Who We Are
The Study Academy is Toronto’s premier progressive education school. Our classes span grades 3 to 12 in a coeducational and collegial environment. What is progressive education? We believe that learning is adaptive, ongoing, personalized, and not meant to be confined to traditional lecture-based classrooms. Our students are challenged to learn collaboratively, actively, and creatively in a supportive community that values personal growth and academic achievement.
Core Values
Scholarship
The pursuit of academic study and investigation
Achievement
The desire to flourish through academic, athletic, or personal avenues
Curiosity
The passion that drives students to learn, grow, and persevere
Collaboration
The interpersonal and team-building skills required for success in today’s society
The Study Academy Promise
The Study Academy provides a learner-centred pedagogy informed by important research and literature in the education field. We foster curiosity, develop research skills, hone critical thinking, and inspire ideas by empowering our students to pursue their passions and take initiative in their own learning experiences. We give our students the growth mindset and strong learning habits they need to ensure their academic and personal goals are achieved—both in and out of the classroom, and long after they graduate.
Our Philosophy
Educators—and education—must constantly evolve to provide the best possible learning experience to students. Based on a new school of interdisciplinary thought that brings together the fields of education, psychology, and neuroscience, The Study Academy has developed five central beliefs of education. You can explore these ideas by reading the research linked below.
Learning is a social activity, informed by our emotions and motivations
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Virtuous cycles arise when a school participates in research that informs practice and teaching practice that informs research directions
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A learning environment is responsive to the individual differences between students, including their prior knowledge
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The student is the central participant in the school
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Learning demands a disciplined investment of intelligence from learners
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Partnerships, Associations, and Memberships
Our Founder
Bryan Levy-Young
Founder, Dean of Admissions & Student Services
In 2006, Bryan envisioned a school with a commitment to rigorous intellectual development complemented by a focus on the social/emotional needs of developing minds. His own diverse professional experiences as a family therapist, educational consultant and school director, television writer, producer, board member, camp director, and artist have fostered connections and nurtured relationships with talented teachers, specialty programs, and educational and therapeutic professionals to provide the best opportunities and support for children and their families.
“I started The Study Academy in 2006; I was working with bright, socially competent, and creative kids who were underachieving in school and who were, frankly, unhappy. I sought to open a school that would offer a place for these kids, a place that had a rich academic environment but flexibility and innovation in the teaching methodology so that each student could find their path to a meaningful academic experience.”
Bryan Levy-Young, MA, Founder
Principal’s Profile
Jason Krell
Principal
Jason is a dedicated and driven educational leader who has guided The Study Academy to become one of Toronto’s most celebrated progressive schools, known for its outstanding work with twice exceptional (2e) learners and having built a sterling reputation in skillfully blending high standards and personalized supports in each classroom. Jason brings a fulsome background as a research scholar, educator, entrepreneur, and executive to his role as Principal, having completed extensive research for the International Olympic Committee and Adidas, worked as a secondary teacher in addition to curriculum consultant and sessional lecturer at the University of Calgary, ran a successful small educational business, and currently sits as President of the Board at Crest Swimming. Jason’s current role at TSA is focussed on Continuous Improvement Planning and building new channels for stakeholder inputs to support decision-making processes that improve educational outcomes. This developmental work is being accomplished in conjunction with The Study Academy’s CIP accreditation with Cognia.
Jason is an active and long-standing member of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society and has most recently presented research at the 2018 biennial conference on the topic of Neurofeedback in the classroom. Further, Jason leads an educationally-focussed research team at TSA, which had a multi-awarded paper published in 2019 in the peer-reviewed journal Mind, Brain, and Education, and another peer-reviewed paper published in 2023 in the periodical Journal of Attention Disorders.