life and work of Dr. Phillips. While our program has changed and grown over the years, we have maintained our commitment to sustaining a nurturing learning environment built on positive relationships, to assessing the effectiveness of our interventions, and to providing students with personalized educational plans that reflect best practice. Today, The Phillips Academy proudly serves approximately 65-70 middle and high school students.
WASC Accreditation
In 2013, The Phillips Academy received a 6 year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Our program was highly acclaimed for its dedicated staff and student support and for its individualized programming. Our schoolwide action plan for improvement included acquiring and integrating technology into our instruction. We accomplished this goal with the issuance of chromebooks for every student and the implementation of our blended learning instructional model. We were recertified for another 6-year cycle in 2019 and we are continuing to work on strengthening our academic and social-emotional learning program.
Our Mission
The Phillips Academy’s mission is to provide a personalized educational experience for students with diverse and complex learning and emotional styles, to address the needs of the whole child. We seek to serve all students by providing culturally responsive pedagogy that honors diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. Our program prepares students to successfully transition to more independent learning environments and to a variety of post-secondary educational and vocational opportunities.