Meet Nandi Edouard, she’s a Spelman College alumna about to make history as the founder of the first Black-owned STREAM school in Cobb County, Georgia.
Edouard is the CEO and founder of The Simple Vue Academy, a new charter school coming to Cobb County by 2025 with a mission to create a sustainable pathway to entrepreneurship by providing grades 6-12 with a STREAM-based education.
She received $20K in grants to open Simple Vue Academy and is excited to bring STREAM education to the classrooms.
So what is STREAM education? Like STEM, it includes, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics but also incorporates the Arts and Reading. Edouard says that emphasizing the importance of reading and writing is crucial in educating the minds of the next generation.
“We all know that there is a literacy crisis going on, and we know that our students are falling behind when it comes to literacy, and so we want to not only make sure that that is at the forefront of our curriculum, but we also want our kids to be able to understand the things that they are reading and be able to then articulate those ideas and create value for themselves and their community,” she said.
Creating a positive school culture that provides a safe, supportive, encouraging, inviting, and challenging environment for students and staff, which allows students’ academic achievement to grow is Edouard’s personal mission.
She got her start in teaching at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Texas where she spent 3 years teaching and leading 6-8th grade English and Language Arts. She later served as the Director of School Culture, Managing Dean of Students, and New Teacher Development Lead at Prospect Schools in Brooklyn, NY before founding Simple Vue Academy.
The educator received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Spelman College and holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Edouard credits her alma mater, Spelman College, and its positive influence on her life that led to the creation of Simple Vue Academy.
Growing up in a predominantly white community, Edouard said Spelman taught her the “ins and outs of black people” and the importance of self-advocacy.
“Spelman taught me what it meant to show up as a black woman in the world, show up as a boss, someone who is knowledgeable and able to stand in the room with others.”
– Nandi Edouard on the impact of attending Spelman College.
Edouard also said the supportive and familial community at Spelman influenced the atmosphere that she wishes to cultivate at Simple Vue Academy.
Simple Vue’s mission is to provide a sustainable pathway to entrepreneurship while producing future business leaders, change agents, and innovators, according to Edouard.
When it comes to advice for other black educators pursuing their degree or just entering the workforce, Edouard says to “lean into community” and praises her own community that has helped her with Simple Vue Academy.
“I’ve found through this journey that community has been the only way that I’ve gotten to the next step. I’ve not done any of this work by myself. I have a really strong team, a really sound board, and a community behind me and I don’t make a move without them and their input and that has really been transformative to this process and for me to actualize my vision.”
