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  • Home
  • Outcomes
    • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving >
      • Effective Reasoning
      • Decision Making
      • Problem Solving
    • Character
    • Collaboration & Communication
  • Instructional Practices
    • Arts Integration
    • Critique
    • Learning Expeditions
    • Problem-Based Tasks in Math
    • Student-Led Conferences
    • Student-Led IEPs
    • Teaching and Assessing Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving >
      • Define: Rubrics
      • Teach: Thinking Routines
      • Assess: Performance Tasks
  • Two Rivers Learning Institute
    • Two Rivers Learning Institute Faculty
    • Professional Development Offerings
  • Blog
  • CAREERS
  • Contact

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Welcome to our blog

Living the Mission at Two Rivers Public Charter School: Defining an Educational Philosophy for the 21st Century

11/2/2015

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By: Jeff Heyck-Williams





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​The Two Rivers Public Charter School Mission


To nurture a diverse group of students to become lifelong, active participants in their own education, develop a sense of self and community, and become responsible and compassionate members of society.
​

Written above is the mission of our school. We share the mission at every parent event. We read the mission at the start of every professional development session that we run with staff. The mission is printed and prominent in every classroom. We often say we are a mission-driven school and the words of our mission are somewhat ubiquitous in the life our school.

But what does it mean?


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2, 4, 6, 8: Social Learning by the Numbers

10/18/2013

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By: Jeff Heyck-Williams

At Two Rivers, we often say that social learning is just as important as academic learning.  This isn't just talk.  We believe that time spent teaching our students about how they can effectively interact and the personal skills needed to persevere and thrive in their work is just as important as the time we spend teaching them academic content.  In the world of high stakes academic testing and accountability, focusing on social learning can seem counterintuitive.  After all, you only have so much time to cover all of the things that kids need to know.  However, we have seen over and over again that an investment in a child's social skills has payoffs far wider than a single test score.  Students who have developed habits of perseverance, commitment, responsibility, and productive collaboration are more successful in and outside of the classroom.  

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Rigor Redefined

1/21/2012

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By: Elaine Hou, Instructional Guide

What is rigorous teaching and learning, and what does it look like across the grades? 


As students, educators, and parents, we have all come across varied definitions of rigor in past and present schooling experiences. When one wants to understand a school’s framework for rigor, a great place to start is the school’s mission. The mission statement articulates what type of student the school strives to develop through its curriculum, programming and structures, teacher professional development, parent involvement structures, and overall culture. The mission provides the school community with a vision for the type of future that is important for all its students.


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A New Vision for Proficiency: A Call for Expanded Outcomes for Education

11/15/2011

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By: Jeff Heyck-Williams

Anyone who has had a conversation with me about education or has taken time to read any of my previous posts on this blog knows that I am passionate about what I have come to describe as expanded outcomes for education. This idea is at the heart of the mission of Two Rivers and of what we believe defines innovative education for the 21st century. My earlier writings on our mission, on the nature of curriculum, and about the types of tasks and experiences that we need to provide for our students are founded on this idea. 

So what is this idea?

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Practical Tools, Habits of Mind, and A More Satisfying Life: Three Reasons to Learn and Do Math

3/22/2011

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By: Jeff Heyck-Williams

This year I have a wonderful opportunity.  I get to teach math.  Specifically, I teach middle school students in an algebra class and elementary and middle school teachers during professional development in an effort to build their mathematical capacity.  I honestly love my job.  

While these adolescents and adults are fairly different in their temperaments and instructional needs, they both have challenged me with the essential question: Why do we need to learn this stuff?

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Two Rivers Public Charter School's mission is to nurture a diverse group of students to become lifelong, active participants in their own education, develop a sense of self and community, and become responsible and compassionate members of society.
Learn With Two Rivers is supported by a generous grant from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to support the dissemination of best practices with DC-area educators. 
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