• All students are educable and can succeed.
• Education of all children takes place in many places and through the efforts of many individuals.  Parents are the first teachers and classroom teachers play a most significant role. Education takes place, however, in other places and through a variety of delivery systems. Communities and organizations play roles as educators.  The media, for good and ill, educate; computer technology and the Internet educate as well.  Museums, zoo, libraries are also educators of the young.
• There is no one best way to educate all children.  Children have different learning styles and capacities and different ways of learning.
• Children need schools that provide the necessary ingredients of love, respect, attention, discipline, encouragement, honesty, and good adult examples and role models.
• The overall purposes of education are to provide young people with the foundation to be educated and cultured adults who can enjoy a full life, participate successfully in an economy of opportunity, and be knowledgeable, active participants in a free, democratic society.
• All students have the potential for "leadership" in some area of their lives and that potential can be systematically taught and developed.
• We believe that innovation simply for the sake of change or to be "different" is not only unnecessary but unsound.  Innovation that enhances the achievement of basic educational goals is appropriate. Often doing what is of perhaps old and proven success is more effective.
• The study and implementation of proven "best practices" research is essential to the forward movement and success of any school.

• All students will become grade proficient in reading, writing, mathematical computation, computer literacy, critical thinking/problem solving.
• All students will develop a sense of self worth.
• All students will develop a sense of reciprocal obligation to family, school, community and their country.
• All students will develop an appreciation for the various viewpoints, races, religions, and ethnic origins of our multicultural nation.
• All students will develop the knowledge, skills, work attitudes and habits which will allow them to become productive members of the American global economy.

What are public charter schools? Simply, they are public schools operated by a local group. Charter schools are designed and operated by private citizens, called organizers, who seek to educate the students enrolled in a specialized way. The contract is awarded by an authorizer (sometimes called the sponsor) established by state law. In Indiana, the mayor of Indianapolis, some local school boards and Ball State University are the current official authorizers. Public school funding follows the students enrolled in the charter school. The organizers can decide how that money is to be spent, the curriculum, the staff and the teaching method.

The emphasis of Thea Bowman Leadership Academy is academic excellence. The basic curriculum is the Core Knowledge Sequence which outlines specific themes to be taught simultaneously across all the disciplines to provide a solid, coherent foundation for learning. The instructional method utilizes the Paidei school principles which include student-centered classrooms, self-governing students poised for lifelong learning, technology integrated into each content area. Manipulatives are emphasized as well as Socratic seminars and nurturing in the fine arts, music, physical education. Like the different sweets in a candy store, due to its smaller size, a charter school can shape the curriculum to the exact needs of its student body.

The organizers of the Thea Bowman Academy believe that educated citizens emerge as the true leaders of a community. Consequently, throughout the curriculum and daily activities of the school, the concept of leadership will be central to student learning and action. Since another basic belief is that the true leader is one who serves his fellow man, civic and family leadership will be emphasized in the early grades, and an introduction to business, professional and entrepreneurial leadership in the upper grades.