New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA), also known as New Village Academy, was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

located in

Calabasas, California Calabasas (, ; Spanish language in California, Spanish for "winter squash, squashes") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States.Indian Hills High School previously used the campus, and in 2008 actor

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

funded New Village Academy and leased the Calabasas facilities for three years. Smith and his wife

Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress, businesswoman, and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show ''Red Table Talk'', for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Awards, Daytim ...

selected the management for the school. Educational methodologies used by the school include

Study Tech Study Technology, also called Study Tech, is a teaching method codified by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology. Study Technology is used by Scientologists in their training, and it is also marketed outside the Church of Scientology through it ...

nology,

Montessori education The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

Gardner Gardner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gardner (given name) *Gardner (surname) Places United States * Gardner, Colorado *Gardner, Illinois *Gardner, Kansas *Gardner, Massachusetts * Gardner, North Dakota * Gardner, Tennessee * Ga ...

, and

Bruner Bruner is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Al Bruner (1923–1987), cofounder of Global TV * Bud Bruner (1907–1996), American boxing manager *Carlton Bruner (born 1972), American swimmer * Charlotte H. Bruner (1917–1999), A ...

methods. The school closed on June 28, 2013.

Funding

The school's campus was formerly used by Indian Hills High School, which relocated to

Agoura High School Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Athletics and activities Agoura High School's athletic teams are nicknamed the Cha ...

Agoura Hills, California Agoura Hills () is a city situated in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 20,330 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. Agoura H ...

to save money. In 2008, actor

paid

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

890,000 to lease the Calabasas campus for three years, restructuring it from a high school to a private elementary school called New Village Academy. The school is located close to Will Smith's home in Calabasas. Prior to New Village Academy, Smith and Pinkett Smith's two children were home-schooled by their mother. The school was founded by the Smiths, who say they are not Scientologists, in 2005 as a home school for their younger children and those of several other families. Smith and his wife installed their current director of

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, Jana Babatunde-Bey, as the executive director of the school and Jacqueline Olivier as Head of School. In an appearance on ''

Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated breakfast television, morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show ...

'' Will Smith commented on the educational methodologies used by the school: "There are just very powerful educational concepts that we believe in, and we feel like we want to design the system that revolutionizes public education." "New Village Academy was born of a simple question, 'Is it possible to create an educational environment in which children have fun learning?' Jada and I believe the answer is 'Yes.'", said Smith in a released statement. A spokesperson for Will Smith told ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'': "Will is leasing the campus for three years, plus he'll cover all costs such as utilities. The academy will be run privately, and will include

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through grade six." New Village Academy's Calabasas facilities opened in 2008. In March 2009 the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

reported that Jada Pinkett-Smith planned to open a companion high-school. Federal tax filing showed that Will Smith donated $1.2 million to the school in 2010.

Teaching and staff

Educational methodologies used by the school included

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

Jerome Bruner Jerome Seymour Bruner (October 1, 1915 – June 5, 2016) was an American psychologist who made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory (education), learning theory in educational psychology. Bruner was ...

, and Study Technology. Subjects included in the school's curriculum include

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

literacy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

etiquette Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

, and living skills. New Village Academy served organic meals to students, and laptops were made available to all students. The school encouraged parental involvement and restricted access to television. Tuition was approximately $22,500 per year to attend the school, and 80% of the students would receive financial assistance.

Scientology ties

The staff includes a number of

Scientologists Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially developed a set of pseudoscientif ...

, including the Director of Learning, Director of Qualifications and artistic director, as well as some of the school's teachers. New Village Academy's Director of Learning, formerly the director of HELP in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, graduated from the Scientology Delphi School in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

. The school's website lists " Study Technology", a form of education developed by

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religiou ...

founder

L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author and the founder of Scientology. A prolific writer of pulp science fiction and fantasy novels in his early career, in 1950 he authored the pseudoscie ...

, as one of its methodologies. The website utilizes Scientology terminology including "spiraling" and "gradient" in order to illustrate how students learn in the school's programs. The school's motto "Spiral Up" has been compared to Scientology's term "dwindling spiral", when "one commits overt acts unwittingly", although "spiral curriculum" is also a term associated with

. When a student needs to be disciplined they are taken to the "ethics teacher". Jada Pinkett Smith told ''

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

'', "Study Technology is a secular methodology intended to help students better understand what is being studied and apply it to real life. NVLA integrates this methodology as a tool in instructional design by providing teachers the framework to design lessons and curriculum." In response to reports of Scientology ties in 2008, Jacqueline Olivier who was administrator at the time, denied that the school had a religious affiliation, and told the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'': "People tend to think Study Technology is a subject, but it is really just the way the subject is taught. They then come to the conclusion that we are teaching Scientology when actually a methodology doesn't have anything to do with content." Olivier was appointed administrator at the school in 2007, her duties have included hiring all teachers since that time. She said that in addition to Scientologists the school also has

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

staff members, and said: "We are a secular school." "Faculty and staff do not promote their own religions at school." Children from all religious backgrounds will be accepted at the school. Professor of

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

and Scientology critic

David S. Touretzky David S. Touretzky is a research professor in the Computer Science Department and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at Carnegie Mellon University. He received a BA in Computer Science at Rutgers University in 1978, and earned a master's ...

was critical of the school's use of Study Technology, and told the ''Los Angeles Times'': "There is no reputable educator anywhere who endorses Study Technology. What happens is that children are inculcated with Scientology jargon and are led to regard L.R. Hubbard as an authority figure. They are laying the groundwork for later bringing people into Scientology." Touretzky maintains a website critical of Study Technology, and told the ''Los Angeles Times'' that the terms "Director of Qualifications" and the school's "Qual" department refer to those tested by a Church of Scientology qualifications teacher in a Scientology

Auditing An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...

session. Karin Pouw, Scientology spokeswoman and director of public affairs for

Church of Scientology International The Church of Scientology International (CSI) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Letter by the Internal Revenue Service to Flemming Paludan, Regional Director, Danish Tax-Office, Washington, D.C., December 22, 1993 Within the wor ...

, disputed Touretzky's statements and asserted to the ''Los Angeles Times'' that Study Tech is not a religious methodology and is used in schools internationally. In early September 2008 members of the anti-Scientology group

Project Chanology Project Chanology (also called Operation Chanology) was a protest movement against the practices of the Church of Scientology by members of Anonymous (group), Anonymous, a leaderless Internet-based group. "Chanology" is a portmanteau of "4chan" ...

protested outside of New Village Academy and objected to their claims that L. Ron Hubbard techniques were being used in the school. In July 2009, Olivier and several of the teachers resigned from their posts for undisclosed reasons. Olivier was replaced by Piano Foster, an educator with Scientology associations; Foster began at the school on July 1, 2009. Piano Foster has participated in Scientology courses. Foster completed the Scientology class, Basic Study Manual, at the Scientology Celebrity Center in 2005. Olivier was let go from her

200,000 position, due to disagreements over teaching methodologies to utilize at the school. A representative for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith told the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'', "Jacquie is no longer at the school for reasons entirely unrelated to curriculum. She is an excellent educator and fully embraced the school's secular and open-minded approach to innovative teaching methodologies." The ''New York Post'' reported that Olivier left the school due to conflicts with the Smiths over the Scientology "Study Tech" teaching methodologies. Foster confirmed she had been placed as the new administrator for the school, and stated, "I officially took over on July 1, 2009, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. I feel I'm ready for the job." Suri Cruise began attending in April 2009. According to the Smiths, the school has no religious affiliation.

References

External links

New Village Academy
official website * {{Coord, 34.138571, -118.701314, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title Schools in Los Angeles County, California Private elementary schools in California Scientology-related schools Calabasas, California

Funding

Teaching and staff

Scientology ties

See also

References

External links