Culturally Relevant Inspiration Janine Dixon EDU692: Creativity Culture and Global Contexts in Education Decision Making Instructor: Dr. Amy Gray Date: August 17, 2015

THE GODDARD SCHOOL The Goddard School for Early Childhood Development is located 1127 W. Armitage Ave, in the Lincoln Park area. There were no direct demographic information available, so I gathered information from the closest school which was Lincoln Elementary. They currently serve 811 students, including 13.3 % from low-income homes and 0.6% homeless families. The majority of the students in the school are White (63.9%). The Goddard School is innovative and unique because their approach is "based on accepted research that clearly indicates the deepest most genuine learning occurs for children through play and fun activities, lovingly guided by highly trained teachers" (The Goddard School). The curriculum focuses on communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. The learning experiences at the Goddard School seems to reflect culturally relevant practices. They offer individualized development that includes curricula that is child-inspired and teacher-lead. The teachers also collaborate with parents to nurture children into respectful, confident, and joyful learners. The Goddard School promotes creativity for students by making learning fun. Children are able to select activities and materials to explore and discover with in creative ways. For teachers, they are offered a variety of personal and professional development opportunities that can assist with many things like, the inclusion of all children, and etc. More information can be found at:

Benjamin Franklin Elementary Benjamin Franklin Elementary is located in Glen Ellyn, IL (western suburbs of Chicago). The school currently serves 579 students, including 10.9% from low-income homes and 0.9% of homeless families. The majority of students in the district are White (79.8%). Franklin Elementary is unique because it adopted a hands-on approach to education. They made project-based learning, that focused on student-centered learning, a major avenue of learning. Franklin supports the development of collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. I can see the learning experiences reflecting culturally relevant practices. The students are encouraged to engage in project-based learning activities, cooperative learning, and STEM labs. Franklin elementary promotes creativity in the classroom because it allows students to take ownership for their learning. Students are allowed to problem solve and let projects evolve. Teachers can learn from this as well. More information can be found at:

Wheeling High School Wheeling high school is located in Wheeling, IL. They currently serve 1,859 students, including 10.5 % from low-income homes and 2.7 % homeless families. The student’s majority population are Hispanics (53.9%). Wheeling high school is unique. It is a comprehensive high school with a STEM focus. It was recognized in 2011 for having a superior technology education program that includes over 15 computer labs, over 450 computers, loaner lap tops, smart boards, media projectors, and other resources. Wheeling high school focuses on core subjects, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, media, and technology skills. This school offers a variety of learning experiences. They allow students to participate in programs that are meant to contribute to student’s success. These programs are additions to daily instruction with efforts to reach all students due to their unique experiences. Wheeling high school offers creativity by focusing on STEM. The curriculum allows students to creatively transfer and apply knowledge and skills to everyday life situations. While they are doing so, they are preparing for the real world. Teachers are able to benefit as well, seeing how they set out to plan and carry out instruction. More information can be found at:

References Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). List of exampler schools. Retrieved from studies/list-of-exemplar-schoolshttp:// The Goddard School. (n.d.). Retrieved from: Benjamin Franklin Elementary. (n.d.). Retrieved from: Wheeling High School. (n.d.). Retrieved from: