The Learning League opens in Lake Forest

Every child learns differently. That is the concept behind the new Learning League GC, a community-based, after-school educational program that helps children focus on critical thinking and problem solving skills. It will begin operation in mid-March at Westwood Square, 950 N. Western Ave. #9C, Lake Forest.

It is opening in response to changes the educational system is undergoing, according to Lake Bluff residents Chris and Michelle Petrini-Poli, who are the architects, owners and operators of the program. They also are the parents of four children now in the area school system.

“Schools are under pressure to retool and do more with the new Common Core and PARCC requirements,” Chris Petrini-Poli said. “Teachers are being asked to do more and more with less funding. Everyone is looking for creative ways to teach these basic skills to a classroom of students with different learning levels, and with the realization there is no one specific way all children learn.”

Recently introduced Common Core requirements refer to the ability levels students should have in English, math, speaking and listening and writing. PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) is the recently introduced test in Illinois that replaces the ISAT.

“Parents are worried how their children’s learning levels will fit into these requirements,” Michelle Petrini-Poli said. “Our focus will be on offering a balance of enrichment activities that challenge each child and skill-building activities that solidify and add to the child’s learning foundation. There are multiple ways a child can learn, not just memorization.”

The Learning League program is for children at all levels of learning abilities.

It will use certified teacher, Arick Ellis, a 20-year veteran teacher in area schools and the father of four children. He will evaluate each student individually and determine their specific learning styles, what skill sets and strengths they may have, talk with their current teachers to see what holes might be in their learning, and discuss with parents what challenges they may want for their children to overcome or how to fix seemingly impossible learning situations.

“I am up-to-date on all the new concepts, the Common Core standards that are to be addressed in the classroom as well as the PARCC test,” Ellis said. “I have an understanding of the curriculum and programs currently in our schools. This Learning League program is unique in that it will keep or establish a connection with the students’ schools and administration. Most after-school programs work on their own without input from the students’ teachers in their program planning. ”

Some parents may face daily challenges getting their children to do homework after school. Others may think they don’t know enough about a subject to help them figure out a problem. Yet others may say the work is too easy or too hard for their child.

“That’s where we take over,” Ellis said.

The Learning League’s program also distinguishes itself by implementing a peer-to-peer learning method.

“We will be using, training and paying high school students from the area as coaches to mentor students in our program,” Ellis said. “For instance, we will be pairing up students who need help in math with high school coaches who have a talent for math. In addition to the academic subjects, we will pair those who might also have an interest in an extracurricular activity like sports, art or music. We hope to develop a respect level for each other. It’s low pressure with high reward and a win-win situation for
everyone.”

He says the response from high school students who want to be coaches is amazing.

“Many want to give back to the community,” Ellis said. “We hope to see each student establish a relationship with the other. The older ones will become role models for the younger ones. We hope it becomes a cyclical program.”

Although Michelle and Chris Petrini-Poli are the architects of the Lake Forest-based Learning League program, they give credit to Michelle’s sister, Sandra Arguello, for the idea.

“She’s been a teacher in Oak Park for 15 years, saw the gaps in the system, the need for change in ways students learn and then went into action developing a program of her own,” Chris Petrini-Poli said. “That was long before we designed our own program for the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff area.”

The impetus for developing the Learning League program actually began when the couple lived in France for a year with their children.

“We were amazed at how different other education systems are in the world,” Michelle Petrini-Poli said. “Our daughter was spending 16 hours a week in sports activities. Her coach asked us one day, ‘How does she have time to study and eat?’

“We realized then we were not making our children’s education a priority. We, like many parents, spent hundreds of dollars on our children’s sports and other extracurricular activities but were not focusing as we should on their education. That’s when we changed our priorities and the seed of the Learning League program began
growing.”

The Learning League Growth Company teaches math, reading, writing, middle school coaching and PARCC test preparation. For more information, call (224) 436-8084 or visit www.thelearningleaguegc.com.