Welcome to WinWin Academy

The WinWin Academy’s unique re-entry model high school applies academics as it nurtures students’ senses of Belonging, Generosity, Mastery, and Independence – the Pillars-4-Success.

Providing educational continuity, as students transition from incarceration to community, is essential to each student’s success as he or she works toward a high school diploma and successful career thereafter.

Visit the Media page for more videos,  and hear what the Ohio Commission on African American Males (OCAAM) is asking you to do.

Public Safety, Education of Young People, and Fiscal Responsibility

Public Safety, Education of Young People, and Fiscal Responsibility are the three cornerstones of Ohio’s innovative WinWin Academy. Read more about how the WinWin Academy makes Ohio safer, educates young people, and saves the state money.


Race to the Top (RttT)

Ohio was awarded $400 million for education reform and WinWin Academy is one of the 538 total districts and community schools leading Ohio’s efforts with a commitment to bold innovation to secure students’ success!

Read more on WinWin Academy’s RttT “Scope of Work”.

Ohio’s High School Drop-out-to-Prison Pipeline

In 2008, the nation’s 50 largest cities, the graduation rate was 52%. Cutting the number of dropouts in half would generate $45 billion annually in new tax revenue (America’s Promise Alliance, a nonpartisan advocacy group for youth). Each year dropouts represent $320 billion in lost lifetime earning potential.

According to the 2008 graduation data from the Ohio Department of Education, 5,900 students dropped out from Central Ohio’s Class of 2008 in the Columbus metro area. Cutting this number by half (3,000) and then focusing on 10% (300) as WinWin Academy students. Assuming students from Ohio’s eight urban centers would have consistent economic outcomes, the impact would approximate as follows:

  • Annual Economic Impact of 300 adjudicated high school dropouts from Ohio’s urban centers earning their high school diploma
  • Likely earn as much as $3.9 million in combined earnings in a single year compared to their likely earnings without a diploma.
  • Increased earnings would likely allow these graduates to spend an additional $2.7 million and invest an additional $

  • Pillars-4-Success

    The Pillars-4-Success are integrated with academic content areas and the school’s ethos. Each Pillar is achieved through the application of Ohio’s Academic Achievement Standards.

    Consistent application of each Pillar - Belonging, Generosity, Mastery, and Independence - nurtures critical thinking, problem-solving skills, innovative and creative thinking, communication, communal responsibility, healthy relationship building, interpersonal social and conflict management skills, and personal responsibility habits.

    Belonging - to experience love and acceptance, to be known and feel valued and missed

    Generosity - to be concerned for others, to make commitments beyond one’s self, to have purpose

    Mastery - to learn things and be good at them, to gain understanding and competence in coping with the world

    Independence - to exercise free will, to accept responsibility, to make decisions and choose alternatives

    Student’s Graduation requires “standing” each pillar. Standing a pillar means you (the student) will present your achievements and share what you have learned from the experience; to a panel of at least two staff members and one peer.