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Our Approach
Students will engage with peers and the instructor for up to 3 hours each week in live discussions. In addition, instructors will provide feedback in writing on each step leading to the final assignment. At the end of the course, the instructor will provide each student an overall assessment of strengths and gaps to be addressed in the future.
Tutorial Model
Experienced Faculty
Our faculty are highly credentialed and experienced in the subject areas and grade levels relevant to the courses they are teaching. They are dedicated professionals who share the core principles and values of the academy.
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Flexible Offerings
Each course runs for a period of 6 weeks and can be taken individually. We also offer a sequence of courses—introductory to advanced—in specific competencies and subject areas that can be taken consecutively.
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Documentation
By the end of the course, a student who has completed assignments will receive a completion certificate. The student would also have a portfolio of work and a written assessment that could be included in any documentation required by the state.
How we are different
In an environment where students are tempted into shortcuts and encouraged to rely on external tools, we return the focus to the development of intrinsic skills. Our courses are tutorial-oriented, and employ live discussions and written feedback to instill crucial academic competencies. Each course leads to the completion of a final assignment broken down into sequential steps. Our classes are capped at 12 students, offered on the user-friendly CANVAS learning platform, and taught by instructors who work closely with each student. The co-founders of the academy are professors with decades of experience at various levels, high school through doctoral programs, and know, first hand, the value of a process-oriented, flexible and individual approach.
Carol Angiers, Ph.D.
Middle School Faculty
Carol Angiers has a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies, and more than three decades of teaching
experience at the Middle School level. She is dedicated to teaching students the fundamentals of
reading and writing and is always devising creative and fun ways of doing so.
Debby, Flickinger, Ph.D.
High School Faculty
Dr. Debby Flickinger is an educator, scholar, and leader in transformative education who brings her heart-centered approach to teaching critical thinking & writing for Critical Skills Academy. With a Ph.D. in Transformative Studies from CIIS and a second M.A. in Transformative Leadership
Diane Richard-Allerdyce, Ph.D.
Co-Founder
Diane Richard-Allerdyce brings to the table a multi-leveled teaching practice, a rich research and creative writing agenda, and extensive administrative experience within university departments as well as a charter high school she co-founded and where she served as its Chief Academic Officer for twenty-one years. She also developed and directed a teacher-training program in Haiti, where she traveled frequently from 2009 through 2019. Diane was trained as a poetry therapy facilitator through the National Association for Poetry Therapy. She is the author of multiple scholarly and creative publications. The mother of three and grandmother of four, Diane loves children and teenagers and meets them where they are in order to help them reach their highest potential.
Mathew Chacko, Ph.D.
Co-Founder
Mathew Chacko's appointments have included a tenured professorship at a highly selective Liberal Arts College in Ohio, and teaching assignments at the graduate level in a variety of disciplines. He has designed and taught a range of courses that emphasize critical thinking and writing, rigorous textual analysis, persuasive writing and independent research. Originally from India, he has lived and worked in the U.S. for nearly four decades. He is sensitive to the needs of students from diverse backgrounds and believes in inspiring every learner to perform at the highest levels of excellence. He has degrees in Economics, History, Fine Arts and a Ph.D. in Literature. His work has appeared in the Kenyon Review, Missouri Review and other journals.
Carol Angiers, Ph.D.
Middle School Faculty
Carol Angiers has a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies, and more than three decades of teaching experience at the Middle School level. She is dedicated to teaching students the fundamentals of reading and writing and is always devising creative and fun ways of doing so. She is deeply grounded in best practices, and at the same time flexible and attentive to each student’s needs. She loves teaching. Her students trust her and reciprocate her enthusiasm and love of learning. Carol is a mother and a lover of animals. She has been on the board of two nonprofit organizations and has done philanthropic work in many different countries. She is very excited to join Critical Skills Academy and to continue her career teaching in small classrooms dedicated to crucial learning objectives.
Jennifer Loring, Ph.D.
Creative Writing Faculty
Dr. Jennifer Loring holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies – Humanities and Culture and has been writing professionally since 2000. Spanning four novels, four novellas, and dozens of short stories, her fiction has also been included in two Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthologies. Dr. Loring has taught creative writing in Southern New Hampshire University’s MFA, MA, and BA programs since 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, turtle, and basset shepherd.
Debby, Flickinger, Ph.D.
High School Faculty
Dr. Debby Flickinger is an educator, scholar, and leader in transformative education who brings her heart-centered approach to teaching critical thinking & writing for Critical Skills Academy. With a Ph.D. in Transformative Studies from CIIS and a second M.A. in Transformative Leadership expected in August 2025, she brings both academic rigor and relational teaching to every classroom, both online and in-person. With over five years of teaching experience at the college level, she now embraces the opportunity to prepare middle- and high-school students for rich and rewarding futures. Her work is grounded in care, creativity, and the belief that education should nourish both intellect and spirit. She looks forward to supporting students in finding their voice and thinking critically about the world they’re helping shape.
Courses Offered
Critical Skills Academy (CSA) provides a high-quality, student-centered model for its courses. This model is built upon decades of experience in teaching at all levels, from middle and high school (6-12) through university undergraduate and graduate levels.
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Middle School
High School
Our courses are designed to teach skills that will be critical to academic and professional success. An expert and experienced instructor will engage with students intensively and continuously throughout the duration of the course. Classes will meet online in real time, up to 3 hours a week, in discussions where the instructor will pose questions for students to explore collectively, provide information and hands-on guidance on the assignment for each week. The weekly activities will build on each other in sequential steps towards a final project (such as a research paper on a topic of your choice). Students will receive written and prompt feedback on each assignment, so that you can make necessary revisions, and in the process, hone your skills and maximize your potential.
Each course will have clearly stated learning objectives, a syllabus and instructions on how to complete assignments. We design our courses according to best practices to achieve learning goals. For example, an advanced course in Critical Thinking and Writing will culminate in the composition of a research paper, approached in a series of weekly steps that will teach you to conduct research, evaluate and cite sources, engage with diverse perspectives and shape a consistent argument with an effective introduction and conclusion.
Most courses run 6 weeks and are designed to be intensive and focused on specific objectives. A student’s attentiveness and desire to learn and improve will be key. While our instructors are dedicated and highly motivated, students will be expected to bring a similar ethic to learning!
Instructors will post a question or prompt for students to respond to in the discussion thread for the week. A real-time conversation where students get to clarify, expand and rethink responses, will ensue. The discussions will also give students an opportunity to pose questions on assignments, seek clarifications and obtain guidance. For example, if a student is having difficulty, say, finding relevant sources to incorporate into a paper, the instructor will walk the student through the steps that will help the student find these.
Students will receive prompt (within 3 days of submission), written feedback on weekly assignments and a detailed evaluation of the final paper. All feedback will be focused on the incremental development of the student as a thinker and writer. The focus will be on helping students improve skills and to deepen an understanding of what makes for clear thinking and effective communication. Instructors will meet students where they are, and guide them on how to rather than what to think.
Our courses are designed by experts in the subject matter, under the supervision of the co-founders. CSA is a response to the need for rigorous, high-quality courses that build invaluable skills, be it the capacity to evaluate arguments or to engage productively with a diversity of views. We are not at all interested in telling students what to think. Our goal is to help a student become a strong and confident thinker and an effective communicator of the ideas and arguments the student deems important.
Our methods are informed by the experience and understanding of the co-founders, who have decades of experience teaching at all levels—from middle school to doctoral. A tutorial approach, where a dedicated instructor works closely with students on honing critical skills, is at the core of all our offerings.
After submitting a brief, 3-question form, you will be automatically directed to a payment page. Once your payment is received, we will enroll you in the class and email you instructions on how to access the course on our Learning Management System.
If a student decides to withdraw from a course no later than midnight, Wednesday, of the first week of a course (that is, within 72 hours) the student will receive a full refund. We will be unable to provide any refund beyond that deadline.
A student may wish to sign up for a specific course that aligns with the student’s academic level and learning objectives. A student may also choose to proceed to the next course in a sequence that builds incrementally to advanced levels. For example, a student may decide, after completing an introductory course in persuasive writing to move on to an intermediate, and then an advanced course in the area. A student, however, is not obligated in any way to take multiple courses in a sequence. Our goal is to provide students with the courses they see as beneficial.
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