The students and staff at CICS West Belden are so fortunate to have this Trailblazer teaching alongside them. Please join us in congratulating a Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Kasey Lewis! 

​Trailblazer teachers and staff hold a vital role in developing school reform, and we are grateful for their innovation, commitment, and dedication to our network! This month we are featuring a Trailblazing Teacher from CICS Bucktown.

This month's Trailblazer has fully embraced personalized learning in her classroom. She takes the time to get to know each students' strengths and needs, both personally and emotionally. She sets high expectations for all and truly believes that, with ongoing and personalized support, all learners can achieve. This Trailblazer truly embodies what it means to be "Distinctive"! She worked tirelessly over the summer, partnering with the Academic Team, to plan and facilitate multiple sessions during New Teacher Institute. Her participation and natural leadership were instrumental in ensuring that our new teachers feel prepared and excited for the year ahead. 

The International Society for Technology in Education, more popularly known as ISTE, held their annual conference in Chicago, Illinois this past summer. This conference is known to be the epicenter of everything edtech, and included powerful ideas, inspirational speakers, and networking events to connect with fellow innovative educators who share a passion for transformative learning. ​

​From robots to 3D printers to maker spaces, as a teacher I hear a lot of trendy tech integration being pushed these days. The innovations that exist in education through the deeper integration of technology is truly exciting but I find myself needing to sift through and find what I can integrate into the classroom.

At ISTE the first trend I noticed was a larger focus on STEAM for early learners. The expo featured many coding products that incited problem solving at early ages. My favorite of these products was a “bee-bot” it allows for children to program the robot by pressing a series of buttons and then pressing play. With it’s easy set up of just the robot and a pictorial grid it’s an easy activity to integrate into any kinder or first grade classroom. If you’re like me and concerned about having a cost effective way to do the same type of thing, consider making your own pictorial grid, and having students “program” each other to certain spaces. This will help them later apply the skill to programs like code.org.​

The integration of virtual reality goggles into classroom settings is another trend that is on the rise. Virtual reality goggles can be used for virtual field trips and experiential learning opportunities, but the idea of every child in the classroom having access to them seems like a bit of a far fetched idea. Again, if you’re like me and want to expose kids to virtual field trips and virtual learning consider this idea, create a National Geographic account, or simply go on YouTube and look up “National Geographic 360 videos” then turn off the lights in the room and create a rectangular prism that can be placed on the outside of the screen. This will give children the experience of virtual reality through 360 videos while experiencing it on their own terms as they cut off the world around them for a while.​

Terrell previously served as Network Chief of Staff for the past year. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing Distinctive Schools’ partnerships, development, school growth, and strategic initiatives. In bringing these components together, Distinctive Schools sees the opportunity to share best practices and leverage skills across the organization. ​

With experience as a management consultant at Deloitte and an Education Pioneers fellow, Terrell brings a new perspective to Distinctive Schools through valuable resources and best practices in organizational development and planning. ​

This month's Trailblazer is passionate about opening the minds of his students. He works to integrate the arts, to develop students' critical thinking, and works to make the world a better place. This trailblazer is always looking to improve his practice, and is always willing to share and learn from his experiences. He has developed partnerships within the CPS Arts Community, hosted and presented district-wide professional development opportunities at CICS Irving Park, and recently earned his masters in Teaching and Inquiry. He listens to his students, and adapts his instructional practice to meet student needs. He provides real-world experiences in the arts, and has truly made an impact on our community! 

Follow up with Frank! Read more about his work on his blog, A Sound Mind.

Chicago, IL (April 4, 2018) Distinctive Schools announced the establishment of its National Board of Directors that will help guide Distinctive Schools as an educational practice leader committed to social justice and the elevation of access and achievement for all students. ​

Distinctive Schools began its journey in May of 2011, with the mission to ensure successful futures for all of its students. Today, in partnership with Chicago International Charter School (CICS), Distinctive Schools currently manages four K-­8 elementary schools in Chicago: CICS Bucktown, CICS Irving Park, CICS Prairie, and CICS West Belden. In the northern region of Minneapolis, in partnership with Innovative Quality Schools, Distinctive Schools manages Minnesota Excellence in Learning Academy (MELA), and at the start of the 2017-­2018 school year, Distinctive Schools proudly partnered with Central Michigan University in the opening of its newest school, Distinctive College Prep – Harper Woods, a K-­3 charter school, adding grade levels each year through grade eight.  ​

As national thought leaders in the area of personalized learning, Distinctive Schools fosters learning environments that honor each individual and nurture the whole learner, and through a highly personalized model of instruction and supports, students develop a strong sense of agency and confidence and consistently exceed national norms on both growth and attainment targets.

“We believe our National Board of Directors represent the apogee of education today. We are very fortunate to learn and work with them, and to utilize their unique skill sets and expertise to continue to strengthen Distinctive Schools,” stated Scott Frauenheim, President and COO at Distinctive Schools. “The new board will strengthen support in all areas of the organization while continuing to positively impact student achievement. It is an exciting step for Distinctive Schools.”​

​​We feel so fortunate to have her at DCP - Harper Woods, please join us in congratulating a Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Ciara Cox!

​Trailblazer teachers and staff hold a vital role in developing school reform, and we are grateful for their innovation, commitment, and dedication to our network! This month we are featuring a Trailblazing Teacher from CICS Prairie. ​

This month's Trailblazer is leading the way for personalized learning at CICS Prairie. She serves as a thought partner with the LEAP Learning Network, participates in the Frontier pilot for second grade, and was featured as the very first Frontier All-Star teacher in February! This Trailblazer incorporates student choice and voice in her daily practice. Her students use a variety of menus and surveys to explore how they want to learn and demonstrate their learning. Her leadership is helping to trailblaze a strong personalized learning path for everyone at CICS Prairie. ​

We feel so fortunate to have her at CICS Prairie, please join us in congratulating a Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Keona Roberts!

We feel so fortunate to have her at CICS Bucktown, please join us in congratulating a Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Rachael Beucher!

We feel so fortunate to have her teaching at CICS West Belden, please join us in congratulating a Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Kelly Pollack!