China and Beyond

Saint Paul, MN – Mounds Park Academy Head of School Michael Downs will travel to China in June to recruit and hire teachers of Mandarin Chinese to be employed by schools throughout the country who are members of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). He is one of only nine independent school heads from across the country to participate in the trip, and the only representative from Minnesota.

The teacher recruitment trip is part of the China Connection project, a unique partnership between NAIS and HANBAN, a non-governmental organization (NGO) funded by the Chinese government, with a goal of advancing the teaching of the Mandarin language in schools in the United States.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Mounds Park Academy as an institution, and for independent schools across the country,” said Downs. “This coordinated effort by our national association working in partnership with a Chinese agency allows us to simultaneously begin teaching Mandarin Chinese to students across the country. The hope is that as these programs take root in the independent schools and our connections with Chinese educators develop, there will be a ripple effect that will help make Chinese language instruction increasingly more available to all American students,” he said.

“The timing of this opportunity could not be better,” said Mounds Park Academy Board Chair Elect Nancy Misra. “In June of 2005 our Board of Trustees adopted a strategic plan that places ‘A Global Advantage’ at the top of the list of three key goals for the next five years. There is great interest among our parents and our funders in incorporating Mandarin Chinese into our curriculum. This effort by NAIS lays the groundwork for us to make it happen,” she said.

The NAIS delegation will depart from Los Angeles June 15 and return on June 25. The delegates will travel to various cities, visit a variety of schools, meet authorities from central and local education facilities and experience Chinese culture. While in Beijing, they will interview candidates from a large pool of native-speaking teachers and hire teachers both for their own schools, as well as other NAIS member schools who make a request. NAIS estimates that as many as 50 teachers may be hired to begin instructing students at American independent schools at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year.

Teachers will be hired for an initial one-year contract, with the hope that the assignment will extend to at least three years. HANBAN, with financial support from the Chinese government, will provide teachers with a stipend for the 2006-07 school year, with the second and third year salaries to be paid by the schools.

According to NAIS president Patrick Bassett, the partnership furthers the NAIS commitment to providing resources to its schools. “Part of our mission as an organization is to provide resources that will help our schools model what great 21st century schools must become, sustainable along several continua, including the global one. This program is an excellent reflection of that mission,” he said.

The China Connection program was announced to NAIS member schools at the organization’s annual conference in March, where Downs was recognized for his leadership role in developing a partnership with Saint Paul Public Schools to bring the innovative Breakthrough Saint Paul program to Saint Paul Public Schools students. Schools interested in participating in the China Connection program were asked to indicate their interest. Downs was notified of his selection to travel with the delegation on April 7 and asked to confirm his acceptance by April 11. Schools whose heads are not part of the delegation, but are interested in hiring a teacher through the program, must notify NAIS by May 1.

Since its inception in 1982, Mounds Park Academy has identified the teaching of foreign language as part of its core curriculum. All students receive daily instruction beginning in kindergarten and continuing through 12th grade. A team of educators and administrators is currently in the process of determining how it will integrate the Mandarin Chinese program into the curriculum. They hope to provide parents and students with a plan by early June.

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a membership organization representing approximately 1,200 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad, including 10 Minnesota schools. It acts as the national voice of independent pre-collegiate education and as the center for collective action on behalf of its membership. It serves and strengthens its member schools and associations by articulating and promoting high standards of educational quality and ethical behavior by working to preserve their independence to serve the democratic society from which that independence derives and by advocating broad access for students in affirming the principles of equity and justice. Additional information on NAIS can be found at www.nais.org.

Posted by Mike Downs at 1:46 PM | Permalink

December 10, 2004

To the MPA Community:

I write first with holiday greetings from the hallways of MPA. Despite the lack of snow, these winter days are busy and seem filled with an extra excitement as we approach the big break. And certainly the snow will come!

News, too, on two important fronts for the school. First, our professional evaluation, the ISACS report has arrived. And second, a new phase of the campus enhancement plan will begin during spring break! Watch for the start of construction of a sports center and two story classroom addition, due for completion in spring of 2006. Read on for details.

ISACS ACCREDITATION PROCESS

In August of 2003, we launched our two-year accreditation process by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). This process can be time-consuming for the staff and leadership, but it could hardly be more important. It helps us to closely assess how we accomplish our main work � the education of the children and young people who attend Mounds Park Academy.

The ISACS process requires independent schools to combine a thorough self-evaluation with an extensive review by outside evaluators toward developing a plan for growth and improvement. During the 2003-04 school year, we produced a comprehensive self study of all aspects of school operations, submitted the report to an ISACS visiting team over the summer, welcomed that team to campus for a four day stay in October, and have just received their report. The report presents an extremely strong endorsement for MPA in general and its programs, faculty, students and leadership in particular. It has also been sent to the ISACS central office for review by the Evaluation Review Committee at their next meeting in January.

As I mentioned in a letter to families in mid-October, the visiting team held our own self-study in particularly high regard. �We were aided,� notes the report, �beyond measure by the thoroughness of the self-study and the responsiveness with which the school engaged the visit.� The report also notes �the school�s graciousness, openness and refreshing curiosity.�

While the accolades are affirming, the report�s true value lies in helping point us in the direction of needed improvements. Indeed, the strength of the collective of schools bound together by association with ISACS is in our dedication to that rigorous process of evaluation that combines self review with external professional scrutiny. The ISACS accreditation model has been so effective it has been adopted by a number of other regional independent school associations around the country.

The two reports (internal and external) follow a parallel structure. While the self-study identifies strengths, challenges and plans and priorities, the visiting team report presents commendations and recommendations. The full report of the visiting team has been reviewed by the administrative team and board of trustees and is being made available to all faculty and staff over the coming weeks for review. Our obligation under the guidelines governing the accreditation process is to respond to all of the recommendations by the start of the next school year.

In practice, the process of growth and development begins with the identification of challenges, plans and priorities for the self-study report. Many of our own priorities, echoed and reinforced in the visiting team recommendations, have been acted on already. A good example is the creation of a new mission statement at

the end of last year. Another is the process of documenting the curriculum which is currently under way through the mapping process, set for completion in June.

Generally, there is symmetry between commendations and recommendations. For the reports on specific areas, visiting teams are expected to present three to five commendations and three to five recommendations. Towards the conclusion of the visit, the team conducts a lengthy closed door session to determine the major commendations and recommendations. I am enclosing for your information, the report�s concluding statement as well as the major commendations and recommendations from the visiting team.

Parents interested in knowing more about specific aspects of the report and how we plan to use it are encouraged to email me at mdowns@moundsparkacademy.org. Both the internal and the external reports will serve as important source material for the board�s strategic planning process, which will be completed by the end of the school year.

CAMPUS ENHANCEMENT GOES TO A NEW PHASE

Regarding the campus construction process, I am happy to report that we will be moving forward with Phase 2 of the master plan shortly after winter break. Initial steps will include clearing out of the district building in preparation for March demolition. Students, staff and families will return after spring break (in just a few months!) to find the north end of campus closed to traffic and parking in order to make way for excavation and site preparation.

The schedule for Phase 2 construction will carry into the summer and through much of the 2005-06 school year. Early results will include the completion of the new Early Childhood Center (Pre-K) by July 1, 2005, well before the opening of that new program with the start of school in August. It is our expectation that much of the new space, including the sports center and two story classroom addition, will be completed by the time students return from spring break in March of 2006.

Needless to say, a construction program of this magnitude cannot be accomplished without some disruption to campus operations. As we engage in this transformative enhancement project, we remain dedicated to delivering the quality educational experience to which MPA families have become accustomed. More information on how to manage access to and from the campus will be forthcoming in January. Those interested in knowing more about the project can also email me at the above address.

Detailed drawings of the entire master plan will be on display near the reception area upon return to school in January. I invite you to stop by and take a moment to study them and appreciate the significance of these changes. You�ll be hearing much more about the school�s physical transformation in the months ahead as we work to engage our entire community in the excitement this opportunity creates. Some have called it a kind of �second founding�. In response to significant facilities challenges, our staff and board have set a course to ensure the future for many generations of MPA students to come. After a twenty-three year rise to prominence in the Twin Cities, MPA is poised to truly come of age.

I wish all MPA friends and families a safe and restful holiday break.

Sincerely,

Mike Downs
Head of School

MAJOR COMMENDATIONS and MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Major Commendations

The ISACS visiting team commends the Mounds Park Academy for its:
1. engaged, respectful and cheerful students, with curiosity and the confidence to be themselves.
2. faculty, staff, and administration, noteworthy in their professional commitment to young people, their collegiality, and the passionate competency with which they do their jobs.
3. thoughtful and accessible head of school with the vision to guide the school through transitions and change with patience and optimism.
4. board of trustees which has had the wisdom and energy to lead the school and itself through strategic and visionary changes in order to position the school well for the future.
5. creative, expressive, and student-centered program which challenges, supports and engages young people as it prepares them for the rest of their lives.
6. climate for learning, an atmosphere with uncommon spirit and with systems that mirror the values of the mission.
7. light-infused campus with flexible and dynamic spaces and an ease of physical connectedness that encourages human connectedness.
8. resilience as it moves from a founding culture to that of an established school with both a rich past and a dynamic future.

Major Recommendations

The ISACS visiting team recommends that Mounds Park Academy:
1. document the curriculum in order to articulate what currently is taught at all levels and in all academic areas.
2. establish clear and appropriate systems for academic assimilation and for orientation both of new students and of students with learning differences.
3. examine job description issues for faculty, staff and administration so that questions of equity, compensation, and workload can be analyzed and resolved.
4. create a structure for planning and for regular curricular conversations both within departments and between them.
5. explore the integration of the technology program within the broad work of the school, including its impact on such areas as curriculum, professional development, resources, and time.
6. develop a comprehensive mentoring program for new hires that includes creating an understanding of the unique institutional history and mission of the school.
7. study school size and the campus site plan for potential impact on school culture.
8. use NAIS statistical resources and discipline-specific standards for benchmarking.

CONCLUSION

Mounds Park Academy should be proud of the progress it has made in so many areas of the school community. This is a very good school with an exuberance that is uncommon. John Henry Newman reminds us, however, �to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.� With that in mind, it is important to remember that the school is transforming itself, as it gradually and thoughtfully transitions from founding days to this day and beyond. Mark the moments of transition, but do not hesitate to use them as a launching pad for the future. The visiting team recognizes the school�s justifiable pride in its roots and also applauds the direction toward which it is growing, because it is important to honor what Mounds Park Academy was, what it now is, and what it is becoming. As you move forward, do so with confidence and joy in who you are, just as you encourage the students to do.

The ISACS team thanks the entire community of Mounds Park Academy for a welcome that defies description. Team members noted the school�s graciousness, openness and refreshing curiosity. We leave Mounds Park Academy rich in our new knowledge of this unique learning community.

In such a brief time, however, one cannot truly know a school. We were aided beyond measure by the thoroughness of the self-study and the responsiveness with which the school engaged in the visit. It is clear that you learned much about yourself through the process, and that is, after all, the heart of this ISACS process. Visiting team members were exceptional in their expertise, their commitment to the evaluation process, and their unstinting conscientiousness for doing a good job. The final team report indicates the concurrence of the group; every member of the team discussed and endorsed all reports with accompanying commendations and recommendations. The team came to care about the school, and we hope that we have helped Mounds Park Academy in setting goals and in making plans for the future.

I consider it a privilege to serve ISACS and Mounds Park Academy on this visiting team. On behalf of the fourteen other members of the visiting team, I wish the school continued success.

Respectfully submitted,

Marlene M. David
Visiting Team Chair

Posted by Mike Downs at 5:16 PM | Permalink

Last Wednesday evening, seniors and parents gathered on campus for the annual senior potluck dinner to launch their last year as MPA students. Speaking to the assembled group, Mr. Meacock issued a challenge, in this closing year, to make a difference. "Don't go only for what feels good, but what does good." He talked about the difference between celebrity and fame. "Celebrity," he said, "looks into the mirror of self, fame looks to the horizons of future betterment."

That same evening, on the other side of town, friends, family and admirers gathered to remember someone who, long ago, answered a similar challenge. When asked to join in a wildly ambitious plan to start a new school "to do good on a truly grand scale" Bob Flotten said, "yes."

Mr. Flotten passed away earlier this month, and at the memorial Wednesday evening, friends and family recalled a life of service with a particular emphasis on MPA. Bob Flotten, though his children did not attend MPA, was a key player in the creation of our school. He was a member of the very first board of trustees and served from 1982-84, then again from 1988-1994.

Maureen Conway: "Bob Flotten sat on the hiring committee that gave me my job, a job which has, to a great extent, come to define my life. Thus, in a very real way I owe many of the happiest times and some of the most important parts of my life to Bob."

Karen Rossbach: "He had that way of giving a person his full attention and made you feel like he knew you forever. He was a great person who loved Mounds Park Academy and gave tons of his time to getting it started. I feel fortunate to have known him."

Barb Bradley: "There was always a sense of joy about him, a total enthusiasm for MPA."

Marilyn Shardlow: "Bob was passionate about education: he put his time and money where his mouth was and gave an amazing amount of time to getting MPA off the ground. He was at every event in the early years."

Richard Meacock: "Bob was one of those people who seemed to radiate kindness. He was always fully engaged in conversations and asked highly perceptive questions in a profoundly respectful way. He was key to the tone established at MPA in its founding years."

As we look forward to a year of senior promise and opportunity, we thank Bob Flotten for answering the challenge and being among those at the beginning who made it all possible.

Mr. Meacock closed his remarks to seniors Wednesday night with this admonition: "Temper privilege with responsibility, and savour the pleasure that comes with a quiet, but no less powerful fame." We hope that Bob Flotten, in his final years, savored the pleasure that comes with the quiet fame he so richly deserves.

Posted by Mike Downs at 2:50 PM | Permalink