 Dr. Kuni BeasleyDean of NEW American School |
Dr. Kuni Beasley, founder of the NEW College Preparatory Academy formerly called NEW American School and Gateway Preparatory School, has a BS from Texas Christian University, an MBA from Oklahoma City University, a Doctor of Ministries from Tyndale Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He attended the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas, graduating at 16 with a full college scholarship. Dr. Beasley has served on the faculty of Northwood University (Business & Government), LeTourneau University (Business Management), University of Texas-Arlington (Public Administration), and Dallas Baptist University (Political Science). Dr. Beasley started the Gateway Program in 1996 with seven students meeting in a rented Sunday school room at the First Baptist Church in Duncanville, Texas. By 1997, Gateway had two more schools in Arlington and Bedford, and by 1998, Gateway had nine schools in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and Waco with almost 700 students. In 2001, Gateway began to convert to the internet and the last conventional site closed in 2003. In 2002, Gateway began to establish network schools to support homeschool families and establish resident sites using the Gateway Program to support students coming out of public and private school. |
 Mr. Howard BergCo-Founder |
Mr. Howard Berg, co-founder of the NEW College Preparatory Academy formerly called NEW American School and the Gateway Preparatory School, is recognized as the world’s fastest reader thanks to the cutting edge accelerated learning techniques he developed that turn information overload into information assets. Respected internationally for his contribution to the learning process, he is listed in the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records for reading more than 25,000 words per minute and writing more than 100 words per minute. Mr. Berg is a graduate of S.U.N.Y., Binghamton. Using the same strategies used by New College Preparatory Academy students, this biology major completed a four-year Psychology program in one year. His graduate studies at several New York City colleges focused on the psychology of reading. Howard taught for 10 years for New York City’s inner city schools, and witnessed first hand how the failure to learn basic study skills was crippling the learning potential of our nation’s children. |
 Mrs. Debbie ElderExecutive Director |
Mrs. Debbie Elder, Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst and Executive Director of the New College Preparatory Academy, is a graduate of Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and a former police officer with the Ottawa City Police Force. She then moved to Calgary, Alberta where she was a youth worker in charge of the disciplinary unit of a secure custody facility for young offenders. Within this organization she was promoted to the position of Labor Relations Coordinator responsible for mediating between staff, management, and the Union. Mrs. Elder left this position to work as an educator with the John Howard Society, teaching high school law and Introduction to Canadian Law at the University of Calgary. After the birth of her first child, she decided to open her home to troubled teens and was voted the Therapeutic Foster Parent of the year in 1993. Upon her arrival in Houston, Mrs. Elder worked as a preschool teacher and ran her own Behavior Management Consultant business helping teens, families, and Corporate America by providing training in Leadership and Interpersonal Communication skills. As a professional educator and speaker, Mrs. Elder traveled the nation training teachers and parents in motivation techniques and success strategies. She remained a tutor and Success Coach for elementary through college age students until January 2004 when she joined the New College Preparatory Academy team. |
 Mrs. Camille Rodriquez Assistant Dean for Academics |
Mrs. Camille Rodriquez , Assistant Dean for Academics, is a graduate of the University of Texas where she attended on a full scholarship and majored in Radio-Television-Film. While there, she was a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she worked in radio, writing commercials and public service announcements, as well as in television in Austin, Texas. In 1989, she and her husband moved to the Houston area where she became a substitute teacher in the public schools. Familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the public schools and originally “just an experiment,” Mrs. Rodriquez became involved in homeschooling when her first child was three years old. This involvement developed into a passion for seeing the “light bulb turn on” as her children learned and grew in their studies. She continued homeschooling all four of her children and successfully graduated her oldest child from high school at sixteen with nine hours of college work already completed. She served on the steering committee, including the office of President, of local homeschooling support groups in both the Houston area and in Sewanee, Tennessee while living there during her husband’s seminary training. She has served as Christian Education Director and Children’s Ministries Coordinator in her churches and facilitates women’s Bible studies. Mrs. Rodriquez also spent two years in private school instruction, but left that work in 2005 to become a member of the NEW American School staff. Currently, Mrs. Rodriquez operates one of the Gateway satellite schools and is a mentor in the NEW program working directly with students using the curriculum in their homes, satellite schools and private schools. |
Administration
On August - 6 - 2009
