James Gee, formerly a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, declares today's schools to be “technologically impoverished.” Gee is referring to the lack of technology integrated into the core of the curriculum. Answering this challenge, WCATY developed The Academy.

Over 10,000 students in the last ten years have knocked on the proverbial door of the WCATY Academy, our online environment. Like their unique talents, their interests range widely. We quench their appetite for challenge by designing a smorgasbord of curricular nourishment using our Interactive Design model.

Knowing that offering a well-rounded diet of higher level thinking skills is the best way to prepare our students for the complexities of the real world, WCATY developed the Modes of Engagement. This theoretical model integrates traditional disciplines into blended, inquiry focused units.

Learning from the continuous feedback we receive from our students, school sponsors and the nationally recognized research conducted at the University of Wisconsin, we have developed an advanced understanding of how to build engaging online environments. We share these cutting edge approaches with teachers throughout the country with our professional development options which include a three credit course, summer workshops and in-school seminars.

Embracing the translational research model, The Academy staff not only voraciously digests research studies concerning online learning, gifted education, game theory, and practices that embrace a situated approach to learning, we also connect the University with real time data and feedback from our online learners.