EXECUTIVE MESSAGE

As a teacher and principal at urban schools around the U.S., I have witnessed the challenges public education faces. Charter schools are increasingly shaping the education reform debate. We see this not only in government discussions, but also in mainstream media, an example being the film Waiting for Superman, which is garnering nationwide attention.

Some charter schools are offering effective new solutions to improving our nation’s challenged public K-12 education system. The White House and Secretary of Education have recognized Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) as one of them for its innovative solutions to problems plaguing urban schools.

The U.S. Department of Education is supporting ‘green schools’ and green curricula as an effective way to provide quality education in poor communities that are disproportionately affected by problems such as contamination from industrial sites. ECS is at the forefront of the green schools movement. I am honored to join its board and serve this award-winning charter school network.

Through its Green Ambassadors Institute, ECS will help green education nationwide. With courses, one-on-one coaching and professional development, the institute will empower teachers and administrators to ‘green’ their curriculum and make their learning real through service learning that extends beyond the classroom and into the community. In partnership with UCLA Extension, the program offers continuing education credits.

I invite you to join us at the RETHINK: GREEN charity gala, which will help raise funds to support this nationwide expansion. I encourage you to become a supporter of this amazing network of schools: Environmental Charter Schools.

Dr. Carlos Cortez, Ph.D. is Director of the Department of Education at UCLA Extension, and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Southern California.

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RETHINK: GREEN

Art Exhibition - Organic Tasting - Green Awards - Charity Gala benefiting Environmental Charter Schools & Green Ambassadors Institute

Hosted by Ed Begley Jr. & Rachelle Carson Begley

Please join us for a night to celebrate, educate, collaborate and RETHINK: GREEN for the future of our environment.

• Celebrating 10 years of success at Environmental Charter Schools
• Honoring 10 Green Leaders
• Art Exhibition & Curated Silent Auction
• Sustainable/Organic Wine, Beverage & Food Tasting
• Green Carpet Entrance with Celebrities & VIPs

Saturday November 6, 2010 - 7 p.m. - Los Angeles, CA

• Blackwelder LA - a creative adaptive space located in the Culver City Arts District
• VIP & Media Doors Open at 6 pm - casual cocktail attire suggested, wear comfortable shoes!
• Ticket available at: http://rethinkgreenevent.eventbrite.com/ (early bird tickets on sale until October 20th!)

RETHINK: GREEN Includes:

RETHINK: LEADERSHIP - Honoring top leaders with the Green Ambassadors Awards given to organizations and leaders who are going above and beyond to create a more sustainable world.

RETHINK: CREATIVITY - Displaying top visual artists who are rethinking creativity.

RETHINK: TASTE - Enjoy organic and sustainable wine, spirits, beer and local food. Presented by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

RETHINK: FUNCTION - Auction featuring items that make you rethink the way you work, recreate and live. SHFT.com curates the culture of today's environment in a featured silent auction area.

Sponsored by: LA Car Guy, Shangri-La Construction, Shangri-La Entertainment, Earth Friendly Products, Blackwelder LA, Genton Properties, Boeing, Paramount Pictures, Chevron. Media Partners: Wine & Spirits Magazine, SHFT.com, Opportunity Green, EcoStiletto.com, UCLA Extension, and Naked Juice.

Musical guests and artists to be announced!

Check back for updates at www.rethinkgreenevent.org

GREEN AMBASSADORS INSTITUTE COURSES STARTING!

FOR EDUCATORS: GREEN YOUR SCHOOL

Earn graduate and continuing education credits through UCLA Extension while learning how to use the environment as the context for authentic interdisciplinary learning that connects students to their campus and community.

• Connect your curriculum, principles and practices to sustainability
• Provide fun, hands-on project-based learning experiences
• Foster student leadership through service learning
• Enhance community involvement and partnerships on campus
• Implement green projects that connect students to their campus
• Hands-on classes taught by Sara Laimon, founder of Green Ambassadors, a program of Environmental Charter Schools that has transformed education across California.

Click here to: REGISTER NOW Space is Limited. Classes Start in December! Scholarships Available.

OTHER NEWS

Environmental Charter Middle School Opens Its Doors

Officials Join Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Welcoming First Class of 6th Graders

On September 10th in a grand opening ceremony at its interim campus in Inglewood, Environmental Charter Middle School (ECMS) opened its doors to its inaugural sixth grade class.

At the event, Principal, Kami Cotler, founder & executive director, Alison Suffet-Diaz, and Environmental Charter Schools’ board joined parents, community leaders, and guest speakers from the national ‘green schools’ movement in welcoming the first class of 120 students.

Catering to a small school environment of 25-30 children per classroom, ECMS’ curriculum is designed to help students develop academic skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to be effective in a college preparatory high school and to become good stewards of their local environment.

The middle school’s opening marks a milestone in Environmental Charter Schools’ long-term plan to create an expanded network of K-12 schools, building on the successful approach of its award-winning flagship sister school, Environmental Charter High School (ECHS). ECHS’ innovative standards-based curriculum has been recognized by the White House and featured on PBS television.

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Environmental Charter Welcomes New Board Member

Dr. Carlos Cortez, PhD

New ECHS Board member, Dr. Carlos Cortez, is Director of the Department of Education at UCLA Extension, and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Southern California. Dr. Cortez brings experience in K-12 education as a classroom teacher, administrator, and principal of public, private, and charter schools in New York, Washington, Houston, and Los Angeles, where he has shown dedication to teachers and students, innovation in developing programs and services, and sound organizational management.

He was appointed to the California State Senate Task Force on Autism Spectrum Disorder. He facilitated a partnership with the California Charter School Association to offer the Charter School Launch and Development Certification, which helps the successful launch and operation of charter schools, through UCLA Extension.

Cortez holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Administration from the University of Southern California, an M.A. from New York University, and a B.A. from Georgetown University. He has Tier I and II California Administrative Credentials as well as New York and California Teaching Credentials.

Extra Credit: Pledge To See A Movie, Make $5 for Our School!

Everyone loves extra credit, and here’s an opportunity for everyone to benefit. Your simple assignment: pledge online to see the film below. You’ll receive a $5 gift code to give to an ECHS or other classroom of choice - on DONORSCHOOSE.ORG. And you can receive a $15 gift code to give ECS if you purchase a ticket online.

In his new movie, Waiting for Superman, Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits rather than encourages academic growth.

For a nation that proudly declared it would leave no child behind, America continues to do so at alarming rates. Despite increased spending and politicians’ promises, our buckling public-education system, once the best in the world, routinely forsakes the education of millions of children.

However, embracing the belief that good teachers make good schools, Guggenheim offers hope by exploring innovative approaches taken by charter schools that have refused to leave their students behind and instead create educational environments that encourage learning.

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Know Any Teens Who Think They Have The Solution To Plastic Pollution?

Algalita is inviting youth to submit their ideas by November 31, 2010 for a shot to win an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the Plastics Are Forever International Youth Summit with 100 other students and teachers.

More information at: www.plasticsareforever.org