Month: February 2015

West Wind Open House March 2nd, Join Us!

West Wind Open House March 2nd, Join Us!

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The annual Open House for West Wind Education Policy Inc. is March 2nd from 4-6 p.m. We look forward to your visit and are excited to announce the Dream Divas dance team, sponsored by the Dream Center, will entertain with a short performance around 5 o’clock. Come enjoy light refreshments, great conversation with friends and colleagues, and hear about some of our new work, including our collaboration in the Creative Corridor Center for Equity (C3E).

Our office is on the second floor of Eastdale Plaza, 1700 S. First Ave. We hope to see you Monday! Don’t forget to send your RSVP to [email protected].

Kind regards from the staff of West Wind Education Policy Inc.,

Circe, Alecia, Bonnie, Kathy, Mandi, Sally, and Tina

Black History Month Events in Iowa City

Black History Month Events in Iowa City

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Black History MonthI recently heard yet another story of black youth who feel left out of their school community year round, but who feel it especially strongly during Black History Month, which has gone mostly unrecognized at their school.  I hope that voices of these youth will spark a review of curricular offerings, celebrations, and school culture in their buildings–because I believe ALL youth will benefit from a more inclusive school curriculum and community. Continue reading “Black History Month Events in Iowa City”

Why Personalized Learning?  A Parent’s Perspective

Why Personalized Learning? A Parent’s Perspective

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Personalized Learning 300This is the first in a series of blogs to explore personalized learning.  In the first installment, I share my own journey as a parent to understand why personalized learning should be a goal of PK-12 systems and how I came to believe that.  The “evidence” for my parental belief is almost purely anecdotal and formed from supporting my own children in school.  The next blogs will focus more on the evidence and data that convince me as a professional working in education policy that this shift is necessary.  In subsequent blogs I plan to explore several education initiatives and programs aimed at personalized learning, such as Genius Hour, competency-based education practices, and project-based learning practices. Continue reading “Why Personalized Learning? A Parent’s Perspective”

West Wind Open House (Postponed)

West Wind Open House (Postponed)

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Due to the winter storm, we postponed our annual Open House, which had been scheduled for February 2. We’ll post the new date at this website and send an announcement via email.

We look forward to sharing with you some of our new work, including our collaboration in the Creative Corridor Center for Equity (C3E). We’re plugging away at our first initiative, titled the Black and Brown Educator Recruitment and Retention (BBERR) project. BBERR is an impressive program that attracts and retains talent of color from Iowa and across the nation to schools in Waterloo and the creative corridor. In addition to the Center for Equity, we’ve also launched a new program around Competency Based Education, headed by staff memeber Mandi Bozarth. She’ll work with leaders in Iowa and the Midwest to develop and disseminate resources about competency-based learning. These are certainly exciting developments, and we look forward to sharing the latest news of our work with you. Continue reading “West Wind Open House (Postponed)”

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