Shane Wickwire, Executive DirectorSprings Empower Academy, part of the Springs Charter Schools network, has become a haven for students who never quite fit the traditional schooling mold. With its student-centered philosophy, flexible learning environments, and a deeply involved community, the Academy represents a model for what modern education can achieve when it prioritizes learners' needs first.
Executive Director Shane Wickwire is intimately familiar with this vision. Having spent years within the Springs Charter Schools system in California, he brings both experience and heart to the Tennessee expansion, now entering its second year.
His perspective is rooted in a simple yet profound belief: that education should adapt to students, not the other way around.
“Our classrooms are designed around how kids actually learn,” Wickwire explains. “Some students need to move to stay focused, others like to sit on the floor with a clipboard, and some prefer the traditional desk. We build that flexibility into every classroom, so each child can engage in the way that works best for them.”
This flexibility is a purposeful strategy to serve families seeking a personalized, participatory learning approach. Springs Empower Academy appeals to those who value a strong home-school connection and collaboration.
“It’s not a drop-off-and-pick-up kind of school,” Wickwire says. “Parents are active partners in their child’s education, and we encourage that every step of the way.”
A School for Every Kind of Learner
The Academy’s classrooms hum with movement and interaction. Desks are arranged in clusters, and beanbags rest beside standing desks; whiteboards line the walls. Students aren’t confined to one way of sitting, learning, or thinking. Instead, they are invited to explore how they learn best. This approach is especially valuable for what Wickwire calls “the active bodies in our classrooms”—students who may have struggled to sit still in more conventional schools.
We want students learning not just from books, but from the world around them.
In many ways, it fills the gap between traditional district schools and homeschooling. For some families, that bridge is life-changing. Wickwire recalls one story from the school’s inaugural year: a fourth-grader who had dreaded school for years, feeling disconnected from teachers and peers alike.
“By mid-year, that same student was excited to come to school every day,” Wickwire recalls. “By the end of the year, he stood in front of his classmates giving a full historical presentation. For a child who once refused to speak publicly, that transformation was incredible to witness.”
The transformation comes not from a single intervention but from the entire learning environment, one that prioritizes connection, flexibility, and agency.
Personalization in Practice
At the core of Springs Empower Academy’s philosophy is the concept of personalized learning paths (PLPs). Every student’s PLP reflects their individual progress, preferences, and strengths. Teachers collaborate closely with students to set measurable learning goals, often expressed as “I can” statements, for instance, “I can multiply fractions” or “I can identify the main idea in a story.”
Students learn to track their progress toward mastery over time. Even if a student starts with a 20 percent score on an assessment, they can see their growth—40, 60, 75, 85—until they reach mastery. It’s no longer about grades defining them. It’s about celebrating progress and persistence. This process shifts motivation from external rewards to internal ownership.
The school blends traditional materials with technology to support this model. Students work with both paper and adaptive digital tools that adjust to their level in real time. Programs like i-Ready and ST Math personalize instruction, ensuring appropriate challenges. Technology maintains a supportive, balanced role; teachers keep screen time healthy and engagement human.
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Some students need to move to stay focused, others like to sit on the floor with a clipboard, and some prefer the traditional desk. We build that flexibility into every classroom, so each child can engage in the way that works best for them.
Learning happens in small group rotations, where teachers can target specific skills, provide enrichment, or reinforce understanding. Students frequently collaborate across classrooms, learning from different teachers and peers. This structure fosters a culture of collective growth while maintaining individual focus, a hallmark of the Springs’ model.
Community and Connection
While the Academy’s pedagogy sets it apart, its sense of community gives it soul. Wickwire emphasizes the importance of parent participation as a cornerstone of the school’s identity. Families are encouraged to volunteer, plan events, and contribute to the school’s development.
That spirit of involvement extends to the students as well. The Academy offers a broad array of clubs that rotate throughout the year, including art, chess, archery, cooking, science, and student leadership, to name a few. Even the youngest learners, from kindergarten onward, are encouraged to explore new interests and discover talents beyond the classroom.
Music is another integral part of the Springs experience. Students begin learning to play instruments as early as kindergarten, cultivating not only artistic skill but also discipline and confidence. After-school sports programs, including flag football, basketball, and soccer, are offered to all students from kindergarten through sixth grade, a rare opportunity for such young athletes to participate in team sports.
Through these programs, the Academy ensures that students’ emotional, physical, and social growth is as intentional as their academic development.
A Vision Rooted in Growth
Springs Empower Academy’s story is still being written. With a current enrollment of approximately 220 students, the school plans to expand to nearly 400 students in the coming year and ultimately serve between 800 and 900 learners by its fifth year. The next milestone is a permanent campus, an ambitious project already underway.
The vision for this new site is both practical and poetic. The Academy aims to construct classrooms with attached gardens, allowing students to take their learning outdoors. The 12-acre property under consideration features forested trails and open land, making it an ideal setting for integrating environmental and agricultural education into the curriculum. In time, Wickwire envisions students caring for gardens, exploring nature trails, and even working with farm animals.
“We want students learning not just from books, but from the world around them,” he says. “They’ll learn responsibility, science, and sustainability by actually doing by growing plants, caring for animals, and understanding how ecosystems work.”
These experiences will instill a deeper respect for the environment and teach practical skills that extend far beyond traditional academic subjects.
A Culture of Empowerment
Every element at Springs Empower Academy, from flexible seating to mastery-based learning, is designed to promote empowerment. Students actively participate in their education. Teachers facilitate growth, while families are collaborators in a shared journey.
The Academy’s leadership believes that empowerment must be built on a sense of belonging. When students feel seen, heard, and valued, their confidence grows, and learning naturally follows. In that sense, Springs Empower Academy isn’t just a school, it’s a community built on trust and transformation.
Even as the school plans expansion, its mission remains grounded in personal connection. The emphasis on small classrooms and community partnership ensures growth never overshadows individual experiences.
The Future in Focus
Looking ahead 18 to 24 months, Springs Empower Academy anticipates establishing its permanent campus and expanding to grades K-8. Beyond that, plans include developing career and technical education pathways that may one day incorporate agricultural or equestrian programs, extending the school’s hands-on learning ethos.
As these ambitions take shape, the Academy continues to anchor itself in the principles that defined its founding: flexibility, personalization, and community engagement.
Springs Empower Academy’s story exemplifies a growing educational movement: meeting students where they are, honoring individuality, and helping learners grow with confidence. Here, education is a relationship—between teacher and student, school and family, and learning and life.
As the new campus takes shape, Springs Empower Academy’s core belief remains: every child deserves an empowering education that enables them to move, think, and thrive.
