The METSouth co-founders (Jeff Wilson and Justin Howell) attended the Big Picture Company's annual Big Bang Conference in Providence, Rhode Island this past week (Wednesday, Aug. 6 to Saturday, Aug. 9). While there, we continued to strengthen our contacts within the Big Picture network of schools. We had great discussions about the logistics of opening METSouth in 12 months with several principals from MET/Big Picture schools in Chicago, Providence, Nashville, and California. Not only were we able to speak with principals from schools that have been in operation for 5+ years, we also had the opportunity to connect with principals who will be opening schools this year (Washington, DC, New Mexico, Connecticut, and New York) and also to meet with colleagues from Philadelphia who will be opening a school at the same time we are, August 2009.
Our discussions revolved around creating stronger ties within the network of existing Big Picture/MET schools, keeping new school startups connected and the lines of communication and collaboration open, building and sustaining a culture of numeracy in our schools that is just as important for students as a culture of literacy, strengthening the "Big Picture approach" to science, discussing what data should be collected and evaluated to measure student and overall school success, and reflecting on the initial conclusions from the ongoing longitudinal study of Big Picture graduates. In addition to formal workshops, the dialogue with staff from around the country occurred on an informal level late into the night. You know you are working with passionate people who recognize and value the importance of their work when they are discussing educational policy into the early morning hours!Not only did we extend our contacts deeper into the national network of schools, we also met people from around the world who were at Big Bang representing international Big Picture schools. There was a group of school starters and consultants from the Netherlands as well as from Australia (who even brought a student-intern to the conference). It is inspiring to know that people from around the world are seeing the value of this nontraditional approach to education and the importance of working to develop a 21st century educational program for the benefit of kids and communities all around this world.
Here are some pictures of the METSouth team at work at Big Bang VII:
Next Steps - Next week, Justin will go to Oakland, CA to work for 2 and a half weeks as a "principal intern" at METWest High School, a very well-respected and successful school. While there, Justin will have the opportunity to work closely with principal Eve Gordon and the staff at METWest to assist in the preparation for the new school year as well as being an active participant in the first week of school with students. This is a great opportunity for Justin to further his on-going principal training by being an observer and participant in staff development, program development, community outreach, and building the small school culture internally....all tasks that METSouth will face in exactly 12 months.
- On Monday, August 18, Mark Estes (CFO, METSouth, Inc.) will represent METSouth at a meeting to discuss the changes to the state of Georgia's charter school rules in light of the recently enacted legislation that establishes an alternative authorizer commission for the approval of charter school applications in the state. We look forward to sharing our ideas with the Georgia Department of Education's Charter School Division next week.
- METSouth, Inc. has a new office located at the future location of METSouth High School (575 Boulevard SE, Atlanta) in the Grant Park neighborhood.
- METSouth will begin holding information meetings in September as well as meeting with students, parents, administrators, counselors, and community stakeholders from our anticipated feeder schools.
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Normally Big Bang is a conference for existing Big Picture schools (leaders, principals, incoming advisors or internship coordinators) --- an inspirational, organizational push before the first days of school that often start right after the conference. Justin and I were welcomed to the conference as "school start up leaders", as it's now clear METSouth will be opening in Atlanta in August, 2009.
The four hectic days in Providence with 50 other principals and 150 other school personnel highlighted what we can still learn from the experience of other Big Picture schools in our year before opening. We even spent time in conversation with the Big Picture contingent from the Netherlands (Hanneke te Braake - Schakenraad and her associates.) Interestingly, there are many problems occuring in NL public schools similar to American ones that the Big Picture model seems to address well --- further proof we are on the right track for the kids and parents in our community.
We have a sense of momentum coming off the conference. Justin was invited to attend the first two-weeks of this year's METWest school opening in Oakland, on David Bromley's recommendation (from Philadelphia's Big Picture initiative.) We came away with a whole rolodex of possible allies and Big Picture alumni already in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Justin and METSouth Board Member / Treasurer Mark Estes are just wrapping up the METSouth Walton Familty Foundation Charter School start-up grant application and the "1023" paperwork that will certify our school organization's nonprofit status with the IRS.
The Georgia alternate charter authorizing commission is forming by September '08 and will soon announce it will be accepting petitions in accordance with the new state charter school legislation. Ours is ready to go.
One of my contributions is that the facility at 575 Boulevard will soon have specific spaces under development to meet building code compliance issues in time for next year's opening. We will be leasing most of the building out, but over the next five years, we will gradually make more and more room for the school as METSouth gains two advisories (30 students) per grade each year.
And, of course, Justin started this blog...
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