CAP Acquisition

Classical Academic Press has acquired Centripetal Press!

Wonder, integration, and mastery for middle and high school science students

In science instruction today, challenges abound, from determining correct teaching methods to deciding how best to ensure students’ retention of content beyond the course. These challenges are compelling thoughtful science educators to continually ask, “Where do we start?” In the search for a program that will improve science education and increase student achievement, Centripetal Press stands as the solution!

Centripetal Press founder and author John D. Mays created his 7th–12th grade curriculum based on the core principles of wonder, integration, and mastery, 3 areas of focus that are evident in each of Centripetal's middle and high school textbooks. The study of science should always begin with wonder. The world is a stunning place, full of surprises and jaw-dropping phenomena. Unfortunately, it is common today for young people to grow up spending most of their time indoors with digital media, which means the natural draw of nature for budding scientists is now commonly missed. Only if students know the world will they begin to love it, and only then will they be motivated to take care of it as they encounter the environmental challenges of our modern context.

Keeping the cultivation of this sense of wonder in mind, the content of each text is carefully selected, presented, and assessed cumulatively so that students can truly master the entire body of material in a standard academic year. Last but not least, integrative instruction avoids isolating science and instead draws connections to other subjects such as math, writing, and history. (For more on each of the core principles and the kingdom perspective, click here.)

The tone, style, and graphics in each Centripetal Press text are age-appropriate, coherent, and engaging, designed to draw students upward toward the adult world of scientific inquiry and study. Combining the 3 core principles with rich, appealing design results in the deeper learning of less material and ultimately in a superior science education.