March 2009 Newsletter
Contents
Launch of the Get Smart Schools Pilot Fellowship
Meet the Fellows
Get Smart Schools Hosts Dr. Frederick Hess
Financial Management Seminar
New School Mapping Tool
Get Smart Schools is excited to announce the start of its Pilot Fellowship program, which provides support for six exceptional new school leaders preparing to open and run high quality schools in the fall of 2009. Biographies and school information for each Pilot Fellow can be found below.
The Pilot Fellows program combines individual support with group learning and networking. Each Pilot Fellow has a personalized professional development plan and will conduct a residency in a high performing school. Pilot Fellows participate in half-day, bi-weekly professional development sessions from mid-January through June. These sessions cover topics relevant to opening and building a successful school and provide opportunities for new school leaders to connect with and learn from one another in a structured environment.
Topic sessions are led by experts and, to date, have included school branding, student recruitment and enrollment, and effectively managing staff. Upcoming sessions include:
- March 19 - External Relations & School Law
- April 2 - Working With Urban & Specialized Student Populations
- April 23 & 24 - Financial Management
- May 7 - Building a Culture of Achievement
- May 21 - Accountability in Your School
- June 4 - Communicating for Success & Healthy Schools
- June 18 - From Planning to Implementing: “Sweating the Small Stuff”
Current school leaders and staff are welcome to attend any of the above sessions at no charge. For more information, please contact rperez@dkfoundation.org.
Mary Faith Hall, Founder, Thomas MacLaren School, Colorado Springs
Mary Faith Hall spent eight years teaching humanities, Latin, and drama at Trinity Schools in Bloomington, MN, and South Bend, IN. She received her bachelor’s in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and her master’s in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. She is a co-founder of Thomas MacLaren School, a sixth-through-twelfth grade classical, liberal arts school in Colorado Springs.
The mission of Thomas MacLaren School begins with the conviction that all human beings, and thus all students, can know truth, create beauty, and practice goodness. Learn more about Thomas MacLaren School at
http://www.maclarenschool.com/.
Rebecca Holmes, Executive Director, KIPP Colorado Schools, Denver
Prior to KIPP, Rebecca Holmes was a Senior Consultant with Deloitte Consulting, where she worked with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations on change management, talent strategies, and organization design. Rebecca is a Denver native and an alumna of Denver Public Schools. She began her career as a teacher at Wyatt-Edison Charter School and also participated in the El Pomar Foundation Fellowship. Rebecca holds a bachelor’s in history from Yale University, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
KIPP is dedicated to helping all students develop the knowledge, skills, and character traits needed to succeed in top quality high schools, colleges, and the competitive world. Learn more about KIPP at http://www.sunshinepeak.org/index.html.
Zach McComsey, Founder and Executive Director, Atlas Prep, Colorado Springs
Zach McComsey first embarked on this journey six years ago while working at a school in the Dominican Republic. There, an idea took root that has driven him since: every student deserves a real chance to be successful in life, and can do so if they are prepared for a college education. A graduate of Colorado Christian University and Harvard Divinity School, Mr. McComsey spent more than a year laying the groundwork for Atlas Prep after his El Pomar Foundation Fellowship, training with the Building Excellent Schools program in Boston and touring successful urban schools across the nation.
The mission of Atlas Preparatory School is to provide students in grades 5-8 with the academic preparation, character development, and ongoing support necessary to attend and graduate from a four-year college. Learn more about Atlas Prep at www.atlasprep.org.
Lori Nazareno, Lead Teacher, Math & Science Leadership Academy, Denver
Lori Nazareno has over 20 years of teaching experience. She has taught math and science for high-needs populations at the high school, alternative, and elementary school levels in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Denver Public Schools. Ms. Nazareno has been recognized at district, state, and national levels for her teaching success, and she is a dually certified National Board Certified Teacher. She holds a bachelor’s in exercise science from Occidental College in California, and a master’s of sports science from the United States Sports Academy in Alabama.
The Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy will be a teacher-led school whose mission is to be a school where students acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to thrive in their local community, succeed in a knowledge-based global economy, and assume 21st century leadership roles. Learn more about the Math & Science Leadership Academy at http://www.mathscienceleadershipacademy.org/home.html.
Nikki Rivera, Principal, Envision Leadership Prep, Denver
Prior to becoming a principal, Nikki Rivera served as a K-12 instructional coach, adjunct professor, elementary teacher, Americorps leadership consultant, political speechwriter, and Outward Bound instructor. Ms. Rivera earned her master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Marketing from the University of Arizona.
The mission of Envision Schools Colorado is to transform the lives of students, especially those who will be the first in their family to attend college, by preparing them for success in college and in life. Learn more about Envision Leadership Prep at http://www.envisionschoolscolorado.org/
Joshua Smith, Principal, West Denver Prep (Harvey Campus), Denver
Joshua Smith taught 8th grade Social Studies in south Texas as a Teach For America corps member. He served as a Corps Member Advisor and Learning Team Leader for several summers at Teach For America’s summer training institute. He has also worked on international policy issues as an analyst with the Henry L. Stimson Center, a think-tank in Washington, DC. Mr. Smith graduated with honors from the University of Colorado, Boulder and earned his master’s degree from Georgetown University.
Mr. Smith will serve as Principal of West Denver Prep’s new Harvey Park campus. Through a demanding education of high standards, structure, and accountability, West Denver Preparatory Charter School prepares students in grades six through eight for educational success from middle school through college. Learn more about West Denver Prep at http://www.westdenverprep.org/index.asp.
On February 3, 2009, Get Smart Schools hosted Dr. Frederick Hess at a series of events. The largest was a lunch at the University of Denver’s Craig Hall where Dr. Hess spoke to a group of 80 people about the importance of educational entrepreneurship and the challenges associated with school reform. The attendants included faculty and students from the University of Denver, Get Smart Schools Advisory Board members, Teach for America alumni and staff, foundation staff members, and current and aspiring school leaders.
Dr. Hess is a resident scholar and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and executive editor of Education Next. He is a nationally recognized authority on education reform and a frequent speaker and commentator on educational issues including choice, accountability, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, collective bargaining, leadership, federal policy, and teacher quality. He is a former high school social studies teacher, a former professor of education and government at the University of Virginia, and has taught as a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. He holds his M.Ed. in teaching and curriculum and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government from Harvard University.
Get Smart Schools and the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business are creating a MBA for School Innovators. The purpose of the degree is to prepare the next generation of autonomous school leaders to open and operate high performing schools serving a significant number of low-income students. This highly selective program is scheduled to start in Fall 2009.
Get Smart Schools is pleased to announce that we will be hosting "Beyond the Checkbook," a financial management seminar presented by The Finance Project, an independent nonprofit research, training, consulting, and technical assistance firm for public- and private-sector leaders nationwide. The purpose of this training is to provide participants with the fundamentals of fiscal management structures, policies, and practices for small nonprofits. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the practical knowledge and tools to set up, support, and manage a financial management system.
Topics include:
- building a financial management system
- accounting systems
- creating and using budgets
- creating and using financial reports
- conducting an audit
The training is designed for charter school leaders. It is tailored specifically for leaders who come to their positions with keen insights into providing effective programs, but have less experience in handling the finances of an organization.
This 1¾ day workshop, scheduled for April 23 and 24, is customized to meet the pre-identified needs of the participants. Resource materials include a fiscal management guide and training notebook that includes training materials, activities, and samples.
For more information or to register, please contact rperez@dkfoundation.org. Space is limited, so reserve your spot soon!
Get Smart Schools has added a valuable new feature to its website which will allow users to map public school facilities in metro Denver and to see the capacity, enrollment and performance of those schools. Users can search facilities by capacity, grade level, and/or proximity to a specific address. This tool will allow new school to developers to determine where there may be space available in district facilities, as well as areas that have excess demand and may be able to support a new school. This the first step that GSS is taking toward providing a robust set of tools that can assist new school developers locate and finance school facilities.
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