Expeditionary Learning's Chief Academic Officer, Ron Berger, has been invited to a White House convening on Excellence in Education: The Importance of Academic Mindsets to be held in Washington, D.C. on May 16th, 2013. The event is co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & the Department of Education and sponsored by the Raikes Foundation. The goal of this meeting is to bring together a diversity of experts interested in academic mindsets. 

42 Expeditionary Learning Teachers representing 23 schools were awarded grants from Fund for Teachers to embark on self-designed learning odysseys as scholars, researchers, adventurers and Fund for Teacher Fellows. Congratulations to:

Located in Chicago, IL students at Polaris Charter Academy live in a neighborhood plagued by gun violence.  In an effort to promote peace, 7th grade students at Polaris are collaborating with Westinghouse College Prep. to create PSAs advertising the Day of Peace on June 10th.  Through the course of this project, students also started an anti-violence campaign on social media, are planning a community-building event in their neighborhood and will publish a book titled “Peacekeepers of Chicago.” 

“I really want to get the message out to our community that gun violence has to stop.” - Polaris seventh-grader Desiree Gabarin.

Click here to read more about the Day of Peace and see the students at Polaris featured in a clip on WGN Chicago news. 

Click on the photo above to read about how Polaris students reduced the energy use at their school and went on to win the Judges' Award at the 2013 Climate Cycle Soiree.