Founded in 1978, Dr. Deborah Levy opened the Developmental Resource Center in the City of Hollywood in South Florida. The school started as an institution providing a clinical approach to students who suffered from numerous learning differences, helping them to overcome their challenges and gain the tools necessary to become successful academically. In 1998, Nobel Learning Communities purchased the program and renamed it Paladin Academy. The school offers a full college-bound high school program. It was originally accredited under the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation in 2004. With CITA's merger into AdvancED, the accreditation was revised to be under the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2008, the school announced that it would be relocating to a facility in western Broward County, near the border of the City of Sunrise and the City of Weston. This move was completed in August of that same year. In 2011, Paladin Academy started a phased move to a new 4.5 acre campus located in the City of Pembroke Pines. Featuring a regular soccer field, swimming facilities, two technology labs, a science lab, library indoor cafeteria and other numerous upgrades; lower grades of the school started the 2011-2012 academic year at the new location. The high school program, still operated out of the Weston Campus, was scheduled to complete the move in March 2012.
Curriculum
Paladin Academy utilizes an individualized educational model commonly referred to as the Paladin program. Since the transfer of ownership in 1998, the methodologies and techniques used in helping students to overcome their learning challenges have also implemented at other Nobel Learning Communities schools throughout the United States. Since 2005, the original Paladin Academy school is the only site to integrate the Paladin program with a college-bound regular high school diploma component. The Paladin program uses multi-sensory strategies and specifically chosen support materials to teach, remediate, and facilitate students' individual learning. These strategies are designed to help children with learning challenges "learn how to learn." Included in these strategies are resources and techniques for improving the processing, reading, spelling, math, and language abilities of the students. In addition, the school holds a goal of helping students add study skills and organizational techniques to their arsenal of learning strategies.
Sister Schools
Two sister schools were opened under the name of Developmental Resource Center in the mid 1990s. Following the purchase of the school program in 1998 by Nobel Learning Communities, several additional campuses were put into operation. By 2006, these sister sites had been consolidated. These schools included:
