Dear Parents, Students and Staff,

Welcome to University Academy, a college preparatory academy located in Kansas City, Missouri. University Academy is a public charter academy committed to excellence in education for all students. The educators in University Academy work hard to ensure students are prepared to succeed as lifelong learners in a globally competitive society.

University Academy was one of the first schools in Missouri to receive a charter and the Academy has been providing excellence in education to students in Kansas City, Missouri since the Academy opened in 2000. Partnerships with the local universities have enabled educators in University Academy to extend learning beyond the traditional classroom as students complete internships, earn dual credit for college and participate in leadership training. College preparatory courses are offered K-12 to ensure every student is prepared for college after graduating from University Academy. The Academy has the highest college placement rate in Kansas City in which it is expected that 100% of the students attend college upon graduating from University Academy.

The mission of University Academy is to prepare students to succeed in an institution of higher education and to participate as leaders in society, and we are committed to working with our families and community partners to ensure our mission is achieved.

Tiffany Anderson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of University Academy

Superintendent's Biography

In March, 2005, Dr. Anderson became their first African-American and the first female Superintendent in Montgomery County in Christiansburg, Virginia. Out of 14,000 Superintendents in the nation, Dr. Anderson is one of the 5% who are African-American female Superintendents. While in Montgomery County, Dr. Anderson added staff to schools to enable smaller classes, aligned the curriculum with state standards, provided full-time nurses at all elementary schools, and put initiatives in place to embrace diversity. Montgomery County has now moved from having a few schools accredited in 2004 to all 20 schools accredited today.

After graduating from Saint Louis University in elementary education, Dr. Anderson started her teaching career in St. Louis County. After teaching in both urban county and suburban county districts, she began directing an after-school program entitled, "Closing the Achievement Gap" in which low achieving students began to rapidly excel in St. Louis County. In 1998, Dr. Anderson was recruited as an inner city principal in St. Louis City, where she was the youngest principal in Missouri. As principal at Clark, a school with 99% poverty in St. Louis City, she demonstrated that students could excel at high levels in a short period of time.

After receiving her educational doctorate and superintendent's license in 2003, Rockwood School District, the largest and highest performing district in St. Louis County, recruited Dr. Anderson. She became the first African-American female assistant superintendent there. While overseeing instructional issues, Dr. Anderson also had the role of directing the desegregation program in Rockwood. By 2005, Rockwood had significant academic gains in all areas for all students and the achievement gap began to close.

Dr. Anderson is a lifetime member of the NAACP. She has two children - Whitney and Christopher - who are members of the youth NAACP. Her husband, Stan, is an OB/GYN physician.