Developed a strategic plan for the next sixth months, compiled essential questions to drive visioning discussions, designed plan to research various school funding models and state and federal educational policies. Wrote and revised our mission statement. Discussed plans with organizations that have started schools.
September 2008 - February 2009
Developed our guiding principles and vision statement. Created a blog to promote discourse around educational issues in Detroit and other cities (www.projecteducation.wordpress.com). Served a keynote speakers on educational issues in Detroit and attended various events concerning education in Detroit.
February 2009
Presented our vision to Grace Lee Boggs. Partnered with the Boggs Center as a our fiduciary sponsor. Developed partnerships with community organizations surrounding our school’s location.
March 2009 - June 2009
Received grant from the Buck Dinner Fund. Finished “Our Story,” a document found on the website that explains the impetus to create the Boggs Educational Center. Designed a logo for the Boggs Educational Center and began developing our website.
June 2009
Began developing a curriculum that delivers our mission and fulfills our visions. Compiled a study syllabus that includes readings on various educational pedagogies, best practices, developmental theory, as well as several school models and philosophi
July 2009
Posted website and printed glossy announcing our mission/vision and the website. Participated on a panel discussion addressing “What is the purposed of education?” at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit. Launched the concept of the Boggs Educational Center to the community at Grace Lee Boggs 94 birthday!
August 2009
Held three day retreat dedicated to curriculum development. Decided that place-based education and instruction meets our curricular needs, committed to designing and implementing a place-based educational program in Detroit.
September 2009 - December 2009
Continued to study place-based education. Decided to open our school in or near the Core City/Corktown neighborhoods. Presented our guiding principles and curriculum framework to our advisory board. Met with community partners about our agricultural and food systems program. Attended several workshops hosted by Michigan Association of Public School Academies and the Michigan Department of Education. Studied charter school law and governance structure. Posted facebook page … you should join!
January 2010 - February 2010
Assembled our facilities search team. Presented at the 2010 North Dakota Study Group Conference. Consulted with place-based educational experts. Consulted with experts on charter school policy and charter school law. Presented vision for the Boggs Educational Center at Corktown residents council meeting, and surveyed attendees on their educational desires.
March 2010 - June 2010
Received grant from AIGA. Composed application for charter authorization. Presented workshops at the 2010 US Social Forum, participated on the planning committee of the peoples movement assembly “another education is happening.”
July 2010
Shared the Boggs Educational Center concept with community organizations. Researched shared governance structures and shared decision making models.
August 2010
Held three day retreat to develop a decision making model that includes the voices of students, parents, instructors and staff and supports the quality and efficiency of our programming. Identified governance structure principles.
September 2010
Submitted application for a charter school planning and implementation grant with the Michigan Department of Education.
October 2010 - December 2010
Were awarded charter implementation and planning grant. Applied for and received a planning grant from the Skillman Foundation. Developed our January 2011 thre August 2011 (first day opening) work plan. Founded the Boggs Educational Center Project Team as a non-profit, with Shayla Griffin, Jackie Victor, and Janice Fialka Feldman as founding Board members.
January 2011
Visited Au Sable Primary School. Au Sable Primary is a fully inclusive K-2 school in Northern Michigan. We were truly inspired by Au Sable’s mission to support the needs of students with a wide variety of challenges, including physical, cognitive, and emotional. It was obvious to us that the school has created a culture of community to include all of its students, as even the youngest students in the school were observed going out of their way to support the needs of their friends.
January 2011
Visited the Learning Community. The Learning Community is located in Central Falls, Rhode Island, just outside the Providence boundary. We observed very skilled teachers and administrators engaging their students and nurturing a love for learning. The most important lesson we took away from our meeting with the director was that we should have very high expectations for our teachers, but that won’t mean anything unless we provide them an equally high level of support. We observed this principle being upheld throughout our classroom visits.
February 2011
Visited the New City School. The New City School is an urban school located in Long Beach, California, serving the educational needs of students from a vast array of racial and ethnic groups. We visited NCS specifically to learn about its assessment system known as the Learning Record, which evaluates student achievement in a holistic manner, tracking student progress over time through work samples, periodic informal and formal assessments, and teacher and parent observations. While we learned that this process is very time consuming, we believe in utilizing new ways to evaluate student learning without boiling it down to standardized test scores.
February 2011
Attended and presented our progress at the North Dakota Study Group annual conference. Evaluated over 70 potential school sites for viabillity.
February 2011
Visited Forest Grove Community School. Forest Grove is located about 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon. It is a rural/suburban school that employs Place-Based Education as the foundation for its curriculum. Unfortunately, school was closed due to a snow emergency on our scheduled visit day; however, we were still able to meet with the principal, who shared her time and wealth of knowledge with us with regard to starting a charter school, including her successes and pitfalls. FGCS also showed us how a simple facility can be turned into a magical world full of art and imagination.
February 2011
Visited Sunnyside Environmental School. Sunnyside is a K-8 school within the Portland Public Schools system. Sunnyside also employs Place-Based Education and showed us what this philosophy could look like in an urban setting. Students were engaged in understanding the physical landscape, community resources, and neighborhood needs through their core curricular work. The teachers there embraced and encouraged the wonder and excitement for learning that children innately hold. We were also able to sit down with their inspiring and pioneering school leader and founder, Sarah Taylor, which really helped us to feel the vital importance of our project.
March 2011
Had mural painted and dedicated to BEC by Katie Yamasaki in the Cass Corridor. Began to codify our teacher-led organizational and governance structures with EdVisions. Received a $1,000 grant from the Buck Dinner Fund.
May 2011
Engaged a highly qualified school board.
June 2011
Devised a Community Outreach plan and held our first Community Conversation. Created a school year calendar.
July 2011
Julia's article on BEC published in the monthly review. Held our second Community Conversation. Designed enrollment policies and procedures, curriculum framework, and assessment and professional development calendars.
August 2011
Held our third Community Conversation at the Urban Network Book Store. Developed our hiring plan. Secured gift of $7,000 worth of furniture.
August 2011
Held our 3rd annual work retreat in Minden City.
September 2011
Julia invited to speak at Earthworks Harvest Dinner. Recognized by the IRS as a nonprofit organization.
November 2011
Held our fourth Community Conversation. Attended the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative's Place-Based Education Conference.
December 2011
Returned our search parameters to the near East Side. Identified two viable facilities and assessed. Prepared 2012 charter application for submission to authorizers.
December 2011
Visited a partner school in Ann Arbor. Developed network of operational mentors. Designed plan for special needs students.
