PHOENIX Community Learning Center (PCLC) believes that students learn best when they are consistently challenged to develop and use their higher order thinking skills. We believe that a curriculum focused on mastery in all academic content areas, but designed to challenge students to develop skills related to inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, reflection, collaboration, ethics and work habits is needed if students are to become true lifelong learners. We believe that the task of developing students’ higher order thinking skills should be brought to the forefront of the curriculum and used as a guide for teachers in ensuring that students know how to apply and use learned information and facts in their everyday life