Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Gates Foundation has partnered with the national non-profit organization, Expeditionary Learning Schools, to provide training to teachers in select High Schools through a large grant ($600,000) we are applying for. We were already planning to contract with EL Schools but hey, if the Gates Foundation would like to pay for it, we'll take it! This grant will be used to retain the training and support services provided by EL Schools which will free up other state and national funding to be used in other needed areas. Here's to getting the Gates grant!!!! Do we have an interested group to help with the technical writing?

Becoming an Expeditionary Learning School

Please visit the Expeditionary Learning Schools' (www.elschools.org) website to learn more about the Expeditionary Learning model. We are currently working with Expeditionary Learning Schools (a national, non-profit organization) which has been chosen by the Gates Foundation to provide it's New Century High Schools with excellent training in the core concepts they want to see implemented. EL Schools will provide us with a school designer and consultant to train our teachers and to assist in implementing their model which includes project-based learning, integrated studies, assessment and other key concepts we desire for our students. The focus and investment will be on Teacher Development and Training. Over time, we will become one of a nation-wide network of "Expeditionary Learning Schools".

Currently, there are only three schools attempting to implement the EL model in the state of Utah, two charter schools (one in SLC and one in Ogden) and one private school on the East side of Salt Lake City. At our encouragement, our friendly supporters, American Leadership Academy and Liberty Academy, in Spanish Fork and Salem respectfully, are anticipating a contract with ELSchools to convert to this model of learning over the next few years. Our future sister school, Utah Academy of International and Cultural Studies, will join us in being the first schools to implement this model from our opening day.

Please take the time to become familiar with the Expeditionary Learning website. It will be the core model containing most concepts of our educational philosophy.

What's In a Name?

It's Aloha Friday! Hope you have a good weekend!! And now for some written thoughts before the week closes: Ok. My sister's input has spurred me to consider a name change for the school. See it on the blog's title page. I tweeked it a little. Her recommendation is for NOT using the term ACADEMY. She wrote: "I personally feel that "Academy" is way too rigid and has negative connotations, structured through non-Pacific philosophies of knowledge that are actually inhibiting our (pacific) children's learning. I suggest "Iosepa Center for Cultural Learning and Education". I added the 21st century part. So what is a 21st century education? That'll be the topic of another post. For now, consider this comment and change, and give your feedback! Mahalo!!!

What is Social and Emotional Learning? Do we need it at Iospea Academy?

Project Learning