CULTURALLY RELEVANT INSPIRATION Whittney Pittman EDU 692 Gladys Evans 05/23/16

ZOO SCHOOL ZOO SCHOOL IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI

The public Zoo School, which serves sixth-graders only, accepts 60 students from within and outside the Grand Rapids district for an intensive year-long program at the John Ball Zoological Garden. (Noodle Staff, 2015)

INNOVATION & 21 ST CENTURY SKILLS The Zoo school is innovative and exhibits 21 st century skills because It is designed to heighten an awareness of the environment, stimulate creative thinking, develop leadership, promote intellectual growth, and increase self- esteem. Zoo School takes hands-on learning to a whole new level as students engage in learning activities throughout the zoo's natural environment that meet all core subject and curriculum areas in math, science, reading, writing, and social studies. In addition to core subjects students get unique experiences through animal feeding, raising salmon, recycling, navigating trails, etc. (grpublicschools.org)

The learning experiences at the Zoo school reflects culturally relevant pedagogy and promote creativity through: Believing in each student’s potential Teach in a nationally recognized educational environment Hands-on, practice driven learning experiences Innovative curriculum designed to engage students’ creativity Students have a final project that they have to creatively show their research and what they have learned. (grspublicschools.org)

THINK GLOBAL SCHOOL

Location: Global (The World) Grade levels: Private Today, it’s an adventure come to life for 45 exceptional teens and a small army of teachers, StudentLIFE advisors, and support staff (thinkglobalschool.org) Welcome to TGS

The most unique aspect of this school is definitely the fact that there is no brick and mortar building for the school. Students are allowed to travel to three different countries each year. Students work toward an International Baccalaureate diploma. The approach blends world-schooling with the peer and faculty network of traditional schools. 21 st century skills Cultural Awareness Creativity Technology Flexibility and Adaptability

Learning experiences reflect culturally relevant pedagogy through facilitating 21 st century skills and focusing on cultural awareness of students. TGS=Culture. They are all about culture in every sense of the word. Close relationships are developed between students, teachers and advisor. Creativity is promoted through the cultural experiences students have in other countries. Students are able to learn different languages, They have constructed schools Teachers help students identify their passions

EVERGREEN COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL

WELCOME TO EVERGREEN Location: Asheville, North Carolina Grade Levels: K-8 The enrollment in for Evergreen Community Charter School is 444 students in grades K-8, 47% of whom are female and 53% of whom are male. Our minority population is 11%. Enrollment data for school year indicated that 31% of our students are coming from Asheville City School district and 69% from the Buncombe County School district. Forty-three percent of the students new to Evergreen this year are incoming kindergarteners. Forty-one percent of Evergreen students come from families that report incomes at the free or reduced lunch schedule (as established by federal guidelines). (Evergreenccs.org)

INNOVATIVE AND UNIQUENESS Former student reflecting on his unique experience at Evergreen! com/watch?v=JJnMv sl139M

THE BELIEFS OF THE SCHOOL REFLECTS CULTURAL RELEVANCE AND CREATIVITY Nurture the development of caring and compassionate community members through self-reflection, service to others, relationship building, and collaboration. Provide a safe environment and small learning groups that invite children to become integral members of the classroom, where caring adults and peer mentors help to ensure the progress of each child. Challenge students to make meaningful connections and grasp the big picture through a hands-on, project-based, integrated curriculum that fosters motivation and responsibility for learning. (evergreenccs.org)

Embrace diversity as it supports children and other members in discovering their inherent self-worth and developing their individual gifts. Inspire students to be self-directed learners, with the ability and desire to follow paths of inquiry, seek knowledge and understanding, think critically, communicate effectively, act creatively and responsibly. Foster understanding of, respect for, and responsibility toward the natural world. Encourage students to take risks in setting and achieving goals, to strive for their personal best, and to make healthy choices. (evergreenccs.org)

21 ST CENTURY SKILLS Critical Thinking Global Awareness Problem Solving Collaboration Creativity

REFERENCES ECCS (n.d). Retrieved from Noodle Staff (Oct ). 41 Most Innovative K-12 Schools in America. Retrieved from THINK Global School (n.d). Retrieved from Zoo School (n.d). Retrieved from